Dolphins making bubble-rings.
H/t Dave Ricks… Read the rest
Not through freedom but through bondage?
Jul 31st, 2017 4:55 pm | By Ophelia BensonThe Freethinker editor Barry Duke shared with me this passage from E. L. Doctorow’s Ragtime:
The scene is a New York meeting held by Emma Goldman:
… Read the restLove in freedom! Goldman cried. Those who like Mrs. Alving have paid with blood and tears for their spiritual awakening, repudiate marriage as an imposition, a shallow empty mockery. Some of the audience, including Tateh, shouted No! No! Comrades and brothers, Goldman said, can you socialists ignore the double bondage of one-half of the human race? Do you think the society that plunders your labor has no interest in the way you are asked to live with women? Not through freedom but through bondage? All the reformers talk today of the white slavery
Freedom to starve
Jul 31st, 2017 4:34 pm | By Ophelia BensonI’m reading a book by Cass Sunstein that starts by talking about “The Myth of Laissez Faire” (chapter 2): there is no such thing because property itself is based on a system of laws and enforcement, so the whole idea that government is an intrusion is nonsensical. I’ve always thought that, so I’m not finding much to argue with so far.
In the process he talks about a couple of Supreme Court rulings. The first is Adkins v Children’s Hospital of DC:
… Read the restFacts of the case
In 1918, Congress enacted a law which guaranteed a minimum wage to women and children employed in the District of Columbia. This case was decided together with Children’s Hospital v. Lyons.
Question
Did
Guest post: Cooking the stats
Jul 31st, 2017 3:23 pm | By Ophelia BensonOriginally a comment by iknklast on Men work harder.
Number of hours worked does not necessarily correlate with how hard one works. And another thing – those numbers are very close together – it seems very likely that the variation around the mean is such that it may not be significant. Although I realize this is anecdotal evidence, I have never been in a job where the men worked more hours than the women. And my ex (as well as my current husband before he retired) put in substantially fewer hours per day/week/month than I did.
As for women taking off more time, that might be, but again, my own experience suggests that there may be more to this … Read the rest
Five Stages of White House Employment
Jul 31st, 2017 1:11 pm | By Ophelia Benson#Scaramucci
Today's setting: Ludicrous Speed pic.twitter.com/GpWpnDVcyy— Ms.Robot (@Darlene_A_10101) July 31, 2017
Can you summarize the turmoil?
Jul 31st, 2017 12:56 pm | By Ophelia BensonAmy Wang at the Post talked to an expert about what Kelly needs to do to make Trump’s operation less shambolic. This of course was before the news broke that Kelly has kicked Scaramucci out, so they had to add a bracketed update.
President Trump jolted the White House yet again Friday when he announced that he was ousting embattled chief of staff Reince Priebus, instead bringing into the role Homeland Security Secretary John F. Kelly. Immediately, Washington insiders contrasted Priebus with Kelly, a retired four-star general and reported disciplinarian who “won’t suffer idiots and fools.”
Oh yes? But he accepted a job working for the biggest idiot and fool most of us have ever … Read the rest
Bye Mooch
Jul 31st, 2017 12:11 pm | By Ophelia BensonWhoopsy – Mooch is out.
President Trump has decided to remove Anthony Scaramucci from his position as communications director, three people close to the decision said Monday, relieving him just days after Mr. Scaramucci unloaded a crude verbal tirade against other senior members of the president’s senior staff.
Not to mention just days after hiring him in the first place.
No chaos! Everything fine here! Very very presidential! Send some Boy Scouts!
… Read the restMr. Scaramucci’s abrupt removal came just 10 days after the wealthy New York financier was brought on to the West Wing staff, a move that convulsed an already chaotic White House and led to the departures of Sean Spicer, the former press secretary, and Reince Priebus, the
The fetus could get a lawyer
Jul 31st, 2017 12:03 pm | By Ophelia BensonThe AP reports news from Alabama:
A federal judge has struck down Alabama’s one-of-a-kind law that enabled judges to put minors seeking abortions through a trial-like proceeding in which the fetus could get a lawyer and prosecutors could object to the pregnant girl’s wishes.
Alabama legislators in 2014 changed the state’s process for girls who can’t or won’t get their parents’ permission for an abortion to obtain permission from a court instead. The new law empowered the judge to appoint a guardian ad litem “for the interests of the unborn child” and invited the local district attorney to call witnesses and question the girl to determine whether she’s mature enough to decide.
“…in which the fetus could get a … Read the rest
Men work harder
Jul 30th, 2017 5:30 pm | By Ophelia BensonBut then there’s Kevin Myers.
… Read the restThe Sunday Times has apologised for an “error of judgement” that led to the publication of a column which used anti-semitic tropes about Jews and argued women needed to “earn” equal pay.
The article by Kevin Myers about the BBC’s gender pay gap came from the Irish edition of the Sunday Times, but was published on the main website used by the UK based edition and its daily counterpart. It has since been removed and the publisher of both editions, News UK, is expected to launch an investigation into how the article made it through the newspaper’s editorial procedures.
In the article, Myers said that women were generally paid less because they were
T-shirts and mugs
Jul 30th, 2017 5:18 pm | By Ophelia BensonA Sunday Times reporter went to talk to Richard Dawkins about all this no-platforming they get up to over there in Americaland.
… Read the restHe is in the news because, 10 days ago, a left-leaning Californian radio station suddenly “no-platformed” him. He had intended to speak in Berkeley, where he undertook graduate studies in the 1960s, but the event’s organisers cancelled his talk, citing his “abusive speech [against Islam]”, which had “offended and hurt . . . so many people”.
Dawkins insisted he had never spoken abusively against the religion, admitting that while he had called Islamism “vile”, Islamism is not the same as Islam. (In a 2013 tweet, he wrote that “Islam is the greatest force for evil in the world
Please don’t be too Trump-like
Jul 30th, 2017 12:27 pm | By Ophelia BensonNot all cops are delighted by Trump’s advice to let suspects slam their heads into the cars as they’re being shoved in.
… Read the restThe criticism online started shortly after Mr. Trump’s comments, which came at an event in Brentwood, N.Y., which was intended to support the police in their fight against La Mara Salvatrucha, or MS-13, a gang that has been accused of several murders on Long Island.
After calling for more immigration officers to help arrest the gang members, Mr. Trump told officers, “Please don’t be too nice.”
“Like when you guys put somebody in the car, and you’re protecting their head, you know, the way you put your hand over” their head, he said,
In front of a mirror trying to project like Alec Baldwin
Jul 30th, 2017 11:16 am | By Ophelia BensonWell I never expected to be knocked sideways by a piece in National Review, but that day has arrived. Kevin Williamson nails Trump by way of Glengarry Glen Ross.
… Read the restGlengarry Glen Ross is the Macbeth of real estate, full of great, blistering lines and soliloquies so liberally peppered with profanity that the original cast had nicknamed the show “Death of a Fucking Salesman.” But a few of those attending the New York revival left disappointed. For a certain type of young man, the star of Glengarry Glen Ross is a character called Blake, played in the film by Alec Baldwin. We know that his name is “Blake” only from the credits; asked his name by one of the other
Intensive manspreading
Jul 30th, 2017 10:41 am | By Ophelia Benson… Read the restHere’s a photo of the interns in the Trump administration. I think it’s great for young people to have a chance to intern in government. But is it possible that the Trump officials who selected Trump’s interns left some young people out of consideration? Just asking.
He has ideas, she has smiles
Jul 29th, 2017 3:08 pm | By Ophelia BensonMorrisons, are you serious?
Boys’ top: “Little Man, Big Ideas”
Girls’ top: “Little Girl, Big Smiles”
Boys’ top: “King Of The Castle”
Girls’ top: “Pretty Little Me”This has to be a joke, right?
Sexism? I don’t see any sexism, do you see any sexism?
Payments that the federal government owes insurers
Jul 29th, 2017 2:54 pm | By Ophelia BensonEvil Donald Trump announces he’s going to kill Obamacare by withholding funds; Chuck Schumer points out that’s not ok.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) urged President Donald Trump to release payments that the federal government owes insurers as part of the Affordable Care Act, firing a salvo in the latest stage of the health care reform fight.
Schumer’s reaction came after Trump launched a Saturday afternoon tweet threatening to end “BAILOUTS to insurance companies” if Congress does not repeal and replace Obamacare.
If a new HealthCare Bill is not approved quickly, BAILOUTS for Insurance Companies and BAILOUTS for Members of Congress will end very soon!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 29, 2017
They’re not “bailouts” of course.… Read the rest
You hold the pencil like this
Jul 29th, 2017 10:48 am | By Ophelia BensonMaggie Haberman explains what Trump doesn’t understand about the legislative process.
Despite naming a chief of staff who is expected to bring a new sense of discipline to the White House, President Trump resorted to his old Twitter playbook on Saturday, attacking Senate Republicans who he said “look like fools” — even as he demonstrated an uncertain understanding of the legislative process.
In a series of early morning messages, the president criticized the Senate’s filibuster rules, saying they were hampering his agenda.
Republican Senate must get rid of 60 vote NOW! It is killing the R Party, allows 8 Dems to control country. 200 Bills sit in Senate. A JOKE!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 29, 2017
… Read the restIt
And a little child shall shout at them
Jul 29th, 2017 9:15 am | By Ophelia BensonToday’s Donald-tantrum.
In other words, Russia was against Trump in the 2016 Election – and why not, I want strong military & low oil prices. Witch Hunt! https://t.co/mMSxj4Su5z
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 29, 2017
Republican Senate must get rid of 60 vote NOW! It is killing the R Party, allows 8 Dems to control country. 200 Bills sit in Senate. A JOKE!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 29, 2017
The very outdated filibuster rule must go. Budget reconciliation is killing R's in Senate. Mitch M, go to 51 Votes NOW and WIN. IT'S TIME!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 29, 2017
… Read the restRepublicans in the Senate will NEVER win if they don't go to a 51 vote
Trump spits more venom
Jul 28th, 2017 3:08 pm | By Ophelia BensonPriebus is out, and Trump has replaced him with yet another military man, a retired general. He’s running a military dictatorship.
To warm up for the excitement, he went to Long Island to tell the police to get violent with suspects.
… Read the restPresident Donald Trump told a crowd of police officers Friday not to be “too nice” to suspected gang members and others under arrest.
“When you see thugs being thrown into the back of a paddy wagon, you just see them thrown in; rough. I said, ‘please don’t be too nice,'” Trump said Friday at a Suffolk County, New York event discussing the administration’s efforts to handle a violent gang known as MS-13. “Like when you guys put somebody
What was that about a “sewer” again?
Jul 28th, 2017 11:04 am | By Ophelia BensonPresident Trump’s nominee to lead the Justice Department’s criminal division, Brian A. Benczkowski, said on Tuesday that he helped Russia’s Alfa Bank investigate whether its computer servers contacted the Trump Organization.
Mr. Benczkowski had told the Senate Judiciary Committee last week that he represented Alfa Bank, which is one of Russia’s largest financial institutions and whose owners have ties to President Vladimir V. Putin.
On Tuesday, as Mr. Benczkowski came before the panel for his confirmation hearing, he acknowledged that his work for Alfa Bank directly touched on suspicions related to the bank in connection with the Trump-Russia affair.
Oh. Oh really. Well that seems fine – no possibility of conflict of interest there, right?
… Read the restMr. Benczkowski
He channelled Priebus as he spoke
Jul 28th, 2017 6:06 am | By Ophelia BensonRyan Lizza’s phone conversation with Scaramucci is a hot item.
Mooch called Lizza Wednesday night wanting to know who “leaked” the information that he was having dinner with Don and Melania plus Hannity and former Fox News executive Bill Shine, information which Lizza had tweeted.
… Read the rest“Who leaked that to you?” he asked. I said I couldn’t give him that information. He responded by threatening to fire the entire White House communications staff. “What I’m going to do is, I will eliminate everyone in the comms team and we’ll start over,” he said. I laughed, not sure if he really believed that such a threat would convince a journalist to reveal a source. He continued to press me and complain about
