Still the strangely placating, gentle, tactful note when law enforcement talks about the armed men occupying an isolated federal building in rural Oregon.

The FBI has taken charge of the law enforcement response to an armed occupation of a federal wildlife refuge in Oregon, saying that it will work with local and state authorities to seek “a peaceful resolution to the situation.”

“The situation” – aka the violent takeover of a government building by armed men. I say “violent” because the men are armed, which is unmistakably a threat of violence.

The occupation of a remote federal wildlife refuge followed a peaceful march and rally held over the weekend to support two local ranchers convicted of arson.

It wasn’t peaceful. … Read the rest

This guy Spencer Sunshine researches white supremacist groups and he has some tips for understanding the fascist uprising in Oregon.

One, it’s a land grab.

Despite the talk about supporting the Hammond family in Burns, Oregon, the takeover of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge headquarters is actually part of a long-standing campaign by radical right-wingers to dismantle federal land ownership in the West. Some elected officials are working through mainstream channels to get lands transferred to state or county governments, or to allow them equal say over their use. But the Malheur takeover seems to be an attempt to spread a tactic of armed federal land takeovers. These armed groups are part of the “Patriot movement”—the successor to

On Twitter:

Hari ‏@_har1_
NYT pieces on secular Bangladesh bloggers censored in Pakistan

Pic 1: Pak edition
Pic 2: original
via @salmanmasood

Another visit to the history files (via a remark by webmaster Josh Larios on Facebook) – the occupation of Colman School in Seattle.

The Pacific Northwest African American Museum, located in the old Colman School, at 2300 Massachusetts St. in Seattle, opened on March 8, 2008, with an estimated 3,000 visitors.  The surrounding neighborhood was swarming with cars and hundreds of people on foot converged from all directions.  Elected officials who took part in the opening included Governor Christine Gregoire, U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell, U. S. Representative Jim McDermott, Mayor Greg Nickels (b. 1955), King County Executive Ron Sims (b. 1948), and King County Councilman Larry Gossett (b. 1945).  It was a happy day for the African American community,

Robert Fisk in the Independent on the New Year’s explosion of executions in Saudi Arabia:

Saudi Arabia’s binge of head-choppings – 47 in all, including the learned Shia cleric Sheikh Nimr Baqr al-Nimr, followed by a Koranic justification for the executions – was worthy of Isis. Perhaps that was the point. For this extraordinary bloodbath in the land of the Sunni Muslim al-Saud monarchy – clearly intended to infuriate the Iranians and the entire Shia world – re-sectarianised a religious conflict which Isis has itself done so much to promote.

All that was missing was the video of the decapitations – although the Kingdom’s 158 beheadings last year were perfectly in tune with the Wahabi teachings of the ‘Islamic State’.  

I’m glad to see that NARAL hasn’t bought into the bullshit.

We believe that women should have the option to choose abortion. Today they can, thanks to the Supreme Court’s Roe v. Wade decision in 1973. But even though access to abortion is legal, our right to it is far from safe. Anti-choice groups attack our right to choose at every opportunity.

The Problem

Anti-choice people want to outlaw abortion, regardless of the woman’s situation. They will stop at nothing to make it harder for women to access abortion. They even target the doctors who provide abortion care.

Anti-choice people use many of the following tactics to reach their goals:

• Violent tactics that intimidate doctors and patients
• Abortion bans

Lady Mondegreen offered me a comment she made elsewhere as a guest post and I snapped it up.

If you insist that the meaning of woman can no longer be tied to biological sex (“a woman is an adult female human being,” where “female” means “body which produces egg rather than sperm cells,” or “body which most closely resembles those had by egg-producers,”) then how do you define it?

I’ve been told that a woman is “a person who identifies as a woman,” a circular definition that reduces “woman” to a self-chosen “identity.” It says nothing about why anyone would choose to be a woman. It also erases millions of women who never chose their identity as women, and certainly … Read the rest

A friend of mine wondered about a targeted ad on Facebook, an ad so absurd I couldn’t believe it’s not a parody.

The guy from the Dos Equis ad, saying

  I don’t always buy candles

  but when I do I buy man candles.

Then a picture of a black jar holding a candle with exploding flames behind it.

SCENTED CANDLES MADE BY MEN, FOR MEN.

Scent is the first thing people notice and leaves a lasting impression. Make sure it’s a good one. Smoulder Wolf candles will ensure your place smells incredible, without the overpowering feminine scents from your typical scented candle.

So I had to know – is it parody or is it really that level of jackassery? I … Read the rest

More from Hebden Bridge, via the HB website.

The main road through the town during the flood:

Guys from a mosque in Halifax coming to help with the Hebden Bridge clean-up.

Photo: Ron Taylor

Aamir Mahmood wrote that “The lovely people of Mylthmroyd and Hebden Bridge were very welcoming. They have been working tirelessly days and nights to restore their homes following the flood damage. We can not take the pain and suffering away, but we can certainly stand by you and do our bits to get you through it. This beautiful community will be back to its normal very soon.”

My guess is that actually they do help take some of the pain away.… Read the rest

Reuters reports:

Saudi Arabia executed a prominent Shi’ite Muslim cleric and dozens of al Qaeda members on Saturday, signaling it would not tolerate attacks, whether by Sunni jihadists or minority Shi’ites, and stirring sectarian anger across the region.

When in doubt, kill lots of people.

Most of the 47 killed in the kingdom’s biggest mass execution for decades were Sunnis convicted of al Qaeda attacks in Saudi Arabia a decade ago. Four, including Nimr, were Shi’ites accused of involvement in shooting policemen.

The executions took place in 12 cities in Saudi Arabia, four prisons using firing squads and the others beheading. In December, al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula threatened to retaliate against Saudi Arabia for any execution of

Now that’s a fireworks photo.

… Read the rest

The Independent a few days ago:

Isis has released a fatwa detailing how and when its fighters can rape female sex slaves – “one of the inevitable consequences of jihad”.

The document, drawn up by the terrorist group’s “Committee of Research and Fatwas”, was revealed by Reuters news agency after being discovered among a huge trove of documents seized by US special forces in Syria.

…

The fatwa on female slaves, which could not be independently verified, was apparently released in response to a question on unspecified “violations” by Isis fighters owning female slaves.

It lists 15 rulings, which go into explicit detail prohibiting intercourse if a slave is menstruating or is pregnant, and banning forced

I’m wondering something.

You know “All Lives Matter”? That infuriating retort to Black Lives Matter? That maddeningly clueless, point-missing, pugnacious attempt to say shut up about racism?

Here’s a fresh new one just today, from the Elko Daily, by someone named Chuck Muth:

I know I shouldn’t write this – and I know I’m going to bring down the wrath of the Thought Police and the race-hustlers upon my head – but I’m sick and tired of this white-hating “black lives matter” crud and ain’t gonna take it anymore.

You know right where you are with that kind of thing, don’t you. You know to turn around and walk briskly away.

You know that “Black Lives Matter” is absolutely … Read the rest