Gov. Christie Abandons Representational Democracy

New Jersey’s state senate today passed a marriage equality bill 24-16. It is expected to pass the Democrat-controlled Assembly as well and then to pass to Governor Chris Christie for signing into law. There’s just one little problem. Christie suddenly doesn’t think he should do his job.

“I think this is not an issue that should rest solely in my hands, or the hands of the Senate President or the Speaker or the other 118 members of the Legislature,” Christie said.

You see? He just can’t make a decision on this issue. When it comes to marriage equality, Christie–who represented the town of Mendham for a year on their board, tried to represent his district in the Assembly but lost in the primary, represented several companies as a lobbyist, represented New Jersey in the federal court system for seven years, and has represented the state as its governor for two years–just can’t find it in himself to shoulder the responsibility of representing. He was fine slashing the budget without input from other state lawmakers, but this…well, this is just too much for him.

Because, of course, this could never be just a chance for Christie to taunt gay marriage proponents:

Continue reading “Gov. Christie Abandons Representational Democracy”

Gov. Christie Abandons Representational Democracy
{advertisement}

Darwin Day Events

Yesterday was, of course, the anniversary of the birth of Charles Darwin. There are a few events scheduled this week in celebration, most of them a chance to learn a bit more about evolution.

Written All Over Us: What Genomes Tell Us About Evolution

When: Thursday, February 16th
7pm – 9pm
Where: Coffman Memorial Union – Room 303
300 Washington Ave. SE
Minneapolis, MN 55455
Facebook Event: http://tinyurl.com/7g4a39r

To celebrate Darwin day, we’re welcoming back CASH’s own Andrew Lyman-Buttler, who is now a biology teacher, to give us a talk, “Written All Over Us: What Genomes Tell Us About Evolution”

Afterwards we’ll head over to Town Hall Brewery for food and drinks.

Darwin was not a Biologist!

Saturday, February 18, 2012, 10:00 AM
Nokomis Community Center
2401 E. Minnehaha Pkwy, Minneapolis, MN

You could read hundreds of pages of Darwin’s work and easily come to the conclusion that he was a geologist. But a different selection of readings would convince you he was a biologist. In truth, he was neither and both. In this talk Dr. Laden will explore what Darwin really was: An experimentalist, a part time anthropologist, a natural historian and most impressively, an integrative thinker of the likes rarely to be seen again for a century after he lived. This talk will draw heavily on Darwin’s own work and provide a sampling of some of his more interesting and compelling findings.

Darwin, Evolutionary Biology, & Race

Sunday, February 19, 2012, 2:00 PM
Roseville Public Library
2180 Hamline Ave. N., Roseville, MN

Anti-science and creationist rhetoric, coming from organizations like the Discovery Institute, often paints Darwin as handmaiden to the Nazis and founder of racist biology. The eugenics movement of the early twentieth century is uncritically melded with Darwin’s writings that touched on race, and the genetic determinism of certain aspects of modern biology is uncritically melded with Darwinian theories. In this talk, Greg Laden will address Darwin’s racism (or lack thereof) and explore the relationship between concepts of race and racism and evolutionary biology of Darwin’s day as well as that of the twenty-first century. Darwin was a nineteenth century gentlemen who benefited greatly from his position in a world colonial empire, but it was his exploration of that world that led him away from religious dogma and soured him on certain racist concepts. He was the founder of much of the theory that was later to be used in rather nefarious ways, but those uses were never based on good biology. This talk will directly address the relationship between modern biology and modern race theory.

Twin Cities Creation Science Association Home School Science Fair

February 18-19, 2012
Har Mar Mall, Roseville, MN

Have you been to the Home School Science Fairs? They are great! Some of the best and brightest K – 12 grade kids in Minnesota were there. You could have learned how stable the Ark was in strong winds, how to, and how not to make yogurt, how weight effects the speed of a sled, and how to get energy from chicken droppings. Over 60 projects were up for display with many passersby stopping to check them out. It was a wonderful opportunity to place a Christian viewpoint of science before the public.

No, I don’t know that this last one is scheduled at this time every year as an observance of Darwin’s birthday. It may just work out that way. Still, if you have an interest in science and evolution, and a little time on your hands, I suggest you go to the fair.

It’s a small group of kids, some of whom have done excellent science fair projects despite the limitations. They’re there and just waiting to tell someone interested about what they’ve done. Hear them out. Enthuse about the science. Ask questions they can think about and answer. Look politely bored when they tell you how the bible verse they’re required to include relates to their project. Thank them for their time and their work.

Then go over to Old Chicago or up the road to Grumpy’s to bang your head on a table and drink. But have your drink knowing that these kids have just been praised by someone entirely outside their normally limited social sphere–and praised for the that interest in science that will later separate many of them from the fundamentalist traditions their parents are trying desperately to impose on another generation. Have a beer knowing you’ve made a small difference.

Darwin Day Events

MRAs Still Wrong on Prison Rape

(See the comments. The math portion of this math problem is correct. The “reading the word problem” part is incorrect.)

In December, I examined the claim that, if we include prison rape, the incidence of rape is higher in men than in women. The standard usage of this claim is to tell feminists to shut up when they’re talking about rape or to claim that feminist lie with statistics.

Recently, the old post has been getting new attention. As far as I can tell, what set this off was Christopher Glazek’s n+1 article on incarceration that included this statement:

In January, prodded in part by outrage over a series of articles in the New York Review of Books, the Justice Department finally released an estimate of the prevalence of sexual abuse in penitentiaries. The reliance on filed complaints appeared to understate the problem. For 2008, for example, the government had previously tallied 935 confirmed instances of sexual abuse. After asking around, and performing some calculations, the Justice Department came up with a new number: 216,000. That’s 216,000 victims, not instances. These victims are often assaulted multiple times over the course of the year. The Justice Department now seems to be saying that prison rape accounted for the majority of all rapes committed in the US in 2008, likely making the United States the first country in the history of the world to count more rapes for men than for women.

So, according to the comments received since then, I’m just one more feminist lying with statistics, especially since someone, somewhere also looked at the National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey (NISVS) and discovered that there are a lot of men who answered that their experiences match the definition of rape, as long as you don’t require rape to be defined as being penetrated. (For the record, this is a change I’ve been advocating for.)

This assertion that I’m lying with statistics runs into two problems, however. Continue reading “MRAs Still Wrong on Prison Rape”

MRAs Still Wrong on Prison Rape

The Trick to Ginger Snaps

…is to remember that most cookie recipes are a little bland. That means you want to take the elements that give the recipe its flavor and amp them up. Use very fresh (dried) ginger. Use more ginger. Don’t use plain sugar or plain fat. Doing all that, a recipe like this one becomes something more like this, where I had to make a second batch on request a few days later:

2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons ground ginger
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoon ground cinnamon (not cassia, if you have real cinnamon)
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup butter
1 cup packed dark brown sugar
1 egg
1/4 cup dark molasses

Preheat the oven to 350F. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper or these awesome things

.

Sift together the dry ingredients. Fresh dried ginger will be sticky and tend to clump up, which you don’t want in your cookies.

Cream the butter and sugar. Mix in the egg until fully incorporated, scraping down the sides of the bowl, then the molasses. Add the flour mixture slowly until you have a soft dough.

Roll the dough between oiled hands into one-inch balls. Place three inches apart on the cookie sheets. Bake for 1o minutes.

Allow to cool slightly on the pan, then transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling. Store in an airtight container for the short period of time it will take you to finish these off.

The Trick to Ginger Snaps

We Stopped SOPA, Now for ACTA

I wish I could tell you exactly what ACTA (the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement) does. I can’t. Now, that isn’t because I haven’t researched the issue. It is instead because this is an international treaty that was negotiated in private. I can, and do below the fold, give you an opportunity to speak against it, no matter what country you’re in.

From the Electronic Freedom Foundation:

ACTA has several features that raise significant potential concerns for consumers’ privacy and civil liberties for innovation and the free flow of information on the Internet legitimate commerce and for developing countries’ ability to choose policy options that best suit their domestic priorities and level of economic development.

Continue reading “We Stopped SOPA, Now for ACTA”

We Stopped SOPA, Now for ACTA

Saturday Storytime: Swift, Brutal Retaliation

Meghan McCarron is one of those writers whose work history has been made up of those things that almost no one else does. It’s little wonder that when she sits down to write a ghost story, she takes on new territory. This family is definitely haunted, but not quite in the way you’d expect.

The sisters spent the reception hiding in plain sight, or trying to. They glued themselves to their grandmother, who had flown in for the occasion. Their grandmother was a sour old lady who smelled like cigarettes and gin fumes. But she was also tall and heavyset, so they could literally hide behind her as she talked to second cousins and great-aunts and even a step-something, the girls didn’t catch what. Sometimes the sisters held hands. Brigid was the one who did the hand-seeking-out, but Sinead was secretly glad for something to hold on to when strangers stooped down to say they were sorry. Where were they when Ian was sick? Sorry? Sinead would make them sorry.

There were still people in the house that night, straggler aunts and loud neighbors. One of Ian’s coaches was out back with their father, smoking cigars and laughing too loud. At some point, their mother noticed the girls scavenging in the kitchen and sent them up to bed. Sinead made Brigid go up first, since her bedtime was an hour after her sister’s, but once Brigid was gone Sinead felt unmoored. She was too proud to give up her older-sibling right to a later bedtime, but she also didn’t want to be in the room with the loud, sad adults. She found herself contemplating the whole-wheat dairy-free lasagna. Their mother had left it out to rot, and the faux cheese was buckling and sweating.

Sinead heard Brigid turn on the shower in her bathroom. Brigid had only started showering before bed a few months earlier, to imitate her older sister. This infuriated Sinead generally; tonight it felt like a slap in the face. Sinead snatched up the casserole dish and took the withering lasagna up to Brigid’s messy pink room. She carved it up with a butter knife and hid the uneven squares under Brigid’s pillow, beneath her covers, in her shoes, under her dresser—anywhere it would either squish or rot. This was a cruel thing to do after Sinead had spent all day comforting and being comforted by her sister. But the comforting also served to remind Sinead that it was just the two of them now, and that she could no longer enjoy the position of invisible middle child. She had embraced this identity with gusto—her favorite book was The One in the Middle Is the Green Kangaroo—but now she was the oldest. In the books she’d read, the oldest was bossy and bullying, or foolish and frivolous. In their family, the oldest was either sick, or played pranks.

As Sinead stashed the lasagna in the tradition of her dead brother, she began to feel as if she were being watched. She whirled around, sure that she would find Brigid in her pink bathrobe, her hair piled on her head in a towel, like women in old movies and their mother. But the shower was still roaring, and Sinead found herself staring at her reflection in the mirror.

Except it wasn’t her reflection. The face was Ian’s.

Then it wasn’t. Sinead took several gulping breaths. One of her aunts had sent her books about grieving, so she’d known that she might end up hallucinating. She must be hallucinating.

Keep reading.

Saturday Storytime: Swift, Brutal Retaliation

In Praise of All Strong Marriages

As someone who knows several gay and lesbian couples whose relationships have flourished even longer than mine with my husband (rapidly approaching 17 years), I know that the existence and recognition of other loving, committed couples only provides my husband and me with additional healthy role models. Given that, I’ll be participating in this:

Derek and his wife, Tessie.
Derek and his wife, Tessie.

I’d like you to meet Derek Forgie.  I’ve known Derek for almost twenty years- we were both involved in the arts community here in North Bay for many years before Derek moved down to Toronto in search of fame and fortune.  Well, mostly fame.

Derek is the most motivated guy I know.  When he wants to do something, he just does it.  When he moved to Toronto he started HSSE, Heterosexuals for Same Sex Equality, a group whose mission statement is to advocate for LGBT issues from a heterosexual angle- and to get the message out that human rights are everyone’s rights.

HSSE has already organized a successful campaign called “Straight Not Narrow”- selling T-shirts and organizing community involvement including participation in the Pride Parade in Toronto.  The T-shirt is awesome and sends a clear and catchy message while raising money for a great cause.  I’m not here to sell you a T-shirt though, don’t worry.

Continue reading “In Praise of All Strong Marriages”

In Praise of All Strong Marriages

Atheists Talk: John Rawles on "The Matter with Us"

Note: Please run over and welcome my Atheist Talk cohost Brianne to Freethought Blogs. The Minnesota takeover of the network is nearly complete!

Once we have rejected the spiritual, we are left with the material. That should simplify our lives, right? Not necessarily. As John Rawles book, The Matter with Us: A Materialistic Account of the Human Predicament, notes on its title page:

The bridge of spaceship Earth is deserted; nobody is in charge. Down below, the passengers are fighting amongst themselves, damaging the craft, looting the stores, and squandering the reserves. As a fellow passenger it gives me no pleasure to report what I see. What’s the matter with us that we should behave like this? Surely, we would all prefer that many future generations should continue to enjoy the cruise of a lifetime in safety, comfort and good health; but that seems unlikely. And it was such a beautiful ship.

Of course, the situation isn’t all doom and gloom either. We got ourselves here, and at least for now, we have some choices about where we go next. Join us on Sunday as we talk to John Rawles about how we got where we are and what we can do to make sure the cruise goes on.

Related Links:

Listen to AM 950 KTNF this Sunday at 9 a.m. Central to hear Atheists Talk, produced by Minnesota Atheists. Stream live online. Call in to the studio at 952-946-6205, or send an e-mail to [email protected] during the live show. If you miss the live show, listen to the podcast later.

Atheists Talk: John Rawles on "The Matter with Us"

Rape Trauma and Triggers

If you read much around FtB, you’ve heard about “The Amazing Atheist”, a ragey vlogger who turned his rage on a rape victim. If you need to catch up and are up for some real ugliness, Kazim brought us the news here, PZ had a few choice words about consent and oppression, Natalie noted some strange places she’s seen this guy cited, and DanielCrommunist, Jason, Jen, and Greg have all suggested their readers unsubscribe and shun. So, yes, if you’re subscribed to this guy’s YouTube channel, please fix that now.

I’d like to add a brief note about PTSD and triggers. You see, this whole thing started with TAA declaring on Reddit that he doesn’t believe in triggering. He then went on to attempt to trigger the rape victim in question and claimed it proved his point when no triggering occurred. One little note, then, for TAA: Triggering is part of the definition of PTSD, you self-blindered ass.

Continue reading “Rape Trauma and Triggers”

Rape Trauma and Triggers

Being Attacked for Fun and Profit

Via Suzanne, always a good source of interesting leftie articles, pointed to one last night that analyzes the success of the pushback against the Komen foundation’s abandonment of Planned Parenthood.

I’ve already seen several stories about the power of social media in breathless posts about the role of Twitter and Facebook in the Komen debacle. It reminded me of the early days of blogs and before that email campaigns.

I will point out one insight that I got after Mike asked me a question, “Why did the SOPA story work and the push for Net Neutrality go down the wonk hole?”

I wondered about this and why the overwhelming response on SGK’s action regarding Planned Parenthood.  Part of it is because we on the left know how to respond to overreach. We aren’t as good going on the attack and creating outrage.

Some people have talked about keeping the pressure on SGK, doing oppo research on the board members and using it against them.  I think keeping the pressure on is the right idea, but that’s the wrong approach.

If we started an oppo program the media (with the willing help of the MSM and their corporate backers) would start having to “balance” their stories and defend SGK.

There can be exposure, but not out and out attacks. At this point one of the best ways to put pressure on them is by helping them rip themselves apart from inside.

This is one of those things I do to a certain extent myself. It can be very useful to give an opponent an opportunity (and a certain amount of pressure) to speak, to ask questions and keep following up on them. It’s extra useful when dealing with authoritarian types, because they really do not care to be required to explain themselves. It makes them cranky. Then, eventually, the public face slips. In public.

Then the fun starts. The calm, quiet, rational fun.

Rather than us attack Komen, we should simply be pointing out to people who run large enterprises that right-wing ideologues are unstable and can’t be trusted to put the larger interests of the firm ahead of their own personal agendas. If you put them in positions of power, you’ll have to watch them every minute so they don’t run your company into the ditch.  They don’t have the detachment and reasonableness required for business — and they don’t give a good goddamn what they’re doing to your assets when they get on these holy-roller tears — so it’s just too risky to trust them.

There are other ways to use these sorts of “overreach” as well. The important thing is to remember it’s there, not very far from the surface, ready for you to use.

Being Attacked for Fun and Profit