Death by doughnut

Apr 5th, 2017 4:02 pm | By

There’s another one.

A 42-year-old man in Colorado died after he choked on a giant doughnut during an doughnut-eating contest, KUSA-TV in Denver reported.

Travis Malouff was taking part in the contest sponsored by Voodoo Doughnut on Sunday. Two people tried to give Malouff the Heimlich until paramedics could arrive. He died before they got to him.

It was an outsized doughnut, about six times the size of an ordinary one. The goal was to eat it in under 80 seconds to win a button and a free meal.

 



Rhetoric and imagery which is pure and simple Jew hatred

Apr 5th, 2017 3:38 pm | By

My UK friends are disgusted with Corbyn and Labour. The refusal to sack Ken Livingstone is not a good move.

In an escalation of the controversy, nine senior members of Labour Friends of Israel, including Joan Ryan, Louise Ellman and Rachel Reeves, wrote to Corbyn urging him to call publicly for Livingstone to be expelled and to press the national executive committee to review its decision.

Around 100 Labour MPs, among them shadow cabinet ministers such as Barry Gardiner and Angela Rayner, also signed a statement saying saying the Labour decision “was not done in our name and we will not allow it to go unchecked”.

“This week the institutions of the Labour party have betrayed our values. We stand united in making it clear that we will not allow our party to be a home for antisemitism and Holocaust revisionism. We stand with the Jewish community and British society against this insidious racism,” they said.

Within Labour, Watson, the deputy leader, led criticism of the panel’s decision, saying it brought “shame on us all”. “I am ashamed that we have allowed Mr Livingstone to cause such distress,” he said. “It isn’t just Jewish people who feel disgusted and offended by what Mr Livingstone said and by the way he has conducted himself over this matter, and it isn’t just Jewish Labour members who feel ashamed of any indulgence of his views anywhere in the Labour party.”

Miliband said: “I am appalled that even now Ken shows no real remorse. His status should be revisited in the light of his continuing offensive behaviour.”

There were a string of reports that Jewish Labour members were leaving the party, with Lord Levy, the chief fundraiser under Tony Blair, among those saying he was considering his future as a member. Tulip Siddiq, Labour MP for Hampstead and Kilburn, warned Corbyn that Jewish constituents were contacting her in despair and terminating their membership.

Livingstone said it was all a move to undermine Corbyn. That didn’t go down well either.

Livingstone’s claim that the charges against him were part of a move against Corbyn were challenged by Ivan Lewis, a Jewish Labour MP and former minister, who said: “Those who claim that these concerns are part of some ‘rightwing conspiracy’ against Jeremy Corbyn should be reminded that no one forced Ken Livingstone to go into a radio studio to speak about Nazi support for Zionism. They must also confront the reality that a minority who claim to be progressive seem to think that their opposition to the policies of the Israeli government entitles them to use rhetoric and imagery which is pure and simple Jew hatred.

“Equally, those socialists who seek to justify or deny antisemitism whenever it rears its ugly head are nothing more than apologists for racism. Enough is enough.”

So that’s more bad news.



Their softness

Apr 5th, 2017 3:10 pm | By

A recent Jesus and Mo celebrating International Women’s Day:

their

It made me laugh raucously.



Helping to do bad things

Apr 5th, 2017 2:37 pm | By

Ivanka Trump sells clothes. That’s her job experience. She now officially works for the Trump administration, complete with a large office in the White House. She doesn’t know what the word “complicit” means.

In an interview with Gayle King on CBS, Ivanka Trump addressed critics who said she and her husband, White House senior adviser Jared Kushner, are “complicit” with President Trump.

“I don’t know what it means to be complicit, but you know, I hope time will prove that I have done a good job, and much more importantly, that my father’s administration is the success that I know it will be,” she said.

“Success” at what? What does she mean by that? Success at throwing millions of people off health insurance? Success at making our air and water dirtier? Success at making it harder or impossible to get an abortion? Success at stirring up racism? Success at encouraging sexual assaults? Success at pretending to drive a big truck? Success at insulting journalists, politicians, activists, scholars, judges, immigrants, Democrats, women…?

Merriam-Webster stepped in to help.

https://twitter.com/MerriamWebster/status/849378025191997440

Ivanka Trump told King that in her case complicit could mean the following: “If being complicit is wanting to… be a force for good and to make a positive impact then I’m complicit,” she said.

That’s not what it means. And yes she is complicit.



A general rift

Apr 5th, 2017 12:28 pm | By

Eiynah at Nice Mangos tells the story of the targeted bullying she’s been subjected to lately. It’s a very full record so not something you can read in a couple of minutes, but it’s good to have details.

For those asking over the past few days, wtf happened to start these mob attacks on me: Well…I’m not entirely sure, because they sort of came out of the blue. There’s a general rift in left-leaning atheists and right-leaning atheists. And ‘right-leaning’ is seen as some sort of slur, when it’s just an observation based on the politics coming from some of these types. If you’re anti-left on everything, and rarely ever anti-right…it says something. Especially today. Oh  – and there’s no gold star for seeing the most obvious flaws on the right, like Trump or Alt Right nationalists.

However, this split continues to become more pronounced in these times of the rising far right. While lefties are looking to focus some of their criticism there, others are trying to resist and silence that criticism. 

That general rift between left-leaning and right-leaning atheists (and skeptics) has been widening since at least 2011. Six long sweaty often unpleasant years.

The latest explosion started with a disagreement over “Taqiya” and whether it’s a big deal or not. (Spoiler: it’s not.)

The Nitty Gritty

Gather round peeps, I’m gonna share a really absurd tale about supposed ex-muslim allies, supposed critics of sjw style ‘oppression olympics’ and sjw ideological purity tests…but who are now furious because an ex-muslim they disagree with ideologically/politically in their minds was not oppressed ENOUGH.A fellow ex-muslim, that I have personally promoted, jumped in happily to weigh-in on the drama and attempt to negate my lived experience by claiming I just *dabbled in oppression*, haven’t truly experienced it or anything… My life was like a 5 star resort apparently…and everyone else seems to be a good judge on what kind of life I had in sharia-land.

There’s this bizarre idea that growing up in a compound for foreigners, in which there is a lot of freedom, is growing up free of oppression. Wut? Another word for “compound” is “ghetto”…or “prison.”

Mostly, people on both ends have an issue with me because I refuse to pick a team. I think criticizing both Islamic far right and western far right is important. And I think in Trumpian times, It’s vital to focus *some* of my critique on the western right and its apologists. When that toxic stuff overlaps with criticism of Islam, it does nothing but muddy the waters, and hold back valid criticisms from resonating with the mainstream.

Let me emphasize that one bit: I think criticizing both Islamic far right and western far right is important.

Same here.



The employer contends she tried to help

Apr 5th, 2017 10:56 am | By

In Kuwait:

Last week, a horrifying of an Ethiopian domestic worker falling from what media reports say is the seventh floor of an apartment building in Kuwait went viral. The video appears to have been filmed by the worker’s employer inside the flat with the woman dangling outside the window. The employer tells the woman to come back inside. The panicked woman calls out for her to grab her, but within 12 seconds of the recording starting, the dangling woman loses her grip and falls.

The Kuwaiti daily al-Seyassah reported that the domestic worker is being treated at a hospital for a broken hand, as well as nose and ear bleeding. Al-Seyassah also reported that the authorities arrested her employer, on Wednesday, and charged her for failing to assist her worker. The employer contends she tried to help.

Too bad the video shows otherwise.

I wonder how the video became public. Maybe the employer (the enslaver) shared it with her friends.

This is not the first time a domestic worker – someone hired to clean, cook, and care for a household – attempted a dangerous escape or suicide. The Kuwaiti press often report such stories as “attempted suicides,” as with this recent incident. They don’t usually question whether these were suicide attempts or, rather, attempts to escape. In 2009, Human Rights Watch spoke to eight women who were reported as having “attempted suicide,” but who said they had really fallen from buildings trying to escape abuse or were pushed by their employers. No one has suggested that the employer in this incident was responsible for such abuse.

Other sources are today reporting that the domestic worker says she was trying to escape.

I have interviewed hundreds of domestic workers in the Gulf region. Many said their employers locked them inside, forced them to work excessive hours, and beat them. Some scrambled down or jumped off buildings to escape.

In 2015, Kuwait took steps to provide migrant domestic workers with labor rights, but it has not reformed the notorious kafala system, under which migrant workers cannot leave or change their employer without the employer’s permission. As a result, while domestic workers now have rights to a weekly day off, daily limits to their working hours, and overtime compensation – they can still be arrested for “absconding” if they escape from their employers, even abusive ones.

So that’s a form of slavery then. They can’t quit without the employer’s permission: that is slavery.



Fewer women out in public today than 20 years ago

Apr 5th, 2017 10:39 am | By

Women in Pakistan push back, and have a nice bike ride in the process.

Dozens of women in Pakistan took part in female-only bike races in major cities on Sunday, in an event organized to challenge male dominance of public spaces in the country.

“Our strategy is simply to be visible in public spaces,” said Meher Bano of Girls at Dhabas, a feminist group which organized the races after a woman from Lahore was pushed off her bicycle by a group of men last year for not responding to catcalls.

If she had responded she would have been attacked for being a whore.

The bike race was one of many events organized in the last few years by Girls at Dhabas – the name given to roadside restaurants in Pakistan – to promote female participation in public events, fight restrictions faced by women in public places and increase awareness.

“I drive on these roads all the time but this was maybe the first time I got to experience them while biking,” said Humay Waseem, one of the riders on the 5-kilometre race around Pakistan’s leafy capital Islamabad.

“I loved the feeling of freedom with the breeze in my hair.”

It’s a good feeling.

Though there is a small but vocal liberal movement in Pakistan, most noticeable in sections of the media, women who push feminist ideals often face a barrage of abuse and are portrayed as being infected with Western or un-Islamic ideals.

After the race in Islamabad on Sunday, the riders, mostly aged in their 20s, swapped stories about being gawped at or catcalled when they go out. They also talked of the need to fight growing conservatism on Pakistan’s streets, saying there are fewer women out in public today than 20 years ago.

“We are letting that space go and society is getting more narrow-minded,” said one of riders.

That’s happening in a lot of places.



He thinks it’s going to be the biggest story

Apr 5th, 2017 10:26 am | By

Donnie did an interview with the New York Times this morning – the failing New York Times as he genially calls it. I wonder why he bothers giving interviews to failing newspapers. I think I would stick to nonfailing newspapers if I were prezeedent.

The interview is as stupid as you’d expect, and stupider. I wonder what it’s like being Maggie Haberman or Glenn Thrush and trying to ask him questions as if he were a reasonable adult.

President Trump said on Wednesday that he thought that the former national security adviser Susan E. Rice may have committed a crime by seeking the identities of Trump associates who were mentioned on intercepted communications and that other Obama administration officials may also have been involved.

See what I mean? He just casually says that stupid shit as if it were normal.

“I think it’s going to be the biggest story,” Mr. Trump said in an interview in the Oval Office, declining repeated requests for evidence for his allegations or the names of other Obama administration officials. “It’s such an important story for our country and the world. It is one of the big stories of our time.”

It’s as if they’d interviewed a toddler. They solemnly quote his ridiculous babbling, because they have to.

Mr. Trump criticized media outlets, including The New York Times, for failing to adequately cover the Rice controversy — while singling out Fox News and the host Bill O’Reilly for praise, despite reports this week that the veteran conservative commentator settled five lawsuits filed by women claiming sexual harassment or inappropriate behavior. The president then went on to defend Mr. O’Reilly, who has hosted him frequently over the years.

“I think he’s a person I know well — he is a good person,” said Mr. Trump…

“I think he shouldn’t have settled; personally I think he shouldn’t have settled,” said Mr. Trump. “Because you should have taken it all the way. I don’t think Bill did anything wrong.”

Of course he doesn’t. He thinks big shouty rude men have an absolute right to sexually assault women.

 



De-operationalizing the operation

Apr 5th, 2017 9:41 am | By

Another shakeup in Trumpland. Hey they’ve been there more than two months now, it’s totally normal to have 47 shakeups in such a long period of time. Bannon is out of that job he should never have been in in the first place.

President Trump reshuffled his national security organization on Wednesday, removing his chief strategist, Stephen K. Bannon, from a top policy-making committee and restoring senior military and intelligence officials who had been downgraded when he first came into office.

The shift was orchestrated by Lt. Gen. H.R. McMaster, who was tapped as Mr. Trump’s national security adviser after the resignation of Michael T. Flynn, who stepped down in February after being caught misleading Vice President Mike Pence and other White House officials about his contacts with Russia’s ambassador.

See? Totally normal. Everything going very very smoothly, smoothlier than any president you’ve ever seen before, very very very smoothly.

General McMaster inherited an organizational scheme for the National Security Council that stirred protests because of Mr. Bannon’s role. The original setup made Mr. Bannon, the former chairman of Breitbart News, a member of the principals committee that typically includes cabinet-level officials like the vice president, secretary of state and defense secretary.

Hey look, just because Bannon is a total flake and alt-right tool and wifebeater doesn’t mean he shouldn’t be a big noise in National Security. It’s all part of the swamp-drainage project.

A new order issued by Mr. Trump, dated Tuesday and made public on Wednesday, removes Mr. Bannon from the principals committee, restores the chairman of the Joint Chiefs and intelligence director and also adds the energy secretary, C.I.A. director and United Nations ambassador.

A senior White House official presented the move as a logical evolution, not a setback for Mr. Bannon.

Oh a “logical evolution” is it – you mean from doing something completely crazy and dangerous to not doing that? Usually presidents skip the doing something completely crazy and dangerous part but whatever, I’m sure they know best.

He had originally been put on the principals committee to keep an eye on Mr. Flynn and to “de-operationalize” the N.S.C. after the Obama administration, this official said on condition of anonymity to discuss internal dynamics. This official said that process had been completed.

To keep an eye on Flynn? Then why was Flynn there? If he needed an eye kept on him, why was he there? Oh and also, who is keeping an eye on Trump?

I have no idea what “de-operationalize the N.S.C.” is supposed to mean.

With drunks at the wheel, it’s a matter of chance whether or not we run into a tree.



Shouty handsy guy in trouble

Apr 4th, 2017 5:55 pm | By

Bill O’Reilly is hemorrhaging advertisers. Something about not wanting to promote a serial sexual harasser, apparently.

At least nine more marketers said they were withdrawing ads from “The O’Reilly Factor,” making a total of at least 11 that have suspended their sponsorship in the last 24 hours. Mercedes-Benz and Hyundai announced their decisions Monday night, and on Tuesday they were joined by BMW of North America; GlaxoSmithKline; T. Rowe Price; Mitsubishi; Allstate; Bayer; Constant Contact, an online marketer; Untuckit, a men’s clothing distributor; and Sanofi Consumer HealthCare, which advertised products like ACT mouthwash on Mr. O’Reilly’s show.

Mouthwash. Too much like those Tic-Tacs that Trump popped because he wanted to grab that one woman and kiss her without asking first.

The decisions came after The New York Times published an investigation last weekend that found that five women who had accused Mr. O’Reilly of sexual harassment or inappropriate behavior received settlements totaling about $13 million.

Yes but Hillary! Emails!! Susan Rice!!!

Also on Tuesday, the legal troubles for Fox News continued. Monica Douglas, a black Fox News employee, joined a lawsuit that was filed last week against Fox News by two other women, asserting that they were subjected to racial harassment at the network. The suit was filed in State Supreme Court in the Bronx. Fox News dismissed the executive named in the suit, Judith Slater, the longtime controller, on Feb. 28. It said in a statement “there is no place for conduct like this at Fox News, which is why Ms. Slater was fired.”

Racism at Fox News?! I’m flabbergasted!



They arrived at the intersection to find it empty

Apr 4th, 2017 5:11 pm | By

So Templeton is still doing this.

Religion News Foundation has received a two-year $210,000 grant from the West Conshohocken, Pa.-based John Templeton Foundation to help inform the public about how science and religion intersect.

Hey, I can do that for nothing:

They don’t.

You’re welcome.

Stories will investigate the religious, spiritual, ethical and philosophical implications of today’s most talked about developments in science, such as artificial intelligence, robotics, genetic engineering, neuroscience, evolutionary biology, and deep-space exploration.

Why not just investigate the ethical and philosophical implications and leave the empty buzzwords out of it? Ethical and philosophical issues are much better discussed and investigated in secular terms; religion adds nothing.

The Religion News Foundation will also produce four ReligionLink source guides to enhance journalistic coverage of complex issues surrounding science and religion on such topics as religion’s role in the search for extraterrestrial intelligent life, the religious and moral implications of artificial intelligence, neuroscience and religion, and animal faith.

Animal faith? Give me a break. Only humans are afflicted with that particular kind of stupidity.



Back-channel

Apr 4th, 2017 4:43 pm | By

The Washington Post finds more sleaze:

The United Arab Emirates arranged a secret meeting in January between Blackwater founder Erik Prince and a Russian close to President Vladi­mir Putin as part of an apparent effort to establish a back-channel line of communication between Moscow and President-elect Donald Trump, according to U.S., European and Arab officials.

The meeting took place around Jan. 11 — nine days before Trump’s inauguration — in the Seychelles islands in the Indian Ocean, officials said. Though the full agenda remains unclear, the UAE agreed to broker the meeting in part to explore whether Russia could be persuaded to curtail its relationship with Iran, including in Syria, a Trump administration objective that would be likely to require major concessions to Moscow on U.S. sanctions.

Though Prince had no formal role with the Trump campaign or transition team, he presented himself as an unofficial envoy for Trump to high-ranking Emiratis involved in setting up his meeting with the Putin confidant, according to the officials, who did not identify the Russian.

That’s…not how these things are done.

U.S. officials said the FBI has been scrutinizing the Seychelles meeting as part of a broader probe of Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. election and alleged contacts between associates of Putin and Trump. The FBI declined to comment.

The Seychelles encounter, which one official said spanned two days, adds to an expanding web of connections between Russia and Americans with ties to Trump — contacts that the White House has been reluctant to acknowledge or explain until they have been exposed by news organizations.

Spicey said he knows nothing about it. Not a thing. Do we believe him? No we do not.

Flynn and Kushner were joined by Bannon for a separate meeting with the crown prince of Abu Dhabi, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed al-Nahyan, who made an undisclosed visit to New York later in December, according to the U.S., European and Arab officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive matters.

In an unusual breach of protocol, the UAE did not notify the Obama administration in advance of the visit, though officials found out because Zayed’s name appeared on a flight manifest.

Officials said Zayed and his brother, the UAE’s national security adviser, coordinated the Seychelles meeting with Russian government officials with the goal of establishing an unofficial back channel between Trump and Putin.

And we totally trust both Trump and Putin, right? Right.



Give that man a Pulitzer

Apr 4th, 2017 4:02 pm | By

Trump and his enablers are still hyperventilating about claimed “surveillance” of Trump or his enablers or his sock drawer. Now they’ve been reduced to hailing Mike Cernovich as a source.

The most recent allegation appeared on Monday, when conservative writer and avid conspiracy theorist Mike Cernovich published a Medium post alleging former National Security Adviser Susan Rice authorized the “unmasking” of Trump officials’ identities—meaning she may have improperly allowed the names of US citizens to be revealed in intelligence reports. That story was further amplified by a Bloomberg View report with the same charges. The story has since been roundly described as a thin, nothing-burger—a misleading distraction at best.

That didn’t stop Donald Trump Jr. on Tuesday, from taking to Twitter to praise Cernovich. He even claimed the story would have garnered him a Pulitzer, had it been published in a bygone era of journalism.

Ah yes unbiased journalism – so well exemplified by Mike Cernovich.

Jesse Singal sums up:

As many people have pointed out, it’s strange, given Cernovich’s history, that such high-profile figures would want to be associated with him at all, let alone to praise him so publicly. There’s a short and solid rundown of some of his most inflammatory material here, but among other things, Cernovich has said that “date rape does not exist”; has presented all sorts of interesting theories about the potency of some men’s semen; has spread made-up rumors about Hillary Clinton’s health; and once claimed that “There is no oppression” of Syrian refugees, and that “The media lied” about their plight — based on the fact that he saw a group of them playing soccer in Budapest.

We live in strange times.



The emboldened bigotry vibe

Apr 4th, 2017 1:06 pm | By

Eiynah wrote a terrific post at Nice Mangos a couple of months ago about the many ironic consequences of Donnie’s Brainless Ban.

Amidst all the false accusations of ‘Islamophobia’ even when people of muslim background would raise their voices to mildly critique something like misogyny or homophobia in their own communities….there were some people spouting legitimate anti muslim bigotry, right alongside them…

Unfortunately, that has boiled over.

The resistance to allow open discussion of Islam, caused a massive failure to address grievances with Islamic extremism.

This left the floor open for the right to swoop in and fear monger, campaign from an angle of xenophobia…it couldn’t be more obvious than in a time like this. Where muslims are being singled out by the fucking president of the United States…and banned.

We see it all the time – like that time Sam Harris tried to browbeat Maryam into agreeing that he never carelessly (or worse) wandered into xenophobic territory when he talked about Islam, and she simply would not comply. Suddenly a whole crew of right-leaning male bloggers and Twitter jockeys who had been fans of hers discovered that actually she’s just the worst, man.

This is a time where innocent muslims were shot while peacefully practising their faith, by a far-right, deranged Trump and Marine Le Pen supporter. People’s hijabs are being ripped off in the street, we hear of such stories more and more. The emboldened bigotry vibe seems infectious – people who were always slightly sympathetic, are more and more comfortable sharing their feelings now.

What do right wing nationalists want exactly? What does Trump want? If he really hates muslims, he’s achieving the opposite of making them a widely detested group.

Artwork by Shepard Fairey

Precisely. Thanks to Trump, we now have that image of a woman in hijab as a lefty hero, as if veiling women were the ultimate in progressive thought.

I prefer Eiynah’s version:

Eiynah



It’s a lucrative career

Apr 4th, 2017 11:48 am | By

I haven’t so far found a transcript of the Persons of Interest video addressed to Ayaan Hirsi Ali, so I’m doing it myself. Here’s the first minute.

Note: there are several women (six according to the Guardian article) and they take turns speaking, including individual sentences – that is, one will start a sentence and another may finish it. The delivery is frequently venomous and/or contemptuous.

Ayaan Hirsi Ali, you do not speak for us. You are not our ally. You’re not interested in our lives or our freedom. You described Muslim women as being “irrational.” Docile. Having no minds of our own. You’ve called us slaves. How can you claim to stand for our liberation when you simply repeat the language of our oppressors. This is not the language of solidarity or understanding or freedom. This is the language of patriarchy and misogyny. This is the language of white supremacy. This is the language used to justify war, invasions, and genocide. You’re not here to help us or stand with us. You’re here to profit from an industry that exists to dehumanize us. An industry built on selling hatred, misinformation, and stereotypes. It’s a lucrative career, appearing on panels, tv shows, big budget events, where people have to pay big money to hear you speak. You know what your audience wants, and you give it to them.

Here’s the rest:

Despite globally recognized institutions describing you as an extremist, despite your claims being debunked over and over again by academics and experts all around the world, despite your closest associates being white nationalists and far-right politicians, it seems that people never get tired of touring you to repeat the same rhetoric over and over again. Because there is nothing quite as satisfying to a colonizer than [sic] a subject who becomes a salesperson for their ideology. We’re not here to say that Muslims are perfect – no one is – but your narrative doesn’t support our struggles. It erases them. Like all women, we resist patriarchy and misogyny every day. Like our mothers and grandmothers before us, we strive for dignity and equality, within our cultures and outside of them. But you don’t care. Your livelihood depends on pretending our histories don’t exist. That we’re simply faceless nameless victims, too stupid to escape our savage traditions. You collapse our plurality into a single convenient stereotype. This is not intellectual. It’s lazy. This hatred you feed puts us in danger every day. It encourages fear, persecution, and violence. This is not brave. This is not progressive. This is propaganda. Bravery is not selling lies. Bravery is living through the relentless hostility, discrimination, and pressure of a world that fears us: a world that you helped to create.

 



The vocabulary is progressive, the content is reactionary

Apr 4th, 2017 11:19 am | By

More on Ayaan Hirsi Ali’s canceled trip to Australia.

Ayaan Hirsi Ali has hit back at a group of Australian Muslim women who accused her of being a “star” of Islamophobia and stirring up hatred.

The women took to Facebook on Monday when Hirsi Ali was due to arrive in Australia for a speaking tour that she cancelled at the last minute, citing concerns about security and the organisation of her trip.

In their video the six woman said Hirsi Ali – who was raised a Muslim but renounced her religion as an adult and became a fierce critic of radical Islamists and sharia law – was a “star of the global Islamophobia industry” and did not speak for them.

The article doesn’t provide a link to the video. It’s a public post on Facebook. It’s garbage.

They criticised her for past descriptions of Muslim women as docile and irrational, accused her of using the language of white supremacists and profiting from “an industry that exists to dehumanise Muslim women”.

That’s garbage. Hirsi Ali has moved (or been driven) far to the right in many ways, but her campaign has always been against the dehumanization of Muslim women. The women’s criticisms are dressed up in the vocabulary of the left but the substance is far-right theocratic patriarchal garbage.

“I just want to point my finger at all the places in the world today where Islamic law is applied and how women are treated and I want to say to these women, ‘Shame on you’,” Hirsi Ali said on Tuesday.

“Shame on you for carrying water for the Islamists, shame on you for trying to shut people up who are trying to raise awareness about sharia law.”

I agree with her.



The noise of them trying to breathe was loud

Apr 4th, 2017 10:42 am | By

Today in Syria:

The deadliest chemical weapons attack in years in Syria killed dozens of people in northern Idlib province on Tuesday morning, including children, and sickened scores more, according to medics, rescuers and witnesses in the rebel-held province, who said the gas had been delivered by a government airstrike.

A few hours later, according to several witnesses, another airstrike hit one of the clinics treating victims, who had been farmed out to smaller hospitals and maternity wards because the area’s largest hospital had been severely damaged by an airstrike two days earlier.

That’s a favorite trick of terrorist groups – set off bomb 1 and then when rescuers gather to help the injured, set off bomb 2.

It was one of the worst atrocities attributed to the Syrian government since President Trump took office. Only on Friday, administration officials stressed that ousting Syria’s president, Bashar al-Assad, was no longer a priority, and that Washington’s main goal was to fight the Islamic State.

Well, you know. Putin. Russia. The ties of friendship.

Sean Spicer, the White House spokesman, further told reporters that “these heinous actions by the Bashar al-Assad regime are a consequence of the last administration’s weakness and irresolution.”

Mr. Spicer declined to respond to questions about Mr. Trump’s declaration that his administration’s policy in Syria is not regime change.

“He is not here to telegraph what we are going to do, but rest assured he has been speaking with his national security team this morning,” Mr. Spicer said, adding later: “The statement speaks for itself.”

He is not here to telegraph what we are going to do? Is that right? It sounds pretty autocratic, to me. It sounds as if he thinks he’s entirely unaccountable…like a dictator.

Numerous photographs and graphic videos posted online by activists and residents showed children and older adults gasping and struggling to breathe, or lying motionless in the mud as rescue workers ripped off victims’ clothes and hosed them down. The bodies of least 10 children lay lined up on the ground or under a quilt.

While chlorine gas attacks have become almost routine in northern Syria, this one was different, medical workers and witnesses said. Chlorine attacks usually kill just a few people, often those trapped in an enclosed space, and the gas dissipates quickly.

This time, people collapsed outdoors, and in much larger numbers. The symptoms were also different: They included the pinpoint pupils of victims that characterize nerve agents and other banned toxins. One doctor posted a video of a patient’s eye, showing the pupil reduced to a dot. Several people were sickened simply by coming into contact with the victims.

A rebel fighter in the area rushed to the scene on his motorcycle to help. As he approached his eyes started burning and he felt suffocated, then he passed out.

He said he woke up an hour later at a clinic, after receiving injections and oxygen. “Kids were all over the floor, some dead and others struggling to breathe,” he said. “The noise of them trying to breath was loud, with foam all over their faces.”

That’s today in Syria.



Always call her “controversial”

Apr 3rd, 2017 5:59 pm | By

Protesters in Australia raised the ante enough that Ayaan Hirsi Ali decided not to risk it. The Guardian joins the fun by phrasing its reporting in such a way that it bullies her too.

The controversial speaker and vocal critic of Islam Ayaan Hirsi Ali has blamed the last-minute cancellation of her speaking tour of Australia and New Zealand on “a succession of organisational lapses” by the event organiser.

What a calculatedly obnoxious way to put it. People made such a fuss about her speaking that she decided not to go, and that’s what they should have led with.

The 47-year-old Somali-born activist, author and former politician has previously received death threats for her strident criticism of Islam.

It’s not strident. The Guardian shouldn’t be joining in the bullying of her by calling it that. People should be allowed to criticise Islam.

Hana Assafiri, a Melbourne Muslim activist who had campaigned against Hirsi Ali’s appearance, told Guardian Australia Hirsi Ai was being held accountable for her “divisive discourse”.

“What I think is this is an opportunity for her to rethink her position … which peddles hate towards people.

“To me this is one of the hallmarks of democracy: where people have a right of reply.”

Reply, yes, but reply isn’t all there was.

Protests had been organised outside the venues at which Hirsi Ali was due to speak to coincide with her appearances.

Last month the Think Inc spokeswoman said one protester had been contacting insurance companies in an attempt to get the company’s insurance cancelled. Think Inc had been working with Australian Federal Police and state police to ensure the security of the events.

That’s not just “reply,” is it.



The nice people at Fox

Apr 3rd, 2017 5:17 pm | By

So yes there’s a new lawsuit against Roger Ailes.

A lawsuit filed on Monday morning by a paid political commentator for the Fox News Channel alleges the network’s past chairman, Roger Ailes, made unwanted sexual advances while leading her to believe that a big promotion would follow.

The suit says Ailes encouraged Fox News contributor Julie Roginsky to date older, married men, repeatedly praised her looks and sought to get her to join him for drinks, even in his office, away from prying eyes that could get them “into so much trouble.”

Roginsky spurned the advances, according to the lawsuit, and as a result never received the promotion to become host of the popular early evening program The Five.

Roginsky’s depiction of life at Fox News even after Ailes’ ouster last summer at the height of a sexual harassment scandal suggests a far cry from the changed corporate culture promised by the Murdoch family, which controls 21st Century Fox.

Really? But they seemed so nice.

Roginsky’s suit adds to the list of sexual harassment allegations against Ailes, which also includes those made by former Fox News journalists Megyn Kelly and Laurie Dhue. Through his lawyers, Ailes has denied all the previous allegations to date.

Perhaps more troublingly for Fox News and its corporate parent, 21st Century Fox, Roginsky also accuses the network’s current president, Bill Shine; its longtime top lawyer, Dianne Brandi; and other senior executives of complicity in Ailes’ harassment and of punishing her for raising the issue.

It’s Fox News. You don’t expect them to treat women like people do you.

Roginsky’s allegations arrive as new attention is being given to similar accusations against Fox News’ brightest star, Bill O’Reilly. The right-of-center opinion host and Fox News have made payments totaling roughly $13 million over a dozen years to settle complaints that he harassed female former co-workers, according to The New York Times.

Suspended Fox News host Andrea Tantaros has also filed suit, citing what she says was sexual harassment by Ailes and O’Reilly. She alleges that Shine also failed to take her complaints seriously. All three men deny her claims.

Though some of O’Reilly’s offending remarks were captured on tape, he has repeatedly insisted he is a target for wrongful accusations because of his wealth and success. O’Reilly has said he only settles complaints to ensure his children do not have to endure public scorn.

Even though some of his remarks were captured on tape.

The enduring presence of O’Reilly on Fox’s prized 8 p.m. ET slot, despite that history, has led some critics to dismiss the commitment of Shine and Brandi to combating sexual harassment and even to question why they retain their posts.

Bros before hos, man.



The hell with fair pay, says Trump

Apr 3rd, 2017 4:35 pm | By

Of course he did.

On March 27, Trump revoked the 2014 Fair Pay and Safe Workplaces order then-President Barack Obama put in place to ensure that companies with federal contracts comply with 14 labor and civil rights laws. The Fair Pay order was put in place after a 2010 Government Accountability Office investigation showed that companies with rampant violations were being awarded millions in federal contracts.

In an attempt to keep the worst violators from receiving taxpayer dollars, the Fair Pay order included two rules that impacted women workers: paycheck transparency and a ban on forced arbitration clauses for sexual harassment, sexual assault or discrimination claims.

“Arbitrations are private proceedings with secret filings and private attorneys, and they often help hide sexual harassment claims,” said Maya Raghu, Director of Workplace Equality at the National Women’s Law Center. “It can silence victims. They may feel afraid of coming forward because they might think they are the only one, or fear retaliation.”

Mandatory arbitration clauses are increasingly used in employment contracts, said Raghu, who added that banning the process was an important step forward for victims of workplace harassment or assault.

Many learned about forced arbitration clauses for the first time just last year through the Fox News sexual harassment case. Fox News anchor Gretchen Carlson dodged her own contract’s arbitration clause by directly suing former CEO Roger Ailes rather than the company. Ailes’ lawyers accused Carlson of breaching her contract, and pressed for the private arbitration to try to keep the story out of courts and the public record.

A new lawsuit filed Monday by Fox News commentator Julie Roginsky joined a growing list of accusations against Ailes, and claims Roginsky faced retaliation “because of plaintiff’s refusal to malign Gretchen Carlson and join ‘Team Roger’ when Carlson sued Ailes,” NPR reported.

By overturning the Fair Pay order, Trump made it possible for businesses with federal contracts to continue forcing sexual harassment cases like Carlson’s into secret proceedings — where the public, and other employees, may never find out about rampant sex discrimination claims at a company.

Of course he did. He’s part of Team Harasser, after all.

Blumenthal told NBC News that Trump’s overturning the Fair Pay order sends women’s rights in the workplace back “to a time best left to ‘Mad Men.'”

“These coverup clauses render people voiceless — forcing them to suffer in silence, suppressing justice, and allowing others to fall victim in the future,” said Blumenthal. “At a time when the fight for equal pay continues, Trump also moved to eliminate paycheck transparency and leave workers to negotiate in the dark.”

The other result of Trump’s executive order on federal contractors was lifting a mandate on paycheck transparency, or requiring employers to detail earnings, pay scales, salaries, and other details. The Fair Pay order Trump overturned was one of the few ways to ensure companies were paying women workers equally to their male colleagues.

Well they’re women. They don’t deserve equal pay. They’re inferior.