Welcome to DU!
The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards.
Join the community:
Create a free account
Support DU (and get rid of ads!):
Become a Star Member
Latest Breaking News
General Discussion
The DU Lounge
All Forums
Issue Forums
Culture Forums
Alliance Forums
Region Forums
Support Forums
Help & Search
marmar
marmar's Journal
marmar's Journal
April 8, 2024
Men punching random women in NYC: A desperate last gasp of the male rage fueling MAGA
Random NYC attacks are an extreme manifestation of men feeling entitled to women's time and attention
By AMANDA MARCOTTE
Senior Writer
PUBLISHED APRIL 8, 2024 6:00AM (EDT)
(Salon) Men are punching random women on the streets of New York City. As usual with these kinds of diffuse and chaotic stories, there's much that is unknown, including how often this is happening, how many people are involved, or whether it's at all coordinated. But what we do know is already alarming. CNN reports that dozens of women have discussed being victims on social media, and formally interviewed six of them. NBC News reports there have been at least 3 arrests. CBS News reports that NYPD released images last week of a fourth man wanted for allegedly punching a woman in Union Square. Even reality TV star Bethany Frankel says she's been victimized.
Women report being assaulted by men of different races and ages. Still, across the different stories, a couple of similarities pop out: The alleged victims are mostly young and pretty, and most of them say they were minding their own business when they were attacked. Some were on their phones or reading on tablets. Others were speaking to friends or daydreaming. Whatever they were doing, they were just living their lives, and that, it seems, is what enraged their assailants.
....(snip)....
These stories resonate, as well, because the nation is having a moment of increasingly unhinged male fury at women for daring to have lives that are centered around something other than catering to a man's every whim. Unleashed by Donald Trump and the MAGA movement, there's an upswell of loud male entitlement shouting at us from every corner.
....(snip)....
But there's one big difference between the male tantrum we're experiencing now and the backlashes of old: This time, women aren't really playing along. A few, maybe, especially if they can get a piece of that sweet "tradwife" income. But, in the past, backlashes tended to draw large numbers of women along, or at least convince them to silence their opinions, lest they be labeled a "man-hater." In the more conservative parts of the country in the early 2000s, it manifested as widespread shaming of women for having sex before marriage, from abstinence-only "education" to purity rings. But it wasn't great in more liberal areas, where women put up with hipster sexism to get the prize of being called a "cool girl." .....................(more)
https://www.salon.com/2024/04/08/men-punching-random-women-in-nyc-a-desperate-last-gasp-of-the-male-rage-fueling-maga/
Men punching random women in NYC: A desperate last gasp of the male rage fueling MAGA
Men punching random women in NYC: A desperate last gasp of the male rage fueling MAGA
Random NYC attacks are an extreme manifestation of men feeling entitled to women's time and attention
By AMANDA MARCOTTE
Senior Writer
PUBLISHED APRIL 8, 2024 6:00AM (EDT)
(Salon) Men are punching random women on the streets of New York City. As usual with these kinds of diffuse and chaotic stories, there's much that is unknown, including how often this is happening, how many people are involved, or whether it's at all coordinated. But what we do know is already alarming. CNN reports that dozens of women have discussed being victims on social media, and formally interviewed six of them. NBC News reports there have been at least 3 arrests. CBS News reports that NYPD released images last week of a fourth man wanted for allegedly punching a woman in Union Square. Even reality TV star Bethany Frankel says she's been victimized.
Women report being assaulted by men of different races and ages. Still, across the different stories, a couple of similarities pop out: The alleged victims are mostly young and pretty, and most of them say they were minding their own business when they were attacked. Some were on their phones or reading on tablets. Others were speaking to friends or daydreaming. Whatever they were doing, they were just living their lives, and that, it seems, is what enraged their assailants.
....(snip)....
These stories resonate, as well, because the nation is having a moment of increasingly unhinged male fury at women for daring to have lives that are centered around something other than catering to a man's every whim. Unleashed by Donald Trump and the MAGA movement, there's an upswell of loud male entitlement shouting at us from every corner.
....(snip)....
But there's one big difference between the male tantrum we're experiencing now and the backlashes of old: This time, women aren't really playing along. A few, maybe, especially if they can get a piece of that sweet "tradwife" income. But, in the past, backlashes tended to draw large numbers of women along, or at least convince them to silence their opinions, lest they be labeled a "man-hater." In the more conservative parts of the country in the early 2000s, it manifested as widespread shaming of women for having sex before marriage, from abstinence-only "education" to purity rings. But it wasn't great in more liberal areas, where women put up with hipster sexism to get the prize of being called a "cool girl." .....................(more)
https://www.salon.com/2024/04/08/men-punching-random-women-in-nyc-a-desperate-last-gasp-of-the-male-rage-fueling-maga/
April 7, 2024
Is Whitmer’s new memoir a sign of a future presidential run?
Writing a book seems to be a prerequisite for higher political aspirations
By Layla McMurtrie
Apr 5, 2024 at 10:35 am
(Detroit Metro Times) Detroit rapper GMac Cash coined the nickname “Big Gretch” for Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer in his 2020 single. Now, the Democrat is embracing a variation of the moniker for her upcoming memoir True Gretch: What I’ve Learned About Life, Leadership, and Everything in Between.
What we think is true are the rumors that Whitmer will run for president soon, as these days, releasing political memoirs seem to be a prerequisite for higher political aspirations.
Simon & Schuster announced on Friday that the book will be published on July 9, providing “an unconventionally honest, personal, and funny account” of Whitmer’s life and career, “full of insights that guided her through a global pandemic, showdowns with high-profile bullies, and even a kidnapping and assassination plot.”
Memoirs serve as a way for candidates to connect with voters on a personal level, plus gain some extra credibility. ...................................(more)
https://www.metrotimes.com/news/is-whitmers-new-memoir-a-sign-of-a-future-presidential-run-35927844
Is Whitmer's new memoir a sign of a future presidential run?
Is Whitmer’s new memoir a sign of a future presidential run?
Writing a book seems to be a prerequisite for higher political aspirations
By Layla McMurtrie
Apr 5, 2024 at 10:35 am
(Detroit Metro Times) Detroit rapper GMac Cash coined the nickname “Big Gretch” for Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer in his 2020 single. Now, the Democrat is embracing a variation of the moniker for her upcoming memoir True Gretch: What I’ve Learned About Life, Leadership, and Everything in Between.
What we think is true are the rumors that Whitmer will run for president soon, as these days, releasing political memoirs seem to be a prerequisite for higher political aspirations.
Simon & Schuster announced on Friday that the book will be published on July 9, providing “an unconventionally honest, personal, and funny account” of Whitmer’s life and career, “full of insights that guided her through a global pandemic, showdowns with high-profile bullies, and even a kidnapping and assassination plot.”
Memoirs serve as a way for candidates to connect with voters on a personal level, plus gain some extra credibility. ...................................(more)
https://www.metrotimes.com/news/is-whitmers-new-memoir-a-sign-of-a-future-presidential-run-35927844
April 7, 2024
(Texas Monthly) Like plenty of Texas spring breakers, LeeBeth opted for a trip to the beaches of South Padre Island in recent weeks. But while the sun, the sand, and the promise of a fat margarita might have drawn others, LeeBeth was driven by something else entirely: an ancient animal instinct still scarcely understood by scientists.
LeeBeth is a shark—of the great and white variety—whose more than two-thousand-mile trip to the Gulf of Mexico earned her the spotlight this month, in part because of the sheer length of her journey, but also because a great white shark had never been tracked that far west. Megan Winton, a research scientist with the Atlantic White Shark Conservancy, says that when it comes to tracking sharks, LeeBeth, who clocks in at fourteen feet long and weighs well over two thousand pounds, is sort of the ultimate catch. And Winton would know—she was on the boat as part of the team that caught and outfitted LeeBeth with several types of tags in December of last year.
The tracking devices only ping researchers with a shark’s location when the fish’s dorsal fin breaks the surface for at least 45 seconds. Often a tagged shark will go weeks or months without sending a record of its locale. But LeeBeth seems to like things up top and has broken the water’s surface more frequently than other tracked sharks, providing scientists with an unusually clear map of her travels and invaluable insight into her kind’s migratory patterns. Winton also says LeeBeth is a crucial piece of the white shark research puzzle because she is a large, mature female, of which researchers have tagged relatively few in the North Atlantic Ocean.
“It’s in part because it takes them a long time to get that big,” Winton said. “The ocean’s a tough place to make a living. It’s really exciting from that perspective.” ..............(more)
https://www.texasmonthly.com/travel/great-white-sharks-gulf-of-mexico-record-leebeth-south-padre-island/
Great White Sharks Would Like the Gulf of Mexico Back, Please
(Texas Monthly) Like plenty of Texas spring breakers, LeeBeth opted for a trip to the beaches of South Padre Island in recent weeks. But while the sun, the sand, and the promise of a fat margarita might have drawn others, LeeBeth was driven by something else entirely: an ancient animal instinct still scarcely understood by scientists.
LeeBeth is a shark—of the great and white variety—whose more than two-thousand-mile trip to the Gulf of Mexico earned her the spotlight this month, in part because of the sheer length of her journey, but also because a great white shark had never been tracked that far west. Megan Winton, a research scientist with the Atlantic White Shark Conservancy, says that when it comes to tracking sharks, LeeBeth, who clocks in at fourteen feet long and weighs well over two thousand pounds, is sort of the ultimate catch. And Winton would know—she was on the boat as part of the team that caught and outfitted LeeBeth with several types of tags in December of last year.
The tracking devices only ping researchers with a shark’s location when the fish’s dorsal fin breaks the surface for at least 45 seconds. Often a tagged shark will go weeks or months without sending a record of its locale. But LeeBeth seems to like things up top and has broken the water’s surface more frequently than other tracked sharks, providing scientists with an unusually clear map of her travels and invaluable insight into her kind’s migratory patterns. Winton also says LeeBeth is a crucial piece of the white shark research puzzle because she is a large, mature female, of which researchers have tagged relatively few in the North Atlantic Ocean.
“It’s in part because it takes them a long time to get that big,” Winton said. “The ocean’s a tough place to make a living. It’s really exciting from that perspective.” ..............(more)
https://www.texasmonthly.com/travel/great-white-sharks-gulf-of-mexico-record-leebeth-south-padre-island/
April 6, 2024
Rachel Leingang
Excerpts from his speeches do not do justice to Trump’s smorgasbord of vendettas, non sequiturs and comparisons to famous people
(Guardian UK) Donald Trump’s speeches on the 2024 campaign trail so far have been focused on a laundry list of complaints, largely personal, and an increasingly menacing tone.
He’s on the campaign trail less these days than he was in previous cycles – and less than you’d expect from a guy with dedicated superfans who brags about the size of his crowds every chance he gets. But when he has held rallies, he speaks in dark, dehumanizing terms about migrants, promising to vanquish people crossing the border. He rails about the legal battles he faces and how they’re a sign he’s winning, actually. He tells lies and invents fictions. He calls his opponent a threat to democracy and claims this election could be the last one.
Trump’s tone, as many have noted, is decidedly more vengeful this time around, as he seeks to reclaim the White House after a bruising loss that he insists was a steal. This alone is a cause for concern, foreshadowing what the Trump presidency redux could look like. But he’s also, quite frequently, rambling and incoherent, running off on tangents that would grab headlines for their oddness should any other candidate say them.
Journalists rightly chose not to broadcast Trump’s entire speeches after 2016, believing that the free coverage helped boost the former president and spread lies unchecked. But now there’s the possibility that stories about his speeches often make his ideas appear more cogent than they are – making the case that, this time around, people should hear the full speeches to understand how Trump would govern again. ...............(more)
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/apr/06/donald-trump-speech-analysis
Trump's bizarre, vindictive incoherence has to be heard in full to be believed
Trump’s bizarre, vindictive incoherence has to be heard in full to be believedRachel Leingang
Excerpts from his speeches do not do justice to Trump’s smorgasbord of vendettas, non sequiturs and comparisons to famous people
(Guardian UK) Donald Trump’s speeches on the 2024 campaign trail so far have been focused on a laundry list of complaints, largely personal, and an increasingly menacing tone.
He’s on the campaign trail less these days than he was in previous cycles – and less than you’d expect from a guy with dedicated superfans who brags about the size of his crowds every chance he gets. But when he has held rallies, he speaks in dark, dehumanizing terms about migrants, promising to vanquish people crossing the border. He rails about the legal battles he faces and how they’re a sign he’s winning, actually. He tells lies and invents fictions. He calls his opponent a threat to democracy and claims this election could be the last one.
Trump’s tone, as many have noted, is decidedly more vengeful this time around, as he seeks to reclaim the White House after a bruising loss that he insists was a steal. This alone is a cause for concern, foreshadowing what the Trump presidency redux could look like. But he’s also, quite frequently, rambling and incoherent, running off on tangents that would grab headlines for their oddness should any other candidate say them.
Journalists rightly chose not to broadcast Trump’s entire speeches after 2016, believing that the free coverage helped boost the former president and spread lies unchecked. But now there’s the possibility that stories about his speeches often make his ideas appear more cogent than they are – making the case that, this time around, people should hear the full speeches to understand how Trump would govern again. ...............(more)
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/apr/06/donald-trump-speech-analysis
April 6, 2024
B. dendrobatidis is ravaging frog and toad populations, but its weakness is a virus we could weaponize
By MATTHEW ROZSA
Staff Writer
PUBLISHED APRIL 6, 2024 6:15AM (EDT)
(Salon) Imagine a fungus that makes your skin turn angry red. Some of the skin breaks into ulcers, especially at the tips of your toes, while in other places, pieces of skin shed off entirely. By the time it reaches your heart, which is inevitably fatal, death is probably a welcome relief.
That is the fate of the millions of frogs who have suffered from Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis, or BD for short. Over 500 species of amphibians are suffering major population declines due to BD while there have been 90 possible extinctions and near extinctions, threatening endangered species like Panamanian golden frogs (Atelopus zeteki) and yellow-legged mountain frogs (Rana muscosa.) BD is driving one of the great mass extinctions of the current era — and yet now researchers believe that a virus may help herpetologists develop a cure.
Meet BdDV-1, a viral fragment discovered by scientists whose paper was recently published by the journal Current Biology. The researchers found it in much the same way that one disentangles a knot, by pulling on individual threads to see where they lead. While examining the BD fungus to learn about weaknesses, they discovered a single-stranded DNA virus trapped within the genome of the fungus. Although this only applied to certain strains, when infected they produced fewer spores than the uninfected fungi. Now the next step is to see if researchers can clone and engineer this virus so that it kills BD and saves the frogs.
That will not be the easiest task to accomplish, however, for a big reason: Currently the virus makes the fungus more deadly to the frogs, rather than less so. ...............(more)
https://www.salon.com/2024/04/06/a-fungal-is-massacring-frogs-but-scientists-just-found-a-that-could-lead-to-a-cure/
A fungal pandemic is massacring frogs, but scientists just found a virus that could lead to a cure
A fungal pandemic is massacring frogs, but scientists just found a virus that could lead to a cureB. dendrobatidis is ravaging frog and toad populations, but its weakness is a virus we could weaponize
By MATTHEW ROZSA
Staff Writer
PUBLISHED APRIL 6, 2024 6:15AM (EDT)
(Salon) Imagine a fungus that makes your skin turn angry red. Some of the skin breaks into ulcers, especially at the tips of your toes, while in other places, pieces of skin shed off entirely. By the time it reaches your heart, which is inevitably fatal, death is probably a welcome relief.
That is the fate of the millions of frogs who have suffered from Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis, or BD for short. Over 500 species of amphibians are suffering major population declines due to BD while there have been 90 possible extinctions and near extinctions, threatening endangered species like Panamanian golden frogs (Atelopus zeteki) and yellow-legged mountain frogs (Rana muscosa.) BD is driving one of the great mass extinctions of the current era — and yet now researchers believe that a virus may help herpetologists develop a cure.
Meet BdDV-1, a viral fragment discovered by scientists whose paper was recently published by the journal Current Biology. The researchers found it in much the same way that one disentangles a knot, by pulling on individual threads to see where they lead. While examining the BD fungus to learn about weaknesses, they discovered a single-stranded DNA virus trapped within the genome of the fungus. Although this only applied to certain strains, when infected they produced fewer spores than the uninfected fungi. Now the next step is to see if researchers can clone and engineer this virus so that it kills BD and saves the frogs.
That will not be the easiest task to accomplish, however, for a big reason: Currently the virus makes the fungus more deadly to the frogs, rather than less so. ...............(more)
https://www.salon.com/2024/04/06/a-fungal-is-massacring-frogs-but-scientists-just-found-a-that-could-lead-to-a-cure/
April 5, 2024
(Slate) When Candace Owens, the far-right political commentator, parted ways with conservative media company the Daily Wire in late March, the news unleashed something strange on the internet. Factions emerged to yell at each other about theology, censorship, and bigotry. Extremists chatted with establishment right-wingers in audio chatrooms on social media. Content creators wrote blog posts and produced YouTube videos with their take on one particular phrase: “Christ Is King.”
That phrase gripped the right for days, leaving movement leaders struggling with layers of infighting that proved difficult to parse for all but the most egregiously online people. It was also, for those tracking the right’s strange coalition-building, a warning sign: The establishment conservatives’ pragmatic alliance with hateful white supremacist groups may finally be breaking under the awkwardness of having avowed antisemites in a pro-Israel movement.
....(snip)....
Owens’ relationship with the Daily Wire had been rapidly deteriorating for a while, over antisemitism generally and the war in Gaza. Owens, who began hosting a talk show with the Daily Wire in 2021, has never displayed sensitivity on the matter of antisemitism: Back in 2022, she defended Kanye West even as he posted that he would “go death con 3 on Jewish People.”
But in November, after the war began in Gaza, her critical views on Israel became a problem for her colleagues. She highlighted the death of Christians in one Israeli airstrike. In one post, she wrote, “There is no justification for a genocide. I can’t believe this even needs to be said or is even considered the least bit controversial to state.” (She is not the only far-right figure accusing Israel of pursuing a genocide; Infowars host Alex Jones has done the same. In his case, he vocalized a fear of Palestinian refugees’ coming to the U.S.) ............(more)
https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2024/04/candace-owens-ben-shapiro-daily-wire-antisemitism-israel-jews.html
The Establishment Right's Alliance With Open Bigots Is Under a New Kind of Pressure
(Slate) When Candace Owens, the far-right political commentator, parted ways with conservative media company the Daily Wire in late March, the news unleashed something strange on the internet. Factions emerged to yell at each other about theology, censorship, and bigotry. Extremists chatted with establishment right-wingers in audio chatrooms on social media. Content creators wrote blog posts and produced YouTube videos with their take on one particular phrase: “Christ Is King.”
That phrase gripped the right for days, leaving movement leaders struggling with layers of infighting that proved difficult to parse for all but the most egregiously online people. It was also, for those tracking the right’s strange coalition-building, a warning sign: The establishment conservatives’ pragmatic alliance with hateful white supremacist groups may finally be breaking under the awkwardness of having avowed antisemites in a pro-Israel movement.
....(snip)....
Owens’ relationship with the Daily Wire had been rapidly deteriorating for a while, over antisemitism generally and the war in Gaza. Owens, who began hosting a talk show with the Daily Wire in 2021, has never displayed sensitivity on the matter of antisemitism: Back in 2022, she defended Kanye West even as he posted that he would “go death con 3 on Jewish People.”
But in November, after the war began in Gaza, her critical views on Israel became a problem for her colleagues. She highlighted the death of Christians in one Israeli airstrike. In one post, she wrote, “There is no justification for a genocide. I can’t believe this even needs to be said or is even considered the least bit controversial to state.” (She is not the only far-right figure accusing Israel of pursuing a genocide; Infowars host Alex Jones has done the same. In his case, he vocalized a fear of Palestinian refugees’ coming to the U.S.) ............(more)
https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2024/04/candace-owens-ben-shapiro-daily-wire-antisemitism-israel-jews.html
April 5, 2024
(Michigan Advance) A program to ensure every Michigan resident has access to affordable, reliable high-speed internet was unveiled Thursday by Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist and the Michigan High-Speed Internet Office (MIHI).
Michigan’s first-ever Digital Equity Plan is made possible through funding by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), a federal agency that helps shape telecommunications and information policy.
“The development of this plan will help us understand better where we need to target resources and make investments and how we can ensure a level playing field for every Michigander no matter where they live,” said Gilchrist.
Michigan’s Digital Equity Plan was developed with feedback from over 800 residents who participated during MIHI’s 41 stop MI Connected Future statewide tour. According to a release, the engagement effort emphasized the various barriers many Michiganders face when it comes to high-speed internet, including the availability and affordability of services, affordability of internet-enabled devices, and digital skills. ..............(more)
https://michiganadvance.com/briefs/gilchrist-unveils-plan-for-high-speed-internet-access-in-michigan/
Gilchrist unveils plan for high-speed internet access in Michigan
(Michigan Advance) A program to ensure every Michigan resident has access to affordable, reliable high-speed internet was unveiled Thursday by Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist and the Michigan High-Speed Internet Office (MIHI).
Michigan’s first-ever Digital Equity Plan is made possible through funding by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), a federal agency that helps shape telecommunications and information policy.
“The development of this plan will help us understand better where we need to target resources and make investments and how we can ensure a level playing field for every Michigander no matter where they live,” said Gilchrist.
Michigan’s Digital Equity Plan was developed with feedback from over 800 residents who participated during MIHI’s 41 stop MI Connected Future statewide tour. According to a release, the engagement effort emphasized the various barriers many Michiganders face when it comes to high-speed internet, including the availability and affordability of services, affordability of internet-enabled devices, and digital skills. ..............(more)
https://michiganadvance.com/briefs/gilchrist-unveils-plan-for-high-speed-internet-access-in-michigan/
April 5, 2024
"Screws up female brains": MAGA leaders are conditioning Republicans to back birth control bans
Charlie Kirk says the pill causes "angry, bitter young ladies" who vote for Democrats to get "free stuff"
By AMANDA MARCOTTE
Senior Writer
PUBLISHED APRIL 5, 2024 6:00AM (EDT)
(Salon) Charlie Kirk, the head of the MAGA propaganda behemoth Turning Point USA, recently unveiled a novel theory as to why young women tend to vote for Democrats. Unwilling to admit that women can think for themselves, Kirk floated the theory that birth control pills cause brain damage.
"Birth control like really screws up female brains," he falsely claimed before a crowd at a recent church event streamed on the far-right site Rumble. Claiming the pill "increases depression, anxiety [and] suicidal ideation," he then blamed women's voting patterns on hormonal contraception. "It creates very angry and bitter young ladies and young women," Kirk argued. "Then that bitterness then manifests into a political party that is the bitter party. I mean, the Democrat Party is all about 'bring us your bitterness and, you know, we’ll give you free stuff.'”
....(snip)....
But of course, Kirk is not sincerely mistaken and he certainly isn't concerned about the wellbeing of women, which all reputable research shows is dramatically improved by having control over their fertility. Kirk's doctor cosplay is part of a much larger and semi-coordinated strategy among right-wing leaders to demonize birth control and train the GOP base into believing that restricting, or even banning, contraception is justified.
....(snip)....
Even some of the most anti-abortion justices, such as Amy Coney Barrett, sounded skeptical about banning a safe pill based on "alternative facts." Which is why it's no surprise that the two most loudly MAGA members of the court, Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas, started instead to talk up the Comstock Act, an 1873 anti-sex law that stopped being enforced decades ago but was never repealed. Talk about reviving this law has grown louder in right-wing circles, mainly because they see it as a way for Donald Trump, if he regains the White House, to unilaterally ban abortion without having to ask congressional Republicans to take an unpopular vote. ................(more)
https://www.salon.com/2024/04/05/screws-up-female-brains-maga-leaders-are-conditioning-to-back-birth-control-bans/
"Screws up female brains": MAGA leaders are conditioning Republicans to back birth control bans
"Screws up female brains": MAGA leaders are conditioning Republicans to back birth control bans
Charlie Kirk says the pill causes "angry, bitter young ladies" who vote for Democrats to get "free stuff"
By AMANDA MARCOTTE
Senior Writer
PUBLISHED APRIL 5, 2024 6:00AM (EDT)
(Salon) Charlie Kirk, the head of the MAGA propaganda behemoth Turning Point USA, recently unveiled a novel theory as to why young women tend to vote for Democrats. Unwilling to admit that women can think for themselves, Kirk floated the theory that birth control pills cause brain damage.
"Birth control like really screws up female brains," he falsely claimed before a crowd at a recent church event streamed on the far-right site Rumble. Claiming the pill "increases depression, anxiety [and] suicidal ideation," he then blamed women's voting patterns on hormonal contraception. "It creates very angry and bitter young ladies and young women," Kirk argued. "Then that bitterness then manifests into a political party that is the bitter party. I mean, the Democrat Party is all about 'bring us your bitterness and, you know, we’ll give you free stuff.'”
....(snip)....
But of course, Kirk is not sincerely mistaken and he certainly isn't concerned about the wellbeing of women, which all reputable research shows is dramatically improved by having control over their fertility. Kirk's doctor cosplay is part of a much larger and semi-coordinated strategy among right-wing leaders to demonize birth control and train the GOP base into believing that restricting, or even banning, contraception is justified.
....(snip)....
Even some of the most anti-abortion justices, such as Amy Coney Barrett, sounded skeptical about banning a safe pill based on "alternative facts." Which is why it's no surprise that the two most loudly MAGA members of the court, Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas, started instead to talk up the Comstock Act, an 1873 anti-sex law that stopped being enforced decades ago but was never repealed. Talk about reviving this law has grown louder in right-wing circles, mainly because they see it as a way for Donald Trump, if he regains the White House, to unilaterally ban abortion without having to ask congressional Republicans to take an unpopular vote. ................(more)
https://www.salon.com/2024/04/05/screws-up-female-brains-maga-leaders-are-conditioning-to-back-birth-control-bans/
April 5, 2024
(Guardian UK) Seven months after his arrest on rape and kidnapping charges, 92-year-old Catholic priest Lawrence Hecker appeared in court in Louisiana on Thursday in an orange prison jumpsuit, was rolled in a wheelchair to a back room and was evaluated by a doctor to see if he’s competent to stand trial.
Since being charged with aggravated rape, aggravated kidnapping, aggravated crime against nature and theft, Hecker has taken ill and was transferred from Orleans parish jail to a long-term care facility, under armed guard. Hecker’s defense attorneys argue he’s too sick to be tried and filed a motion last month to have him evaluated for his mental competency.
But Hecker stood for 18 minutes in the stifling heat last August and admitted to WWL Louisiana and the Guardian that he had “willing” sex with several underage boys in the 1960s and ’70s. In that same interview, Hecker denied doing what he was arrested for two weeks later – choking a boy unconscious in a church office in 1975 and raping him.
....(snip)....
In addition to Trahant’s allegation that the 1975 rape was reported to church officials, church files show another former student’s parents reported Hecker had sex with their son, and then Archbishop Philip Hannan confronted Hecker about it in 1988. Hecker told WWL Hannan was convinced Hecker wouldn’t do it again and didn’t punish him. ............(more)
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/apr/04/new-orleans-catholic-priest-rape-hearing-competent
Doctor to say if New Orleans priest with rape charges is competent to stand trial
(Guardian UK) Seven months after his arrest on rape and kidnapping charges, 92-year-old Catholic priest Lawrence Hecker appeared in court in Louisiana on Thursday in an orange prison jumpsuit, was rolled in a wheelchair to a back room and was evaluated by a doctor to see if he’s competent to stand trial.
Since being charged with aggravated rape, aggravated kidnapping, aggravated crime against nature and theft, Hecker has taken ill and was transferred from Orleans parish jail to a long-term care facility, under armed guard. Hecker’s defense attorneys argue he’s too sick to be tried and filed a motion last month to have him evaluated for his mental competency.
But Hecker stood for 18 minutes in the stifling heat last August and admitted to WWL Louisiana and the Guardian that he had “willing” sex with several underage boys in the 1960s and ’70s. In that same interview, Hecker denied doing what he was arrested for two weeks later – choking a boy unconscious in a church office in 1975 and raping him.
....(snip)....
In addition to Trahant’s allegation that the 1975 rape was reported to church officials, church files show another former student’s parents reported Hecker had sex with their son, and then Archbishop Philip Hannan confronted Hecker about it in 1988. Hecker told WWL Hannan was convinced Hecker wouldn’t do it again and didn’t punish him. ............(more)
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/apr/04/new-orleans-catholic-priest-rape-hearing-competent
April 5, 2024
A dangerous return to denial: Trump's threats against Biden met by familiar media shrug
One of the many reasons why the mainstream news media has lost credibility with huge swaths of the public
By CHAUNCEY DEVEGA
Senior Writer
PUBLISHED APRIL 4, 2024 5:45AM (EDT)
(Salon) Donald Trump has repeatedly shown himself to be a very dangerous man. As seen on Jan. 6 with his coup attempt and the lethal assault by his MAGA followers on the Capitol, he appears to have an erotic attachment to violence.
Last Friday, Trump shared an image of President Biden bound and gag, hog-tied, in the back of a pickup truck. Michael Tyler, who is the Biden campaign’s communications director, condemned Trump’s most recent threat. “[He] is regularly inciting political violence, and it's time people take him seriously — just ask the Capitol police officers who were attacked protecting our democracy on January 6. Donald Trump is perfectly comfortable with violence when he thinks it benefits him. In fact, he encourages it. Put simply, his campaign is about itself. It's about revenge. It's about retribution….Political violence has been and continues to be central to Donald Trump's brand of politics.”
In a video post on X/Twitter historian Ruth Ben-Ghiat, who is one of the world’s leading experts on fascism and authoritarianism, offered this context: "Being life-size, this image is allowing Americans to imagine a fate that Biden would have if he were removed in a violent way….And so it's continuing the coup of January 6."
....(snip)....
Predictably, Donald Trump’s threats of murder and other violence against President Biden are now being mostly ignored and willfully forgotten by the mainstream news media. By mostly ignoring Trump and his agent’s and followers’ threats of (and real acts of) violence against President Biden, leading Democrats, and other people deemed to be the “enemy”, the mainstream news media is enabling and encouraging such behavior – and by implication undermining American democracy and civil society. .............(more)
https://www.salon.com/2024/04/04/a-return-to-denial-against-biden-met-by-familiar-media-shrug/
A dangerous return to denial: Trump's threats against Biden met by familiar media shrug
A dangerous return to denial: Trump's threats against Biden met by familiar media shrug
One of the many reasons why the mainstream news media has lost credibility with huge swaths of the public
By CHAUNCEY DEVEGA
Senior Writer
PUBLISHED APRIL 4, 2024 5:45AM (EDT)
(Salon) Donald Trump has repeatedly shown himself to be a very dangerous man. As seen on Jan. 6 with his coup attempt and the lethal assault by his MAGA followers on the Capitol, he appears to have an erotic attachment to violence.
Last Friday, Trump shared an image of President Biden bound and gag, hog-tied, in the back of a pickup truck. Michael Tyler, who is the Biden campaign’s communications director, condemned Trump’s most recent threat. “[He] is regularly inciting political violence, and it's time people take him seriously — just ask the Capitol police officers who were attacked protecting our democracy on January 6. Donald Trump is perfectly comfortable with violence when he thinks it benefits him. In fact, he encourages it. Put simply, his campaign is about itself. It's about revenge. It's about retribution….Political violence has been and continues to be central to Donald Trump's brand of politics.”
In a video post on X/Twitter historian Ruth Ben-Ghiat, who is one of the world’s leading experts on fascism and authoritarianism, offered this context: "Being life-size, this image is allowing Americans to imagine a fate that Biden would have if he were removed in a violent way….And so it's continuing the coup of January 6."
....(snip)....
Predictably, Donald Trump’s threats of murder and other violence against President Biden are now being mostly ignored and willfully forgotten by the mainstream news media. By mostly ignoring Trump and his agent’s and followers’ threats of (and real acts of) violence against President Biden, leading Democrats, and other people deemed to be the “enemy”, the mainstream news media is enabling and encouraging such behavior – and by implication undermining American democracy and civil society. .............(more)
https://www.salon.com/2024/04/04/a-return-to-denial-against-biden-met-by-familiar-media-shrug/
Profile Information
Gender: MaleHometown: Detroit, MI
Member since: Fri Oct 29, 2004, 12:18 AM
Number of posts: 77,129