Nobody throw any stones until I blow this whistle…… Read the rest
(This is a syndicated post. Read the original at FreeThoughtBlogs.)
What to do with an infant with breathing difficulties
Sep 30th, 2011 11:01 am | By Ophelia BensonProsecutors claimed Shannon Hickman never sought prenatal care when she was pregnant with David, who was born two months early at his grandmother’s home and died less than nine hours later when he had trouble breathing. He was born with a bacterial infection and underdeveloped lungs.
Medical experts for the prosecution testified that the baby had a 99 percent chance of survival if his parents had sought medical care. But prosecutors claimed the couple never considered taking the baby to the hospital.
Was their face red, eh?
Actually no; they didn’t trip and fall and forget what you do with a sick infant, they omitted the trip to the hospital on purpose.
… Read the restDale and Shannon Hickman, both 26, are
(This is a syndicated post. Read the original at FreeThoughtBlogs.)
Oregon couple found guilty in faith-healing trial 
Sep 30th, 2011 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
A couple who prayed and rubbed olive oil on their dying infant rather than seek medical care was convicted Thursday of manslaughter.… Read the rest
Anwar al-Awlaki killed in Yemen
Sep 30th, 2011 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Using the internet and an online magazine called Inspire, Awlaki encouraged his
followers to kill lots of people.… Read the rest
Life for Saudi women is a joke
Sep 30th, 2011 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
In 18 months a Saudi woman can be a member of parliament – providing that her male guardian allows her to and she finds a man to drive her there.… Read the rest
Supreme Court will hear religious exemption case
Sep 30th, 2011 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Does the “ministerial exception” apply to all church employees, who thus lose the protections of civil rights laws?… Read the rest
Carl Zimmer on meta science journalism
Sep 30th, 2011 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Science lets reporters see papers early, and reporters regularly seek out other scientists for comments on those papers before publishing their articles.… Read the rest
What misogynists call outspoken women
Sep 29th, 2011 4:54 pm | By Ophelia BensonIt’s about time.
Rebecca has pointed out the activities of her more obsessed and malevolent haters. I’ve been following one particular clump of them, at intervals, all this time – yes they’re still at it. Would you believe it?
I’ve now amassed a following of obsessive creeps who have seemingly devoted their lives to hounding me down and making sure I never dare to speak my bitch mind again. Their tactics? Scientologist-level private investigation to dredge up the deepest, darkest mysteries of my past combined with grade school-level name-calling. It’s impressive, really. Really. Really.
You sure as hell have, I thought as I read that. Boy have you. The ones at Abbie Smith’s blog – that’s the clump … Read the rest
(This is a syndicated post. Read the original at FreeThoughtBlogs.)
It was torture
Sep 29th, 2011 10:26 am | By Ophelia BensonAmnesty International Ireland commissioned a new report on the abuse of children in Irish institutions run by the state and the church, and it was released on Monday. I shall now read that report.
… Read the restColm O’Gorman, Executive Director of Amnesty International Ireland, said: “The abuse of tens of thousands of Irish children is perhaps the greatest human rights failure in the history of the state. Much of the abuse described in the Ryan Report meets the legal definition of torture under international human rights law.
“Children were tortured. They were brutalised; beaten, starved and abused. There has been little justice for these victims. Those who failed as guardians, civil servants, clergy, gardaí and members of religious orders have
(This is a syndicated post. Read the original at FreeThoughtBlogs.)
Amnesty: children were tortured in Irish institutions
Sep 29th, 2011 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
The abuse of thousands of children in State and church run institutions in Ireland amounted to torture, a scathing report from Amnesty International has found.… Read the rest
Pakistan: family refuses to “honor kill” raped daughter
Sep 29th, 2011 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
She was kidnapped and gang-raped; the tribal elders declared her kari for losing her virginity outside marriage.… Read the rest
School cancels author’s visit in “blasphemy” row
Sep 29th, 2011 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Monkton head teacher Richard Backhouse said he did not believe the book was “appropriate” for a Christian school.… Read the rest
Increasing religious violence in Indonesia
Sep 29th, 2011 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Indonesia has a history of conflict between its Muslim and Christian populations, with 5,000 killed and 500,000 displaced by such violence between 1992 and 2002.… Read the rest
Zippy neutrinos show how science differs from religion
Sep 29th, 2011 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
The issue will not be settled by consulting some supposedly infallible text but rather by close scrutiny of the controversial data and further experimentation if necessary.… Read the rest
The direction of benefits
Sep 28th, 2011 5:05 pm | By Ophelia BensonChapter 6 of Janet Heimlich’s terrific book Breaking Their Will: shedding light on religious child mistreatment is titled “An Obsession with Child Obedience.” The final paragraph of the chapter says:
While there is nothing wrong with encouraging children to honor their parents, scriptures and religious concepts that promote child obedience offer an unbalanced and unhealthy parent-child relationship model. That is, while theology says plenty about what children must do for parents, it is largely silent on what parents owe children. Expecting children to honor and obey “in all things” promotes the use of corporal punishment, fear, and, sometimes, physical abuse. [pp 97-8]
It’s exactly the same with “God,” you know. Humans are told to obey and worship god, but … Read the rest
(This is a syndicated post. Read the original at FreeThoughtBlogs.)
The land of the pure
Sep 28th, 2011 4:41 pm | By Ophelia BensonThat “God” person must be one crazy primate, given the twisted frantic obsessiveness with which its fans fret about Purity in the Female.
… Read the restBeing in a room with a boy who’s not part of your family is considered damaging to the girl’s purity. Purity becomes a minefield and the only way to avoid it is, I’m sad to say this, staying at home. Inside your house. Seriously, don’t even take out the garbage because some boy might say hi and talk to you, and you would be flirting. And anyway, what if somebody saw you? They’d gossip their mouths fuzzy that you’re having a secret boyfriend and once that’s in people’s minds, you’re about as damaged as a vase
(This is a syndicated post. Read the original at FreeThoughtBlogs.)
Mirror mirror on the wall, who’s the purest of them all?
Sep 28th, 2011 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
The horrors of growing up pure.… Read the rest
Always be careful not to alienate the mainstream
Sep 28th, 2011 11:09 am | By Ophelia BensonA great piece by Glen Greenwald on the disdain of Normal “progressives” for the Wall Street protests.
… Read the restSome of this anti-protest posturing is just the all-too-familiar New-Republic-ish eagerness to prove one’s own Seriousness by castigating anyone to the left of, say, Dianne Feinstein or John Kerry; for such individuals, multi-term, pro-Iraq-War Democratic Senator-plutocrats define the outermost left-wing limit of respectability…
A siginificant aspect of this progressive disdain is grounded in the belief that the only valid form of political activism is support for Democratic Party candidates, and a corresponding desire to undermine anything that distracts from that goal. Indeed, the loyalists of both parties have an interest in marginalizing anything that might serve as a vehicle for activism
(This is a syndicated post. Read the original at FreeThoughtBlogs.)
What’s behind the scorn for the Wall Street protests?
Sep 28th, 2011 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Some of this anti-protest posturing is just the all-too-familiar New-Republic-ish eagerness to prove one’s own Seriousness by castigating anyone to the left of John Kerry.… Read the rest
A First Amendment showdown on campus
Sep 28th, 2011 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
This week, Wisconsin is ground zero in the battle between university bureaucrats and free speech champions.… Read the rest
