A tiny yet significant item – Trump gives the finger to the woman astronaut who had the audacity to correct (in a tactful way) his assertion that she and her colleague were the first women ever to work outside the space station.
All entries by this author
Repeating it over and over doesn’t make it true
Oct 21st, 2019 10:51 am | By Ophelia BensonThe Guardian says Trump told lie after lie after lie in that Cabinet meeting.
Trump bounced from one falsehood to another while speaking to reporters during his cabinet meeting at the White House.
Here are just a few fact-checks from reporters about the president’s 70-minute meeting:
Trump’s remarks in the Cabinet room are a stream of exaggerations, boasts and falsehoods….
For example, in his remarks about Doral: “Miami International, one of the biggest airports in the world. Some people say it’s the biggest.”
(MIA is not even in the top 20)
That stupid “some people say” thing, as if simple facts like comparative airport size can be decided by “some people saying.”
… Read the restPresident Trump
Guest post: Experience with gold furniture and fixtures
Oct 21st, 2019 10:33 am | By Ophelia BensonOriginally a comment by Screechy Monkey on Is Taco Bell available?
I know normally the game is “what if Obama had done this,” but I think in this instance it’s more fun to play “what if Hillary had done something even vaguely approaching this?”
Like, let’s say the G-7 summit host contract was awarded to some resort after a thorough bid process pursuant to applicable government procurement regulations. Then some enterprising right wing news site “uncovers” that President Hillary Clinton’s former college roommate’s cousin’s dentist sits on the board of that resort. Scandal! The right wing erupts in fury and outrage! Fox News runs wall to wall coverage. Every conservative legal analyst soberly opines that this is EXACTLY the sort … Read the rest
Holden Caulfield in the Cabinet Room
Oct 21st, 2019 10:17 am | By Ophelia BensonTrump is currently busy pissing on the Constitution in public.
Even after reversing his decision to hold the June G7 summit at his Florida resort, Trump is still insisting that the property would have been the best place for the multi-nation event.
Reuters White House reporter tweets:
.@realDonaldTrump says during White House cabinet meeting that the G7 at his Doral resort would have been the greatest G7 ever, Democrats went crazy about that plan even though he would have done it for free. (Trump announced Saturday he would no longer hold the G7 at Doral.)
The Guardian continues:
… Read the restThe president is blaming Democrats for forcing his hand on the issue, but a number of reports have surfaced that Trump
Ask a stupid question, get ratioed
Oct 21st, 2019 9:47 am | By Ophelia BensonPeter Tatchell again nudges us to applaud his hostility to women:
Preventing trans women from competing in sport is denying their human rights. Most athletes have some form of advantage, such as fast-twitch muscle fibres, large hearts & lungs or extra long legs. Why single out trans competitors? https://cyclingweekly.com/news/racing/preventing-trans-women-competing-denying-human-rights-transgender-athlete-rachel-mckinnon-returns-defend-track-world-title-440713#YcXIv2c8K4qvKXlm.99
FOLLOW @MunroeBergdorf
As a professor of human rights, I say you are talking bollocks.
247 other people commented in a similar vein (I’m one of them); I scrolled and scrolled and scrolled and didn’t find one in the opposite vein.… Read the rest
Do better people
Oct 20th, 2019 5:16 pm | By Ophelia Benson
Rachel McKinnon has some deep thoughts for people who aren’t respectful of sport and fair play.
Masters women’s track cycling is a rare and special thing. It allows us to extend our competitive careers and not think so much about contracts or going to the Olympics. We’re a small community, and we should take GOOD CARE of each other.
Like, by not competing against each other if we’re not actually women? That kind of GOOD CARE of each other?
… Read the restThink about the optics of your behaviors. My new friend, multi time Danish elite national champion is now a friend. We bonded. And she chose to wear one of my #sportisahumanright stickers on her jersey on the podium!! That’s a
Stronger competition
Oct 20th, 2019 11:33 am | By Ophelia BensonI have yet to meet a real champion who has a problem with trans women.
Real champions want stronger competition.
If you win because bigotry got your competition banned… you’re a loser.
Real champions may want stronger competition but that doesn’t mean they want unfair competition. Champion footballers age 12 no doubt want to play against the best age 12s, that doesn’t mean they want to play against the best adult players.
What a truly gruesomely self-serving self-flattering dishonest thing to say – that conceited selfish narcissistic piece of shit telling the women he’s doing them a favor by upping the competition when in fact he’s stealing their chances.
It’s not being a loser for women … Read the rest
Second place kept her distance
Oct 20th, 2019 9:58 am | By Ophelia Benson
DOCTOR Rachel won his race against the women:
I’ll just let this photo to stand for itself. Two new friends, and a serious supporter of my racing, sharing the joy of achieving hard-won goals. Can’t wait to see Kirsten next year.
…and then somewhat less… https://www.instagram.com/p/B31KuybliJC/?igshid=6bg9xqlm7maw …
Louise Moody has a better photo:
Third place, Kirsten wore my
#sportisahumanright sticker as a sign of solidarity. We hugged, and are embracing here in celebration. Second place kept her distance and put her hand behind her back as her own sign… signifying something like poor sportsmanship.
Except that “second place” was actually first place, but Rachel stole her medal by cheating. Rachel has some nerve accusing … Read the rest
His birth certificate says he’s really female
Oct 20th, 2019 9:41 am | By Ophelia BensonWhat’s DOCTOR Rachel up to? Accusing other people of “poor sportsmanship.” Yes really.
But first there was the rallying call to the troops, excuse me I mean the “babes.”
Babes, just ignore the random transphobes. Block and let them scream into the void.
Please?
The void. He thinks that if he blocks us what we’re left with is the void. Now that’s narcissism.
Many people claim to support trans women
But often they only support us until our lives impact them in any meaningful way
In my case, people literally say they support trans women…but not in sport
There can be no ‘but’
We are either full and equal women, or not
We are.
How? Why? … Read the rest
Is Taco Bell available?
Oct 20th, 2019 9:03 am | By Ophelia BensonThe reaction was too much even for “President” Shameless: Doral’s off.
Responding to stinging criticism, President Donald Trump has abruptly reversed his plan to hold the next year’s Group of Seven world leaders’ meeting at his Doral golf resort in Florida.
“I think he knows,” his acting chief of staff said Sunday, “people think it looks lousy.”
Think? Mulvaney thinks he knows? How could he possibly not know? Are they holding him in an empty room and feeding him only the information they want him to have?
And people think it looks lousy? It’s not a matter of opinion and it’s not an appearance – we know for sure it is lousy, very lousy indeed. Also bedbuggy and mosquitoey.… Read the rest
Pride shmide
Oct 19th, 2019 5:15 pm | By Ophelia BensonPride Toronto is furious at Toronto Public Library for refusing to banish Meghan Murphy. Pride Toronto has A Statement.
… Read the restPride Toronto strongly opposes the Toronto Public Library’s decision to host and support an event with guest speaker Meghan Murphy to take place in a publicly funded space.
For many years, Pride Toronto has worked in partnership and allyship with the Toronto Public Library (TPL), including hosting a sold-out signature event in 2019 featuring headliner Abby Jacobson. It was our understanding that our relationship was entering a new phase of mutual cooperation, support and reciprocity. It was our belief that the TPL was committed to creating library spaces that are inclusive, safe and welcoming. The recent decision to allow the
Do you SUCK AT YOUR SPORT?
Oct 19th, 2019 4:30 pm | By Ophelia BensonSometimes you have a chance to create an iconic moment…this was mine.
It’s “iconic” all right, but not in the way he means.
“I might have an advantage, but I don’t always win”
Male logic for why it’s ok for males to compete in female only events — apparently as long as they don’t win EVERY single time, it’s fair.
This male athlete smashed another women’s cycling world record yesterday. He gets to race against women because he “feels like a woman” inside. When will all you still staying quiet on this issue join us in the fight to #savewomenssport? Find your voice.
… Read the rest
It is excluding women and girls from their own category
Oct 19th, 2019 12:00 pm | By Ophelia BensonSome notable female athletes have said transgender athletes should not compete in female competitions.
They claim women who were born biological males retain a competitive advantage in some sport and have called for more research into the issue.
They don’t “claim” that, they simply point it out.
… Read the restEx-swimmer Sharron Davies said it will take female athletes “being thrown under the bus” at Tokyo 2020 before changes are made to transgender rules.
Prominent trans rights campaigner McKinnon has defended her right to compete, but said: “I’ve thought about giving up about half a dozen times a year at least.
“It’s so stressful to even show up for me given the sort of attention I get.
“Every athlete has
DOCTOR McKinnon denounces
Oct 19th, 2019 11:43 am | By Ophelia BensonMcKinnon’s campaign to get more attention and fraudulent medals and attention is in high gear today. Just 15 minutes ago he announced:
WHAT DOES THE FOX SAY? She says GOLD! Back-to-back world sprint champion!! Way too many people to thank. Thank you especially to the dozens of fans cheering your heads off, and I’m glad to have met a new friend…
Yeah baby! Cheater’s gold! Awesome athlete Rachel – formerly Rhys – McKinnon wins GOLD by racing against women!
There he is, in all his glory, a man who stole a gold medal from a woman.
He has a new pinned tweet, which is a “press release”:
… Read the restFOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: “DR. RACHEL MCKINNON RESPONDS TO BRITISH CYCLIST
Choices
Oct 19th, 2019 11:19 am | By Ophelia BensonThe rules are clear for nearly everyone who works in the executive branch: Officials are prohibited from playing even a minor role in a decision that directly creates a financial benefit for the employee or the employee’s immediate family.
But those rules do not apply to the president and vice president, the only executive branch officials who are exempt from a criminal statute and a separate ethics regulation that govern conflicts of interest.
Exempt…because?
I’ll take a wild guess that it’s the usual bullshit “because the president is so very busy, must not be investigated or prosecuted, much too busy” – the bullshit that is letting this brazen criminal get away with brazen crimes for … Read the rest
Crashing out
Oct 19th, 2019 10:13 am | By Ophelia Benson… Read the restBoris Johnson has said he will press on “undaunted” with Brexit on 31 October, despite losing a crunch Commons vote.
The prime minister must now ask the EU for an extension to that deadline after MPs backed a motion designed to rule out a no-deal exit by 322 votes to 306.
He told MPs: “I will not negotiate a delay with the EU and neither does the law compel me to do so.”
He vowed to bring in legislation on Monday to implement the deal he struck with Brussels this week.
MPs could also be given another vote on the deal on Monday, if Commons Speaker John Bercow allows it.
The Commons defeat is a major
This is the most overt corruption to date
Oct 18th, 2019 5:08 pm | By Ophelia BensonWalter Shaub is livid about the Doral crime. He’s also informative – he says the Doral thing is a whole new level. I thought that in terms of the extreme blatancy and defiance of boundaries, but he says more than that. I’ll just go way back early yesterday and quote the hell out of him.
Agents of chaos want you to be cynical about democracy and believe public servants are, were and always will be corrupt. If that’s true, nothing matters. The life of Elijah Cummings and last night’s #Sammies2019 tell a different story. Democracy requires belief in what can be.
… Read the restThe summit will be held in June, when Miami is hot and Doral is usually
Public con artist
Oct 18th, 2019 4:18 pm | By Ophelia Benson
Also McKinnon:
The first item in his Twitter profile is “World Champion Cyclist.” But he’s a “World Champion Cyclist” only because he cheated in order to race with women even though he’s a man. He’s not really a “World Champion Cyclist.”
He’s not a public intellectual, either. He’s a public bullshitter and fraud and bully.
He’s pretending to be indignant because people who object to his cheating object to his cheating:
Y’all should be ashamed of yourselves. They’ve had to disable the live chat on the live feed for the world championships because transphobic bigots took over and wouldn’t stop. But I *am* glad they acted and disabled the chat, because it was a horrific mess.
He’s stealing prizes from … Read the rest
What is it to be “legally and medically female”?
Oct 18th, 2019 3:55 pm | By Ophelia BensonSky News did a chat with cycling champion and famed trans woman Rachel McKinnon.
RM: I’m legally and medically female, but the people who oppose my existence still want to think of me as male, they use the language of that I’m a man, and so there’s this stereotype that men are always stronger than women, and so if you think of trans women as men, then you think there’s an unfair advantage.
No. We don’t “think of trans women as men” – that’s just what they are. It’s McKinnon who does the thinking of people as what they’re not; those of us who reject the bullshit just know men when we see them. We don’t “think of” McKinnon … Read the rest
Daringly poised between profundity and trolling
Oct 18th, 2019 3:26 pm | By Ophelia BensonJournalist goes to meet subject of interview, starts write-up with hipster description of meet and greet, so that we can get our attitude straight at the outset. Lila Shapiro meets Andrea Long Chu:
On an early fall afternoon at a dry-pot restaurant in the East Village, the critic Andrea Long Chu is talking about herself, which is, by her account, one of her favorite things to do.
I guess we’re meant to take that as irony? Or charming self-deprecating frankness? Or, ideally, some of each, so that we’ll fall all the more in love with Chu? I don’t know, but it doesn’t work on me. I’ve become profoundly resistant to people who love nothing more than talking about themselves. … Read the rest
