Flag Counter The Political Freakshow
Indignant Suicide: Right-Wing Activist Disappointed At France’s Legalization Of Same-Sex Marriage Commits Suicide At The Altar In Notre Dame [TW: Suicide, Violence] In an apparent response to France legalizing same-sex marriage last week, a far-right activist published his last essay online then killed himself at the altar in Notre Dame. The departed, 78-year-old Dominique Venner was French historian, essayist and a radio presenter at a Catholic-traditionalist radio station. He was also a former member of the terrorist group Organsation de l’armée secrète (OAS), which resisted Algeria’s fight for independence. Earlier on Tuesday, he published a letter (it’s in French) called “The Demonstration of May 26 and Heidegger” that began by stating that laws can be repealed, in possible reference to the the same-sex law that was recently signed. In the letter, Venner calls for: new, spectacular and symbolic actions to shake us out of our sleep, to jolt anesthetized minds and to reawaken memory of our origins…we are entering time when acts must follow words The title of the letter is in reference to the May 26 demonstrations that are expected to mobilize 15 towns in France against the recent same-sex marriage law. The date was set by the nation’s right-wing party to send a “message of very strong disapproval to the government.” In the letter, Venner also cites Sharia Law and the dangers of Islam taking over the nation. Later that Tuesday Venner went to the Notre Dame, the most visited building in France, placed a sealed letter on the altar, stuck a pistol in his mouth and shot himself in the presence of tourists. The sealed letter that Venner placed on the alter has not been disclosed, yet. It could be that Venner was suffering from a series of problems and felt that his suicide - a private matter - was the only way to relieve his pain. He could have probably needed help. But the nature of the suicide - the symbolism of being at an altar where people get married, the scathing essay he published before his death, and the extremely public place the suicide happened - indicate that he wanted this to be a public matter. Venner made the choice to die because perhaps he felt an urgent need to demonstrate that gay marriage will kill morals, and that equal marriage pushed him to suicide because it’s so awful. Perhaps he hoped that this would inspire anti-gay protests underneath his name, so he would be martyred as “the one who died for ‘traditional’ marriage.” However, his death is not a sad and tragic one when placed next to the other deaths that are related to gay rights. Although Venner as a human being is as valuable as any others, the political statement of his death does not deserve a martyred label or remorse. When it comes to same-sex marriage, gay rights, and the violent consequences that come with the sheer existence of gay people, some people do not have the option to chose their dying moment and some are legitimately terrorized into suicide. That’s Justin Aaberg, Jamey Remeyer, Jadin Bell, Jay Jones, Larry King, and too many more to mention. That’s Mark Carson, a gay man who was shot and killed in New York City in an apparent hate-crime last Sunday. That’s a tragedy. Far-right French historian, 78-year-old Dominique Venner, commits suicide in Notre Dame in protest against gay marriage [Independent] Man kills himself inside Notre-Dame cathedral in Paris [BBC] Image via AP.
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Indignant Suicide: Right-Wing Activist Disappointed At France’s Legalization Of Same-Sex Marriage Commits Suicide At The Altar In Notre Dame [TW: Suicide, Violence]

In an apparent response to France legalizing same-sex marriage last week, a far-right activist published his last essay online then killed himself at the altar in Notre Dame.

The departed, 78-year-old Dominique Venner was French historian, essayist and a radio presenter at a Catholic-traditionalist radio station. He was also a former member of the terrorist group Organsation de l’armée secrète (OAS), which resisted Algeria’s fight for independence. Earlier on Tuesday, he published a letter (it’s in French) called “The Demonstration of May 26 and Heidegger” that began by stating that laws can be repealed, in possible reference to the the same-sex law that was recently signed. In the letter, Venner calls for:

new, spectacular and symbolic actions to shake us out of our sleep, to jolt anesthetized minds and to reawaken memory of our origins…we are entering time when acts must follow words

The title of the letter is in reference to the May 26 demonstrations that are expected to mobilize 15 towns in France against the recent same-sex marriage law. The date was set by the nation’s right-wing party to send a “message of very strong disapproval to the government.” In the letter, Venner also cites Sharia Law and the dangers of Islam taking over the nation.

Later that Tuesday Venner went to the Notre Dame, the most visited building in France, placed a sealed letter on the altar, stuck a pistol in his mouth and shot himself in the presence of tourists. The sealed letter that Venner placed on the alter has not been disclosed, yet.

It could be that Venner was suffering from a series of problems and felt that his suicide - a private matter - was the only way to relieve his pain. He could have probably needed help. But the nature of the suicide - the symbolism of being at an altar where people get married, the scathing essay he published before his death, and the extremely public place the suicide happened - indicate that he wanted this to be a public matter.

Venner made the choice to die because perhaps he felt an urgent need to demonstrate that gay marriage will kill morals, and that equal marriage pushed him to suicide because it’s so awful. Perhaps he hoped that this would inspire anti-gay protests underneath his name, so he would be martyred as “the one who died for ‘traditional’ marriage.” However, his death is not a sad and tragic one when placed next to the other deaths that are related to gay rights. Although Venner as a human being is as valuable as any others, the political statement of his death does not deserve a martyred label or remorse.

When it comes to same-sex marriage, gay rights, and the violent consequences that come with the sheer existence of gay people, some people do not have the option to chose their dying moment and some are legitimately terrorized into suicide. That’s Justin Aaberg, Jamey Remeyer, Jadin Bell, Jay Jones, Larry King, and too many more to mention. That’s Mark Carson, a gay man who was shot and killed in New York City in an apparent hate-crime last Sunday. That’s a tragedy.

Far-right French historian, 78-year-old Dominique Venner, commits suicide in Notre Dame in protest against gay marriage [Independent]

Man kills himself inside Notre-Dame cathedral in Paris [BBC]

Image via AP.

Yet Another Gay Man Has Been A Victim Of An Anti-Gay Hate Crime In New York City Just a few days after a homophobe murdered gay man Mark Carson in Manhattan’s West Village, another gay male was attacked in the latest addition to New York City’s recent string of anti-gay hate crimes. Reports Bruce Yelk at NightlifeGay.com, party promoter Dan Contarino was assaulted last night at Avenue D and 4th Street by a man who screamed “faggot” as he kicked and punched Contarino. Witnesses came to Contarino’s aid, but his assailant got away. Contarino wrote on his Facebook page early this morning: THANKS FOR CALLS…. GAY BASHED LAST NITE…. back from small surgery…. CHEST XRAYS THIS AM…. suspect still at large… police n media waiting to interview me… U JUST WANNA CRY N MOVE ON…. Earlier in the evening yesterday, more than 1,000 people gathered at the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Community Center in lower Manhattan to march in honor of Mark Carson and all the other LGBT men and women brutalized in the city of late. [via Towleroad/Image via Facebook]
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Yet Another Gay Man Has Been A Victim Of An Anti-Gay Hate Crime In New York City

Just a few days after a homophobe murdered gay man Mark Carson in Manhattan’s West Village, another gay male was attacked in the latest addition to New York City’s recent string of anti-gay hate crimes.

Reports Bruce Yelk at NightlifeGay.com, party promoter Dan Contarino was assaulted last night at Avenue D and 4th Street by a man who screamed “faggot” as he kicked and punched Contarino. Witnesses came to Contarino’s aid, but his assailant got away.

Contarino wrote on his Facebook page early this morning:

THANKS FOR CALLS…. GAY BASHED LAST NITE…. back from small surgery…. CHEST XRAYS THIS AM…. suspect still at large… police n media waiting to interview me… U JUST WANNA CRY N MOVE ON….

Earlier in the evening yesterday, more than 1,000 people gathered at the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Community Center in lower Manhattan to march in honor of Mark Carson and all the other LGBT men and women brutalized in the city of late.

[via Towleroad/Image via Facebook]

Fort Hood Shooter Nidal Hasan Is Still Receiving His Military Salary, Receiving Almost $300,000 From US Military To date, preparations for the trial of accused Fort Hood shooter Nidal Hasan have cost the government at least $278,000 — and that’s just in the salary that Hasan received since the 2009 massacre. NBC’s Dallas affiliate, KXAS, reports that Hasan, who at the time of the shooting was working as an Army psychiatrist, has continued to receive his salary for the past 42 months. The Army said under the Military Code of Justice, Hasan’s salary cannot be suspended unless he is proven guilty. If Hasan had been a civilian defense department employee, NBC 5 Investigates has learned, the Army could have suspended his pay after just seven days. According to witnesses, Hasan shouted “God is great” in Arabic before opening fire, repeatedly targeting soldiers that had already been wounded. Thirteen people were killed and 30 wounded. Despite those apparent details, however, the government doesn’t classify the event as an act of combat or terror. According to the government, the shooting was “workplace violence” — meaning that the injured aren’t entitled to additional pay or Purple Heart designations. Several members of Congress have written to Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel, asking for the event to be redesignated. A number of the victims of the attack report that they were made personal promises by senior government officials that they and their family members would be “well taken care of” and that the “government will make [them] whole.” We believe that in the aftermath of the terrorist attack at Fort Hood … the decision to deem the incident “workplace violence” was an irresponsible, indefensible breach of our nation’s sacred pledge to our service members. The Congressmembers also accuse Defense of kowtowing to “political correctness” in not designating the attack as a terror attack. It’s not likely that the KXAS report will result in Hasan losing his salary. For one thing, the stipulation that he continue receiving his salary stems from the Uniform Code of Military Justice. For another, Hasan receiving his salary was first reported back in 2011 by the ABC affiliate near Fort Hood. The commander of the facility explained the rationale. Campbell said it’s all part of the judicial process that says Hasan is innocent until proven guilty. “The bottom line is when you cut through everything we are as an army, we have to be fair to him regardless of what we saw or we think we saw or whatever the case may be. It’s imperative we maintain the integrity of the court martial so he gets as fair a shot as possible defending himself with his team,” Campbell added. Testimony in the trial will finally begin on July 1. By then, the salary Hasan has received since his arrest will likely top $290,000.
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Fort Hood Shooter Nidal Hasan Is Still Receiving His Military Salary, Receiving Almost $300,000 From US Military

To date, preparations for the trial of accused Fort Hood shooter Nidal Hasan have cost the government at least $278,000 — and that’s just in the salary that Hasan received since the 2009 massacre.

NBC’s Dallas affiliate, KXAS, reports that Hasan, who at the time of the shooting was working as an Army psychiatrist, has continued to receive his salary for the past 42 months.

The Army said under the Military Code of Justice, Hasan’s salary cannot be suspended unless he is proven guilty.

If Hasan had been a civilian defense department employee, NBC 5 Investigates has learned, the Army could have suspended his pay after just seven days.

According to witnesses, Hasan shouted “God is great” in Arabic before opening fire, repeatedly targeting soldiers that had already been wounded. Thirteen people were killed and 30 wounded.

Despite those apparent details, however, the government doesn’t classify the event as an act of combat or terror. According to the government, the shooting was “workplace violence” — meaning that the injured aren’t entitled to additional pay or Purple Heart designations. Several members of Congress have written to Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel, asking for the event to be redesignated.

A number of the victims of the attack report that they were made personal promises by senior government officials that they and their family members would be “well taken care of” and that the “government will make [them] whole.” We believe that in the aftermath of the terrorist attack at Fort Hood … the decision to deem the incident “workplace violence” was an irresponsible, indefensible breach of our nation’s sacred pledge to our service members.

The Congressmembers also accuse Defense of kowtowing to “political correctness” in not designating the attack as a terror attack.

It’s not likely that the KXAS report will result in Hasan losing his salary. For one thing, the stipulation that he continue receiving his salary stems from the Uniform Code of Military Justice. For another, Hasan receiving his salary was first reported back in 2011 by the ABC affiliate near Fort Hood. The commander of the facility explained the rationale.

Campbell said it’s all part of the judicial process that says Hasan is innocent until proven guilty.

“The bottom line is when you cut through everything we are as an army, we have to be fair to him regardless of what we saw or we think we saw or whatever the case may be. It’s imperative we maintain the integrity of the court martial so he gets as fair a shot as possible defending himself with his team,” Campbell added.

Testimony in the trial will finally begin on July 1. By then, the salary Hasan has received since his arrest will likely top $290,000.

Osama's Bin Laden's Death Photos Will Be Kept Secret for Your Own Good

A federal appeals court ruled Tuesday that more than 50 images of America’s most-wanted terrorist will remain confidential — apparently because America’s morbid, jingoistic fascination with the dead-body images, or conspiracy theories about them, aren’t worth putting American lives at risk.

The secret of Osama bin Laden’s corpse will be kept a little longer: A federal appeals court ruled Tuesday that more than 50 images of America’s most-wanted terrorist will remain confidential — apparently because America’s morbid, jingoistic fascination with the dead-body images, or conspiracy theories about them, aren’t worth putting American lives at risk. The U.S. Court of Appeals ruling, for now, squashes what’s been a two-year fight to see the photos released. 

Almost exactly two years ago, several news outlets and political groups filed Freedom of Information Act requests to obtain the bin Laden death photos — each one had different reasons, ranging from the Associated Press claiming news value, to the conservative watchdog Judicial Group, which insinuated a cover-up at the time. They said:

President Obama’s decision not to release the bin Laden photos is at odds with his promises to make his administration the most transparent in history … President Obama’s reluctance to spike the football is not a lawful reason for withholding these historic public documents from the American people.

But that’s not how FOIAs work: The government is very much allowed to deny these requests, and have been known to approve them… with pages upon pages of redacted documents. But the D.C. circuit appeals decision appears to be based solely in the name of American security — and in line with a decision in April of last year from a federal judge who also denied the FOIA request, saying that the release of the photos would compromise American safety.

President Obama and his administration have, since the days following bin Laden’s death, warned that the photos could lead to retaliations against Americans.”It is not in our national security interest … to allow these images to become icons to rally opinion against the United States,” White House Press Secretary Jay Carney said in 2011 And Reuters added: “In an unsigned opinion, the appeals court accepted an assertion from President Barack Obama’s administration that the images are so potent that releasing them could cause riots that would put Americans abroad at risk.”

Judicial Watch has stayed on the case the whole time, not only citing the administration’s lack of transparency but also claiming that watchdog needs the photos to prove bin Laden received a proper Muslim burial — rather than whatever they were imagining. The group’s lawyer, Michael Bekesha, stated that the classified pictures depicted “a somber burial in which the body of the mastermind of the most deadly terrorist attack of the U.S. was treated with the utmost dignity and respect,” Bloomberg reported.

Judicial Watch has not responded for a comment in response to the ruling, and it is unclear if they will continue to pursue the procurement of the photos.

Since When Did It Get So Easy to Pass Immigration Reform? When The Reform Excludes Same-Sex Couples

Mitch McConnell said he wouldn’t block the bipartisan immigration overhaul on Tuesday, and Patrik Leahy said he will hold off — “with a heavy heart” — on a controversial amendment to green cards to spouses of gay couples. But the path to passage is surprisingly clear, even amidst the Obama administration’s scandals.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said he wouldn’t block the bipartisan immigration overhaul on Tuesday, and Senate Judiciary Committee Chair Patrik Leahy said he will hold off — “with a heavy heart” — on a controversial amendment offering green cards to spouses of gay couples, even as Weekly Standard editor Bill Kristol came out against the bill, and 150 conservatives signed a letter demanding senators reject it. “I think the Gang of Eight has made a substantial contribution in moving the issue forward,” McConnell said, saying he was “hopeful” a bill could pass. “The status quo is not good.” But the path to passage is surprisingly clear.

The three Obama administration scandals could make immigration reform easier to pass, The Washington Post’s Ezra Klein argues, because Republicans could use it to show they care about fixing problems as much as they care about holding hearings investigating the White House. Several key compromises have been made. The “gang of eight” has brought in Utah Sen. Orrin Hatch by agreeing to a mandate that 30 airports collect immigrants’ biometric data to track when they exit the country, The New York Times’ Ashley Parker reports. Two years after the bill passed, the 10 biggest airports would start collecting fingerprints. The next 20 airports would follow over six years. On Monday, the judiciary committee accepted South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham’s amendment to end an immigrants’ asylum status if they go back to the country they fled. And on Tuesday, the committee reached an agreement making it easier for employers to hire high-skilled workers — immediately almost doubling the cap on H1-B visas to 110,000, and eventually increasing it to 180,000. And the committee rejected Texas Sen. Ted Cruz’s amendment to spike a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants already here. The bill is expected to be sent to the Senate floor for full debate early next month, with Tuesday night’s approval by the judiciary committee.

sktagg23:

swirlofenjoyment:

Some basic information about trigger warnings and some testimonials about why trigger warnings are important directly from New College students.

I just whipped this up in the last couple of hours because the FORUM is showing a serious lack of compassion for people who have survived trauma and have mental illnesses.

Pass it around, Novos.

R E L E V A N T

The reasons why I include trigger warnings on specific and certain posts, and why I will continue doing so.

(via risquemarionette)

Source: swirlofenjoyment

shavingryansprivates: the girl in this image is kaitlyn hunt, a high school senior in indian river county, florida. kaitlyn hunt is an upstanding student with an exemplary record and plenty of extracurricular activities. she’s in the choir, she’s a cheerleader, she’s a basketball player, and she was even voted “most school spirit” in the school’s yearbook. on february 16th, she was arrested for lewd and lascivious battery on a child age 12-16 for being in a same sex relationship with a fellow 15 year old student. the relationship started when kaitlyn was 17 and her girfriend was 15. as soon as kaitlyn turned 18, her girlfriend’s parents went to the police, had her arrested, and got her expelled from school. not only that, but she had previously already been kicked off the basketball team for being in a same sex relationship. kaitlyn’s girlfriend INSISTS that the relationship is 100% consensual, but the law doesn’t grant her any legal say in the matter, so her parents are able to press charges regardless of her opinion. and because of that, kaitlyn is facing two years of house arrest and a year of probation. they never spoke to kaitlyn’s parents or the school to say they had a problem with the girls dating. they simply went to the police and got her arrested. it would be very simple for anyone to argue that age is the defining factor in this situation, but you and i both know that’s total bullshit. the girls were minors when they started dating. the parents stated that “there is no way our daughter is gay.” this was driven by the homophobia of those parents, plain and simple. if this was an 18 year old male and a 15 year old girl, nobody would give a shit. it happens ALL the time in high schools across the country. but because this young woman, who planned on being a nurse, is now facing felony charges because she was in a same sex relationship. this is not okay. we need to show our support for kaitlyn and send a message to florida legislators that the selective enforcement of laws like this is NOT okay and that we will NOT stand for this. if you’d liike to support kaitlyn’s cause, you can sign this petition, and you can donate money to help pay for the family’s legal funds here. if you’re from florida, you should also find and email your representatives and tell them selective legislation biased against homosexuals, especially teenagers, is simply NOT OKAY!!!! The hacktivist group Anonymous has now gotten involved in Kaitlyn Hunt’s case:  When Florida high school student Kaitlyn Hunt was 17, she began dating a 15-year-old teammate on her school’s girls’ basketball team. Kaitlyn’s parents say the parents of the 15-year-old never complained to them about the (consensual) relationship. But a few months after Kaitlyn turned 18, the younger girl’s parents had her arrested. She was charged with a felony—”lewd and lascivious battery of a child 12-16 years old.” The girl’s parents also succeeded in getting her expelled from school by appealing to the school board after the school and a judge refused to grant their request, according to Kaitlyn’s mother, Kelly Hunt Smith. “That is absolutely ludicrous,” Smith wrote on Facebook last Friday in a widely shared plea for help. “We need justice in this situation, not to feed into these parents’ hates and insanity.” Enter Anonymous, the global hacker collective, which recently has raised eyebrows by pursuing justice for rape victims. In this case, some of the same Anonymous members are rallying behind a girl they feel has been wrongly accused of sexual misconduct. On Saturday, they launched the twitter hashtag #OPJustice4Kaitlyn, and a press release that begins: “Greetings, Bigots.” “The truth is, Kaitlyn Hunt is a bright young girl who was involved in a consensual, same-sex relationship while both she and her partner were minors,” reads the release. “She has a big future ahead of her and there are people, thousands of people in fact, that have no intention of allowing you to ruin it with your rotten selective enforcement.” By this afternoon, protestors had already gathered outside of the office of the Indian River County Sheriff’s Department. In a hastily assembled press conference, County Sheriff Deryl Loar claimed that the case had nothing to do with the fact that Kaitlyn had been dating a girl. “If this was an 18-year-old male and a 14-year-old girl,” he said, “it would be prosecuted in the same way.” Still, Loar suggested at another point that he would not have pursued the case if not for the complaint from the girl’s parents: “When you have vocal victims, that enhances the case as well,” he said. Anonymous has a complicated relationship with sex and gender issues. Historically, the group has embraced homophobic language, most often by appending the term “fag” to anything that it dislikes—i.e., a “moral fag” is someone who takes his causes too seriously. On the other hand, Anonymous has significant number of gay members, according to McGill University anthropologist Gabriella Coleman, who is writing a book about the group. “It is kind of an extreme commitment to free speech,” she says. “And it is also a way of being open to anyone.” While it may seem like a dramatic shift to go from targeting alleged rapists to defending someone accused of a sexual offense, Anonymous’ choice of targets is “in some ways always about what they can exploit and find,” Coleman told me. “It is pretty random oftentimes, at least initially. But that’s what makes them so interesting and difficult to grapple with, because you can’t necessarily predict what they will do.” Indian River Sheriff Loar told reporters today that he’d never heard of Anonymous. But if the experiences of law enforcement officials targeted by other Anonymous ops are any indication, that will soon change. Anonymous has pledged to deliver a petition with 200,000 names on it calling for the resignation of one or more of the authorities involved in the case. “That petition will be delivered by hundreds of men and women, holding signs or wearing masks, yelling into megaphones and getting all up in your business, right on your doorstep,” the press release reads, in the group’s characteristic swagger. “We can afford to stand there for some time, because, LOL, there are a million more of us than there are of you.”
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shavingryansprivates:

the girl in this image is kaitlyn hunt, a high school senior in indian river county, florida. kaitlyn hunt is an upstanding student with an exemplary record and plenty of extracurricular activities. she’s in the choir, she’s a cheerleader, she’s a basketball player, and she was even voted “most school spirit” in the school’s yearbook.

on february 16th, she was arrested for lewd and lascivious battery on a child age 12-16 for being in a same sex relationship with a fellow 15 year old student. the relationship started when kaitlyn was 17 and her girfriend was 15. as soon as kaitlyn turned 18, her girlfriend’s parents went to the police, had her arrested, and got her expelled from school. not only that, but she had previously already been kicked off the basketball team for being in a same sex relationship.

kaitlyn’s girlfriend INSISTS that the relationship is 100% consensual, but the law doesn’t grant her any legal say in the matter, so her parents are able to press charges regardless of her opinion. and because of that, kaitlyn is facing two years of house arrest and a year of probation. they never spoke to kaitlyn’s parents or the school to say they had a problem with the girls dating. they simply went to the police and got her arrested.

it would be very simple for anyone to argue that age is the defining factor in this situation, but you and i both know that’s total bullshit. the girls were minors when they started dating. the parents stated that “there is no way our daughter is gay.”

this was driven by the homophobia of those parents, plain and simple. if this was an 18 year old male and a 15 year old girl, nobody would give a shit. it happens ALL the time in high schools across the country. but because this young woman, who planned on being a nurse, is now facing felony charges because she was in a same sex relationship.

this is not okay. we need to show our support for kaitlyn and send a message to florida legislators that the selective enforcement of laws like this is NOT okay and that we will NOT stand for this.

if you’d liike to support kaitlyn’s cause, you can sign this petition, and you can donate money to help pay for the family’s legal funds here.

if you’re from florida, you should also find and email your representatives and tell them selective legislation biased against homosexuals, especially teenagers, is simply NOT OKAY!!!!

The hacktivist group Anonymous has now gotten involved in Kaitlyn Hunt’s case: 

When Florida high school student Kaitlyn Hunt was 17, she began dating a 15-year-old teammate on her school’s girls’ basketball team. Kaitlyn’s parents say the parents of the 15-year-old never complained to them about the (consensual) relationship. But a few months after Kaitlyn turned 18, the younger girl’s parents had her arrested. She was charged with a felony—”lewd and lascivious battery of a child 12-16 years old.” The girl’s parents also succeeded in getting her expelled from school by appealing to the school board after the school and a judge refused to grant their request, according to Kaitlyn’s mother, Kelly Hunt Smith.

“That is absolutely ludicrous,” Smith wrote on Facebook last Friday in a widely shared plea for help. “We need justice in this situation, not to feed into these parents’ hates and insanity.”

Enter Anonymous, the global hacker collective, which recently has raised eyebrows by pursuing justice for rape victims. In this case, some of the same Anonymous members are rallying behind a girl they feel has been wrongly accused of sexual misconduct. On Saturday, they launched the twitter hashtag #OPJustice4Kaitlyn, and a press release that begins: “Greetings, Bigots.”

“The truth is, Kaitlyn Hunt is a bright young girl who was involved in a consensual, same-sex relationship while both she and her partner were minors,” reads the release. “She has a big future ahead of her and there are people, thousands of people in fact, that have no intention of allowing you to ruin it with your rotten selective enforcement.”

By this afternoon, protestors had already gathered outside of the office of the Indian River County Sheriff’s Department. In a hastily assembled press conference, County Sheriff Deryl Loar claimed that the case had nothing to do with the fact that Kaitlyn had been dating a girl. “If this was an 18-year-old male and a 14-year-old girl,” he said, “it would be prosecuted in the same way.”

Still, Loar suggested at another point that he would not have pursued the case if not for the complaint from the girl’s parents: “When you have vocal victims, that enhances the case as well,” he said.

Anonymous has a complicated relationship with sex and gender issues. Historically, the group has embraced homophobic language, most often by appending the term “fag” to anything that it dislikes—i.e., a “moral fag” is someone who takes his causes too seriously. On the other hand, Anonymous has significant number of gay members, according to McGill University anthropologist Gabriella Coleman, who is writing a book about the group. “It is kind of an extreme commitment to free speech,” she says. “And it is also a way of being open to anyone.”

While it may seem like a dramatic shift to go from targeting alleged rapists to defending someone accused of a sexual offense, Anonymous’ choice of targets is “in some ways always about what they can exploit and find,” Coleman told me. “It is pretty random oftentimes, at least initially. But that’s what makes them so interesting and difficult to grapple with, because you can’t necessarily predict what they will do.”

Indian River Sheriff Loar told reporters today that he’d never heard of Anonymous. But if the experiences of law enforcement officials targeted by other Anonymous ops are any indication, that will soon change. Anonymous has pledged to deliver a petition with 200,000 names on it calling for the resignation of one or more of the authorities involved in the case.

“That petition will be delivered by hundreds of men and women, holding signs or wearing masks, yelling into megaphones and getting all up in your business, right on your doorstep,” the press release reads, in the group’s characteristic swagger. “We can afford to stand there for some time, because, LOL, there are a million more of us than there are of you.”

(via you-suck-at-politics)

Source: shavingryansprivates

Israel and Syria exchange fire in the Golan Heights

shortformblog:

A cross-border exchange of fire in the Golan Heights between the Israeli and Syrian armies early on Tuesday triggered a claim by the Damascus regime that a jeep manned by Israeli troops had entered Syrian territory and was destroyed.

The Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) denied the claim, saying shots were deliberately fired at a patrol inside the Israeli-controlled the Golan Heights, causing minor damage and no injuries. “In response, IDF forces returned precise fire at the source and reported a direct hit,” it said.

It was the latest in a string of cross-border incidents in recent months, which have raised concerns that the two-year-old civil war in Syria could spill over into the neighbouring Golan Heights, which Israel has occupied for more than 40 years.

Israel has launched three air strikes against targets inside Syria in recent weeks, all of which the country claimed were targeting weapons/supplies intended for Hezbollah. It remains to be seen what sort of impact today’s exchange of fire will have on ongoing attempts to jump-start peace talks between the Syrian government and rebel fighters.

bloodonthepillows:

sean-p3:

moddedcarbine:

Thought you couldn’t hate Obama any more than you already do?  This is absolutely absurd.  Just the mere fact that he would ask (order) a Marine to do this shows he has no concept of respect.  Think this is photoshopped?  I got it from the CNN website.  It’s completely true.  Do a web search and you’ll see multiple sources.  This President is absolutely worthless.

….aaaand, the same question I have for everyone who posts something like this: where was your outrage when Reagan, Bush I, and Bush II did the exact same thing?

I’m wondering where everyone was ten years ago when a President ordered Marines, soldiers, saliors and airmen to fight two wars.

People all sudden care about servicemembers when they stand next to the President. When they’re crouched behind a HESCO 90% of this fucking country forgets they’re there.

Do you really fucking think that Marine gives a fuck about holding an umbrella? Do you really think he feels disrespected by his Commander-In-Chief? Or do you think maybe he feels disrespected by the people who are using him as a prop in their partisan attacks?

I get so fucking angry at the people in this country who claim to care about those who serve. Because they only seem to do it when its convenient, when it makes them look or feel good. 

If everyone who claimed to care actually cared this war would be over. If instead of spending news cycles on this kind of Mickey Mouse bullshit people put time and energy into enacting change my friends would be home. The VA wouldn’t have months of backlog. Less veterans would be unemployed and at risk of homelessness. Sexual Assault in the military would be given the attention it desperately needs. And maybe some real headway would be made on servicemember/veteran suicide.

Instead of any of those things happening though we get a week of this fucking garbage.

(via misterdelfuego)

Source: moddedcarbine

Areas With Consitutional Bans On Marriage Are More Likely To Have Same-Sex Families With Children

This infographic shows some surprising research on same-sex couples raising children in metro areas. Mississippi has the highest percentage of same-sex couples raising children at 26 percent.
Source: williamsinstitute.law.ucla.edu

List of the top ten metro areas above and below 1 million:

List of the top ten metro areas above and below 1 million:
Source: williamsinstitute.law.ucla.edu

Check out the full report here.

dropfox: mediamattersforamerica: Given recent allegations that 3 military service members — all who are in charge of sexual assault programs — committed sexual assaults, Fox News has seriously underreported the topic. While MSNBC spent nearly 5 hours on it in the last 2 weeks, Fox News spent less than 19 minutes.  And most of that was Shep.
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dropfox:

mediamattersforamerica:

Given recent allegations that 3 military service members — all who are in charge of sexual assault programs — committed sexual assaults, Fox News has seriously underreported the topic. While MSNBC spent nearly 5 hours on it in the last 2 weeks, Fox News spent less than 19 minutes. 

And most of that was Shep.

Source: mediamattersforamerica

In about 15 minutes, my blog queue takes over with some of my regular blog posts. Posts from the queue are marked “queued post” in the tags. Queued posts will go from 3:30 AM to 5:00 PM, with breaking news updates posted when necessary.

Also, I will be taking small breaks from posting on the Oklahoma tornado special blog coverage to help give my mind a break. They will be (at most) a couple of hours at a time.

Special blog coverage continues tomorrow and throughout the rest of the week, into the weekend. Regular blog posts will be posted via the blog queue overnight and into the mid-afternoon.

Full-fledged regular blogging returns on Monday.

Good night everyone!

-Drew, The Political Freakshow

CNN’s Wolf Blitzer talks to an Oklahoma tornado survivor:

Wolf Blitzer: We’re happy you’re here. You guys did a great job. I guess you got to thank the Lord. Right?

Survivor: Yeah.

Blitzer: Did you thank the Lord for that split-second decision?

Survivor: I — I’m actually an atheist.

Blitzer: You are. All right. But you made the right call.

Survivor: Yeah. We are here. And you know, I don’t blame anybody for thanking the Lord.

Blitzer: Of course not.

This is CNN, cont. - Politico

(via T Says)

image

Why the hell does anyone watch CNN? Does their entire audience consist of folks stuck at the airport/doctor’s office?

(via sugarkat)

(via sugarkat)

Source: politico.com

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