Category: BlueSky / Social Media

Florida’s Book Bans Come For “Raunchy” Shakespeare

Florida’s Book Bans Come For “Raunchy” Shakespeare

Oh clutch my pearls, classical literature is not as pure as today’s fundamentalist Christian nationalist who just don’t want their children to get an education but they demand the right to stop your child or anyone from getting one.   This is not about parental control, it is about one minor fundamentalist religious group having complete control over the education of all the children in the entire state.   But only for public schools.  The schools paid for with tax dollars and that educate the lower incomes.  The private schools do not have to follow these stupid bigoted rules.   My dogs that love gravy, this has been a Christian Taliban moral police take over.   Next girls will only be allowed to attend school until the 8th grade and must wear ankle length dresses, and everyone will be in drab colors.  Hugs

 

Salon reports:

School district officials in Hillsborough County, Fla., have implemented a newly designed curriculum guide for English teachers that will see students reading only selections from William Shakespeare plays.

“There’s some raunchiness in Shakespeare. Because that’s what sold tickets during his time,” said Joseph Cool, a reading teacher at Gaither High School.

“I think the rest of the nation — no, the world, is laughing us,” he added. “Taking Shakespeare in its entirety out because the relationship between Romeo and Juliet is somehow exploiting minors is just absurd.”

Rolling Stone reports:

Schools in Hillsborough County, which includes Tampa Bay and the surrounding area, are mostly assigning excerpts by the English language’s most famous writer. The schools previously required students to read two of Shakespeare’s novels or plays, in their entirety, per year.

The decision comes as educators must prepare students for a new set of state exams that cover a wide variety of subject matter, and also, “in consideration of the law,” according to a school district spokesperson, which means teaching it could open educators up to disciplinary measures if a parent were to file a complaint.

The “law” in question is the new Parental Rights in Education Act, which prohibits teaching any content that is sexual in nature.

 

Grimes 2 days ago

Start with the Bible. There’s tons of raunchiness in that book

motordog  Grimes2 days ago

It’s filthy!

Ginger Snap  motordog2 days ago

It’s worse than filthy it’s fucking disgusting.

NorthBayFella  Grimes2 days ago

Raunchiness, murder, genocide, fratricide, infanticide (lots of this), incest, rape, molestation, racism, drunkenness, prostitution, immolation, cannibalism. It’s all there — so fun!

Scott Oshana  NorthBayFella2 days ago

and donkey dicks and horse ejaculations. Or so I have heard.

Todd20036  Grimes2 days ago

Funny how the Bible gets a pass

RWAlex  Grimes2 days ago

[Jerusalem] saw this, yet she was more corrupt than [Samaria] in her
lusting and in her prostitutions, which were worse than those of her
sister. She lusted after the Assyrians, governors and commanders,
warriors clothed in full armor, mounted horsemen, all of them handsome
young men. And I saw that she was defiled; they both took the same way.
But she carried her prostitutions further; she saw male figures carved
on the wall, images of the Chaldeans portrayed in vermilion, with belts
around their waists, with flowing turbans on their heads, all of them
looking like officers—a picture of Babylonians whose native land was
Chaldea. When she saw them she lusted after them and sent messengers to
them in Chaldea. And the Babylonians came to her into the bed of love,
and they defiled her with their lust, and after she defiled herself with
them, she turned from them in disgust. When she carried on her
prostitutions so openly and flaunted her nakedness, I turned in disgust
from her, as I had turned from her sister. Yet she increased her
prostitutions, remembering the days of her youth, when she prostituted
herself in the land of Egypt and lusted after her paramours there, whose
members were like those of donkeys and whose emission was like that of
stallions. Thus you longed for the lewdness of your youth, when the
Egyptians fondled your bosom and caressed your young breasts. – Ezekiel
23:11-2

(((GC))) – End the filibuster!  Grimes2 days ago

It needs a good editor!

Perhaps starting with

“In the beginning Once upon a time God created the heavens and the earth.”

Pollos Hermanos ✓ᵛᵉʳᶦᶠᶦᵉᵈ2 days ago

All Shakespeare’s female characters were performed by men in drag.

I’m just sayin’…..

SkokieDaddy – wiener dog dad2 days ago

Will MTG be banned from Florida schools? You never know when Large Marge might suddenly display photos of Hunter Biden’s penis.

DaveMiller135 2 days ago

“I think the rest of the nation — no, the world, is laughing us,”

Ya think? If it makes you feel any better, they probably didn’t start with this one.

Paddycakes2001 2 days ago

Florida’s new education motto:

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Raising_Rlyeh 2 days ago edited

No colleges outside of Florida will likely accept these kids who are getting fucked over

Philly Mike 🐸  Raising_Rlyeh2 days ago

They are first in line at Liberty University doctoral programs.

Todd20036  Raising_Rlyeh2 days ago

They’ll get into faith based colleges

Good luck getting a job though

Bungee2 days ago

About that…

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JamesR  Bungee2 days ago

Because Matt Gaetz’s girlfriends keep aging out of the job?

Yves R. Mektin  Bungee2 days ago

I think Texas might actually be a little bit worse about those child beauty pageants; Little Miss Texarkana, etc.

Gustav22 days ago edited
Teachers remove books out of fear

It is happening in Sarasota County too: “Teachers offloading books in DeSantis’ Florida, resellers say,” Aug. 4.

I work in a Sarasota County thrift store. This summer, the store has received thousands of books from schools and classroom libraries. They are marked with the names of teachers or schools.

It is clear from the wide variety of titles that teachers work hard to help every student feel validated and included in a diverse classroom.

I literally cried in the store when I saw the titles: Newbery Award and Honor Books, the highest award a children’s book can receive from the American Library Association, no longer available to children in their schools. Most of the books depict characters from minority and vulnerable populations.

Reading novels with characters that face struggles the reader does not experience develops empathy for others. Perhaps our governor could read a few and develop a little empathy himself.

Pamela Brown, Venice


https://www.heraldtribune.c… 

BeccaM2 days ago

I feel sorry for all the youngsters in Florida who are being deprived of everything except a selective education which intentionally leaves gigantic holes in their curriculum.

Those who go off to college (esp. out of state) are going to find out they’re years behind their classmates.

olandp  BeccaM2 days ago

Only the public schools. The elite private schools are not bound by the state curriculum and will be able to teach real history, literature, art, etc. Rhonda’s children go to private school.

Houndentenor  BeccaM2 days ago

The ones who are exceptionally smart will find a way to get educated. I’m concerned about the others. Not every child is going to be able to do what Tara Westover did.

 

Here’s Some Stupid To Start Your Day

Here’s Some Stupid To Start Your Day

Another grand post on Mock Paper Scissors by Tengrain.   Plus the commenters are always witty and spot on.  If you don’t follow the site, I recommend you explore it, you will be happily surprised at the diversity of content and tone displayed.   Hugs

Homocons And Armed Nazis Menace WI Pride Event

Homocons And Armed Nazis Menace WI Pride Event

Compare the actions of the pride attendees and the Nazi thugs.  The pride people were having fun, smiling, laughing, dancing, singing.  The Nazis were screaming threats while brandishing weapons, scaring the kids and others attending the event.   Which one was presenting what was good for children to see, angry face covered armed shouting men or dancing happy singing pride people?  Also these thugs claimed that masks kept them from breathing when it was necessary due to a public health threat now wear them to hide their identity so they don’t get fired for what they are doing.  Notice in one of the tweets, one of the men loaded a round in the chamber to threaten reporters on a public street.  These are the thugs that DeathSantis hires as staff and refuses to denounce.  These are the people that trump claimed were very good people on both sides.   Hugs.

Newsweek reports:

An armed Neo-Nazi group protested a Pride in the Park event in Watertown, Wisconsin, on Saturday afternoon that featured a drag story time and drag shows.

Video journalist Oliya Scootercaster took to Twitter on Saturday to document the protest and wrote, “BLOOD TRIBE group marching in Watertown Wisconsin protesting Pride in the park.” In her videos, one Neo-Nazi group member can be seen carrying a weapon.

According to the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), Blood Tribe is described as “a neo-Nazi group with semi-autonomous chapters in the United States and Canada. Blood Tribe promotes hardline white supremacist views and openly directs its vitriol at Jews, ‘non-whites’ and the LGBTQ+ community.”

Read the full article.

 

Sam_Handwich 5 days ago

The proud people are the ones not concealing their faces.

The others are coward losers.

David Walker  Sam_Handwich5 days ago

Fortunately, Harrisburg’s Pride had no visible Nazis on Saturday. Just the usual Truly Religious…not there to heckle or incite, of course, just concerned about our souls. They’re just so fucking thoughty, bless their hearts.

customartist  Sam_Handwich5 days ago

Pride organizers must be ready with videographers to document these protests. And news outlets must show videos making the public aware.

April Smith 5 days ago edited

Eventually this menacing won’t be enough for these haters.

It’s just a matter of time before one of these Nazis pulls the trigger.

heleninedinburgh  April Smith5 days ago edited

To be followed by a deafening ‘look what you made him do’ from the media.

April Smith  heleninedinburgh 5 days ago edited

P.S. Sometimes I listen to those right wing talkers on the radio (talk about a soul killing experience). The outrageous and inflammatory venom directed at Transfolks (and those who support them) is going to egg on someone to do violence and they know it.

Nic Peterson  April Smith5 days ago

They know it, they make money off it. And they will make money off of the result of their stochastic terrorism as will their MSM peers. They will make even more money as they squeal about how unfairly they are being portrayed and they cycle continues. Stay safe, my dear.

 

Gaetz Floats Absolutely Bonkers Plan to Derail Trump Case

Gaetz Floats Absolutely Bonkers Plan to Derail Trump Case

https://cdn.jwplayer.com/previews/yHZN5yOF

https://cdn.jwplayer.com/previews/yHZN5yOF

 
Newsmax

A desperate-sounding Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) on Wednesday unveiled a series of over-the-top proposals for his GOP colleagues to carry out in the wake of Donald Trump being indicted for his role in trying to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election. Appearing on Newsmax, a network where the staunch Trump ally occasionally guest hosts, Gaetz said that Republicans should begin by demanding that Special Counsel Jack Smith “present himself for a transcribed interview with the Judiciary Committee in the next 15 days.” Gaetz, who serves on that committee, explained to host Carl Higbie: “If he does not do that, we should send a subpoena. If he ignores the subpoena, we should hold him in criminal contempt of the Congress.” Gaetz went further still, urging the impeachment of Attorney General Merrick Garland if he doesn’t “enforce” that contempt charge. The Florida congressman then claimed that Congress has the authority under federal law to “functionally immunize” Trump. The former president, now on his third criminal indictment, is expected to be arraigned in Washington, D.C. on Thursday.

Transphobia and Right-Wing Paranoia Are a Dangerous Mix

https://www.readtpa.com/p/transphobia-and-right-wing-paranoia

Thanks to Ali for the link to this article.   As the article mentions, the trans scare is simply because some people are not manly enough or feminine enough to fit in with other random people’s ideas of what men or women should look like.   As I have posted that leads to cis women being accused of being trans and assaulted trying to use the bathroom.    Hugs.

 

The Barbie movie was fun, but the right-wing reaction to it shows that we’re living in a scary time for anyone who doesn’t fit neatly into a box.

PARKER MOLLOY

JUL 31, 2023

Hello readers. Parker here.

I finally saw the Barbie movie over the weekend. I liked it! Ryan Gosling and Margot Robbie are both fantastic, and it was good fun all around.

But today, I want to talk about something tangentially related to the movie (I promise that this will be my last post about Barbie or Oppenheimer… probably, at least). So, if you’ve seen the movie, you’ll probably recognize this actress as Doctor Barbie.

Hari Nef attends the World Premiere of “Barbie” at Shrine Auditorium and Expo Hall on July 09, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Rodin Eckenroth/WireImage)

That’s Hari Nef. She’s transgender. This doesn’t come up at all in the movie. Still, Fox News went so far as to claim that Barbie was pushing a “trans agenda” by… uh… allowing a trans woman to have a job. “They gave Barbie the Bud Light treatment,” said a Fox guest, who was both upset that a trans woman was in the movie and upset that the movie’s marketing didn’t involve mentions that Nef is trans (though, I’m sure if the movie had included that in the marketing, she’d have complained about this being shoved “in her face;” the truth is that these ghouls just don’t want trans people to exist in society at all).

And this was kind of an ongoing thing on the right… though it created a few funny situations. For instance:

“Last I checked the Barbie movie is promoting biological women,” wrote Dom Lucre (a.k.a. Dominick McGee) on Twitter X. “I can’t disagree with little girls being influenced to remain a girl.” Attached to the tweet post was a photo of six of the film’s Barbies, including Nef (2nd from the right, wearing the sailor hat).

Here’s a clearer picture:

People were quick to note that a.) you have to be truly deranged to see a movie and immediately try to shoehorn it into your obsession with trans people1, and b.) that there is literally a trans woman in this very photo. Har har, he he, etc. Very funny stuff.

But I wasn’t interested in his post so much as I was interested in the specific genre of unhinged responses from his supporters.

Lots of his followers correctly deduced that there was a trans woman in the movie. What they didn’t do was accurately identify which character was being played by a trans woman. Let’s look at some examples (click the images to expand them).

As you can see, you’ve got a mix of people convinced that the actress playing the character on the left in the green dress, Ana Cruz Kayne, is trans. Others are convinced that Margot Robbie, herself, is transgender. And then, just for good measure, there were people insisting that not only is Robbie secretly a trans woman, but that Ryan Gosling, who has been on TV since he was 13 years old, is secretly a trans man.

None of those people are trans. It wouldn’t be a big deal if they were, but they’re not. This is awkward, yet instructive.

Are you familiar with “transvestigators?”

If not, buckle up, because it’s going to be a ride.

You may see the certainty of the people in the above screenshots calling Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling secretly trans and think, “Oh wow, what strange one-off claims!” And it’d be nice if that were true. Unfortunately, there’s a whole bunch of people on the internet who are absolutely convinced that pretty much every person in Hollywood is trans.

Here’s a video by Jamie Raines, a trans man, about the “transvestigator” conspiracy theory:

And here’s a longer video, by trans woman Mia Mulder, that contains even more examples and gets at the core beliefs of the conspiracy theorists:

And as Mia and Jamie both highlight in their videos, the targets of these sorts of “transvestigations” are often some of the world’s most attractive people. Like, oh, Brad Pitt was born female? And Angelina Jolie is male? Gisele Bündchen and Tom Brady, both trans? Sure! Why not?

Here’s the kind of stuff “transvestigators” will post online as evidence of someone’s transness. It’s pretty bizarre stuff. In an effort to out secret trans people, they begin seeing trans people everywhere they look. When all you have is a hammer…

A collection of “transvestigation” screenshots from Mia’s YouTube video (above)

But setting aside how weird and creepy it is for people to be staring at photos of complete strangers like, “Oh yeah, as you can see from the shoulder-to-hip ratio, that person is clearly…,” you may be wondering why this matters. After all, the “transvestigator” conspiracy theorists are a very small group of people. They’re not representative of your typical person who is opposed to trans rights, and they’re certainly not representative of society. That’s true. Still, this all ties together.

“We can always tell” … except for when they can’t.

The seemingly common belief that one can “always tell” who is and isn’t transgender is not only flawed but dangerous when combined with rising anti-trans sentiment and policies. And it’s not just harmful to trans individuals, but to anyone who doesn’t look “man-enough” or “woman-enough” to be a “real” man or woman — something that is itself a moving target that’s changed throughout history.

It’s built on a narrative that has led to women being accosted in restrooms, harassed on the streets, and physically assaulted. It’s a narrative that has seen little girls playing sports falsely accused of being “boys.”

Transphobia affects anyone who doesn’t look enough like complete strangers’ ideas of what a man or woman should look like, and that’s why we all should care about just how intense the anti-trans sentiment is getting right now in society.

Transphobia is a belief that is being used to police bodies, scrutinize appearances, and justify discrimination and violence — all in the name of “safety” or faux concern for “the children.” This is all by design, since the current anti-trans movement has never actually been just about trans people. It’s all part of a larger effort to roll back rights for the broader LGBTQ community, women, people of color, the disabled community, and more.

Just look at this June 2015 “Issue Analysis” for “Understanding and Responding to the Transgender Movement,” put out by the anti-LGBTQ Family Research Council. Right from the start, it calls feminism, the gay rights movement, and the trans rights movement part of the same “assault on the sexes.”

Male anti-abortion religious leaders mull murder charges for pregnant people at national event

Male anti-abortion religious leaders mull murder charges for pregnant people at national event

These white men won’t quit until the US is a Christian theocracy policed by Christian Taliban moral police thugs.  Some important quotes that show their mindset.  Regardless of the legislative strategy, the panelists agreed changing the culture of America to take on a Christian biblical worldview, which will require all pastors to take the same position on abortion as their own.  Also week-long series of events hosted by Operation Save America, an anti-abortion, anti-LGBTQ and anti-Muslim religious group that wants all Americans to follow “God’s law” and their interpretation of the Christian gospel.  The panel was part of a week-long series of events hosted by Operation Save America, an anti-abortion, anti-LGBTQ and anti-Muslim religious group that wants all Americans to follow “God’s law” and their interpretation of the Christian gospel. The moderator of the panel, Derin Stidd, opened by asking, “Why do you all hate women?” to which the men laughed.  Hugs

Christian Groups To Press For Abortion Death Penalty



🚨 BREAKING: SHAPIRO DICK PIC

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Raging Bee6 days ago

Um, no, if you’re STILL A SLAVE, then you really can’t do ANYTHING for your “personal benefit.”

Floriduh’s “history” books are being written by people who don’t even want to know about their history.

Fire & Smoke Crown Raging Bee6 days ago

^ That captures it in a nutshell. The education of slaves was to benefit the people holding them in bondage as property.

Some of his fans are disappointed they don’t get to see him in action.

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Texas University President Forced Out Over Diversity
Texas A&M University said on Friday that its president would retire “immediately” after fallout surrounding political pushback of a new director of its journalism program because of her work promoting diversity, equity and inclusion.

DoctorDJ7 days ago

Anyone see a problem with hiring Dr. McElroy? Anyone?

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ohbear1957 DoctorDJ7 days ago edited

It sounds so familiar.

Germany’s 1933 civil service law applied to university professors as well as elementary and secondary-school teachers. … Scholars who were Jewish or supported left-leaning parties struggled to find research and teaching positions in public, government-supported German universities and often worked in private ones instead. With the passage of the new law, the Nazis attempted to root out any dissent to their policies and ideology that remained in German higher education.

https://www.facinghistory.o…

amandagirl15701 kaydenpat7 days ago

They call it other things, like “Protecting Children” or “Academic Freedom”. None of which is their actual goal, but it’s just bigotry and racism repackaged to make it more palatable.

Honestly, who would be against diversity? Racists… that’s who.

Serene Pumpkin7 days ago

Their idea of “diversity” is a mix of white Protestant men and white Catholic men.

Genitals… Genitals, Everywhere…

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Fox Host: Slavery Was Basically Mandatory Trade School

NYT: DeSantis Worsened Florida’s COVID Death Toll

NYT: DeSantis Worsened Florida’s COVID Death Toll

If you remember Der DeathSantis attacked hard anyone who disagreed with his covid denial.   When the vaccines were first made available the governor made sure his wealthy friends got first chance to get them, making sure distribution sites were next to or in wealthy enclaves.  Then he held a sort of lottery where the pharmacy / company that gave him the largest donation would have exclusive rights to give out the vaccine.   That was the Publix chain of grocery stores, which are found by and run on “Christian” principles.  When state officials challenged his views of forcing companies to violate federal guidelines, he fired them and used the state legal authorities to attack and harm the whistleblowers.  When the state medical community would go along with him he fired them, and hired one of the Frontline doctors that were scamming the maga by charging $90 or more for a short video medical consultation and then charged them for an Ivermectin prescription.   This was led by the “semen doctor” who claimed demons were having sex with people leaving demon semen seed in them causing all sorts of illnesses.   His new quack head of the Florida health department is a complete anti-vaccine covid denying fraud who is now raking in almost $600,000 when he first took the position because Der DeathSantis forced a state university to make him their president.  Not a bad gig, going from scamming random maga people to making over half a million a year just to parrot and provide pseudo-science reasons for what ever the governor proclaims.  Hugs

The New York Times reports:

In Florida, unlike the nation as a whole — and states like New York and California that Mr. DeSantis likes to single out — most people who died from Covid died after vaccines became available to all adults, not before. As the governor’s political positions began to shift, so did his state’s death rate, for the worse.

Mr. DeSantis and his aides have said that his opposition was to mandates, not to the vaccinations themselves. They say the governor only questioned the efficacy of the shots once it became evident that they did not necessarily prevent infection — which prompted him to criticize experts and the federal government.

Tapping into the Republican revolt against scientific authority made him a political star. But that revolt came with costs. “These were preventable deaths,” Dr. Rivkees, who resigned as Florida’s surgeon general in September 2021, said in a recent interview.

Read the full article. It’s quite the deep dive. Gift link.

 

jimbo65 a day ago

. “These were preventable deaths,” Dr. Rivkees, who resigned as Florida’s surgeon general in September 2021, said in a recent interview.

Resigned or forced out? It’s a shame that he was replaced by the current whackadoo surgeon general.

Dramphooey  jimbo65a day ago

Quite often a political resignation is prefaced by “I want your letter on my desk in the morning.”

Sam_Handwich a day ago edited

Many Floridians who died from Covid learned helpful new skills!

liondon#

Could have told you that after he fired his epidemiologist…. And then sent the cops after her.

Ščŏŧŧ Ċ – 🇺🇦 🕊  liondon#convictedsexoffendera day ago

And hired an unqualified quack as her replacement.

Man_in_the_mists  liondon#convictedsexoffender 19 hours ago

Siccing the cops was even worse because they took her computer that she was using to track the true Florida COVID rate, which she had the audacity to make publicly available. DeSaster couldn’t tolerate that.

Brian Greena day ago

So the NYT thinks NOW this is news? By the end of 2020, anyone with half a brain knew DeathSantis was killing off his own citizens in the name of “liberty”.

Joe in NM  Brian Greena day ago

…in the name of a nasty political stunt.

Bungee  Joe in NMa day ago

Just like flying/bussing immigrants around the country. He does not value human life. He sees people as bargaining chips or pawns at his disposal.

ErnestMc  Brian Greena day ago

It may be obvious to us that Florida did worse on COVID than DeSantis has been pretending, but it’s valuable reporting to look at the data and tell the truth, especially since there is the wide impression, if you look only at overall numbers, that FL didn’t do any worse than a number of blue states.That red states in general and Republicans specifically died in greater numbers after vaccines were approved and after their political leaders began poo-pooing their effectiveness has been underreported.

Brian Green  ErnestMca day ago

Would have been helpful had this piece of valuable reporting come a few years
back in a more timely manner, like when it was happening.

ErnestMc  Brian Greena day ago

The NYT did have a number of articles about the increasing disparity between red-state and blue-state COVID deaths after the vaccines.

I haven’t read this entire NYT piece as it just came out, but my impression is that it uses data compiled over several years—it’s hard to do perfectly timely reporting on data that takes years to accumulate.

band  Brian Greena day ago

Not by the end of 2020. As the excerpt Joe posted notes, DeSantis’ position changed dramatically over the course of the pandemic.

band  Brian Greena day ago

Not by the end of 2020. As the excerpt Joe posted notes, DeSantis’ position changed dramatically over the course of the pandemic.

ConnieHinesDorothyProvine  Brian Green19 hours ago

What’s the difference between the Jaws mayor and Ron DeSantis? One’s a politician who ignored warnings about an obvious danger and left the beaches open, resulting in preventable deaths, and the other’s a character in a Steven Spielberg movie.

jimbo65 a day ago

And the antivaxxer tourists went to Florida as a mecca. Then came home and spread it far and wide.

Friday  jimbo65a day ago

And those weren’t counted by Florida as Florida cases. They pushed em off on wherever else or erased them.

Ninja0980  Fridaya day ago

Yup, a way to cook the books.

William  Fridaya day ago

Florida Covid deaths weren’t counted as Covid deaths. Other causes of death were listed.

band a day ago
Mr. DeSantis and his aides have said that his opposition was to mandates, not to the vaccinations themselves. They say the governor only questioned the efficacy of the shots once it became evident that they did not necessarily prevent infection — which prompted him to criticize experts and the federal government.

 

Something the vaccines were neither designed to do nor approved for.

Friday  banda day ago

Few vaccines, never mind against this kind of virus, are 100 percent effective at preventing exposure from becoming an infection, the Republicans whine that these were running around ‘only’ 90-95 percent before they bred yet more strains with their ddeniallism and disease-spreading.

Epic Collision  Fridaya day ago

All this did was prevent herd immunity, thus making the vaccines less effective…self fulfilling prophecy. Ignorance breeds more ignorance.

 

Oh my dogs that love gravy! I caught up. I will explain below.

I have not been able to get to all the news tabs I had opened, so each night I pushed them into the next morning.  I had several hundreds of open tabs, at least past the beginning of the month into last June.  Maybe 300+  But Ron left Sunday morning to go to NC to pick up his family and take them to see their brother in a nursing home under hospice care.   He does this at least once a year, often more.   This year with everything going on, it is a huge hardship drain on our finances.  But it is family, so …

So with Ron gone, no distractions over the simple needed chores (feeding cats, cleaning cat boxes, doing dishes, taking out trash) I have had all the free time to work on the computer.  I am now with this post caught up to Friday night / Saturday morning.   I hope to finish the next few days worth quickly, so I can tell everyone what my medical tests showed.  Spoiler I have minor heart damage, but seem to have a bad lung problem.  The first meme is my fav.   More later.    Best wishes and hugs 

DeSantis Rejects $377 Million In Federal Energy Funds
According to a green energy group, the rebates would have meant people in Florida would get “lower utility bills and healthier and more comfortable homes as well as lower greenhouse gas emissions.” Meanwhile, DeSantis has proposed millions in tax credits for people who buy gas stoves.

This used to be him. Hate does some strange shit to you…

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Weeks of news over hundreds of open tabs. I only have 0ne more open window with 39 open tabs and I will be caught up as of Saturday. Only taken three days so far. Hugs

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Randy50311 days ago

Next time, instead of arguing whether America was founded on ‘christianity”, ask them why it is so important for them to make their (incorrect) point.
Okay, we were founded on Christian principles of slavery, and women as chattel with no vote, natives were stripped of their land and other rights, and only white male property owners could vote. Not to mention child labor was rampant, the majority of the country were small farmers, divorce was nearly impossible and so on.
Hurray! What is you want NOW? You want to reinstitute all of that? No, they will likely say, they just want “Christian principles” reinstitute. Like what? Name them, specifically. They will be likely more in line with Christian nationalism — no LBGT rights, minorities voting is restricted, reduction in social safety net, more deregulation and so on.
So now you can drill down — what does Christianity have to say about laws that control pollution, radioactive waste, plastics in our food, chemicals in the water you drink? They will give you mumbo jumbo about freedom, and all that. “”So why do we have to be a Christian nation” to achieve your goals of less regulation?
What it will likely come down to is morals and values. Again, we can hit hard back — you mean no divorce? Because Jesus had a lot to say about it. Premarital sex? Birth control? IF you want to talk about morals, let’s talk about children going to bed or to school hungry, of which millions do. What about the homeless? Again, we don’t need Christian nationalism to tackle those issues.
It wil come down to nothing at all — just a vague desire to make people go to church more, pray more, and be more aligned with god or something. “So you want to force people to pray?”
I could go on, but you just have to nail them down on specifics. Hawley is just about control — they don’t want drag queens, people having wanton sex, abortion, and all that. Force them to admit that.

Nice to know the GOP understands they don’t represent the USA
Do the Republicans know that they are not supposed to be working for Russia? Seems far too many do work for Russia.

Gregory In Seattle11 days ago

I remember in 2020 when they used the flag of the Russian Federation to decorate the Republican National Convention, which inspired me to make this meme.

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Wintercat11 days ago edited

GQP ads constantly have Russian troops, ships and MiGs because they use creative agencies in Russia, because few US agencies often full of GQP intended victims will do work for them.

Creative houses use the stock images they have on hand. That’s why so much Russian stuff shows up in their ads.

Flora DeMann Stogiebear11 days ago

When children first are taught the letters of the alphabet, the letters are capitalized. Maybe the MAGAs never got farther than that.

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Elagabalus2 days ago
Reminds me of the time Megyn Kelly got so flummoxed that Santa Claus was presented as black because in her worldview, Santa Claus was clearly white. What is it with conservatives and fictional characters?

Houndentenor Elagabalus2 days ago

It’s that thing when someone is so racist they can’t hear how racist they sound.

Chucktech Elagabalus2 days ago

See also: White Jesus

William2 days ago

I found this picture of the real new Snow White online.

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perversatile Rebecca Gardner2 days ago edited

Heads will crack open when they learn about the Black Madonna(s)

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If you read the articles on this it says that trump did not argue that the evidence was not there to show he committed a crime but that it was improperly gained. His lawyers are admitting to the crime basically. Hugs

Tick Tock

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“Library staffers were deluged with harassment and a bomb threat.”

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Talk about ego !!!!

“God doesn’t make mistakes”

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Family Leader is an anti-LGBTQ hate group.

Abortion should be freely available at any stage of pregnancy, on demand, without apology.

Reposting:

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“The very concept of sin comes from the Bible. Christianity offers to solve a problem of its own making! Would you be thankful to a person who cut you with a knife in order to sell you a bandage?”

― Dan Barker, Losing Faith in Faith: From Preacher to Atheist

How many of our congress is on the payroll of Russia. Hugs
Indeed trans men should sign up for selective service when they turn 18, just like all cis men. But then trans men should be able to use the men’s room, just like all cis men do.

The current law states that all persons either born in the US or (with few exceptions) legally resident when they turn 18, and identified as male at birth are required to register for the Selective Service when they turn 18, no exceptions. If you are an American citizen living abroad, you must still register. If you are a legal resident alien, you must still register. If you are in a prison or mental asylum, you must still register. If you are here under a diplomatic passport (say, a parent works at an embassy or consulate) or have a tourist or student visa, you do not need to register. People who were identified as female at birth are NOT required to register for the Selective Service, and in fact trying to register can get you in legal trouble for filing a “frivolous” legal document (not sure if it has ever been prosecuted, but it is in the regulations.)

If they are going to make transmen register, then they must also make transwomen exempt. They will also need to clarify at what point relative to the age of 18 this will kick in: is it enough to identify as trans, or will they need to have passed some benchmark in transitioning? What if a person comes out as trans after they are 18, but before they turn 25 (the age that your registration remains in effect)? And if transwomen are not exempt, they they should make registration mandatory for ALL 18 year olds regardless of gender identity: there is no longer any restriction from women serving in combat, after all. Maybe if their precious daughters are required to register, and fact the very serious penalties for not registering, we can finally get rid of this whole Selective Service idiocy once and for all.

I guess it was done the same way the former idiot allowed a bunch of Russian spies into the building.

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This is the country and leader the republicans love almost as much as Putin.

Because if you don’t acknowledge LBGTs exist, kids will stop being gay

This year in the U.S. the majority of books most often banned are by LGBT writers and writers of color.

Here’s a good report from the writers’ organization PEN on the state of censorship in the U.S.
https://pen.org/report/bann…

Full fucking racism and full on white supramacy.
How did people get it in their heads that they have a “right” to never be offended? That is not a right and never has been. Freedom of speech, remember? Astonishing how the “fuck your feelings” crowd so quickly turn around to demand safe spaces where their precious feelings are prioritized so much.
Didn’t a black woman in Texas get five years for voting just once?
I think they claimed she was ineligible for some reason. And it was a provisional ballot and was not counted. Further it was a poll worker that told her to fill out a provisional ballot.
Jesus isn’t in the Constitution either. Let’s start there.
Censorship by school boards is chipping away at the reality of LGBTQ history and our very existence. Good for Newsom.
They’ve already grabbed lots of the courts, then they want to control education (‘member how so many righties loves to quote hitler on this…) & inject religion into the schools – while wiping out all dissenting ideas & critical thinking – fast forward 10 years and VOILA – you have a whole generation of little christo-fascists that taxpayers are footing the bill to educate with xtian nationalist dogma. These wack job conservatives (an extreme minority) are proving too damn good at a multi-decade slow play here. People have to wake up.

Russia wants to ban all trans healthcare and gender recognition

Russia wants to ban all trans healthcare and gender recognition

This is what the right / republicans / Christian Nationalists desperately want for the US.   Notice how the Russian laws went, first they claimed they needed to protect the kids so the laws started out chipping away at LGBTQ+ rights until they finally outlawed any public / social LGBTQ+ representation.   They outlawed LGBTQ+ people.   Now they are removing trans people, denying them treatments needed to be who they know they are.  Simply erasing them in society, as they did the gays and pride rainbows.   Notice this time they used the excuse of saving the families, the traditional nuclear family of one man, a subservient wife, and how many ever kids.   Again this is the goal of the right here in the US, reverting the US society to the 1950s  / the Leave It To Beaver fiction.   Hugs

Russian president Vladimir Putin

Russia set to ban all gender-affirming healthcare. (Getty Images)

Russia has given initial approval to a bill that would outlaw gender-affirming healthcare for trans people of all ages.

The proposed bill reportedly bans any “medical interventions aimed at changing the sex of a person”, as well as changing gender markers on official documents like passports.

Senior politician Pyotr Tolstoy, who sponsored the bill, claimed on Wednesday (14 June) it would “protect Russia with its cultural and family values and traditions and stop the infiltration of the Western anti-family ideology,” the Associated Press reported.

Lawmakers also reportedly claimed the proposed law would prevent anybody registered as male from changing their gender in official documents to avoid the military draft.

It will now go to Russia’s lower house of parliament, the State Duma, where it must receive three readings to be signed into law. The bill was approved unanimously in its first reading, The Times reported.

The Russian bill follows similar efforts elsewhere in the world, including in the US, where several states are attempting to ban or limit gender-affirming care for young people.

According to Equaldex, Russian trans people can currently receive a certificate recognising their gender from a medical commission.

Trans rights activist Maxim, who spoke to AP about the potential law, explained that the current situation in Russia with regards to gender-affirming care is “unique in a good way”. Unlike some other countries, gender-affirming care or surgeries are currently not required to change the gender on legal documents.

Under the new law, trans people who have already changed their gender marker on their official documents will reportedly be able to continue receiving gender-affirming care, however those who have not yet changed their official gender marker will be banned from doing so.

The proposed bill comes after Russia voted to expand its notorious LGBTQ+ “propaganda” bill to cover all ages in November 2022.

The law, which previously only applied to under-18s, prevents any promotion of LGBTQ+ identities or same-sex relationships in Russian media.

Igor Kochetkov of the Russian LGBT Network explained the expansion of the bill represented “part of a broader attack on anything the government deems ‘western and progressive’.”

YouTuber Gela Gogishvili, who was arrested and detained in April along with his partner Haoyang Xu for allegedly violating the “LGBTQ+ propaganda” law, warned that the law was “working” in order to silence LGBTQ+ people in Russia.

“What it means is that, if you are queer, you have to be silent, and the propaganda is working because this is what will happen to you,” he said.

“You either have to be silent if you want to stay in Russia or, if you want to express all of this, you have to get out of Russia.”