"Soooo...who's gonna get me a treat from the kitchen?"
As always, please feel welcome and encouraged to share pix of the fuzzy, feathered, or scaled members of your family in comments.
Daily Dose of Cute
"Soooo...who's gonna get me a treat from the kitchen?"
As always, please feel welcome and encouraged to share pix of the fuzzy, feathered, or scaled members of your family in comments.
Fat and the Bikini Body Meme
[Content Note: Fat hatred; body policing.]
It's again that time of year where a popular meme starts showing up on social media. It tends to feature silhouettes of what are meant to be read as female bodies, including or sometimes exclusively very fat bodies, and text which is some variation on: "How to Get a Bikini Body: Step 1: Buy a bikini. Step 2: Put it on your body."
Let me first say, once again, that fat women are not a monolith, and different fat women will have different reactions to this meme. I don't purport to speak for all fat women, some of whom like this meme very much, and I am not seeking to police or criticize their individual reactions to it.
I do, however, want to do some awareness-raising on behalf of the fat women who aren't so keen on the meme, because I know there are a lot of thin and in-betweenie women who spend time in this space who want to do good fat ally work and may not have considered some of the reasons not all fat women find it a strictly positive or supportive message.
So, here are a couple of things to consider before you share this image under the auspices of being a fat ally (or even as a fat person):
1. Not all fat women can buy a bikini. That's not just a consideration of financial realities, which are always at issue in consumerist memes, but it's also a reflection of the fact that even off-the-rack (or off-the-website) "plus-size" bikinis have a finite size range.
There are sites who will custom-make bikinis for women of any size based on their individual measurements, but that is, of course, a costly option. And naturally there are women who are skilled enough to make their own bikinis, but that is not an option for anyone who lacks those talents.
Casually suggesting that all fat women can just go "buy a bikini," without any acknowledgment of the fact that purchasing a bikini in one's size might not be an option, especially for very fat women, is not supportive. It also reinforces the idea that there's an "acceptable" level of fatness which tops out at the maximum size of most "plus-size" fashion lines, and anyone whose body exceeds those standard sizes is thus "unacceptably" fat.
2. Putting a bikini on one's fat body is not just about the physical act of getting into a swimsuit. There are all kinds of cultural disincentives to be a fat woman in a bikini in public, and we are obliged to navigate them no matter how much we might love our own bodies.
There is a vast difference in being a woman who has insecurities about a body in which she sees imperfections but is broadly culturally acceptable, and a woman who has insecurities about a body that significantly deviates from what is considered culturally acceptable. That is not to diminish, at all, the seriousness of body insecurities no matter what one's size. It is merely to observe that even if fat women get okay with their own bodies, there is not an existing cultural space in which we are accepted.
There's no equivalent for fat women to the narrative "we all have flaws!" No deviation from some impossible ideal should ever regarded as a "flaw," anyway, but fat is not regarded as a mere flaw.
And we are not, outside fat acceptance spaces, celebrated for a willingness to show our bodies "despite" their imperfections. We are not considered brave. We are harassed, shamed, policed, threatened, attacked.
The thing about "love your body" campaigns for my fat self is that I can love my body all the fuck I want, but the bigger problem for me is other people hating my body.
It's so much more complicated than just putting on a bikini, for lots of fat women. We need to respect and recognize that.
* * *
This isn't a comprehensive list of potential objections. I hope if fat women share in comments any additional concerns they may have with the meme, not-fat women will listen to their perspectives.
Photo of the Day
[From a Clinton rally in Lexington, Kentucky. Photo by Barbara Kinney for Hillary for America.]
In the News
Here is some stuff in the news today...
[Content Note: Natural disaster; death; displacement] So awful: "Rescuers in Sri Lanka are searching for scores of people missing after massive landslides following days of rain. The army told the BBC that 134 people remained unaccounted for after mudslides hit three villages in central Kegalle district. At least 14 bodies have been recovered so far. Another three bodies were found elsewhere in the district. Disaster officials say about 150 people have been rescued but more than 60 houses have been buried by mud. Landslides and flooding caused by three days of torrential rain in Sri Lanka have killed at least 37 people in total, according to official figures. Nearly 350,000 people have been displaced."
[CN: Misogyny; sexual violence; terrorism] "Nigerian soldiers have found one of the schoolgirls kidnapped by Boko Haram from Chibok, making her the first freed from the Islamic extremists since the mass kidnapping more than two years ago. Her uncle describes her as pregnant and traumatized but otherwise fine. Amina Ali Nkeki is the first of the 219 Chibok girls to escape from her captors since their abduction grabbed worldwide attention more than two years ago. She was found wandering in the forest, uncle Yakubu Nkeki told The Associated Press. He said the 19-year-old—she was 17 when she was abducted—was brought to Chibok Tuesday night for her identity to be verified and to be reunited with her mother. ...Other Chibok girls may also have been rescued by soldiers hunting down Boko Haram in the remote northeastern Sambisa Forest on Tuesday night, said Chibok community leader Pogu Bitrus. He said he is working with officials to establish their identities." Presumably, the AP meant "physically unharmed," rather than "fine." Ahem. I desperately hope she will have the support she needs as she begins to rebuild her life after this horrendous experience. And, given that Boko Haram continues to terrorize the area and abduct people, I hope she remains safe.
[CN: War on agency] Terrific (by which I mean terrible): "South Carolina passes bill banning abortion after 19 weeks, becoming 17th state to do so; governor expected to sign." I'm pretty sure that abortion wasn't legal after 19 weeks in South Carolina, except in cases of fetal anomalies or risk to health, so, basically, all this law will do is prevent necessary therapeutic abortions. Rage seethe boil.
[CN: Racism; eliminationist violence; harassment] George Zimmerman is one of the most odious fuckers on the planet. Last week, he started trying to auction off the gun he used to kill Trayvon Martin, saying he would use the proceeds to campaign against Hillary Clinton. Sybrina Fulton, Trayvon's mother, has been campaigning with Clinton as a spokesperson against gun violence and for gun reform. So this piece of shit wants to sell the gun he used to kill her child and use the profits to defeat the candidate with whom she's campaigning. Now, in a new interview, he says "he has no remorse about shooting the 17-year-old boy to death in Sanford, Florida, and bears outright hostility for the parents whose son he took away forever. 'They didn't raise their son right. He attacked a complete stranger and attempted to kill him,' Zimmerman said of Martin." There is more, and it is absolute filth. Having been writing about this guy for four years now, nothing he does surprises me. Everything he does, however, makes me incandescently angry. And I cannot quite put into words how profoundly upsetting I find it that he continues to provoke Trayvon's family so publicly and so viciously. What a truly vile dirtbag.
"The Senate on Tuesday confirmed Eric Fanning as the new secretary of the Army—quietly making history by putting the first openly gay person in the post. Fanning was confirmed unanimously on a voice vote. He previously filled a number of senior positions in the Department of Defense, including acting undersecretary of the Army, special assistant to Defense Secretary Ashton Carter, and undersecretary of the Air Force. President Barack Obama nominated Fanning in September, but his confirmation was delayed because of politics." Of course it was.
[CN: Violence; harassment] The Sacramento Bee isn't mincing any words about Bernie Sanders' abdication of leadership with regard to his out of control supporters: "One would think that Sanders, the man who continues to insist he's the only Democrat who can beat Trump, would speak up forcefully to condemn the actions of his supporters in Nevada. If nothing else, it's the right thing to do. Instead, much like Trump when pressed about the violent streak within his ranks, he has largely weaseled out of his responsibility to make it clear to his supporters that this is not acceptable behavior. ...Sanders can't be expected to control the behavior of every single supporter. But when violence breaks out in his name, when his supporters start making death threats and resorting to sexist taunts over social media, Sanders can and should be expected to condemn such behavior—swiftly, visibly and unequivocally. That is leadership, just as leadership also is standing up to the mob, not encouraging it. Doing anything else falls far short of the kind of president we need." Ouch.
[CN: Anti-feminism] "Bill O'Reilly: Feminists Should Not Be Allowed to Report on Trump 'Because Trump Is the Antithesis of' Feminism." LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOL.
Sure: "North Carolina Rep. Renee Ellmers, a Republican who has endorsed Donald Trump, said Wednesday she doesn't condone the real estate mogul's past comments about women but still believes he is the best candidate for female voters. ...'Women are pragmatic and they want answers. They want solutions. They don't have time for the outside remarks and innuendo and the stories that are going to come out over time. They want to see results. They want to get their country back.'" Which is why this woman is voting for Hillary Clinton!
[CN: Rape culture; video may autoplay at link] What the everloving fuck: "Kesha Says She 'Won't Be Allowed' to Perform at Billboard Music Awards After Dr. Luke's Label Allegedly Rescinds Approval." Like, if there were ever any doubt about her allegations, the fact that this shitlord is still trying to have control over her should really clear them right the fuck up.
Set your DVRs! Hillary Clinton and the cast of Ghostbusters will all appear on Ellen Wednesday, May 25. *faints*
In case you didn't already love John Boyega, here he is talking about his new female costar in Star Wars: Episode VIII, Kelly Marie Tran: "I love her. I love her. I think she's fantastic. But she'll tell her own story. I feel it's always weird or wrong for someone the world hasn't met, for me to come and start talking about her. She's great. She's freaking great, and I love her. I freaking love her. She's fantastic. Seriously. She's changed a lot in terms of perspective on just chemistry and industry. She's a real cool girl. Yeah, yeah! Her outlook. It's a friendship thing in the sense of you meet someone and you're just like, 'I vibe with you. I feel like I've known you for years.' And that's a very, very good thing. I don't know what I can and can't say. But she's fully in the movie, she's a great character, and I can't wait for you guys to be introduced to her." LOVE. Also? Apparently Tom Hardy has a cameo. Dead.
And finally! Asian Small-clawed Otter pup!!! "Asian Small-clawed Otters have a vast but shrinking Southeast Asian range that spans from India to the Philippines, Taiwan, and parts of southern China. The species is classified as Vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and is threatened by habitat loss and exploitation." So, you know, an important pup as well as a TOTES ADORBZ one!
Quote of the Day
"[Donald Trump] fails my commander-in-chief test. I think he is a stunning ignoramus on foreign policy issues and national security, which are the issues I care most about. And he's said one stupid, reckless thing after another, and he's shown absolutely no temperament to try to learn the things that he doesn't know, and he doesn't know just about everything. …The guy has a chimpanzee-level understanding of national security policy."—Republican consultant Mike Murphy, on MSNBC last night.
Here's the complete exchange with Chris Matthews:
Chris Matthews: What's the heart of darkness you discovered in him? Something that is so bad that you don't want him to win at all, even at the cost of the other side winning? What is it?Welp!
Mike Murphy: Well, I've never been a fan—
Matthews: I know, but what is the evil you found in him, something like evil that you found I think?
Murphy: He fails my commander-in-chief test. I think he is a stunning ignoramus on foreign policy issues and national security, which are the issues I care most about. And he's said one stupid, reckless thing after another, and he's shown absolutely no temperament to try to learn the things that he doesn't know, and he doesn't know just about everything. …The guy has a chimpanzee-level understanding of national security policy.
Obama to Unveil New Rules for Overtime Pay
[Content Note: Worker exploitation.]
Last summer, President Obama announced plans to revisit rules for overtime pay, and so he has:
The Obama administration will unveil a new rule Wednesday that would make millions of middle-income workers eligible for overtime pay, a move that delivers a long-sought victory for labor groups.Naturally, just as they did when the President first proposed a change, employers are pitching a fit about it:
The regulations, which were last updated more than a decade ago, would let full-time salaried employees earn overtime if they make up to $47,476 a year, more than double the current threshold of $23,660 a year. The Labor Department estimates that the rule would boost the pockets of 4.2 million additional workers.
The move caps a long-running effort by the Obama administration to aid low- and middle-income workers whose paychecks have not budged much in the last few decades, even as the top earners in America have seen their compensation soar. The last update to the rules came in 2004, and Wednesday's announcement is the third update to the salary threshold for overtime regulations in 40 years.
"Along with health care reform this is one of the most important measures that the Obama administration has implemented to help middle-wage workers," said Jared Bernstein, a former chief economist to Vice President Biden and a senior fellow at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.
About 35 percent of full-time salaried employees will be eligible for time and a half when they work extra hours under the new rule, up significantly from the 7 percent who qualify under the current threshold, according to the Labor Department.
...The administration's rule would benefit women, minorities and young workers the most, according to estimates from the left-leaning Economic Policy Institute. The change will go into effect Dec. 1 of this year.
The shift was swiftly criticized by small business owners, nonprofit groups and universities that say they may have to switch some salaried workers to hourly positions to afford the new threshold. And instead of seeing bigger paychecks, some salaried workers may be assigned fewer hours, they said.Which is entirely the point. Employers don't like the rule because it makes it harder for them to exploit workers for subjugation wages. And their concern trolling on behalf of their employees is mendacious bullshit: Their workers won't get "a demotion" unless their hours are cut. They won't lose "flexibility" unless their employers take it away.
"For many of these types of employees they're going to be viewing it as a demotion," said David French, senior vice president of government relations for the National Retail Federation. "They're going to have to clock in and clock out. They're no longer going to have flexibility at work."
But some labor groups and unions said the change was long overdue. Many people putting in 50 to 60 hours a week without overtime are actually earning less than the minimum wage when all of their hours are taken into account, they said.
So, you know, they could just not do that.
Of course, if they were inclined to do the right thing, we wouldn't need our President to issue guidelines that instruct employers to pay their employees a livable goddamn wage in the first place.
Kentucky and Oregon Primary Wrap-Up
Yesterday, the Democrats held primaries in Kentucky and Oregon. (The Republicans also held a primary in Oregon, but with only Donald Trump left, who fucking cares.)
Hillary Clinton won Kentucky in a squeaker. Naturally, because she didn't win it by a huge margin, it wasn't really a win. Because when is a win not a win? When it's Hillary Clinton.
Bernie Sanders won Oregon. Naturally, because he won at all, despite still having basically zero chance of winning the nomination: HUGE WIN! MOMENTUM! HEY DID YOU HEAR A BIRD LANDED ON HIS PODIUM ONCE? BERNIE SANDERS IS MAGIC, PEOPLE!
The long and the short of it is: Yesterday's primaries did not fundamentally alter the race.
And, naturally, Sanders used his victory speech to launch another tirade against the Democratic Party:
The Democratic Party is going to have to make a very, very profound and important decision. It can do the right thing and open its doors and welcome into the party people who are prepared to fight for real economic and social change. That is the Democratic Party I want to see, bringing in people who are willing to take on Wall Street, to take on corporate greed, and to take on a fossil fuel industry which is destroying the planet.After his jeremiad, the audience in his rally burst into a "Bernie or Bust" chant, and he did not stop them.
So I say to the leadership of the Democratic Party: Open the doors; let the people in. Or, the other option, the other option for the Democratic Party, which I see as a very sad and tragic option, is to choose to maintain its status quo structure, remain dependent on big money campaign contributions, and be a party with limited participation and limited energy, and a party which incredibly is allowing a rightwing extremist Republican Party to capture the votes of a majority of working people in this country.
I come from the working class of this country and I will be damned, I will be damned if we allow the Republican Party to win the vote for working class Americans.
There is a lot I could say about Sanders' rant—like, for instance, that there is already plenty of room for people who are prepared to fight for real economic and social change; or, for example, that the working class people who vote Republican probably aren't primarily concerned with "big money campaign contributions," given the GOP's fundraising—but mainly, I just want to ask: What does Sanders even mean? The Dems did "open the doors" to him. (Which I'm guessing they're probably regretting right about now.) They opened their doors, and let him run, and he and his platform were simply not as popular with Democratic voters.
He had as much chance as Hillary Clinton, and he lost. Because he ran a shitty campaign, which was, at best, a single-issue campaign that alienated lots of marginalized people, and, at worst, an increasingly reactionary and venomous campaign of hatred that was less for any discernible principles and more against the funhouse mirror version of Hillary Clinton that Sanders and his team created as their foil.
This isn't about there being "no room" in the Democratic Party for people like Sanders and his supporters. It's an absurd claim based on defining "room" only as "winning."
It's as garbagey an argument as an anti-feminist troll who howls about "censorship" when he gets banned from this space for refusing to follow the rules.
Not getting your way, not being centered and privileged 100% of the time, being held to the same standards as everyone else, isn't evidence of corruption or exclusion. And throwing a tantrum that asserts foul play to deflect from your own failures is epically pathetic.
Question of the Day
Suggested by Shaker SisterShimmy: "What are five songs (or more, or fewer) that you'd put on a playlist to be an emergency happiness inducer?"
I Am Enthusiastic!
by Shaker Alison Rose, a fierce queer feminist, avid book lover, and proud cat lady who lives in the northern SF Bay Area.
[Content Note: Misogyny.]
This past Saturday evening, I got a call from a phone banker for Hillary Clinton. The woman introduced herself as Pam and asked if I had a few minutes to talk. Usually, when I realize it's a political call, I do the "Sorry, no thank you, not interested, please take my number off your list" knee-jerk response. But this time, I had an immediate and opposite reaction, and told her I'd be happy to chat. She noted my strong history of support for Democrats and asked if Clinton could count on my vote in California's primary on June 7.
"Oh, absolutely!" I enthused. "I am 110% committed to voting for her in the primary and the general. I couldn't be more excited about it!" (I may have literally pumped my fist in the air while saying this.)
Pam laughed joyously and said, "Now that's what we like to hear!"
We talked for a few more minutes about the importance of this election and getting out the vote, and wished each other well. I ended the call, smiling to myself.
I know why I reacted so differently to this political call than I usually do, and it's a two-part explanation:
1. I really am super excited to vote for Clinton, to have a part in electing the first woman president of the United States, and I enjoy talking to other Clinton supporters about this historic moment and what it means for us and for society as a whole.
2. I am determined to prove, as often as I can, that the media narrative of a dearth of enthusiasm among Clinton's supporters is a falsehood, and an intentional and sexist one at that.
We've heard so much about the supposed "enthusiasm gap" between supporters of Clinton and supporters of Senator Bernie Sanders. The media has had ample coverage of the very large crowds that Sanders has drawn to his rallies and town halls and the massive amounts of money he has taken in through fundraising, and they have seen the more prevalent and louder presence on social media sites of those who are "feeling the Bern," and the story quickly became that Sanders' fans are excited and eager and involved, putting their whole selves into this election, pumped up and ready to make big things happen.
And of course, the balance of that, in the media's collective mind, is that Clinton's fans are fewer in number (not true), quieter and less effusive about her campaign (also incorrect), and are voting for her just as a rote exercise or with a shrug and a sigh and a muttered comment about "lesser of two evils."
I could say a whole lot about that "lesser of two evils" thing, but suffice it to say it's usually willfully ignorant bullshit, and no more so than when the "two" we're talking about are Hillary Clinton and Donald fucking Trump.
There is also the stupendously sexist assertion, put forth by various Twitter eggs and comment trolls, that any smidgen of enthusiasm one might notice among Clinton's supporters is based solely on her being a woman, because clearly there's no other reason at all to want to vote for her. Women aren't voting for her because we like her policies, her ideas, her capabilities, and who she is as a person; it's because she's a 'she.' Funny though, I'm pretty sure I didn't vote for Carly Fiorina, or Michele Bachmann, or Sarah Palin. Interesting.
But regarding enthusiasm: I have it. A lot of it. As do many other Clinton supporters I know in person and online. I am enthusiastic about seeing the first woman elected to the highest office in the country. I am enthusiastic about issues that affect women being put at the forefront of a national campaign. I am enthusiastic about a woman with Clinton's intelligence, experience, fortitude, empathy, and kindness having the chance to use those traits to the benefit of all of us, to continue the amazing progressive changes we have seen under President Barack Obama, and to introduce ideas and create accomplishments all her own.
I am enthusiastic about knowing that young girls will open a history textbook soon and see someone in the gallery of presidential portraits who looks more like them, and whose image tells them they can do great things, too, and whose smile encourages them to believe in themselves enough to try.
I am enthusiastic about witnessing something that could not have come about without feminism, and while I harbor no illusions that President Hillary Clinton will usher in a "post-feminist" society, I do strongly believe that she will inspire more people—and not just women—to care about feminism and align themselves with the ideals therein.
I am enthusiastic about, finally!, a female president, and more specifically about that female president being Clinton. It is not simply the vague idea I am focused on, but she herself.
She makes me enthusiastic. I am not alone in this, and I am not going to be quiet about it because the media is straining to believe that I don't exist, or because fauxgressive cis white men don't want to hear my voice any more than they want to hear Clinton's. But both of us, and a lot of others, are going to keep talking, and thinking, and working, and achieving.
Sanders' supporters may be louder, but yelling the loudest and talking the most doesn't mean you have better things to say. And it's easy to be the loud ones getting all the attention when you don't have to worry about hateful invective hurled at you for it.
Being vocal about supporting Clinton, about liking her, about being enthusiastic for her candidacy, is not always easy. As Sady Doyle has said, it can even feel subversive, because it is so often met with derision, dismissiveness, and finger-wagging disapproval of your insufficient progressivism.
But if you want to counter a false narrative, you've got to put forth an authentic one in its place. You've got to raise your voice, speak your truth, and show your enthusiasm, with pride and conviction.
#ImWithHer
Bernie Sanders, What Are You Doing?!
[Content Note: Violence; harassment; threats.]
After meeting with Harry Reid, Democratic Senate Minority Leader and Senator from Nevada, who said they had a good conversation about the violence in Nevada, Bernie Sanders just released this statement:
It is imperative that the Democratic leadership, both nationally and in the states, understand that the political world is changing and that millions of Americans are outraged at establishment politics and establishment economics. The people of this country want a government which represents all of us, not just the 1 percent, super PACs and wealthy campaign contributors.1. I can't believe he said his campaign has held events in "high crime areas." Good lord.
The Democratic Party has a choice. It can open its doors and welcome into the party people who are prepared to fight for real economic and social change – people who are willing to take on Wall Street, corporate greed and a fossil fuel industry which is destroying this planet. Or the party can choose to maintain its status quo structure, remain dependent on big-money campaign contributions and be a party with limited participation and limited energy.
Within the last few days there have been a number of criticisms made against my campaign organization. Party leaders in Nevada, for example, claim that the Sanders campaign has a 'penchant for violence.' That is nonsense. Our campaign has held giant rallies all across this country, including in high-crime areas, and there have been zero reports of violence. Our campaign of course believes in non-violent change and it goes without saying that I condemn any and all forms of violence, including the personal harassment of individuals. But, when we speak of violence, I should add here that months ago, during the Nevada campaign, shots were fired into my campaign office in Nevada and apartment housing complex my campaign staff lived in was broken into and ransacked.
If the Democratic Party is to be successful in November, it is imperative that all state parties treat our campaign supporters with fairness and the respect that they have earned. I am happy to say that has been the case at state conventions in Maine, Alaska, Colorado and Hawaii where good discussions were held and democratic decisions were reached. Unfortunately, that was not the case at the Nevada convention. At that convention the Democratic leadership used its power to prevent a fair and transparent process from taking place. Among other things:
* The chair of the convention announced that the convention rules passed on voice vote, when the vote was a clear no-vote. At the very least, the Chair should have allowed for a headcount.
* The chair allowed its Credentials Committee to en mass rule that 64 delegates were ineligible without offering an opportunity for 58 of them to be heard. That decision enabled the Clinton campaign to end up with a 30-vote majority.
* The chair refused to acknowledge any motions made from the floor or allow votes on them. The chair refused to accept any petitions for amendments to the rules that were properly submitted.
These are on top of failures at the precinct and county conventions including trying to depose and then threaten with arrest the Clark County convention credentials chair because she was operating too fairly.
2. I also can't believe he's said that there have been "zero reports of violence," when people have been documenting threats of violence from his supporters for months. If he condemns "any and all forms of violence," then he shouldn't be erasing the threats of violence emanating from many of his supporters, given that harassment and threats are typically regarded as a form of violence.
3. His "movement" is the rationale for continuing to campaign until the convention. But the movement he's building is garbage. And he's in deep denial about the reality of what some of his supporters are doing. Or he just doesn't care. Either way, it's not evidence of good leadership, and it's not a movement I want any part of. Frankly, this isn't even leadership. It's incitement.
4. I'm sure Harry Reid is thrilled that he went out and said they had a productive meeting, only for Sanders to throw him under the bus and shit all over the Democratic Party (again).
What. Is. He. Even. Doing.
Daily Dose of Cute
Sophie. ♥
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: Terrorism; death; injury] The Islamic State continues to violently and viciously terrorize Iraqi civilians: "A wave of bombings struck outdoor markets and a restaurant in Shiite-dominated neighborhoods of Baghdad on Tuesday, killing at least 69 people, officials said—the latest in deadly militant attacks far from the front lines in the country’s north and west where Iraqi forces are battling the Islamic State group. In an online statement, IS claimed responsibility only for the deadliest bombing of the day, which took place in Baghdad's northeastern Shaab neighborhood and where at least 34 people were killed and 75 others were wounded. ...Tuesday's bombings were just the latest in a wave of attacks in Baghdad and surrounding areas that has left more than 200 dead over the past week." Goddammit. I take up space in solidarity with the people of Iraq. I feel so utterly helpless, but my thoughts are with them.
Today, there are Democratic primaries in Kentucky and Oregon. "The Kentucky Democratic primary will award 60 delegates to go to the party's convention in Philadelphia while Oregon's primary will award 74. Kentucky's primary is closed, meaning only registered Democratic voters can participate. In Oregon, voters cast ballots entirely by mail."
Here's a cool headline: "Poll: Trump narrows Clinton's lead nationally to 3 points." That is actually not a narrow lead for a US presidential election! They are generally very close! Even closer than that! In fact: "We searched through all of the data to determine what the true state of the race is, and a single narrative has emerged—not only is the general election race not closing, it has widened in Hillary's favor in recent months. From December to February, by all accounts, this race was actually a close one. If the media are reporting now that the race is very close, it makes me wonder what they thought about the race over that time period." Spoiler Alert: They thought that she would win easily. "If this does not make sense to you, you are not alone. Somehow, when the race is separated by 5-7 points, it is a neck-and-neck horse-race but when the race was only separated by two points, it was a runaway. Let me propose a different idea—that now that the Republican nominee has been decided, a horse-race is a more compelling story to generate interest than a blowout of the type that is forecast under current polling levels." Huh.
[CN: Transphobia] Donald Trump is totally incoherent, as usual: "Trump gave an interview to the Washington Post on Monday saying he would rescind President Obama's sweeping directive to U.S. schools on transgender rights but said that trans people need to be protected." So how is he going to protect them? Magic? Fuck this guy.
Ian Millhiser on how "LGBT Rights Just Won an Unexpected Victory Despite Clarence Thomas." Yay!
In other SCOTUS news: "Supreme Court Punts on Birth Control Benefit Challenges." As always, the inimitable Jessica Mason Pieklo has the lowdown at the link.
[CN: Police brutality] Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel has announced he will disband Chicago's Independent Police Review Authority and create a Civilian Police Investigation Agency. "Lori Lightfoot, who led the task force investigation, told the Chicago Tribune that while Emanuel's announcement is an important step, 'the devil will be in the details. How it will be different [from IPRA] is a fundamentally important question.'" Indeed.
[CN: Wildfire] Fuck: "Around 12,000 people have been urged to leave Canada's oil sands camps near the fire-hit town of Fort McMurray as a resurgent wildfire heads towards them. A regional official told the BBC that 8,000 people were given precautionary evacuation orders late on Monday, in addition to some 4,000 who had already been advised to leave. More than 80,000 people fled the fire that hit Fort McMurray two weeks ago. Air pollution in the Alberta city is still at dangerously high levels. A reading on Monday found the level to be 38—far exceeding the provincial index's most dangerous level of 10. The vast fire had moved away from Fort McMurray but in recent days it has started to threaten the area again."
[CN: Animal endangerment] Sadface: "The vaquita [the world's smallest porpoise] is the most endangered marine mammal on Earth, and according to a panel of scientists that's been tracking the animal's dwindling numbers, it's now teetering dangerously close to extinction. In a statement released on Friday, the International Committee for the Recovery of the Vaquita announced that only 60 vaquitas are left in the wild. This represents a decline of more than 92 percent since 1997. Without a dramatic improvement in conservation efforts, this porpoise will be wiped off the face of the planet by 2022. 'We are watching this precious native species disappear before our eyes,' said panel chairman Lorenzo Rojas-Bracho."
Twitter will reportedly "soon stop counting photos and links as part of its 140-character limit for messages, according to a person familiar with the matter. The change could happen in the next two weeks, said the person who asked not to be named because the decision isn't yet public. Links currently take up 23 characters, even after Twitter automatically shortens them. The company declined to comment." That seems like an uncharacteristically good idea from Twitter, who are usually intent on making changes that significantly worsen the user experience.
[CN: Rape culture] Hey, Adrien Brody, why don't you shut the fuck up? (Short version: Brody doesn't want to concern himself with the indiscretions, ahem, of famous men like Roman Polanski, Woody Allen, and Bill Cosby.)
And finally! Dog and cat are BFFs and nap buddies. Awwwww!
A Letter, for EDS Awareness Month
by Shaker aforalpha
[Content Note: Discussion of disablism and effects of disability.]
An open letter to the women who gave up their seats on the bus:
This is the thank you note I can never send for the gift you didn't even know you gave.
Yes, at the time I thanked you for the seat.
But see, because you stood up, I was able to work a full day. I was able to sit in a conference room. Give a presentation.
Because you stood, I didn't have to hold the grab bar. And when I arrived at class, I still had enough hand and wrist strength left to unzip my own coat.
Because you stood, I was able to run errands this evening. I was able to stop by the pharmacy, finally. Tonight I will take my anti-nausea meds for the first time in several days and I will sleep without a bucket beside my bed.
What you don't know is that I have a form of Ehlers Danlos Syndrome (EDS), a genetic condition impacting my connective tissue. Each type of EDS is different and two people with the same type can be impacted differently. Hell, the impact on the same person can fluctuate radically over a day, a week, a lifetime. And no one really knows why. EDS is considered a rare disease and as with many rare diseases, we don't have robust well-funded research, we have anecdotes and wishful thinking. (Who am I kidding? What medical research is adequately funded right now?)
In my case EDS means, among other things, that my joints are very loose. Many of my joints dislocate throughout the day with no encouragement on my part. A sudden movement on the bus might pull my shoulder out of place. Or it might cause me to roll an ankle. And faceplant. Onto a stranger's pecs. Hypothetically, of course. I definitely don't know anything about that…
My EDS also causes me to have blood pressure lows, with lightheadedness and fainting. Also, vomiting. This is exacerbated by standing. You saved us all a lot of time that morning.
As an EDS patient, I am also at risk for early onset osteoarthritis and have a higher likelihood of needing joint replacement. I've worked with occupational and physical therapists for years in order to make these crappy joints last as long as possible before I have to buy new crappy joints. Every time I don't need to stand on the bus it saves me that little bit of wear and tear. You wouldn't think it would matter, but I once spent an extremely tedious and painful occupational therapy session relearning how to press the buttons on the microwave. Everything matters.
Anyway, I share this, not to pass out metaphorical cookies, but to give context. And to express appreciation for something that should be commonplace, but isn't.
I know that you did not stand because I have EDS. You stood because I said I needed a seat and asked if anyone was willing to give up theirs. Some of you heard me and got up right away. Others among you stood when I repeated my request, emphasizing that I have a disability. Or when no one else got up. But all of you did something extremely valuable: all of you helped a stranger who needed it, even though that need was not immediately and visibly apparent to you.
And, yes, some of you stood reluctantly. But I'm not mad. The nature of invisible disability and many other kinds of needs is such that you may have required a seat too. I trust people to make good decisions for themselves, so I assume you stood because you could. But I also know that before my condition worsened, I sometimes stood for others when no one else would—even though that meant more pain later. (I had to. Because I understood. And because I could.)
I hope that standing didn't cause any of you pain or fatigue. I hope it didn't make your day measurably more difficult.
I hope that more people follow your lead—that they recognize that disability isn't always visible. That they believe those of us who live with invisible disability.
And that when you really need it, someone gives you a seat.
Sincerely,
aforalpha
May is EDS Awareness Month. Please visit the Ehlers-Danlos Society or the National Organization for Rare Disorders for more information, resources, and ways to get involved, if you are so inclined!
What Is Even Happening?
[Content Note: Violence; harassment; threats.]
So, over the weekend, Nevada held its Democratic convention, at which pledged delegates were awarded following the caucus in February. And, basically, all hell broke loose. Why? Because Sanders supporters were aggrieved that the rules were not changed according to their demands, and thus determined the process was "rigged."
As a reminder, Hillary Clinton won the Nevada caucus.
And then following the convention, Nevada Democratic Party chair Roberta Lange was targeted in the most heinous ways:
"It's been vile," said Ms. Lange, who riled Sanders supporters by refusing their requests for rule changes at the event in Las Vegas. "It's been threatening messages, threatening my family, threatening my life, threatening my grandchild."Unbelievable. Briggs further went on to criticize the Democratic Party for not being more welcoming. "The senator believes that the Democratic Party all over the country would serve its own interests better if it were to figure out a way to welcome people who have been energized and excited by his campaign into the party. It would behoove the party to be more welcoming and engage those people."
...Supporters of Mr. Sanders used similar tactics to exert pressure on Ms. Lange, who has received more than 1,000 calls since Saturday night and as many as three text messages per minute. The threats, which came from men and women from across the country, were haunting and personal.
"Loved how you broke the system," one person wrote in a text message that said he or she knew where Ms. Lange's grandchildren went to school. "Prepare for hell. Calls won't stop."
Another person left a voice mail message saying he thought Ms. Lange should be "hung in public execution" for her actions.
"I'm scared for my family," Ms. Lange said. "Scared for my kids."
Michael Briggs, a spokesman for Mr. Sanders, said the Vermont senator did not condone violence of any kind. However, he said the campaign was still determining whether it would challenge the Nevada results.
So, Sanders supporters shut down the convention by shouting at Senator Barbara Boxer, throwing chairs, and generally behaving like a mob of reckless dipshits, then spend days harassing and threatening a Democratic state chair, and Sanders' spokesperson scolds the Democratic Party that they should be more welcoming to them?! The fuck.
Meanwhile, Sanders' campaign manager was on CNN this morning, incredibly asserting that Sanders is helping Clinton by staying in the race:
Bernie Sanders' campaign manager: By staying in the race, we are "helping Hillary Clinton" https://t.co/6OZtrg079U https://t.co/0HrioIBC4i
— CNN Politics (@CNNPolitics) May 17, 2016
Chris Cuomo: Is it even on your radar as to whether or not your campaign is helping or hurting Hillary Clinton?Weaver is still pretending that Sanders has a chance of winning the nomination, which is utterly absurd. He needs to win 70% of the remaining pledged delegates, which is simply not going to happen. He has lost. This fantasy is what underwrites shit like what happened in Nevada, where foolish supporters believe every delegate matters, when the fact is that Sanders is so far behind that he can't possibly win, failing Clinton dropping out of the race.
Jeff Weaver: Well, I would say that we are helping Hillary Clinton, as a matter of fact. Assuming that she's the nominee, and I think that Hillary Clinton is helping Bernie Sanders, assuming that he is the nominee. You know, as soon as this Democratic primary process is over, we're not gonna hear any more talk about the minimum wage, we're not gonna hear any more talk about making college affordable, or providing healthcare to everybody; it's gonna be a mudslinging contest. The Trump people, the Republican Party, all their super PACs are gonna engage in character assassination, no matter who the nominee is, and that's what's gonna be focused on. It's unfortunate, but as long as the Democratic primary process is going on, people are talking about issues that are important to not only the Democrats, but to Americans as a whole.
Obliging Clinton to keep fighting on two fronts is not helping her. I can't put it any more plainly than that.
And if Team Sanders is going to take this fantastical garbage "all the way to the convention," and bring their increasingly reactionary supporters with them, that sure as shit ain't gonna help her, either.
Terrified Trump
I've got a new piece up at BNR on Donald Trump's continual attempts to enlist Bernie Sanders in a third-party bid against Hillary Clinton, because he knows he can't defeat her on his own:
Trump is currently positioned to lose to Hillary in November. He wants Bernie to run as an Independent because it's Trump's best—and possibly only—chance to win.Click through to read the whole thing!
And then there is this: Trump is, as is manifestly obvious to anyone who has paid even the most basic attention to the man, catastrophically insecure. Beneath the superlative-riddled braggadocio, he has a precariously fragile ego that is bound up in a friable masculinity, constantly at imminent risk of collapse if a woman ever bests him.
...Hillary is not merely Trump's equal: She is clearly his better, in every conceivable way—particularly in the ways that matter most in a presidential contest. She is smarter, she is more knowledgeable, she is more competent, she is more empathetic, she has a more suitable temperament, and, yes, she is even more likable.
Basically, she is Trump's worst nightmare. A woman he cannot control. A woman against whom he has to compete as an equal. A woman who can beat him.
I can't think of a greater mortification to a man whose entire self-worth is rooted in a superiority to women than to be destroyed on a highly visible international scale by a woman.
Trump isn't a joke; he never has been and never will be. But he well deserves every gale of mirthless laughter that any woman directs at him.
Speaking of which: Here's Clinton mocking Trump (again)! I love it when she goes there. Oh how I love it.
Aaaaaaaaaand We're Back!
Thanks to everyone for the lovely birthday wishes last week! I had a brilliant few days off, with my terrific husband and wonderful friends, all of whom endeavored to make my grin until my face felt like it would crack.
Here are some random pictures!
Flowers from the garden! And things to drink!
Deeks and me wearing awesome shoes! Obviously!
Delicious food!
I took a million more pictures but those are the important highlights: Friends! Food! Drink! Pretty things! I need all of those things very badly, and I am deeply grateful to have had a couple of days filled with them.
Onward...
The Virtual Pub Is Open + Programming Note
[Explanations: lol your fat. pathetic anger bread. hey your gay.]
TFIF, Shakers!
Belly up to the bar,
and name your poison!
Today is my birthday (yay!), and my birthday gift to myself is a couple of days off while a few friends come into town to visit and help me celebrate! So I will be gone tomorrow, Friday, and Monday, and I will see you back here bright and early Tuesday morning!
