[Explanations: lol your fat. pathetic anger bread. hey your gay.]
TFIF, Shakers!
Belly up to the bar,
and name your poison!
The Virtual Pub Is Open
[Explanations: lol your fat. pathetic anger bread. hey your gay.]
TFIF, Shakers!
Belly up to the bar,
and name your poison!
The Friday Blogaround
This blogaround brought to you by donuts.
Recommended reading:
Kendra: [Content Note: Discussion of features of an abusive relationship] America Is Literally in an Abusive Relationship with Donald Trump
Alexandra: [CN: Biphobia; erasure; self-harm; sexual assault; classism; domestic violence] 13 Things You Didn't Know About Being Bisexual+
Keith: [CN: Rape culture] California Ends Statute of Limitations for Rape Following Bill Cosby Case
Monica: You Don't Need a Photo ID to Vote in Texas!
Ragen: [CN: Fat shaming] Does Fat Shaming Make People Fat?
Veronica: Amaze-ing and Smart Sex Ed
Leave your links and recommendations in comments. Self-promotion welcome and encouraged!
The Hardest of Hard Passes
I would literally pay way more than $3 to be guaranteed to never have to travel on the Trump Campaign Plane with Donald Trump anywhere ever.
In the News
Here is some stuff in the news today...
[Content Note: War on agency] Today is the 40th anniversary of the Hyde Amendment, and Rewire has got you covered from a number of different angles.
Um, okay. "Debate commission: Trump had audio 'issues'." Except, read the not-even-fine print: "'Regarding the first debate, there were issues regarding Donald Trump's audio that affected the sound level in the debate hall,' the commission said in a statement." In the debate hall is an important detail that will almost certainly get immediately lost.
Good grief: "Trump Foundation lacks the certification required for charities that solicit money." Of course it does. Because nothing this guy does is decent or legit.
[CN: Homophobia] "Alabama Supreme Court Chief Justice Roy Moore suspended for rest of term." Sounds about right.
[CN: Rape culture; sexual assault; self-harm] "Nate Parker, director of the film The Birth of a Nation, says he does not feel guilty about a rape allegation levied against him in 1999, in a taped interview with 60 Minutes to air on Sunday." By way of reminder: He harassed the woman who accused him of rape and she later took her own life. He seems nice.
This new Hillary Clinton campaign ad, featuring her lifelong friend Betsy Ebeling, is great, and he section of this video where Ebeling talks about people negating Clinton's goodness is so powerful.
Omggggggg: "The Day Hillary Clinton Won My Heart." I just exploded into a million cartoon hearts!
Omggggggg Part Two: "103 year-old Ruline just cast her early vote for Hillary: 'I never thought I would vote for a woman.'" Pass the Kleenex please and thank you!
What have you been reading?
This election is a referendum on how America values women.
[Content Note: Misogyny.]
I've got a new essay up at Shareblue about how this election is, at its core, a referendum on how this country values women:
Donald Trump is so explicitly sexist, and Hillary Clinton is so explicitly feminist, that the choice made by the majority of voters will send a very clear message about the value of women in our country.There is much, much more at the link.
I suspect that I am not the only woman who is having feelings about that.
To grow up a girl in a world that believes girls to be less-than is to be discouraged, over and over again. It is to live a life of learning that there are people who think you are worth less, people who will try to hold you back, people who will hate you and hurt you because you are a girl.
To greet lesson after lesson exposing the sometimes cavernous divide between what little girls are told their lives should be, and what little girls want their lives to be.
To have to be indomitable in the face of that discouragement; to confront each day the limits of other people’s imaginations about what girls and women can do, can be.
“Strong woman” is a superfluity. There is no choice but strength, in a world that conspires to weaken your resolve, limit your opportunity, and subvert your self-worth.
Millions of women — even many who do not like Clinton, and who may not vote for her — are watching this election and the stark choice that is before us. Cringing at every grossly sexist emanation from Trump and his surrogates. Angry at the evident double standards by which Clinton is judged.
Because of the particular dynamic of this campaign, the Sexist vs. the Trailblazer, many women (and I count myself among them) cannot help but feel as though votes are being cast not just for a candidate, but for affirmation of their position on womanhood. On women.
On our very selves.
This is perhaps one of the most important things I've written this cycle. Please, if you enjoy it, share it far and wide.
True Story: While Trump was up in the wee hours tweeting horrendous garbage about Alicia Machado, I was up writing this essay. @Shareblue
— Melissa McEwan (@Shakestweetz) September 30, 2016
Daily Dose of Cute
As always, please feel welcome and encouraged to share pix of the fuzzy, feathered, or scaled members of your family in comments.
Trump Is Terrible
[Content Note: Slut-shaming; fat-shaming.]
In the wee hours of the morning, Donald Trump tweeted some garbage about Alicia Machado, the former Miss Universe who he fat-shamed, having a "sex tape" (which isn't even accurate) and said she's no "angel" (not that she ever claimed to be).
Peter Daou: "If there was ever an instance that proved Donald Trump's categorical unfitness for the presidency, it is his early morning tweetstorm against former Miss Universe, Alicia Machado. ...This man is simply not presidential material. He doesn't belong anywhere near elected office."
Fact.
To recap: Trump has now publicly fat-shamed AND slut-shamed a woman who spoke out about his misogyny toward her. This is straight-up abuse. https://t.co/QPBbsob32A
— Melissa McEwan (@Shakestweetz) September 30, 2016
This is what Candidate Trump does to people who criticize SOMETHING HE ADMITS DOING. What would a President Trump do to his critics?
— Melissa McEwan (@Shakestweetz) September 30, 2016
#TrumpTrashesWomen because he's abusive. He lies, he gaslights, he blames, he objectifies, he shames, he insults, he seeks revenge.
— Melissa McEwan (@Shakestweetz) September 30, 2016
I am running out of ways to say that this guy is terrible and harmful and dangerous and must be kept out of the Oval Office.
"Some of us have waited a very long time for this moment."
I've got a new(ish) piece at Shareblue: "Why older women are so enthusiastic about Hillary Clinton." It's an essay from the primary, refreshed for the general, with additional text and new photos of some of the glorious older women supporting Clinton.
So some of it may seem familiar if you read the first essay, but there's new stuff for those who saw it the first time around, and, for those who didn't, I hope you enjoy it! Here's an excerpt:
One of the pervasive (and inexplicable) storylines of this election has been that there is "low enthusiasm" for Hillary Clinton.Head on over to read the whole thing.
This is, of course, entirely false. A candidate does not get to be a major party's presidential nominee if they inspire little enthusiasm — and Clinton certainly wouldn't break a 227-year barrier against female nominees if there was no enthusiasm for her candidacy.
One of the ways this narrative has been perpetuated is simply by invisibilizing the evident enthusiasm with which she is greeted at every campaign stop. A browse through her Flickr account shows a campaign that looks very different from what we are typically shown by the corporate media.
It also matters that among her legions of enthusiastic voters are countless older women, whose representation across all media is inexcusably scant.
...Older women occupy a very particular space in our culture — a space frequently defined by an abandonment of listening. Rather than valuing the lived experiences of older women, and the wisdom those lives have imparted, we turn away from them, dismissing them as irrelevant; we neglect to listen, just at the moment where they may offer insights most profoundly worth listening to.
...Clinton has a voice. And people listen to it. She has experience, which people respect. She has knowledge, and it is widely valued.
This is not the typical experience of older women, who are devalued at the intersection of misogyny and ageism, and whatever other parts of their identity (race, disability, body size, sexuality, gender) are used to devalue us, too.
Witnessing Hillary Clinton, an older woman, fight her way to get into the most exclusive boys' club on the planet, and seeing her succeed, inching ever closer, is exciting. And more than that: It is validating.
USA Today Makes First Ever Endorsement
[Content Note: Video may autoplay at link.]
In their 34-year history, the editorial board of USA Today has never made a presidential endorsement, but this year, they made an exception. They didn't do an endorsement, exactly. Instead, they took a position against a candidate. And I bet you can guess who it is!
This year, the choice isn't between two capable major party nominees who happen to have significant ideological differences. This year, one of the candidates — Republican nominee Donald Trump — is, by unanimous consensus of the Editorial Board, unfit for the presidency.Ouch.
From the day he declared his candidacy 15 months ago through this week's first presidential debate, Trump has demonstrated repeatedly that he lacks the temperament, knowledge, steadiness, and honesty that America needs from its presidents.
...By all means vote, just not for Donald Trump.
Hillary Shimmy
So, this is a few days old, and maybe I was the last person on the planet to see it, lol, but just in case I wasn't, here it is!
Video Description: A video clip from Monday night's debate, in which Hillary Clinton said, "Woo, okay!" in response to an extended argle bargle rant from Donald Trump, looped over and over, set to a catchy little tune, with some added lyrics: [content note for violent imagery that are common turns of phrase for self-sabotage] Shimmy shimmy shimmy shimmy HRC / Shimmy shimmy shimmy shimmy / This dude is coming at me / I just smile and let him be / The dude brought his own rope / He put the bullet in the gun so / I'm just gonna shimmy / Hillary shimmy! / "Woo, okay!" / Shimmy shimmy shimmy shimmy HRC / Shimmy shimmy shimmy shimmy Hillary / "Woo, okay!" / Shimmy shimmy shimmy shimmy HRC / Shimmy shimmy shimmy shimmy Hillary / He just keeps on shouting, "Wrong!" / So I will get my Jim Halpert on / He is a flightless bird / I think I'll never say another word / I'll just be singing this song / Hillary shimmy! / "Woo, okay!" / Shimmy shimmy shimmy shimmy / Shimmy shimmy shimmy shimmy / "Woo, okay!" / Shimmy shimmy shimmy shimmy / Shimmy shimmy shimmy shimmy / Shimmy shimmy shimmy shimmy HRC / Shimmy shimmy shimmy shimmy Hillary / Hillary shimmy! / Shimmy shimmy shimmy shimmy...
Question of the Day
Suggested by Shaker KaterTot: "Inspired by today's 2-minute nostalgia post: What's your favorite fictional band?"
Photo of the Day
I could write an entire essay about why I love this photo. This very candid photo of a woman doing her job in an unspecial room, surrounded by scattered water bottles and the cords to various electronic devices and notices crudely taped to a wall.
This photo of an A student, immersed in her studies.
This photo of one of the most recognizable and admired women on the planet, sitting on a folding chair all on her own, in what has probably become a rare moment of quiet, so she can prepare to lead the free world.
This photo of a woman whose country has often been unfathomably cruel to her, doing her homework so that she can be prepared to be its leader, because she loves this country even when it doesn't love her back, while its flag pokes into the frame from the corner, a symbol of the history, culture, industry, future of a great and struggling nation, stoically petitioning her from its perch above a dirty carpet in a small room.
This photo of diligent preparedness, demolishing ideas about voracious ego and ruthless ambition beneath a crumbling edifice of misogynist narratives about power-seeking women.
This photo of women's work.
This photo of Hillary.
In the News
Here's some stuff in the news today...
[Content Note: Sexual violence] Second-term Obama is nailing it: "A sweeping expansion of law enforcement's obligations to people who report their rape, which victims' advocates have hailed as groundbreaking, cleared a final hurdle in Congress late Wednesday evening and landed on the desk of Barack Obama, who is expected to sign. The bill, inspired by a 24-year-old survivor of sexual assault and introduced in February, extends numerous rights to people whose rape kits are being stored and processed by federal law enforcement agencies. It includes a right to have a rape kit stored, without charge, until the statute of limitations expires, and a right to be notified in writing 60 days before a rape kit is destroyed."
[CN: White supremacy; video may autoplay at link] This LA Times piece on how white supremacists are feeling empowered by Donald Trump's campaign is fucking rage-making. "'I love it,' said [David Duke, 66, former Klan leader and current Senate candidate in Louisiana] tearing into a chicken garlic pizza at a nearby restaurant later. 'The fact that Donald Trump's doing so well, it proves that I'm winning. I am winning.'"
[CN: Misogyny] In other Trump news: "Lawsuit alleges Trump wanted to replace unattractive female employees." Sounds about right.
[CN: Guns] Welp, this is downright terrifying: "What I Saw at an All-Ages Machine-Gun Party." Nope.
This is a very fascinating interview with Greg Rucka on queer narrative and Wonder Woman. "I spent a lot of time thinking about this and talking to a lot of people about this. I wonder what would happen if you are a trans woman transitioning, and you go to Themyscira? Since they're not a heteronormative culture, I wonder if the concept of transgender life or gender confirmation process is one that they've ever even considered. These are the things I think about. I don't have an answer to that. Yet. But I know this: their society has to be the best possible paradise."
"One of the most audacious space missions ever undertaken is about to come to an end. The Rosetta probe that has been tracking a comet for the past two years is going to deliberately crash itself into the 4km-wide ball of ice and dust. European Space Agency scientists say the satellite has come to the end of its useful life and they want to get some final, ultra-close measurements. Rosetta is not expected to survive the impact with Comet 67P. But even if some of its systems remain functional, pre-loaded software on board will ensure everything is shut down on contact." RIP Rosetta. Geez, I've really become attached to this thing! I feel sad.
Neat: "South Jersey woman turns her porch into butterfly sanctuary."
What have you been reading?
This Interview Was Quite a Doozy!
[Content Note: Misogyny.]
I've got a new piece at Shareblue about a remarkable interview Fox News' Megyn Kelly did with Trump's campaign manager Kellyanne Conway. There is a lot there, so I'll just quote the intro:
There are a number of amazing things about this Fox News interview in which Megyn Kelly confronts Trump's campaign manager Kellyanne Conway about her candidate's history of sexism, starting with the fact that we're watching two women debate the sexism of a man who hasn't been meaningfully held to account by a press that's predominantly male. I hope we all appreciate the irony of treating accountability for gender bias as "women's work."*wink*
Head on over to read the whole thing.
Daily Dose of Cute
As always, please feel welcome and encouraged to share pix of the fuzzy, feathered, or scaled members of your family in comments.
Unreal
Kurt Eichenwald has another cover story for Newsweek on Donald Trump's dirty dealings, this time on how his company violated the US embargo against Cuba. I'm not even going to excerpt it; just go read the whole thing.
I continue to marvel at how literally every single thing unearthed about Trump would be disqualifying for any other candidate, and yet somehow a million of them cumulatively haven't disqualified him.
The enormity of the pass he's been given is unfathomable.
Train Crash in Hoboken
[Content Note: Crash; injuries; death; video may autoplay at link.]
This morning at the height of rush hour, a New Jersey transit train crashed into the Hoboken station. Preliminary details are that as many as 100 people were injured and 3 killed. As always, these numbers may change as more information becomes available. I desperately hope that it turns out no one was killed, but I fear that won't be the case.
Additionally: "Preliminary reports suggest the crash involving train No. 1614 on the Pascack Valley Line was accidental or caused by operator error, according to four law enforcement officials, though they stress it is early in the investigation."
My sympathies with everyone who was injured or traumatized by this event, including all the family members who are awaiting news about commuters.
Please feel welcome to post updates in comments as information is released. Take all preliminary information with a grain of salt. And, as ever, let's keep this an image-free thread. Thanks.
Good Grief, Man
Yesterday, Donald Trump took another pathetic shot at trying to turn Hillary Clinton's health into a campaign issue:
Donald Trump took a swipe at Hillary Clinton on Wednesday for her early September health episode outside a 9/11 memorial event, mocking the Democratic nominee for not being able to "make it to her car."You mean the days off she took to recover from pneumonia and then prepare for the debate like a serious person who is serious about running for a serious office?
"You see all the days off that Hillary takes?" Trump asked the crowd at an Iowa rally. "Day off. Day off. Day off. All those day offs. And then she can't even make it to her car."
Yes, Donald Trump: Hillary Clinton had a difficult time "making it to her car" when she had pneumonia and had just been standing outdoors for an hour and a half, following eighteen solid months of campaigning, following decades of public service, during which, in her last gig, she "worked harder and logged more miles than anyone in the administration, including the president."
But, the thing is, when she doesn't have pneumonia, she's got the "stamina" to debate a nightmare monster for 90 minutes and still have the energy to do this:
[Video of Clinton shoulder-shimmying, with Shaq shoulder-shimmying and a cat butt-shimmying.]
—and then head off for a quick appearance at a rally, while you, presumably, went to bed in your gold-thread pajamas and pouted while reading The Collected Essays of Sad Men Who Got Beat by Girls.
So can it with the critiques, bub. She's got plenty of stamina to run circles around you, which is really saying something, since you're the most exhausting person on the entire fucking planet.
Question of the Day
It's that time again: What would you like to see asked as a future Question of the Day? Either something that's never been asked, or something that I haven't asked for awhile and you really enjoyed the first time around.
BRING ALL YOUR QUESTIONS! ALL OF THEM! :)
The Wednesday Blogaround
This blogaround brought to you by granola.
Recommended reading:
Keith: [Content Note: Police brutality; racism; death] Nine-Year-Old Moved to Tears During Speech in Charlotte
Isaac: I Wrote That I Despised Hillary Clinton. Today, I Want to Publicly Take It Back.
Monica: [CN: Nuclear warfare] Why I Don't Want Trump's Hands on the Nuke Launch Codes
Jenn: California Governor Signs AAPI Data Disaggregation Bill into Law
Rachel: [CN: Abortion stigma; harassment] The Real Impact of Abortion Stigma
Fannie: [CN: Misogyny; transphobia] Well That Seems Reasonable
Thérèse: [CN: Privilege] What Are the Politics of Our Built Environments?
Leave your links and recommendations in comments. Self-promotion welcome and encouraged!
Welp
source close to Trump tells @KatyTurNBC candidate's children unhappy w/Bannon/Conway/Bossie leadership, think campaign is hurting business
— John Harwood (@JohnJHarwood) September 28, 2016
Sure. It's the people who have been running the campaign for two minutes or whatever. Nothing to do with the candidate.
Don't get me wrong: Steve Bannon and Kellyanne Conway and David Bossie are terrible. But it's hardly their fault, exclusively or even primarily, that Trump's business is suffering.
His business is suffering because he has revealed himself to be a nightmare bigot to whom lots and lots of people never want to give another dime of their money.
I'm guessing the fact that this campaign has also exposed the fact that Trump has a habit of refusing to pay people for the work they did for him, running scams and frauds, and generally being not a great guy to do business with has had an impact, too. Just a thought!
In the News
Here is some stuff in the news today...
[Content Note: School shooting] Goddammit: "Two children have been injured at a shooting in a South Carolina elementary school Wednesday afternoon, according to local reports. Greenville News reports that the shooting took place at Townville Elementary School in Townville, South Carolina, and that the school has been evacuated. A suspect is in custody, according to local authorities." There is very little additional information at this time. I am just so sad and so angry.
Michelle Obama hit the campaign trail for Hillary Clinton in Philadelphia and was typically awesome. She also appears in a new Clinton ad.
[CN: Queerphobia] Meanwhile, Clinton campaigned in North Carolina, where she sharply criticized HB2: "Think about everything that's at stake in this election. The very mean-spirited wrong-headed decision by your legislature and governor to pass and sign House Bill 2 has hurt this state. But more than that it has hurt people. It has sent a message to so many people that you're not really wanted. You're not part of us. I think the American dream is big enough for everybody."
Heads-up, trans voters: The National Center for Transgender Equality has updated its Voting While Trans checklist.
[CN: Police brutality; racism] Serena Williams has spoken out about police killings of Black people in a moving Facebook post, which ends: "I. Won't. Be. Silent."
[CN: Lead contamination] An appalling update on the lead contamination crisis in East Chicago, Indiana.
[CN: Abuse] "10 Emotional Abuse Tactics That Trump Blatantly Used in the First Debate." Followed by ten metric fucktons of gaslighting.
[CN: Fat-shaming] And finally: FYI.
Y'all, "Alicia Machado wasn't even fat when Trump fat-shamed her!" isn't helpful. What he said was heinous *no matter her size*.
— Melissa McEwan (@Shakestweetz) September 27, 2016
What have you been reading?
Daily Dose of Cute
As always, please feel welcome and encouraged to share pix of the fuzzy, feathered, or scaled members of your family in comments.
History
Hey, just a thing I noticed while looking through photos of the first ever presidential debate with a woman onstage. NBD. pic.twitter.com/wjc5f6nCwE
— Melissa McEwan (@Shakestweetz) September 27, 2016
[Image description: Photo from Monday night's debate of Hillary Clinton standing in front of the backdrop which features text from the Declaration of Independence. I have circled three bits of text reading: 1. All men are created equal; 2. Governments are instituted among Men; 3. Mankind are more disposed.]
I just felt really overwhelmed by that when I saw it. Those words were written 227 years ago, and Hillary Clinton is the first woman to stand in front of them. Blub.
And Again
[Content Note: Police brutality; racism; death. Video may autoplay at link.]
In El Cajon, near San Diego, a Black man, whose name has not been released who has been identified as Alfred Olango, was fatally shot by officers who were called to the scene after reports there was a man behaving erratically. This is the police version of events:
The man, 30, who has not been identified, was first reported to be walking in and out of traffic in the middle of the street and "not acting like himself," when a woman police believe may be the man's sister called officers for help just after 1 p.m. Tuesday.And how have they used it? To release a single still image that seems to confirm their story that the man was pointing something at him. We of course have no idea whether that screenshot has been taken out of context, e.g. in the middle of a continuous action of moving his arms, because the police won't release the entire video "as it is part of an ongoing investigation."
El Cajon Police Chief Jeff Davis said that when officers arrived on scene and located the man he "refused multiple instructions by the first officer on the scene," and put his hands in his pants pocket.
He allegedly pulled an object and held it out "like he would be firing a gun," Davis said during a press conference on Tuesday night.
"At one point the male rapidly drew an object from his front pants pocket, placed both hands together on it, and extended it rapidly toward the officer taking what appeared to be a shooting stance putting the object in the officer's face," Davis said.
...Shortly after the shooting, a witness came forward and told officers she had video footage of the incident, Davis said. The witness "voluntarily provided" the cell phone video to the department and gave written consent for officers to use it.
That is some bullshit, right there. They won't release the whole video, but have already released a single still image from it that, at a casual glance, seems to confirm their version of events.
And maybe the whole video would confirm their version of events! But we don't know, because they won't release the whole video.
In a familiar turn of events, witness accounts differ from the police account:
Meantime, other videos quickly surfaced showing the aftermath, according to the AP. In one posted to Facebook, an unidentified woman is heard telling police at the scene that the man was ordered to take his hand out of his pocket.My condolences to the man's family, friends, and community. My solidarity with them as they try to get answers. Goddammit.
"I said: 'Take your hand out your pocket, baby, or they're going to shoot you.' He said 'no, no, no,'" the woman said. "When he lifted his hand out ... he did have something in his hand but it wasn't no gun, and that's when they shot him."
Wow
[Content Note: Video may autoplay at link.]
Hillary Clinton has picked up another big endorsement, this time from The Arizona Republic editorial board. Their endorsement begins thus:
Since The Arizona Republic began publication in 1890, we have never endorsed a Democrat over a Republican for president. Never. This reflects a deep philosophical appreciation for conservative ideals and Republican principles.Terrific! But I will also say for the one millionth time: It's not just that Trump is a bad candidate; it's that Clinton is a great candidate.
This year is different.
The 2016 Republican candidate is not conservative and he is not qualified.
That’s why, for the first time in our history, The Arizona Republic will support a Democrat for president.
An Incredible Admission from Donald Trump
[Content Note: Terrorism.]
My Shareblue colleague Tommy Christopher has a great piece on Trump's Top Secret Plan Which Definitely Exists to defeat ISIS. As Tommy notes, if Trump really had a foolproof plan to defeat ISIS, refusing to disclose it is costing countless lives.
Trump's claim has been he won't disclose it because he doesn't want to tip his hand to the terrorists, but Tommy found an interview in which Trump makes this incredible admission:
I know a way that would absolutely give us guaranteed victory. I’m going to say it, I guess I’ll be forced to say it at some time, but I hate to say it. Because as soon as you say it, they’re going to be – it’s an idea that in my opinion is foolproof. And I’m not talking about dropping bombs, I’m not talking about dropping the big nuke, I’m talking about something that would be unbelievable as an idea. The problem is, then everybody is going to take the idea, run with it, and then number one, people forget where it came from.Emphasis mine.
Trump is literally admitting his own ego is more important to him than countless lives. Which has long been evident, but it's rather stunning to see him just flatly admit it, as if it isn't even controversial.
Question of the Day
[I have to wrap up a little early today, because I've got some stuff to do later. I'll see you back here tomorrow!]
Suggested by Shaker austxgal: "What is your favorite cocktail?" Virgin cocktails count, too, natch!
In the News
Here is some stuff in the news today...
[Content Note: Bombing; terrorism; self-harm; injury and death] Fucking hell: "Three blasts killed at least 17 people and wounded more than 50 in predominantly Shi'ite Muslim districts of Baghdad on Tuesday, police and medical sources said. A suicide bomber detonated his explosive vest in a commercial street in the eastern Baghdad al-Jadida area of the Iraqi capital, killing nine people and wounding more than 30, they said. Another suicide attack hit a commercial street of Bayaa in western Baghdad, killing six and wounding 22, the sources said. A roadside bomb exploded near a gathering of cattle herders and merchants in al-Radhwaniya, also in western Baghdad, killing two people, they said." The Islamic State has already taken credit for two of the bombings. My condolences to the people of Baghdad. I am so angry, and I take up space in solidarity with Iraqis who are just trying to live their lives in peace.
[CN: Homophobia; violence] Goddammit: "Neil Frias and Jeff White, two New Yorkers who were visiting San Francisco over the weekend for the annual Folsom Street Fair, say they were attacked with pepper spray at the intersection of Golden Gate and Fillmore Streets in the city’s Western Addition neighborhood. ...[F]ive men pulled up in a blue minivan. 'They were saying, 'You fags are destroying family values,'' Frias said. ...'The thing that was the most remarkable about the situation is how unprovoked it was,' White said, still reeling from the encounter Sunday morning. 'I was literally tying my shoe when they came at me. It's mind-boggling.'" There is no behavior that could provoke a violent, homophobic attack. None.
[CN: Class warfare] Of course: "Republican officials nationwide want to stop enforcement of new overtime rules that make millions of people who work eligible for overtime pay."
I don't know how I feel about this! "The world's first baby to be born from a new procedure that combines the DNA of three people appears to be healthy, according to doctors in the US who oversaw the treatment."
[CN: Police brutality] Will definitely watch: "Add 'interview host' to Mary J. Blige's resume. The R&B icon has a new Apple Music show, appropriately titled 'The 411,' and her first guest is none other than Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton."
This forever: "Did anybody see that debate last night? [laughs heartily] Ohhhhh yes! One down; two to go!"
"Did anybody see that debate last night?" —Hillary Clinton pic.twitter.com/1JvsDO7C5H
— Alan Kestrel (@AlanKestrel750) September 27, 2016
"Russian Photographer Captures the Cutest Squirrel Photo Session Ever." As advertised!
What have you been reading?
Clinton Made Me Proud; Trump Made Me Scared
[Content Note: Misogyny; assault; fat hatred.]
I've got a new piece at Shareblue about the debate last night, and the stark difference made evident once again between the two candidates on issues of concern to women (and anyone who doesn't hold women in contempt):
Monday's presidential debate opened with a question about jobs. Hillary Clinton was the first to answer. She spoke about jobs, and then she spoke about equal pay for women. And about paid family leave. And about affordable childcare. Because an economy that works for women includes all of these things, not just a job.There is much, much more at the link. And just not about why Donald Trump is terrible, but about why Hillary Clinton is great: "Clinton, as usual, had to be extraordinary and make it look effortless. It's a ridiculously tall order, and yet: She did it."
Donald Trump launched into one of his typically grim rants about how America is losing, failing, collapsing. And then he promised to cut taxes, asserting that would create job growth, which is a favorite fairy tale of conservatives, no matter that it has been resoundingly discredited. He didn't mention women at all, nor employment policies that support families.
And so it went.
...Trump's only policy proposal for women still seems to be "treat them like sh*t."
There is simply no question that Hillary Clinton, who has spent her career advocating for women and children, has designed and proposed better policy for women than her opponent — which itself should be enough evidence that she also has more respect for women than her opponent.
But, as if to make it abundantly clear, Trump spent the debate repeatedly interrupting Clinton, and his worst moment of the evening came after the debate, when he grabbed the wrist of a female reporter asking him a question about young women who are nervous about voting for him.
The reporter, Alexi McCammond, wrote about the incident, describing what happened and noting: "So Trump never verbally answered my question about how he would respond to women who are nervous to vote for him, but I got the answer I needed."
She did it.
Daily Dose of Cute
(A thing I say one million times a day.)
As always, please feel welcome and encouraged to share pix of the fuzzy, feathered, or scaled members of your family in comments.
I Mean
Trump attacked Clinton over trade and her emails. Clinton portrayed Trump as unqualified and lacking facts. https://t.co/1TCQXYsD8e pic.twitter.com/E9OHCFz9Vu
— NYT Politics (@nytpolitics) September 27, 2016
Clinton did not "portray" Trump that way. He IS that way, and it was obvious standing next to someone who isn't. https://t.co/xTMNmd7uV3
— Melissa McEwan (@Shakestweetz) September 27, 2016
Presidential Debate #1 Wrap-Up
Here's the Clinton reaction GIF you're all looking for #debatenight https://t.co/B2vUFNhE2c pic.twitter.com/WzoCHv3RPC
— Circa (@Circa) September 27, 2016
Well. She mopped the floor with him. I don't really have much more to say besides that. I did some tweeting during the debate, and I've Storified those tweets for anyone who wants to read them. But basically, it comes down to this:
Hillary Clinton won this debate because she showed up tonight.
— Melissa McEwan (@Shakestweetz) September 27, 2016
Donald Trump lost this debate because he showed up tonight. #debatenight
Lester Holt did a good job of generally just staying out of the way and being a traffic cop and letting the candidates be themselves, which is what a moderator should do. People may feel like he could have done more instant fact-checking, or held the candidates more firmly to their allotted time, or whatever, but, for me, I thought he found a decent balance of asserting himself without inserting himself. Which allowed viewers to get very clear pictures of who each of these candidates are as people.
And that certainly didn't do Trump any favors.
Congratulations, Hillary Clinton. You were carrying a lot on your shoulders; being the first woman in the nation's history in this position, being the standard bearer for women and the envoy of millions of people's hopes to stop Trump. That was a hell of a lot of pressure, and, as always, you rose you to the occasion. Wow. And thank you.
Open Thread: Presidential Debate #1
Well, it's finally here! The first presidential debate between the most qualified presidential candidate in the nation's history and the most unqualified presidential candidate in the nation's history. A history-making candidate and a legendary bigot. The first woman to inhabit this space and the galaxy's biggest misogynist.
IT'S A REAL TOSS-UP!
Here's an open thread to discuss the debate—before, during, and after. I'll just be over here, biting my nails.
The Monday Blogaround
This blogaround brought to you by rainbows.
Recommended Reading:
Terrell: [Content Note: Police brutality; racism; death] I'm a Black Journalist Waiting for My Death to Trend on Twitter
Propane Jane: [CN: Police brutality; racism; death] From Anguish to Action: Rallies and Riots Must Become Votes and Legislation
Kenrya: [CN: Descriptions and images of racism] Performing Strong Black Womanhood at the National Museum of African American History and Culture
Chelsea: [CN: Misogyny] The Politics of Pockets
Michael: Do Only Humans Have Souls, or Do Animals Possess Them Too?
Lauren: These Elaborate Seashell Crowns Are Perfect for a Mermaid Queen
Leave your links and recommendations in comments. Self-promotion welcome and encouraged!
Here Are Two Things I Just Saw Back-to-Back
[Content Note: Shooting; guns; Nazi reference and imagery.]
The Houston gunman who wounded nine on Monday morning was wearing Nazi paraphernalia, per sources. https://t.co/E8r0uFsGxr
— Jamil Smith (@JamilSmith) September 26, 2016
Nazi Youth, Trump Flags Side-By-Side At Pennsylvania Fair https://t.co/aYqHPIqtNh #deplorable
— Karoli (@Karoli) September 26, 2016
Don't tell me one thing has nothing to do with the other. Donald Trump's campaign of white nationalism has breathed legitimacy and feelings of safety into movements that we had successfully relegated to the margins for a very long time. That is not to say that white supremacy was not still active and present and harmful. It has always been deeply woven into the fabric of this country. But they are emboldened by a presidential candidate who has taken their messages of hate mainstream.
Photos of the Day
In the News
Here is some stuff in the news today...
[Content Note: Mass shooting; death; domestic violence; racism] Twenty-year-old Arcan Cetin is in custody after fatally shooting five people at a mall in Burlington, Washington, and fleeing the scene. He has a history of domestic violence. Every. Damn. Time. And, once again, it's amazing that a non-Black man who committed a deadly mass shooting could be taken into custody alive, and yet Keith Lamont Scott, Terence Crutcher, Tyree King, and so many others are dead.
[CN: Images and descriptions of animal harm] This is so fascinating, mostly because of the man at the center of the story, whose efforts to figure out how to make this work are truly inspiring: "An Organic Chicken Farm in Georgia Has Become an Endless Buffet for Bald Eagles."
This is just a real headline in the world: "Jennifer Aniston Gets a Massage and Holds Hands With Husband Justin Theroux Amid Brangelina Divorce News." GOOD GRIEF.
RIP Bill Nunn: "Bill Nunn, a versatile actor best known for playing the role of Radio Raheem, the boombox-toting neighborhood philosopher killed by police officers in Spike Lee's 1989 film Do the Right Thing, died on Saturday in Pittsburgh. He was 63. ...Radio Raheem sits at the moral heart of the film, delivering a soliloquy directly to the camera on the ceaseless contest between love and hate, symbolized by the four-finger rings he wears on each hand."
[CN: Video autoplays at link] RIP Jose Fernandez: "Miami Marlins ace Jose Fernandez was killed in a boating accident in Florida early Sunday morning. Spokesman Lorenzo Veloz of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission said in a news conference Sunday that Fernandez, 24, was one of three men killed in the accident. ...Fernandez emigrated to the United States from Cuba in 2008 after three failed defection attempts, settling in Tampa, Florida. He became a United States citizen last year."
RIP Arnold Palmer: "Arnold Palmer, one of the greatest players in the history of golf, has died at the age of 87, a source close to the family confirmed to magazine Golfweek. It was reported he died on Sunday in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. ...The son of a country club greenskeeper was also a trailblazer off the course... With his common touch and everyman persona, Palmer was also credited with breaking down the class barriers and democratising an elitist sport, introducing golf to a blue collar audience and sparking the popularity of the game amongst a legion of new fans who'd previously been shut out. 'If it wasn't for Arnold, golf wouldn't be as popular as it is now,' Tiger Woods said in 2004."
What have you been reading?
Daily Dose of Cute
As always, please feel welcome and encouraged to share pix of the fuzzy, feathered, or scaled members of your family in comments.
Donald Trump: Failed Businessman
On Friday night, the Shareblue team debuted a new video, highlighting Donald Trump's ginormous failure as a businessman, despite his claims to the contrary. It has already been viewed more than 2 million times (and counting):
Video Description: Video clip of Donald Trump saying: "I'm really a good businessman. I'm so good at business."As I noted at Shareblue, Trump's "only asserted qualification for the U.S. presidency is that he's a successful businessman who will make 'the best deals.' But Trump's self-proclaimed business acumen is just another lie. The exposure of his grand fallacy leaves us with this: The Republican candidate has literally zero qualifications for the office he seeks."
Text onscreen over old footage of Trump: "FALSE. Over four decades, Donald Trump dramatically underperformed the market. Thanks to his family's wealth and connections, Trump was reportedly worth $100 million in 1978. Had he simply placed his money in a mutual fund and reinvested the dividends, he'd be worth billions more than he is today."
Text onscreen over footage of Trump making ridiculous expressions: "How bad is Trump at business?"
Text onscreen over footage of the Trump Taj Mahal: "Six of his hotels and casinos have filed for bankruptcy. BANKRUPT."
Video clip of Donald Trump saying: "It's a great time to start a mortgage company." Text onscreen: "Trump Mortgage FAILED. Closed in 18 months."
Video clip of Mitt Romney asking: "And whatever happened to Trump Airlines?" Text onscreen: "Trump Airlines FAILED. Trump defaulted on a $245 million loan and surrendered ownership."
Video clip of a TV ad for a Trump board game, featuring Trump saying, "My new game is Trump: The Game." Text onscreen: "Trump: The Game FAILED. Discontinued after sales were 60% lower than expected."
Video clip of Trump in a pitch for Trump Steaks saying: "I've just raised the stakes." Text onscreen: Trump Steaks FAILED. Pulled from shelves after two months."
Text onscreen over an image of Trump holding a bottle of Trump Vodka: "Trump Vodka FAILED. Production stopped after it failed to meet distribution requirements." Clip of a black man and a white woman trying Trump Vodka and gagging.
Video clip of Trump saying: "I've had many magazines." Text onscreen: "Trump Magazine FAILED. Publication stopped in its second year."
Text onscreen over image of Trump's travel website GoTrump.com: "Travel Website FAILED. Shut down within a year."
Video clip of a news story about Tour de Trump; in voiceover, a man says: "So while some of us think about buying a bike, Donald Trump has bought a bike race." Clip of Trump saying: "It can very much rival the Tour de France." Text onscreen: "Tour de Trump FAILED. Renamed after two years."
Video clip of Trump being interviewed about the USFL's New Jersey Generals: "It's gonna stay strong; gonna stay strong for a long time." Text onscreen: "USFL's New Jersey Generals FAILED. The league collapsed after taking Trump's business advice."
Video clip of Trump being interviewed about The Trump Network: "The Trump Network wants to give millions of people renewed hope, and with an exciting plan to opt out of the recession." Text onscreen: "Trump Network FAILED. This "multi-level marketing" project closed down in two years.
Text onscreen over image of Trump bottled water: "Trump Ice FAILED. Only available now on Trump properties."
Text onscreen: "It's no wonder he refuses to release his tax returns."
The Editors of the New York Times Give Clinton the Endorsement She Deserves
From the New York Times editors: "Hillary Clinton for President."
It's not surprising that the New York Times would endorse Hillary Clinton over Donald Trump. What is surprising, however, is the quality of their endorsement.
It is, as I wrote at Shareblue, the endorsement of her career—and the endorsement she deserves.
This is the Clinton her supporters know, a woman who has taken risks where she assessed they could be taken and who has followed the path of pragmatism when required. A person and a politician who dares to be bold and refuses to be anything less than indomitable.There is more at the link.
The Times focuses solidly on Clinton's accomplishments, while not concealing that she has made mistakes. But crucially, they make note of how she has addressed and learned from these mistakes. It is not practical to expect a politician with a 40-year career to have been flawless, and the wholly unreasonable standards of perfection to which Clinton is frequently held are, refreshingly, not present here.
To acknowledge the complexity of her career, and her ability to come back from both error and defeat, does Clinton the great service of subverting the dehumanization facilitated by imposed perfectionism—and underscoring that she possesses one of the key qualities progressives do and should expect of their leaders: The capacity to progress.
What is most remarkable about the Times' endorsement is that it captures, in a way few major media endorsements have, who Clinton really is. From the spaces in between every word and line emerges a picture of the Hillary Clinton her millions of supporters know and admire.
...Finally, this is not an endorsement of Clinton despite, but an endorsement of Clinton because.
The NYT editors followed that up a day later with their anti-endorsement of Donald Trump: "Why Donald Trump Should Not Be President." There's a lot of information there, and still not a smidgen of the vast argument that can be made, and it ends bluntly: "Voters attracted by the force of the Trump personality should pause and take note of the precise qualities he exudes as an audaciously different politician: bluster, savage mockery of those who challenge him, degrading comments about women, mendacity, crude generalizations about nations and religions. Our presidents are role models for generations of our children. Is this the example we want for them?"
The truth is, that is precisely the role model many people want for their children. We must fervently hope they are fewer in number than those who prefer instead a history-making candidate who is also the most qualified person ever to run for the office.
"I, too, am America."
In February, I mentioned that the Smithsonian Institution would be opening the National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, D.C. on September 24.
At the opening ceremony this weekend, President Obama gave a stunning address, the complete transcript of which is available at the Washington Post. Here are just a few excerpts:
As Americans we rightfully passed on the tales of the giants who built this country, who led armies into battle, who raged seminal debates in the halls of Congress and the corridors of power. But too often we ignored or forgot the stories of millions upon millions of others, who built this nation just as surely; whose humble elegance, whose callused hands, whose steady drive helped to create cities, erect industries, build the arsenals of democracy.There were a lot of great photos taken at the event. Perhaps the most talked-about was this image of First Lady Michelle Obama hugging former President George W. Bush.
And so this national museum helps to tell a richer and fuller story of who we are. It helps us better understand the lives, yes of the president, but also the slave; the industrialist but also the porter; the keeper of the status quo but also the activist seeking to overthrow that status quo; the teacher or the cook alongside the statesmen. And by knowing this other story, we better understand ourselves and each other. It binds us together. It reaffirms that all of us are American. That African American history is not somehow separate from our larger American story; it’s not the underside of the American story. It is central to the American story. That our glory derives not just from our most obvious triumphs but how we’ve rested triumph from tragedy and how we’ve been able to remake ourselves again and again and again, in accordance with our highest ideals.
I, too, am America.
The great historian John Hope Franklin, who helped to get this museum started once said “Good history is a good foundation for a better present and future.” He understood the best history doesn’t just sit behind a glass case. It helps us to understand what’s outside the case. The best history helps us recognize the mistakes that we’ve made in the dark corners of the human spirit that we need to guard against. And, yes, a clear-eyed view of history can make us uncomfortable. It’ll shake us out of familiar narratives, but it is precisely because of that discomfort that we learn and grow and harness our collective power to make this nation more perfect.
...This is the place to understand how protest and love of country don’t merely coexist, but inform each other.
...We are large, Walt Whitman told us, containing multitudes. We are large containing multitudes, full of contradictions. That’s America. That’s what makes us go.That’s what makes us extraordinary. And as is true for America, so is true for the African American experience. We’re not a burden on America or a stain on America, or an object of pity or charity for America. We’re America. And that’s what this museum explains.The fact that our stories have shaped every corner of our culture.
...The very fact of this day does not prove that America is perfect, but it does validate the ideas of our founders. That this country born of change, this country born of revolution, this country of we the people, this country can get better. And that’s why we celebrate it, mindful that our story is not yet done, mindful that we are just but on a weigh station on this common journey towards freedom. And how glorious it is that we enshrine it here on some of our nation’s most hallowed ground.
The same place where lives were once traded, but where hundreds and thousands of Americans of all colors and creeds once marched. How joyful it is that this story takes its rightful place alongside Jefferson who declared our independence; and Washington who made it real; alongside Lincoln, who saved our Union. The GIs who defended it. Alongside a new monument, to a king, gazing out toward, summoning us towards that mountain top. How righteous it is that we tell this story here.
There's something oddly affecting about this. Like a glimpse into a kinder, gentler country we aren't lucky enough to live in. pic.twitter.com/n1549DJxvl
— Elliott Lusztig (@ezlusztig) September 25, 2016
Many people will have many different reactions to that photo. What I feel when I look at it is the hope that our former president has learned something in the time he has known the Obamas. Has softened, in some way. Has seen a need his particular life never obliged him to see before.
What I know for certain about it is that it captured First Lady Michelle Obama's warmth and decency.
And then there is this image of President Obama hugging Congressman John Lewis.
this is a hell of a photo pic.twitter.com/w4MHW1f4XB
— Simon Maloy (@SimonMaloy) September 25, 2016
I don't even know how to put into words what I feel when I look at that image. It is a visiblized story of history, so profoundly intimate. I feel overwhelmed by its import, and called urgently by its promise.
What a day for this nation.
