Suggested by Shaker invisibilia: "You get to invite one actor (dead or alive), one musician (again, dead or alive), and one historical figure of your choice over for dinner. Who did you invite, and what is on the menu?"
Ruth Gordon, Nina Simone, and Helen Keller.
And I suspect we would need a competent fingerspeller to come along, because I haven't done fingerspelling in about 30 years, and I don't think I could keep up!
Question of the Day
The Wednesday Blogaround
This blogaround brought to you by red leaves.
Recommended Reading:
Zeba: [Content Note: Misogynoir; police brutality] For Black Women, Police Brutality and Sexual Harassment Go Hand in Hand
Adrienne: [CN: Appropriation; racism] Dear JK Rowling, I'm Concerned About the American Wizarding School
George: Woman Gives Birth Using Ovarian Tissue Frozen in Childhood
Nehal: New Vulnerabilities: Women of Color, Privacy, and the False Dualism of Online and Offline
Mustang Bobby: [CN: Homophobia] Gay Bank & Trust
Kenrya: Muslim Girls on Minneapolis B-Ball Team Design Culturally Appropriate Uniforms
Monica: Laverne Cox to Be Immortalized in Wax by Madame Tussauds
Sean: Hillary Clinton Joins Instagram (and Her First 'Gram Is Perfect)
THV: Tom Hardy on Max Rockatansky and His Glorious Inspirations for Playing the Character
Leave your links and recommendations in comments. Self-promotion welcome and encouraged!
It's Delightful, It's Delicious, It's De-Lovely...
...it's De-lurk Day! We haven't had one of these in two years (!!!) so all you Shaker lurkers who rarely or never pipe up, don't be shy; say hi!
Cheeky devils!
And, as always, no one should feel obliged to stop lurking. These threads are a meant as a safe and easy space for people who do lurk to pop in if they want to, and some people have used them as a springboard to regular commenting, but that doesn't have to be the case at all.
Lurking is one of many ways to be part of this community, and if lurking feels best to you—lurk away! lurk away! :)
A Letter About Food and Judgment
[Content Note: Food, fat, body, and choice policing; disordered eating; privilege.]
Dear You:
I will not judge you for what you eat.
I won't judge you for the things you choose to eat—or the things you eat because you have no choice—or in what quantity you eat them.
I won't judge you for why you eat the things you do, or how much of them you eat.
I won't judge you negatively—nor will I judge you positively. I won't assess your character on your diet, or where you procure food, or how you procure it. I won't judge you negatively for using food stamps, and I won't judge you positively for buying organic, or artisanal, or farm fresh. These things don't tell me anything about you—besides, perhaps, how many financial resources and access you have or lack. And I won't judge you for that, either.
I might, however, if I'm being totally honest, judge you if you brag incessantly about buying organic, or artisanal, or farm fresh, or "clean," or even "healthy," in a way that is wholly intended to convey that it's superior, that it makes you superior, without even the merest hint of awareness that such bravado is indicative of privilege.
I won't judge you based on what your body looks like, or make conclusions about your eating habits based on your appearance. I won't presume to know anything about your health.
I won't judge your dietary choices, because I don't know a thing about your individual dietary needs. I won't judge you favorably if you are a vegetarian or vegan (although I may judge you unfavorably if you use your own choices to shame and demean people who don't make the same ones), and I won't judge you unfavorably if you are not a vegetarian or vegan, because I know too many people whose bodies can't be sustained that way. Did you know that there are people who can't eat dairy and nuts and cruciferous vegetables? Some of them find it difficult to survive without meat proteins.
I won't judge the amount I see you eating, if I have the pleasure of dining with you, or the groceries in your cart, or your order at a restaurant. I won't judge you if you have dessert. I won't judge you if you pass on dessert, either.
I won't presume that what's best for me and my body is necessarily the best for you and your body, or that what works for me will work for you, because we are different people with different needs, and I respect that you know yourself better than I do. I respect you as an authority on your own life.
I will never offer you unsolicited advice about food, or your health, or your appearance. (Although I would love to trade recipes with you, if you're interested!) I will never comment on your weight—not that it is too much, and not that it is too little, and not that you look like you've gained weight, and not that you look like you've lost weight.
I will never treat weight loss as a reason to compliment you, because I don't know why you've lost weight, or if you even wanted to, or if maybe you're sick. And because you looked great to me before and you look great to me now.
I will not judge you if you are a "good fatty," or even a "good" thin person, who can afford to buy and prepare and eat the foods we mark as healthy (even though there is no universal thing, owing to food allergies and the like) and who is able and has the time and opportunity to exercise. I will not judge you if you're "bad," either.
I will not judge you if you have disordered eating. I will not judge you if you overeat, by your own definition, for emotional reasons. (Nor if you undereat, by your own definition, for emotional reasons.) I will listen if you need someone to talk to about that, and I won't judge you.
I will listen from here to eternity and back again to someone who wants to honestly discuss their emotional realities, but I will not listen to you berate yourself about your eating habits or your appearance, and I will not listen to you talk endlessly about your calorie consumption, and I will not listen to any other manner of "diet talk," and I will not respond when you are fishing for compliments by putting yourself down, and I will not keep quiet when you tell me that you "feel fat," and I will not tell you whether you look fat in those jeans.
And I won't listen to you talk shit about other people's eating habits or bodies. And I won't let you do it to me.
But if you want to talk about your personal insecurities, or the cultural pressures that reinforce those insecurities, or the family dynamics that contributed to those insecurities, or the trauma which is inextricably attached to them, or the bullying you survived, or the totally amazing experience you just had of wearing a bathing suit in public for the first time in years, or the tattoo you're getting to celebrate finishing your first triathlon after being told your whole life that fat people can't can't shouldn't aren't can't, I will talk with you as long as you need, and I will grieve with you and be joyful with you.
And I won't judge you.
This letter is to anyone who reads it, and this letter is to myself—the one person at whom I still levy judgments I would never aim at anyone else.
With warm acceptance,
Liss
Daily Dose of Cute
Matilda, Queen of Cute Paws.
As always, please feel welcome and encouraged to share pix of the fuzzy, feathered, or scaled members of your family in comments.
In the News
Here is some stuff in the news today...
[Content Note: Misogynoir; war on agency] Murder charges have been dropped against Kenlissa Jones, a 23-year-old black woman from Georgia, who was "facing a charge of 'malice murder'—a crime that is punishable by the death penalty—after allegedly ending her pregnancy by taking abortion-inducing medication that she purchased online." Greg Edwards, the Dougherty County District Attorney, issued a statement saying he had dismissed the malice murder charge because "Georgia law presently does not permit prosecution of Ms. Jones for any alleged acts related to the end of her pregnancy." But Kenlissa still faces "a misdemeanor charge of possession of a dangerous drug." If you're on Twitter, you can keep up with the latest on Kenlissa's story following the #JusticeforKenlissa hashtag.
Two things:
1. Stories like these are going to become more and more common with ever greater restrictions on access to abortion—because making legal abortion inaccessible does not stop pregnant people who do not want to be pregnant from terminating their pregnancies; it merely stops them from doing it legally and safely.
2. The attempts to criminalize self-terminations (and/or miscarriages) are being wielded disproportionately against women of color: Kenlissa Jones, Purvi Patel, Bei Bei Shuai. That's partly because of the usual racist double-standards, and partly because of the institutional racism that makes women of color more likely to lack access to legal abortion.
* * *
[CN: War; terrorism] The Obama administration is preparing to increase our presence in Iraq again: "Alistair Baskey, a White House spokesman, said officials were considering a number of options, including sending additional trainers, 'to accelerate the training and equipping of Iraqi security forces in order to support them in taking the fight to [the Islamic State].' ...If the plan is approved, the administration is expected to send around 400 additional troops to advise Iraqi forces. There are now 3,080 U.S. service members in Iraq."
[CN: Clergy abuse; sexual violence] Pope Francis has approved "the creation of a tribunal to hear cases of bishops accused of covering up child [sex] abuse by [predator] priests. ...A statement from the Vatican said the department would come under the auspices of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. Its aim would be 'to judge bishops with regard to crimes of the abuse of office when connected to the abuse of minors,' the statement added. ...Initially the complaints would be investigated by one of three Vatican departments, depending on whose jurisdiction the bishops were under. They would then be judged by the doctrinal department." Some survivors' groups are happy about this, so that's good. I have to say, I'm honestly not optimistic that an investigatory body and tribunal run by the Vatican is going to be effective, but I hope I'm wrong.
EMILY's List has targeted Republican Indiana Governor Mike Pence for defeat. Good! There is already at least one Democratic female candidate who has announced her desire to unseat Pence: State Senator Karen Tallian, who is a progressive and a cool lady and could really use donations, if you have money to give and are looking for a good place to which to direct it.
[CN: Train crash] The NTSB has released an update on its ongoing investigation into May 12, 2015, derailment of Amtrak Train 188 in Philadelphia.
[CN: Injury] Secretary of State John Kerry is getting it done, even with a broken leg from a bicycle crash. Get well soon, John Kerry!
[CN: Homophobia] A couple of straight dipshits in Canberra, Australia, are fixing to get divorced to protest the legalization of same-sex marriage. Sounds reasonable. "If our federal parliament votes to change the timeless and organic definition of marriage later on this year, it will have moved against the fundamental and foundational building block of Australian society and, indeed, human culture everywhere." Case closed, your honor!
This is just a real thing in the world: The stunt doubles for Charlize Theron and Tom Hardy on Mad Max: Fury Road fell in love while making the movie. How are we even supposed to deal with that?! ♥
In other Fury Road-related stuff: The Clan of the Boltcutter. [Spoiler warning!]
[CN: Medical crisis, but happy ending] A rescued pit bill named Ember probably saved 10-year-old Tre Daniels' life by alerting his sleeping parents when he had a seizure and fell into the bathtub. And now she sleeps with him every night, to watch over him and make sure he's okay. Blub.
[CN: Animal injury, but happy ending] And finally! These pictures (!!!!!!!!!!!) of a baby koala hugging his mama during her surgery to repair her injuries after being hit by a car. "A spokesperson for the Australia Zoo Wildlife Hospital told BuzzFeed News that Lizzy is recovering nicely and that Phantom is still right by her side." THE BEST.
He's So Sorry (Not Sorry at All)
[Content Note: Misogyny.]
Sir Tim Hunt, a Nobel laureate who was awarded the 2001 Nobel prize in physiology or medicine for his work on how cells divide, was at the World Conference of Science Journalists in South Korea when he delivered this supercool assessment on the "trouble with girls" in labs: "Let me tell you about my trouble with girls. Three things happen when they are in the lab: You fall in love with them, they fall in love with you, and when you criticise them they cry."
He sounds neat!
Naturally, now he's so sorry, except for how he's not really sorry at all, because he's just a truth-teller:
Speaking to BBC Radio 4's Today programme, he said he was "really sorry that I said what I said", adding it was "a very stupid thing to do in the presence of all those journalists".He just really threw it all at the wall to see what would stick, didn't he? It was a joke, it was ironic, it was misinterpreted, it was true, it was honest.
The British biochemist, who became a Royal Society fellow in 1991, said the remarks were "intended as a light-hearted, ironic comment" but had been "interpreted deadly seriously by my audience".
He went on to say he stood by some of the remarks.
"I did mean the part about having trouble with girls," he said. "It is true that people - I have fallen in love with people in the lab and people in the lab have fallen in love with me and it's very disruptive to the science because it's terribly important that in a lab people are on a level playing field.
"I found that these emotional entanglements made life very difficult.
"I'm really, really sorry I caused any offence, that's awful. I certainly didn't mean that. I just meant to be honest, actually."
I'm pretty sure the only real thing he said there was that he regrets saying this shit in front of a bunch of journalists.
Whoooooooooops my silly mouth saying the terrible things in my brain when there are people with recording devices present!
It was just a joke—but it was also the truth. This is a defense we hear over and over again from prominent men in male-dominated professions who get called out on some bit of tired-ass misogynist drivel. It was something that definitely needed to be said, because this is a real issue that personally affects them, but it was also just a joke, you humorless scolds.
And any woman who dares to object is lectured about how there are more important things to worry about in the world than some little bit of harmless humor (which is definitely THE TRUTH!) from an old man from another generation who couldn't possibly know better.
Well. You know how I feel about that.
[H/T to Eastsidekate.]
McKinney Update
[Content Note: Police brutality; racism.]
Following protests in McKinney, Texas, where Corporal David Eric Casebolt assaulted 15-year-old black teenager Dajerria Becton and drew his weapon on two other black teenagers, Casebolt has resigned. Probably not out of any overwhelming sense of regret and personal responsibility, however, since he was allowed to "resign" while retaining his benefits and pension.
Cpl. David Eric Casebolt, who had been placed on administrative leave after the episode on Friday, remains under investigation, Chief Greg Conley said at a news conference. The corporal will keep his pension and benefits, the police chief said.Seth Stoughton, a former police officer and current law professor who is affiliated with the Rule of Law Collaborative, agrees that Casebolt was out of control, and explains what he sees going wrong in the video of the incident, after comparing Casebolt's behavior with that of another officer who remained calm:
"Our policies, our training, our practice doesn't support his actions," Chief Conley said. "He came into the call out of control, and as the video shows was out of control during the incident."
The two officers in this brief video represent two different policing styles, two different mindsets that officers use as they interact with civilians: the Guardian and the Warrior. As a former police officer and current policing scholar, I know that an officer's mindset has tremendous impact on police/civilian encounters. I've described the Guardian and Warrior mindsets at some length here and here; for now, suffice to say that the right mindset can de-escalate tense situations, induce compliance, and increase community trust over the long-term. The kids interacting with the first officer were excited, but not upset; they remained cooperative. Had they gone home at that moment, they'd have a story for their friends and family, but it would be a story that happened to have the police in it rather than being a story about the police.All of which is sound observation and sound advice, but fails to address that much of the police brutality we see is white cops "losing their cool" specifically with people of color. What also isn't part of modern police culture, but should be, is a zero tolerance policy on the racist, dehumanizing language that is endemic in most police forces; implicit bias assessment and training to counteract that socialization; and ongoing routine therapeutic intervention for every police officer, not just when there is "a problem," but as a matter of course in a job acknowledged to be stressful, traumatic, and—by virtue of official policies like the war on drugs and broken-window policing as well as unofficial policies like the criminalization of need and exploiting and controlling communities of color with municipal violations—disposed toward supporting unfair stereotypes of marginalized populations.
The wrong mindset, on the other hand, can exacerbate a tense encounter, produce resistance, and lead to entirely avoidable violence. It can, and has, caused longterm damage to police/community relations. We shouldn't be surprised that the kids Corporal Casebolt was yelling at weren't eager to do what he was ordering them to do—no one likes being cursed at and disrespected in front of their peers, and people of all ages, especially teenagers, resent being treated unjustly. That resentment can lead to resistance, and Police Warriors—taught to exercise unquestioned command over a scene—overcome resistance by using force.
...What should officers do in similar situations? For starters, they must realize that the public—even a group of non-compliant teenagers—are not an enemy to be vanquished, but civilians to be protected, to the extent possible, from indignity and harm. A Guardian mindset encourages officers to be "procedurally just," to ensure that their encounters with civilians are empowering, fair, respectful and considerate. Research of police and military encounters strongly suggests that officers are most effective at fostering goodwill and reducing antagonism when they approach each encounter with the goal of building civilian trust.
Officers should also look out for each other, protecting their colleagues not just from harm, but also from lashing out in anger or frustration. Policing can be intensely stressful, and officers should be trained and encouraged to help their peers deal with stressful situations. When an officer is losing his cool, another officer will often be able to intervene, giving the first a chance to collect himself. That type of peer support isn't part of modern police culture—particularly not when the officer losing his temper is a supervisor and union official like Corporal Casebolt—but it should be.
I mean, yes, absolutely, as long as we're going to have a police force, officers should look out for each other. But what about the times that all of the officers on scene are "losing their cool"? What about all the times that looking out for each other doesn't mean deescalation but covering each other's asses after already doing irreparable harm?
HB2: Chipping Away at Roe in Texas
[Content Note: War on agency; racism.]
Yesterday, the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled "that the most restrictive provisions of HB 2 [Texas' omnibus anti-abortion law passed two years ago] can go into effect. The ruling on the draconian anti-choice law leaves eight legal abortion providers open in the state." The ruling stands to leave open only eight legal abortion providers open in the entire state of 27 million people.
The only remaining legal abortion providers in Texas are located in Houston, Austin, San Antonio, and the Dallas-Fort Worth area, with no legal abortion providers able to provide care in the half of the state that lies west of Interstate 35.Rage. Seethe. Boil. I have said many, many times that fetuses are now valued more highly than the people who carry them, and here is a perfect example: A governor of one of the largest states plainly saying, as if it's not even the least bit controversial, that the government has more interest in protecting "the unborn" than living, breathing pregnant people.
Texas has a population of 27 million and has the highest percentage of uninsured adults in the country.
Texas abortion providers have 22 days before the Fifth Circuit's decision goes into effect. They will seek a stay from the court on its own ruling, and proceed to the Supreme Court if necessary.
...Texas Governor Greg Abbott, whose office defended HB 2 in court as the state's attorney general, praised the Fifth Circuit's ruling.
"I am pleased with the Fifth Circuit's decision to uphold HB 2 and the State of Texas will continue to fight for higher-quality healthcare standards for women while protecting our most vulnerable—the unborn," Abbott said in a statement.
The Fifth Circuit's decision is appalling, and it's not even coherent:
The Fifth Circuit said in Planned Parenthood v. Abbott that a couple of hundred miles within a state is not too far to travel for an abortion. Then it said in Jackson v. Currier that if those couple of hundred miles forces a patient to travel out of state, then it is too far. But then Tuesday, it ruled it was perfectly fine to make Texans travel out-of-state to access abortion care. Travel across the border to Mexico, however, is a different question. On that, the Fifth Circuit punted.The Fifth Circuit is forcing a Supreme Court appeal. And thus will abortion come before the Supreme Court once again.
If you're confused, you should be. When read together, the Fifth Circuit's recent decisions make no sense, if what you're looking for is a clear and precise statement of the law as to how far is too far to travel before a regulation becomes an undue burden. They only make sense if what you're looking for is a trail of crumbs to entice the conservatives on the Roberts Court to follow the Fifth Circuit's lead and offer legal cover for abortion restrictions nationwide.
As of now, the more than five million people in Texas who are of reproductive age and can get pregnant have been left with eight abortion clinics between them. And this will be particularly hard on Texas' Latina population: Jessica González-Rojas, executive director of The National Latina Institute for Reproductive Health, issued this statement on the Fifth Circuit's decision:
[T]he overall impact of HB 2 will be devastating for Texas Latinas. Let's be clear: the purpose of HB 2 was never to protect women, but to make abortion — which is a safe and legal procedure — out of reach in the state of Texas.I am angry about what has happened in Texas, and what is happening to abortion rights and abortion access across this country. I am angry about the pregnant people's lives who will be forever changed because they can't access what is supposed to be a guaranteed right to a legal medical procedure that gives them control over their reproduction. I am angry about what this communicates to me, and every woman, about our worth to our country.
While this decision is a loss for all Texas women, it's particularly threatening for Latinas, who have been among the hardest hit by recent clinic closures throughout the state. Nearly 40 percent of Texas women are Latina, and Latinas are twice as likely to experience unintended pregnancies as non-Latina white women and more likely to be of reproductive age. Latinas already face formidable barriers to healthcare, including: poverty, lack of transportation, linguistic and cultural barriers, and restrictions on healthcare for immigrant women. This means that Latinas are among the most likely to rely on the very clinics HB 2 was designed to shut down. Today's ruling is a step backwards for human rights in Texas.
I am angry, and I am stricken with grief for everything we are losing.
Question of the Day
Suggested by Shaker masculine_lady: "When your reputation precedes you, what is it?"
I Don't Even Know, Y'all
[Content Note: Christian Supremacy.]
Via Shaker rosenleaf comes this amazing story about a possible Republican gubernatorial challenger in Montana who has some totally terrific ideas about retirement:
In a February talk at the Montana Bible College about how to find "godly purpose" in work, [Greg Gianforte, a multi-millionaire tech entrepreneur] explained why retirement isn't consistent with biblical teachings.A couple of thoughts:
"There's nothing in the Bible that talks about retirement. And yet it's been an accepted concept in our culture today," he said. "Nowhere does it say, 'Well, he was a good and faithful servant, so he went to the beach.' It doesn't say that anywhere."
"The example I think of is Noah," he continued. "How old was Noah when he built the ark? 600. He wasn't, like, cashing Social Security checks; he wasn't hanging out; he was working. So, I think we have an obligation to work. The role we have in work may change over time, but the concept of retirement is not biblical."
1. LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOL WHUT.
2. Okay, to treat this seriously for a moment, if I am able to stop laughing long enough to do so, not every person in the United States finds the Bible to be a document relevant to our lives. I honestly don't give a fuck what the Bible says about anything, especially when it comes to developing legislation governing the lives of a diverse population. So whether Noah was chilling in a retirement community in Boca or building a giant boat with a massive poop hold doesn't really matter to me.
Further, lots of shit that we consider to be useful these days wasn't in the Bible. Like, presumably, the very technologies that have made Greg Gianforte a millionaire. That's kind of why using a 2,000-year-old document as a literal guidebook for modern life isn't a great idea. Noah wasn't collecting Social Security because it didn't exist. And also because there is a slim chance that a 600-year-old man who constructed a seaworthy vessel large enough to contain a mating pair of every animal on the planet (except fish! and sea mammals!) didn't exist, either.
3. LOL.
Quote of the Day
[Content Note: Misogyny; relationship policing; homophobia.]
"Well, I've got a sister. She could play that role if necessary. I've got a lot of friends. We'll have a rotating first lady."—Republican presidential candidate Senator Lindsey Graham, on being asked who will be First Lady if he is elected president, since he is unmarried.
The questions about Graham's bachelorhood are absurd. And, because there have long been rumors that Graham is gay but has not publicly disclosed that information, it's important not to ignore that part of the context for these questions is embedded homophobia and a prurient curiosity about his sexuality, which makes these questions gross, too.
(There is, of course, debate about whether politicians who vote to limit the rights of others on the basis of their identities, e.g. sexuality, and/or choices, e.g. abortion, have an ethical responsibility to disclose if they share those identities and/or make the same choices in their private lives, and there are good faith arguments on both sides of that debate, but this isn't the thread for it.)
Graham shouldn't be obliged to answer questions about his bachelorhood, because it's irrelevant to whether he is fit to be president.
That said, his response here is excruciatingly awful. Because he's a Republican, and needs to count on the antifeminist vote, he won't just respond the way he should, which is: "That is a ridiculous and contemptible question in the year of our lord Jesus Jones two thousand and fifteen."
So instead, he offers up his sister—about whom Politico notes: "His sister, Darline Graham Nordone, resides in South Carolina with her husband and two daughters from previous marriages, suggesting that she would not be able to be in Washington all the time."—and his female friends to serve as "rotating First Lady."
And I suppose if he runs out of friends and relatives, some diligent Republican aides will provide him with binders full of women from which to choose to round out the rotation.
It continues to be a real mystery why Republicans aren't connecting with a majority of female voters.
Fat Fashion
This is your semi-regular thread in which fat women can share pix, make recommendations for clothes they love, ask questions of other fat women about where to locate certain plus-size items, share info about sales, talk about what jeans cut at what retailer best fits their body shapes, discuss how to accessorize neutral colored suits, share stories of going bare-armed for the first time, brag about a cool fashion moment, whatever.
* * *
Running errands recently: A jacket from Maurice's that I purchased from eBay, and a tank top from Lane Bryant, which doesn't appear to be listed on their site anymore.
I don't love this tank top, because the cut is such that the straps don't align with my bra straps. It's not a racerback, but the straps curve in a racerbackish sort of way, so I'm obliged to wear something over it if I don't want my bra straps hanging out. (Sometimes, I frankly don't care. I wear a bra. Get over it.) But I do really love the pattern on it, which is basically a photograph of a streetscape at night that has been turned into fabric.
I hardly ever wear patterns, because most of the patterns in plus size are not my style. And it seems that, recently, plus size clothiers have said, "We have at long last heard that you don't want exclusively giant floral prints! HERE HAVE SOME TRIBAL!"
So my choices are giant floral print or appropriation/racism? Thanks a shitload.
"WE HAVE TIE-DYE, TOO!"
No thanks.
So when I find a pattern that I would actually wear, it's an amazing day! Too bad the fit on this top isn't better.
Anyway! As always, all subjects related to fat fashion are on topic, but if you want a topic for discussion: Do you have trouble finding patterns in plus size clothes that you would wear?
Have at it in comments! Please remember to make fat women of all sizes, especially women who find themselves regularly sizing out of standard plus-size lines, welcome in this conversation, and pass no judgment on fat women who want to and/or feel obliged, for any reason, to conform to beauty standards. And please make sure if you're soliciting advice, you make it clear you're seeking suggestions—and please be considerate not to offer unsolicited advice. Sometimes people just need to complain and want solidarity, not solutions.
Daily Dose of Cute
Our friend's dog Lottie and Zelda. I mean.
As always, please feel welcome and encouraged to share pix of the fuzzy, feathered, or scaled members of your family in comments.
In the News
Here is some stuff in the news today...
The Supreme Court is set to issue a ruling later this month on the Affordable Care Act which could end federal health insurance subsidies for millions of people in the US. In anticipation of that possibility, President Obama suggested that "Congress could fix this whole thing with a one-sentence provision" which makes clear "that Healthcare.gov subsidies are available in all 50 states." To which Congressional Republicans immediately responded with their typical thoughtfulness: "'Let's be clear: if the Supreme Court rules against the Administration, Congress will not pass a so called 'one-sentence' fake fix,' Wyoming Senator John Barrasso, who is leading Republican efforts to craft a contingency plan, said in a statement."
Despite their bravado, Republican are not-so-secretly shitting their pants [CN: video may autoplay at link] that they will be tasked with addressing the chaos which will ensue if SCOTUS does undermine Obamacare, which is now a very popular program whose federal subsidies are supported by a majority of voters: "This poses a conundrum for Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio). They are under pressure from colleagues up for reelection in swing states and districts to extend the subsidies, at least temporarily, if the court strikes them down. But doing so would risk a backlash from the conservative base." Welp.
* * *
[Content Note: Police killing; racism] Black leaders in Cleveland have no faith that charges will be brought against the police officer who shot and killed 12-year-old Tamir Rice last year, so they are attempting to do an end-run around prosecutors and instead "will invoke a seldom-used Ohio law and go directly to a judge to request murder charges against the officers. ...Ohio is one of a handful of states that allow residents to request an arrest without approval from the police or prosecutors. It is difficult to know how the case will play out because there is little precedent for a citizen to request an arrest in such a contentious, high-profile case."
[CN: Police brutality; racism; disablism; images of violence at link] In California, video of police "beating a man with batons is being investigated by the department after the city's police chief conceded that it appeared 'horrific and inflammatory.' Officers from the city of Salinas were filmed repeatedly striking Jose Velasco, who is said by his sister to have a mental illness, as he writhed around on a street on Friday. Velasco, 28, appears from the video clip to be hit on his head, legs, hands and back during the 45-second beating. At one point, five police officers struggle with him as sirens from their vehicles wail. One officer is seen arriving on the scene halfway through the clash and vigorously striking Velasco at least nine times." Police were called after Velasco assaulted his mother, who is fine. But now knows she can't rely on the cops to help her without hurting her son. What a great choice these police have left her with.
[CN: Disenfranchisement] What a shocker: "Last Thursday, Hillary Clinton spoke out in favor of a slate of voting reforms, accusing Republicans of trying to suppress turnout and calling for every eligible citizen to be registered at age 18 unless they opt out. ...Clinton's Republican rivals largely lambasted her proposals, suggesting that Clinton's reforms, if implemented, would encourage voter fraud. And while the public's overall level of support for automatic registration has held steady and remained relatively high, a new HuffPost/YouGov poll finds that Republicans' willingness to entertain the idea has fallen significantly in the past three months. ...While half of those polled were asked simply whether they favored or opposed automatic registration, the rest were first told that the idea had been recently proposed by Clinton. Among that group, GOP support dropped an additional 10 points to just 28 percent."
[CN: Carcerality; torture; racism] Albert Woodfox, 68, has been in solitary confinement in an a Louisiana prison since April 1972, more than 40 years, "after he was blamed for the death of a guard during a prison riot. Woodfox was tried twice for the guard's death, but both convictions were later overturned. He denies all the charges." Yesterday, Judge James Brady ordered his release and banned prosecutors from trying Woodfox for a third time. "But a spokesman for the Louisiana attorney general said prosecutors would appeal 'to make sure this murderer stays in prison and remains fully accountable for his actions.'" Fucking hell. How is 40 years in solitary for a crime of which he hasn't been convicted more than enough punishment even if he were convicted? This is monstrous.
Flibanserin, the controversial drug also known as "the female Viagra," is one step closer to market as an advisory panel has recommended that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approve the drug. "The panel voted 18-6 in favor of Sprout Pharmaceutical's drug application on the condition that the company develops plans to manage the risks of the medication, which include fatigue, low blood pressure, and fainting."
[CN: Misogyny; images of injury at link] Rupali Srivastava on "What's Happening to Players at the Women's World Cup, Where the Artificial Turf Is 120 Degrees."
[CN: Racism] Welp, my infatuation with Tess Holliday was short-lived.
[CN: Transphobia] Clint Eastwood made a joke about Caitlyn Jenner at Spike TV's Guys' Choice Awards (which is a thing that exists in the world, apparently) and Spike TV have decided to edit it out. An empty chair is still your best audience, Clint, you jackass.
RIP Mary Ellen Trainor, a terrific character actress whose work will probably have special meaning to lots of people in my cohort. Among many other roles, she played Elaine, Joan Wilder's kidnapped sister in Romancing the Stone, and Mrs. Walsh in The Goonies.
And finally! Eight-year-old Kenny Lewis has decided he's going to spend his summer break finding homes for shelter pets. "You can make a dog or cat's dream come true," he appeals to potential adopters. OMG. This kid. Get on my lawn! ♥
Primarily Speaking
So joke's on you!
Poor Rick Santorum. His presidential campaign had so much promise. (It never had any promise.) But his latest campaign event at a diner in Hamlin, Iowa, had only one person show up! And she is the chair of the county's Republican Party! Sad trombone. Although it was less sad by the time his meal showed up: By that time, three more people had arrived, bringing the grand total to four. Which Santorum called a success, because he is a dipshit. Was he wearing his sweater vest? I bet he wasn't wearing his sweater vest. ALWAYS WEAR THE SWEATER VEST, SANTORUM!
Corporate power-failure Carly Fiorina is not running for vice-president! No kidding. She's running to fill the crucial "continually say Hillary Clinton has zero accomplishments and deflect charges of sexism by pointing out you're both women" slot.
(Protip to the author of that article: Actually, lots of people say that lots of the male candidates are only running for vice-president. There is certainly sexism directed at Fiorina, but this isn't a particularly good example. It's also one of the rare cases where "it happens to men, too" is actually relevant, because the only argument for how it's sexist to suggest Fiorina's best hope might be the veep slot, based on her actual qualifications, is if she's the only one subjected to those suggestions. Which she isn't.)
(It's also weirdly a recognition that she is a serious candidate. Because businesspeople with résumés similarly devoid of political experience, like, say, Donald Trump, are generally presumed to be vanity candidates who wouldn't even consider, or be seriously considered for, the veep slot.)
(Anyway.)
There's been lots of stuff in the news about Hillary Clinton's poll numbers, and naturally if they dip even a little fully 17 months before the election, despite three other credible Democratic candidates entering the race, it's evidence that her candidacy is DOOMED!!! Let me just tell you something about poll numbers a year before the Democratic convention and eight months before the first primary: They mean virtually nothing. Right now, the poll results reflect that Clinton is a popular politician who has far better name recognition than Bernie Sanders and Martin O'Malley and Lincoln Chafee. And that's about it. Which is fine! WE ARE SO FAR AWAY FROM ANYTHING HAPPENING OMG WHY DO WE NOT HAVE LIMITED ELECTIONS LIKE BRITAIN FIVE WEEKS OF CAMPAIGNING SOUNDS SO MUCH BETTER THAN A YEAR AND A HALF HELLLLLLLLP MEEEEEEEEEE.
Last week, Jamelle Bouie had a good piece at Slate about polling, and about how one of the reasons Clinton polls really high is because lots of people really like her. "Last year, Hillary Clinton was the most admired woman in the United States, an honor she also claimed in 2013. And in 2012. And in 2011. In fact, Hillary has been America's most admired woman for 18 of the 21 years she's been on the national stage, from her eight years as first lady through her Senate tenure, her first presidential campaign, and her time in the Obama administration."
Point is: The polling at this stage is about name recognition and likeability more than ability to govern. Even though, especially in Clinton's case, ability to govern can be inextricably tied to likeability.
Which is one reason I don't do a lot of reporting on polls in my primary coverage. Or even my general election coverage, until very close to the election, which is when polls finally start to matter.
Meanwhile, I'm sure all eleventy-seven of the other Republican candidates are up to all kinds of terrific things (they're really not; they are all so boring and so predictable and there is literally nothing newsworthy enough to share that can't be summarized as "STILL TERRIBLE!"), and today's WORST CLOWN IN THE CLOWN CAR AWARD goes to Professor of Bible Bigotry Mike Huckabee for being a hideous waking nightmare whose mouth is a putrid font of despicable filth.
Congratulations, Governor! Another golden garbage award for the shitty mantle in whatever gateway from the netherworld you call home.
Talk about these things! Or don't. Whatever makes you happy. Life is short.
Protests in McKinney
[Content Note: Racism; police brutality.]
Yesterday, I wrote about the incident of police brutality in McKinney, Texas, in which Corporal David Eric Casebolt, a white police officer (among many) called to a pool party where white adults caused a fight by hurling racist epithets at black teenagers, threw 15-year-old black teenager Dajerria Becton to the ground, dragged her across the grass, and kneeled on her back, while also wielding a weapon (either his gun or a Taser) at two other black teenagers.
Last night, there were protests in McKinney, as residents marched demanding justice and calling for a federal investigation.
On Monday night, close to 800 people marched through McKinney, a city of almost 150,000 people.Casebolt has not publicly commented, and he doesn't need to, because naturally there is just an endless number of white people, in McKinney and outside the town, who are willing to defend him.
They walked from a school to the swimming pool, carrying placards with slogans including "My skin colour is not a crime" and "Don't tread on our kids."
Civil rights leaders in McKinney said they wanted an investigation by the US justice department, and to see Mr Casebolt dismissed.
...Police said the video "raised concerns that are being investigated."
The voices of reason continue to be the teenagers involved: Dajerria Becton has said that nothing short of firing Casebolt will be sufficient, and Brandon Brooks, the 15-year-old white boy who filmed Casebolt assaulting Becton, continues to insist that Casebolt was being unreasonable and abusive.
"I was one of the only white people in the area when that was happening. You can see in part of the video where he tells us to sit down, and he kinda like skips over me and tells all my African-American friends to go sit down."Dajerria Becton is a child. There is an unfathomable amount of dehumanization behind any adult looking at that video and finding any way to defend an adult police officer pressing his knees into the back of an unarmed child whose only crime, quite literally, was being a teenage black girl.
Things got really scary for the teen behind the lens as he watched his 14-year-old friend being thrown to the ground.
"I think she was quote unquote running her mouth, and she has freedom of speech and that was very uncalled for him to throw her to the ground," Brooks said. "When he pulled his gun my heart dropped. As soon as he pulled out his gun, I thought he was going to shoot that kid. That was very scary."
..."[The white public] just going to discriminate against [the teenagers seen in the video being mistreated by police] because they're black," Brooks said. "What if that was your kid getting slung to the ground? Would you still be talking about them in the way that you are?"
Which isn't actually a crime. But her very existence has been criminalized by our white supremacist patriarchal fuckculture.
This is a social justice issue. This is a feminist issue. This is not just about how that cop saw Dajerria Becton and her black friends, but about how their country sees them; how each of us sees them.
What if that was your kid getting slung to the ground?
I understand why Brandon Brooks asked that question, but, in a decent world, he wouldn't need to ask it, because we'd all be angry about seeing any kid getting slung to the ground.
But we live in a world where there are still people who don't even see a kid in the first place.
Non-black (especially white) people: This is one of the key roles we can and must play in the #BlackLivesMatter movement, and in deconstructing white supremacy generally. We need to talk to other non-black (especially white) people and challenge them every time we see them talking about young black people in a way that they would not talk about young white people. (Every time we are able.) We need to push back, hard, on dehumanizing and othering narratives that monolithize black lives and criminalize black bodies.
We need to say, simply, "You are talking about a child. Her name is Dajerria Becton."
