Fox News: Is our network learning?

Oh, the irony. This clip brought to you by the non-math challenged and super smart Jon Stewart, who can actually add and subtract, which is more than I can say for the wingers at Faux News. Morons.

Rachel Maddow takes on the anti-gay agenda

Rachel Maddow is truly an extraordinary interviewer. In this clip, she very thoughtfully, yet forcefully, interviews Richard Cohen, who is the very strange Stepford-like founder of a group called Change is Possible. He believes that "gayness" can be changed into heterosexuality though "therapy." Apparently his brand of therapy is a bit weird (to say the least) and of course he is unlicensed and has been kicked out of all reputable psychological associations.

Too bad for him that his book was used by the Ugandans who were trying to pass a "kill the gays" bill. Luckily the killing aspect of the bill was trashed yesterday, but it still advocates very harsh penalities for homosexuality in Uganda. Very, very scary.

I know it's a bit long, but this clip is worth watching. My favorite part is when she says "I'm reading from your book, dude." Priceless.

Listen carefully to what he says . . .

If you don't already feel as full of hate towards Dick Cheney as I have for years, please watch this video of him of the Hannity program. He basically argues against our constitution. I'm not sure what to even say, except why don't you go away, Mr. Cheney? Your side lost.

The Promise Keepers scare me

A few months ago I foolishly signed up for email updates from the ultra right wing, profoundly conservative, extremely misogynist men's Christian group The Promise Keepers. I figured it would be a good way to keep an eye on their woman hating anti-feminist activities. Thankfully, they don't send out that many email updates. But today I received one that seemed particularly awful. Here is part of it:

We stand at a critical juncture in our nation's history. It is time to encounter God and to take action . . . the powers of darkness are raging against the moral fabric of our nation. The light is getting brighter as the darkness gets darker.

The crisis in our nation is real. The serpentine stranglehold of abortion continues to squeeze the life out of over 4,000 wombs daily. Sexual immorality, both heterosexual and homosexual, is reaching epic heights of perversity. The number of women and children being trafficked into the dark underbelly of the sex industry in our cities is growing at an alarming rate. Entire school systems are giving way to darkness. The sanctity of marriage is under siege, threatening to destroy the moral foundations of our nation.

Our nation has never stood on such a precarious footing as today. The onslaught of spiritual darkness is increasing in our classrooms, boardrooms, courtrooms, and bedrooms. We must confront the confusion that is pouring forth from many pulpits as well as from the halls of Washington. It is time to draw a line in the sand. We must hear what the Spirit is saying and we must act on it. The Spirit will confirm the truth with demonstrations of power.

Notice the repetitive use of "darkness" as a frightening negative. A little racism, anyone?

The Promise Keepers are a group that claims to be about strengthening families, which really means fighting against female independence and agency. They're a truly horrifying group of ignorant people--this recent missive seems to me to be particularly representative of their ridiculousness.

Wrong on so many levels . . .

What do you think of this fabulous piece of patriarchal memorabilia?

Rape Prevention 101

Stole this from the legendary Twisty Faster of I Blame the Patriarchy. She's a pisser! I love this, since it subverts the usual victim-blaming bullshit that gets bandied about after a rape.

Sexual Assault Prevention Tips Guaranteed to Work

1. Don’t put drugs in women’s drinks.

2. When you see a woman walking by herself, leave her alone.

3. If you pull over to help a woman whose car has broken down, remember not to assault her.

4. If you are in a lift and a woman gets in, don’t assault her. You know what? Don’t even ogle her.

5. When you encounter a woman who is asleep, the safest course of action is to not assault her.

6. Never creep into a woman’s home through an unlocked door or window, or spring out at her from between parked cars.

7. When you lurk in bushes and doorways with criminal intentions, always wear bright clothing, wave a flashlight, or play “Boys Who Rape (Should All Be Destroyed)” by the Raveonettes on a boombox really loud, so women in the vicinity will know where to aim their flamethrowers.

8. USE THE BUDDY SYSTEM! If it is inconvenient for you to stop yourself from assaulting women, ask a trusted feminist friend to accompany you when in public.

9. Carry a rape whistle. If you find that you are about to assault a woman, you can hand the whistle to your buddy, so s/he can blow it to call for help.

10. Give your buddy a revolver, so that when indifferent passers-by ignore the rape whistle, s/he can pistol-whip you.

Don’t forget: Honesty is the best policy. When asking a woman out on a date, don’t pretend that you are interested in her as a person; tell her that you expect to be assaulting her later. If you don’t communicate your intentions, the woman may take that as a sign that you do not plan to rape her.

______________________________

Things I like about winter . . .

I decided that since it is going to snow very soon, I might as well embrace winter and enjoy it. So here are a few things I like about winter:

I can go to the grocery store, put stuff in my trunk, and then go to dinner or forget the stuff in my trunk and it will be fine because it is so cold outside.

Falling snow is seemingly very quiet, but it actually makes an eerie kind of sound--kind of whooooosh.

I like complaining with people I don't know about the cold and how much snow fell. Very community building!

I really like the way the trees look after a snowfall.

I like being able to have the fantasy of possibly being snowed in. It's never really happened to me, but you never know.

I enjoy the overly dramatic weather reports on the local news: Winter Storm Watch! Possibly 10-12 inches of snow! Blizzard Watch!

I love my flannel sheets and my flannel comforter cover. Very cozy.

And last, of course, without winter there would be no spring!

Regular people can dance, too!

This is a truly wonderful video of a group of hospital employees doing a group dance in support of breast cancer awareness. I love these people, especially the lone guy in the hall. Apparently he lost his mother to breast cancer.

Thank you, workers at Providence St. Vincent Medical Center, in Portland, Oregon.

Condoms and The Endtimes!

Here's an astounding video from some nutjob (who calls himself third eagle of the apocalypse) and argues that using any kind of contraception, including condoms, will prevent you from being raptured. I'm not sure I want to be raptured, but that's another issue. My favorite quote:

God invented the game of sex, therefore, he gets to make the rules . . . please don't be fooled by Satan!

Charming.

you annoy me . . .

Found another wonderful artist today. Her name is Katie Rowley, and she has a web site and an etsy shop. I love the sarcasm of her captions, and the simplicity of her drawings. Something about her work just makes me smile--and it's also beautiful in a strange kind of way.

Here are two of my favorites: You Annoy Me and Surely You Perform Some Function. Awesome!

Yes, Sarah Palin is that dumb.

Holy Hell! Who knew that Canadians were so flippin funny! Thanks to The Daily Beast I have now discovered comedian Mary Walsh from the show This Hour Has 22 Minutes. She is hilarious! Love her!