In the News

Here is some stuff in the news today...

[Content Note: Racism; violence; police brutality; dehumanization; othering; privilege] If you read one thing today, make it this: "An American Horror Story—Open Letter from Ferguson Protestors and Allies."

[CN: Guns; disablism] When no-gun lists for people with mental illness were first proposed, some of us predicted they would be wildly abused, and, naturally, we were called alarmists and hysterics and the usual bullshit. Welp: "Mental Health Issues Put 34,500 on New York's No-Guns List." I guess I don't need to point out the relationship between aggressive male entitlement and the patriarchal disincentives against admitting to and seeking help for mental health issues, nor the fact that people with mental illness are more likely to be victims of violence than perpetrators of violence. So, basically, what we have here is a registry of victims. Swell.

[CN: Murder; misogyny] The bodies of seven women have been found in Northwest Indiana, very near where I live. A man whose name has not yet been released, and who is a convicted sex offender who moved to Indiana from Texas about a decade ago, confessed to killing at least one victim after her body was found in a motel. There is more on the investigation here. The two identified victims are black women, and I suspect more (or all) of the other victims are black women, too. There has been virtually no local news coverage of these missing women, who now appear to be victims of a serial killer. I am so sad for their families and friends. And I am so angry how little attention their disappearances have been given, until now.

[CN: Illness] Maybe everyone can settle down now? (Probably not!) "Dozens of potentially at-risk Texans cleared as state continues Ebola monitoring."

[CN: Classism; food insecurity; bootstraps] My governor is a cruel nightmare: "Indiana will cut tens of thousands of its poorest people off of the food stamps roles beginning next spring, the state announced. Gov. Mike Pence (R) has decided to join seven other states in reinstating work requirements for food stamps despite being eligible for a federal waiver from those rules for the coming fiscal year." FUCK THIS BOOTSTRAPS BULLSHIT.

[CN: Misogyny; terrorism; abduction] Boko Haram has said it will release today the nearly 300 young women they abducted nearly six months ago. Let us hope they do, and let us hope that the young women, who have suffered unfathomable trauma, will get the help they need to begin recovery.

[CN: War; terrorism; betrayal] If you can view video, John Oliver's segment last night on translators who have worked with the US military in Afghanistan and Iraq, but whose relocation to safety is being delayed or denied by US bureaucracy, is a must-watch.

[CN: Harassment; abuse] Britain is proposing a law that would jail people found guilty of online "trolling" for up to two years. I have mixed feelings about increased carcerality being considered a solution to any problem, but, given that's all we've got at the moment, I feel glad that it's being taken seriously. Opponents are free speech blah-blahing, of course: "Some lawyers and freedom of speech campaigners have warned that criminal sanctions should be the last resort. 'Do we want to criminalise every social conduct that we find problematic?' Barbora Bukovska, a senior director at campaign group ARTICLE 19, said earlier this month." Isn't it funny how free speech is so important when it comes to speech that literally terrorizes mostly women and marginalized men. And isn't it funny how "objectionable" is a word used to describe things that harm people, as long as those people are mostly women and marginalized men.

Meanwhile: "It's just an opinion, right? But if you post it online, you could get some unwanted attention from lawyers. A growing number of companies are going after people who post negative reviews online. Ottawa student Olivia Parsons learned that the hard way. After moving out of her apartment in June, she posted several less-than-flattering online reviews on Google, Yelp and Pissed Consumer. The reviews took aim at CLV Group—the company that manages the building. ...About a week later, Parsons got a surprise in the mail—a letter from CLV Group's lawyer demanding Parsons immediately stop posting negative reviews and that she delete the ones already up. The letter described her reviews as 'false' and 'misleading' and damaging to the company's reputation. That letter came as a surprise for another reason. Parsons used an online pseudonym. Yet the company was still able to track down her real name and even her new address. She has no idea how they managed to do that. 'My heart just dropped. I couldn't believe that they had found me.'" Corporate personhood is terrific! Female personhood, not so much.

This is the worst thing that has ever been invented.

If you hate and/or fear spiders, then this story is definitely not for you. But if you like spiders, or enjoy getting freaked out by spiders, then take a look at these Goliath Birdeaters, which can grow "as big as a child's forearm" and weigh "as much as a puppy." They are truly incredible.

And finally! Kids today: A bunch of eighth-graders rescued a dog trapped in mud. "The children pointed out that there were many other people–adults–in the park who were walking around or standing within distance of the distressed pets, but not one single adult did anything to rescue the dogs." Get ON my lawn, kids!