The Ties that Bind Us

Thirty years ago women focused on equality in U.S. church and society. Today that expectation remains largely unfulfilled around the world.

The institutional Roman Catholic Church is widely seen as the epitome of male privilege run amok, covering up some of its leaders’ criminal sexual behavior and illegal financial dealings by focusing on the perceived shortcomings of women.

I fear this current discussion of women, and even the seemingly helpful efforts to eradicate sex trafficking that are being discussed in Rome this week may be more smokescreens than picture windows. I long to be proven wrong. - Mary E. Hunt

Venere Restaurata - Man Ray

The quote above is the closing paragraph in Mary E. Hunt's article Vatican Council on Women Would Be Funny Were It Not So Insulting. The article is a thoughtful analysis worth reading. I think I can support her scepticism graphically.

The Pontifical Council for Culture in Rome, presided over by Cardinal Gianfranco Ravasi and made up of cardinals and bishops who are all men, discussed “Women’s Cultures: Equality and Difference” from February 4-7, 2015. The council chose Man Ray’s Venus Restored 1936 as the cover illustration for its study document in preparation for the meeting. 

Mary Hunt is a respectable lady and I am not sure she would feel comfortable being quoted in Plum Land. Hat tip from me but no apology. I am underscoring her sense of the absurdity of it all. Not one woman was allowed to speak at that council. 

Tell me, Cher Reader, would you illustrate the cover of a conference on say Men's Cultures: Equality and Difference with this image? And then not allow men to speak about their reactions to such? You think that might cause a wee problem?

At least this image has arms and some fooking clothes on. How tone deaf is the Roman Catholic hierarchy? Catholic women are the church. Why do these celibate men disrespect and marginalize us? What revolting narcissism. 

Bound Man (Hombre atado)

David Alfaro Siqueiros (Mexico, 1896-1974)

Mexico, 1930

Woodcut on colored tissue paper

The Bernard and Edith Lewin Collection of Mexican Art

Latin American Art

Vaginal Probe Keychain - Magic Google Finger

My friend rg9rts coined the phrase 'vaginal probe keychain.' I never heard of such. I asked what it was. Rg9rts allowed as how it was made up. So creative. We were discussing the War on Women.

I thought it was a euphonious phrase, so I googled it. I did that once before with interesting results. This is the result of my google, The best attributions I can find are below or on the images.:

http://atheistuniverse.net/photo/vaginal-probe

During the height of last year’s outcry over the GOP’s “War on Women,” transvaginal probes became one of the most recognizable symbols of the Republican Party’s overreaching anti-abortion policies. Particularly when Virginia pushed forward with a controversial measure to require all women seeking abortions to undergo a transvaginal ultrasound, women’s health advocates decried the practice as “state-sponsored rape.” Read more at Think Progress.

I do not mean to diss those who enjoy electro sex. It is a shame that the dirty filthy GOP taints all that is good and creative. You can get the bumper sticker below for $1.00 American.

FASCIST KITTEH

I have viciously funny friends.

Re: Snowmageddon in Philadelphia - 
Coming Soon! 8-13 inches!

Nick Vanocur

On the bright side, it will be harder for police to shoot people in a blizzard.

MagnaDave

White people.

Barry Goldwater warned us about these Mofos.

"Secular theocracy" is a bad thing says Mike Huckabee. I guess Huckabee was asleep in English class and missed the lesson on oxymorons.

Secular theocracy is a Frank Luntzian phrase - makes you sound smart to others - unless the others are smart. I want my POTUS to be smarter than me Huckabee. Epic fail.

“In every country and in every age, the priest has been hostile to liberty. He is always in alliance with the despot, abetting his abuses in return for protection to his own. It is error alone that needs the support of government. Truth can stand by itself.”
~Founding Father Thomas Jefferson, in a letter to Horatio Spofford, 1814

Huckabee is the guy who told me I have a bad character for wanting birth control covered by my medical insurance. HuckaJesus said good women with self control do not need "Uncle Sugar." In other words, he called me a slut and a prostitute because I do not have the same political and religious opinion he has. Religious authoritarians have very high standards - for others. I would rip his face off for a nickel. 

The Republican Conservative Barry Goldwater said this about folks like the Hucksterbee. Where are the sane Republicans? Come back, come back. Maybe they are all dead?

"Mark my word, if and when these preachers get control of the [Republican] party, and they're sure trying to do so, it's going to be a terrible damn problem. Frankly, these people frighten me. Politics and governing demand compromise. But these Christians believe they are acting in the name of God, so they can't and won't compromise. I know, I've tried to deal with them.

The religious factions that are growing throughout our land are not using their religious clout with wisdom.... I'm frankly sick and tired of the political preachers across this country telling me as a citizen that if I want to be a moral person, I must believe in 'A,' 'B,' 'C,' and 'D.' Just who do they think they are?... I will fight them every step of the way if they try to dictate their moral convictions to all Americans in the name of conservatism."
- Barry Goldwater, (1909–1998), five-term US Senator, Republican Party nominee for President in 1964*, Maj. Gen., US Air Force Reserves, author of The Conscience of a Conservative.

Baby in a Blender

I think that Abortion Zealots are disordered. And I make that perfectly clear HERE.

I like to keep up with what is going on in the body politic. So I read and post to discussions on the Net. I found this GEM of a comment on a Rolling Stone article about abortion:

Zealot:  Using machines to go into the body and terminate a function the body was already doing isn't really "respecting the body". And thats not even mentioning how DISrespectful it is to the baby in the blender.

This comment is FetusPorn. Baby in a blender? Woman as blender and abortion as whirling blender blades? Shudder. Here is another sadistic comment showed up recently in an abortion discussion. I am collecting them.

Juan Carlos  ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ....Pay for your own uterus scraping 

 Zealots say these things because they care. The issue is how they care. Should these sadistic trolls be free to harass women on American street corners at will? I mean, who else do you think is outside those clinics.

Both studies revealed similar patterns of relations between trolling and the Dark Tetrad of personality: trolling correlated positively with sadism, psychopathy, and Machiavellianism, using both enjoyment ratings and identity scores. Of all personality measures, sadism showed the most robust associations with trolling and, importantly, the relationship was specific to trolling behavior. Enjoyment of other online activities, such as chatting and debating, was unrelated to sadism. Thus cyber-trolling appears to be an Internet manifestation of everyday sadism.  - Trolls Just Want to Have Fun

Look at the rest of the language: "machines go into the body." This person is a sexual freak. It has a rich full fantasy life. Now, the questions I ask myself when I encounter one of these freaks on a message board are:

How far does its madness go? Is its madness confined to keeping the KY and Kleenex there by the computer, so it can whackoff neatly when it types "machines go into the body?" Is it a fan of anime porn only? Or is it an arsonist, assassin, bomber and/or a child molester?

The most poignant delusion this Zealot Freak exhibits is its delusion that It will be seen as caring and moral.

You know what really frosts my cookies? In the Insane Morality Play that is internet "civility censorship," my comments you have just read got sent to "moderation." The Freaks comments sailed right on through. Oh Rolling Stone. How the mighty have fallen. So it goes.

Black Gold and Arkansas - UPDATE Aerial View

Renewed Keystone XL legislation made me want to revisit this event. I wrote this April 1 2013. A lot has happened since then.

A woman named Jane Cleeb and a lot of Nebraska farmers have been kicking ass and taking names. I hope the recent approval of the pipeline by the House of Representatives and the Nebraska Supreme Court do not discourage them.

A ruptured oil pipeline destroys a very nice neighborhood. This tar sands stuff does not dissolve and it stinks bad. The oil is corrosive and full of chemicals so it dissolves the pipes. These folks did not know about the pipeline when they bought their houses.

Imagine this crap in the waterways and the Ogallala Aquifer. There is still a coating of oil and chemicals on the floor of the Gulf of Mexico from the BP spill.

You are looking at your future if they build this pipeline. At the time of this writing, Exxon submitted a Bill to the AK legislature that says Exxon does not have to pay you if they destroy your home and neighborhood by spill. How long are we going to allow Corporations to privatize all the profits and socialize the pollution and mistakes?

http://epaosc.org/site/image_list.aspx?site_id=8502

http://m.arkansasonline.com/galleries/16941/album/

The links above will take you to slide shows of the Mayflower Spill. As I looked at all the photographs of the cleanup, the still small voice asked me "Where are they putting the cleanup trash?" I did not like what I heard my self answer "Remember Love Canal?"

This guy has it right.

Cabu was assassinated at Charlie Hebdo - Sign of the Month - January 2015

Cabu was born in 1938 and had been doing political cartooning for more than 40 years. Some of his work is below. The cartoons do not require translation. We can see his lifelong dedication to peace on Earth and his hatred of violence. Rest in peace and honor. 

True. This! —
Beneath the rule of men entirely great
The pen is mightier than the sword.
Behold
The arch-enchanters wand! — itself is nothing! —
But taking sorcery from the master-hand
To paralyse the Cæsars, and to strike
The loud earth breathless! —
Take away the sword —
States can be saved without it!
- Edward Bulwer Lytton