I’m writing for tomorrow, day 133. Except for blogging, I’m being as lazy as I can. Whatever you are doing this holiday weekend, I hope and pray you stay safe.
Jig Zone Puzzle:
Today’s took me 4:00 (average 5:13). To do it, click here. How did you do?
Short Takes:
From AlterNet: Conservative activist Phyllis Schlafly: If women were more focused on getting married, maybe men wouldn’t sexually assault them so much.
Phyllis Schlafly shared some pearls of wisdom with young women on her radio show this week: Stop focusing on your career so much and get hitched. That’ll stop the menfolk from raping.
Brilliant! Why didn’t we think of that?
Wise old Phyllis asked a question she already had an answer for: “What’s the answer for women who worry about male violence?" (Wait, isn’t that all women? And all people?) "It’s not to fear all men," Schlafly continued. "It’s to reject the lifestyle of frequent ‘hookups,’ which is so much promoted on college campuses today, while the women pursue a career and avoid marriage.”
Hell, what are young ladies even going to college for? To selfishly get educated? What’s next? Are they going to selfishly go out and support themselves? And have boyfriends or girlfriends? That is pretty much asking to be raped.
Had enough crazy? Here’s more.
You read right. The Republican view is that women who opt to support themselves are asking to be raped. This is just one of six unhinged Republican moments from last week alone. Click through for the other five.
From Crooks and Liars: The gasbags from Fox’s Business Channel who make up the Saturday morning lineup on their sister network every weekend were hard at work this Labor Day weekend participating in one of their favorite activities — bashing anyone in the United States who believes that workers here ought to be able to earn a living wage, and attacking minimum wage workers who are out there protesting to have their wages raised.
Barf Bag Alert!
The job market has improved in states that have raised the minimum wage. But the 0.1% wants you to pay their employees’ food bill, so they can suck up more profit.
From Daily Kos: The 2014 campaign is well under way, and the ads have been flying. Most spots are unmemorable, but there are a few that stick out. Some of them offer a compelling and memorable case to voters, either in a primary or general election. Others … don’t.
What follows is a look at 10 spots from up to this point in the 2014 cycle. Five of them are good, and five of them have a serious flaw. There are plenty of great and terrible ads that didn’t get included. These 10 spots were chosen because each offers a lesson in political messaging, and they are worth learning from.
Let’s start with the above commercial, a spot that is almost universally mocked.
Boredom Bag Alert!
Every one of the other nine ads are more interesting, good or bad, than that one. Click through.
Cartoon:
12 Responses to “Open Thread–9/1/2014”
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5:35 And I thought people today scared easy. Monster when the biggest one known to science is only 14"? And they move so slowly – some as slow as 5 FEET an hour. I'll save my monster worries for something bigger. And faster. (Like Republicans.)
AlterNet – Why sure – because no one ever raped a married woman who just stayed quietly at home. http://shakespeare.mit.edu/Poetry/RapeOfLucrece.html Oh. wait. Never mind.
And Fox – Linda Chavez I expect. But Ben Stein? OMG. Say it again: Knowledge does not equal wisdom. http://www.dailykos.com/story/2014/08/28/1325419/-Ben-Stein-has-to-be-one-of-the-dumbest-MFers-on-the-Planet?detail=email
Crooks and Liars – One problem is that employers who refuse to pay their workers a living wage and advise them to go on food stamps simply have no standar of comparison to what would happen if they paid a living wage – since they have never tried it. They see the $$ of the wages but do not see the $$ of turnover, employees doing less than their best, passive aggression, active aggression, boycotts, lawsuits, as being related. There have been some big stories about Market Basket lately. It seems to be doing pretty well.
Daily Kos – I go Terrie Williams (Care2) one better – I don't have cable and my TV is set to PBS antenna. I use the remote only for on, off, and volume. I did see this article in my email but couldn't bring myself to watch. Blood pressure you know.
AlterNet: Another example of Phyllis Schlafly's "pearls of wisdom with young women" is seen as a rebuttal from 12 Year-Old Madison Kimrey in an Open Letter to Phyllis Schlaffly.
Excerpt from Kimrey's "Open Letter to Phyllis Schlafly From 12 Year-Old Madison Kimrey." Apr 22, 2014
"This brings us to the idea you have that women shouldn’t have equal pay because it will make it more difficult for them to find husbands. What you’re doing is attempting to limit my choices, and I don’t appreciate that. Let’s get one thing straight here. When I’m thinking about what kind of career I want to have, it’s a lot like shopping for a bra. I want to find something that fits me and appeals to me, and I’m not thinking about pleasing a man. Anyone who wants to be my partner in life is going to have to truly respect me, appreciate me for who I am, and honor the choices I make."
For the complete text of Madison Kimrey's rebuttal in an open letter: Open Letter to Phyllis Schlafly From 12 Year-Old Madison Kimrey (Guest Post)
http://samuel-warde.com/2014/04/open-letter-phyllis-schlafly-12-year-old-madison-kimrey-guest-post/
Another commentary article:
Phyllis Schlafly Gets Schooled By A Twelve Year-Old
http://www.progresswomen.com/2014/04/22/phyllis-schlafly-gets-schooled-by-twelve-year-old-madison-kimrey/
For those of you not familiar with Madison Kimrey, here is a video of her taking on NC Governor re. voting rights | "Story of America" #102
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3CRSK0HItoI
3:03 Will I swim away with the honors?
3:20 You will as far as I am concerned.
2:59 Almost but not quite! Did you know that the male of the species carries and tends the young? . . . which means lady seahorses are free to be party girls!
It's those flippers you're sporting.
BigFooted!
Alternet ~ 1. Billy O, aren't white music stars dressing provacatively like Beyonce too? 2. Phyllis, why aren't you home taking care of your husband's physical "needs"? 3. Dr. Trachtenburg, get together with Phyllis and maybe the two of you can solve the problem of rape. 4. Bill Kristol and John McConJob wer cut from the same cloth. 5. How can a black man be considered unarmed when he has two fists? 6. Yes, Herman, he wants to be impeached so he can laugh at you.
Crooks & Liars ~ Those pundits only deserve minimum wage and are being grossly overpaid. Shame on FAUX!
Daily Kos ~ I wasn't really impressed with any of them. but, I hate almost all political ads. Sorry.
Cartoon ~ Is that why their minds are so clouded?
Puzzle — 2:59 Almost but not quite! Did you know that the male of the species carries and tends the young? . . . which means lady seahorses are free to be party girls!
Alternet — Summary: Where are the straightjackets? These idiots are NUTS!!!
Crooks and Liars — I was thinking about this earlier (have to have some fun while I'm cleaning out the litter box). I would love to see all these so-called newsies live on the minimum wage for one month. Find a place to live, buy groceries etc, get to work daily, no employment perks etc. My guess, they'd be crying a river before the end of the first week. Miss manicured nails and perfect hair would be ready for therapy. And Ben Stein . . . OK he thinks the minimum wage should be raised, but to blame people for being in a minimum wage job? Really? I guess he hadn't heard that university graduates are having a bad time finding appropriate jobs in their fields, let alone ones that pay a living wage. What a bunch of crooks and liars!
Daily Kos — Thankfully I am spared the election ads (Canada and US) because I don't have cable or a satellite dish. However, I wish there were more advertisements in the positive category . . . tell me what you are going to do to make my life easier. It might start like "while my opponent will do/say blah blah, I stand for blah, blah to make life better for people." You know what I mean? We can't escape some negativity, but there is far too much tearing down instead of building up.
Cartoon — So it is Koch money snorting now, eh! Love it, but wouldn't be surprised if some Republicanus/Teabagger complains because of the association with drugs.
I hope you were lazy all day, you need to do that sometimes.
Alternet: I cannot believe anyone is still listening to Schlafly. Surely she out ran her rants twenty years ago? Yep, get married and no man will ever rape or beat you. She must be growing some special mushrooms that we haven't tried yet.
Crooks and Liars: I couldn't watch the video, knew it would raise my blood pressure. The one percent has done a great job brainwashing these idiots to believe a raise in minimum wage is bad for the economy. bring back the unions and bash them with worker's demands, then maybe there will be decent pay again. We certainly can't rely on our government to see that this is done. Too many of our governmental reps are immersed in Kochisms to do anything for their electors.
Daily Kos: I clicked through, some were good, some were not. At the present, I wish the election were tomorrow because every time I turn on my tv I see Mitch in one of his many expensive ads. He is four points ahead of Alison today, thanks, I am sure to the ads portraying her as one who klled the coal industry.
Cartoon: All that Koch money is surely addictive.
Everyone's comments were so much better than mine – many thanks to Jim who told me about 12 year old Madison Kimrey reply to Phyllis Schlafly (Conservative activist Phyllis Schlafly: If women were more focused on getting married, maybe men wouldn’t sexually assault them so much.). Amongst the many things that Schlafly made me think, was would she advocate babies being married off from the cradle as perhaps then (in her lunatic world view) pedophiles wouldn't rape babies and children? Argh!!!
Just think – the rest of the world had no idea that the possession of marriage lines utterly removed the desire of some men to rape them! How strange that the police, forces of law and order, and academics have never noticed this trend in society ……and (seriously) what a shame she doesn't know that decent men don't rape.
Thanks all. Overslept Big Time. Hugs!