04:43:54 01/06/2017
https://youtu.be/VxeqSkiDQ9c
| Did you know that you can help sponsor 5 Things You Should Know for as little as $50 a week? Ask Us How. |
‘Tis a cold wind that blows
Brrrrr! If you feel a draft this morning, you might be in the central Midwest where temps are in the single digits and wind blowing across the snow puts wind chills well below zero. At these temperatures, frostbite is a serious possibility, especially if you have children standing outside waiting on a school bus. Be sure to dress everyone in multiple layers of loose clothing to prevent any danger there. Meanwhile, the South is gearing up for a major winter storm barreling down at them from the Rockies. This could be a rough weekend.
I could have ten things you should know this morning and still not cover everything that is newsworthy. Vice President Joe Biden told the president-elect to grow up yesterday1. It would be funny to watch to old men fight if they weren’t supposed to be leading the freakin’ country. Trump now says American taxpayers will fund that wall with Mexico2. And Hustler is suing the city of Indianapolis3, but we don’t have time for any of that. What we have are five other things we think you should know.
A severe lack of intelligence
President-elect Donald Trump is supposed to receive his national security briefing this morning, one that President Obama saw several days ago. We can only guess how the president-elect might receive the news, but it isn’t going to be pretty as national intelligence director James Clapper and other national security advisors double-down on the evidence that Russia not only was involved in hacking during the election, but engaged in other activities aimed at altering the outcome4.
Don’t expect that news to set too well with the president-elect, who has chosen to listen to Wikileaks’ founder Julian Assange rather than the people with actual evidence of the hacking and other activities conducted under the authority of the Russian government. During a hearing yesterday before the Senate Armed Services committee, support for the US intelligence community was strongly bipartisan, setting up a rift between Congress and the president-elect that could affect a number of decisions in the immediate future.
At the same time, former CIA director James Woosely has resigned5 from the president-elect’s transition team and former Indiana Senator Dan Coates, whom the New York Times describes as “the Mister Rogers Senator,” has been named as the person likely to replace Director Clapper later this month6. Put everything together and what we have is a picture of an incoming administration that is long on talk and short on actual intelligence. Definitely not a good way to start.
A most deplorable hate crime
If you were paying attention yesterday at the start of our article, we mentioned the arrest of four people in Chicago who live streamed a brutal kidnapping. At the point we were writing things yesterday, details were still sketchy. What we now know is that four people used Facebook Live to stream their torture and abuse of a mentally challenged man, who was tied up, hit, and cut with a knife by several assailants in what is being described as one of the most brutal scenes ever broadcast7.
All four people have been arrested and charged with committing a hate crime, aggravated kidnapping, aggravated unlawful restraint, and aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, burglary, robbery and possession of a stolen motor vehicle. Chicago police superintendent Eddie Johnson told reporters that, “There was never a question whether or not this incident qualified to be investigated as a hate crime … The actions in that video are reprehensible.”
One of the challenges this crime presents is exactly what, if anything, Facebook could have done to prevent the live stream from being broadcast. While the crime itself was bad enough, having the unmitigated gall to stream such an act is beyond deplorable. Fears are that the ease of streaming events is such that other ego-driven criminals might commit even worse acts for everyone to see. Unless Facebook and other streaming providers can get a lock on this issue, they could be facing civil suits for providing the platform.
A continued assault on women and gender
As if women’s and transgender rights hadn’t come under enough fire in 2016, 2017 is shaping up to be an even larger battle. There’s more here than I have time to discuss so please click the numbered links to check our references. For starters, a federal district judge ruled the doctors may turn away women who have had abortions and transgender patients based on the doctor’s religious freedom rights8. How is this even possible? Thank that idiotic Burwell v. Hobby Lobby ruling in 2014 that sets such a precedent.
At the same time Texas Republicans, apparently unable to learn from the experience of North Carolina, have introduced a bill that requires people to use the restroom and locker room defined by the gender on their birth certificate and bans cities from passing ordinances contrary to that law9. Now, sports is a really big money maker in the Lone Star state and we don’t want to even get started on all the music festivals and events such as SXSW that occur in Austin. Threats of boycotts are already being voiced. North Carolina has lost millions in revenue. Are Texans any smarter?
Then, to top it all off, Speaker of the House Paul Ryan once again has vowed to strip Planned Parenthood of all federal funding as the new Republican-dominated Congress attempts to re-write healthcare laws10. This is not a new fight and Republicans tried repeatedly last year to do the same thing. The challenge facing them this year is that any attempt to defund the non-profit that provides healthcare for millions of women might result in the entire re-write of the Affordable Care Act being scuttled. Speaker Ryan best watch his step.
Significant change for the military
It is no secret that thousands of Sikh and Muslim recruits have been turned away from serving in the US military because of the strict rules regarding uniform appearance. That, however, is changing. Army Secretary Eric Fanning signed a memorandum that would allow Sikh and Muslim recruits to dress and groom themselves in a manner appropriate to their religious beliefs11. The new rules not only affect men serving in the Army, but also allow for women to wear hijabs provided they are free of any religious markings or decorations.
To be able to take advantage of the new ruling, those currently serving in the Army would need to apply for a religious accommodation. Once approved, the accommodation would follow them throughout their career and would not be allowed to influence job duties or duty locations except in specific highly-sensitive circumstances. The women’s hair code was also modified in the memorandum to allow for braids, cornrows, twists or locks.
What effect this might have on the Army rank and file remains to be seen. One of the issues drilled into recruits during basic training is that they are no longer an individual but part of a group and that they must put the needs and safety of the group ahead of their own. Having different grooming and appearance rules for some that do not apply to others would seem to be a visual violation of that general rule. Still, religious liberty advocates are excited about the change and the opportunity it provides.
And finally …
New parents have been warned for the past 30 years that they need to be careful when introducing their child to potential allergens such as peanuts. Conventional wisdom has been to wait until a child is at least two years old before introducing them to peanuts. All that changed yesterday, however, when the National Institutes of Health issued a new ruling stating that introducing those foods as early as six months could help prevent those very allergies12.
Ground-breaking research has found that early exposure to such foods is much more likely to help infants rather than hurt them as has been previously thought. This is an extremely serious matter as peanut allergies specifically is a growing problem affecting roughly two percent of children born in the United States. Pediatricians are now advising that if a family member has an existing peanut allergy then that is all the more reason to start feeding them to the infant early.
No, this does not mean you can just toss a bag of peanuts at your little one for a snack. Common sense is appropriate here. Smooth peanut butter is likely to be the best form of introduction, and that should be mixed with things such as oatmeal. The guidelines also recommend that the child have experience with other solid foods before introducing those with peanuts. As always, if you have any questions or concerns, consult your family pediatrician.
Once again, we are out of time for today. Since we’ve started writing this morning, breaking news says that Russia is pulling its military out of Syria, so we’ll be watching that along with a number of other things. The latest wage report is due today as well, so we’ll be looking at that. In the mean time, bundle up, stay safe, and join us tomorrow. It’s Friday. Enjoy.
The World Is Crazy And You’re Going To Pay For It
Nudity is an appropriate response
Life on this planet is not easy. Every part of this planet is trying to exterminate us, from floods to hurricanes, a “wall of water” in Florida, earthquakes, volcano eruptions, and bears that are sick and tired of being compared to creepy white men. This is not a planet that is especially kind to human beings. You’d think we’d be more careful to band together and make sure that we are all living the best lives we possibly can. But no. We stupidly have decided that killing each other, disrespecting each other, and just plain being mean is how we want to behave.
Okay, maybe let me filter that a little bit. That is how the far-right portion of the country, dominated politically by Southern Baptists and the GOP, chooses to behave. I’ve not seen too many people outside of that group being such poor examples of humanity, though there certainly are some. Mental illness is usually the excuse given to them. Still, the GOP and their felonious leader are intent on disrespecting, if not outright eliminating, the lives of everyone who doesn’t agree with them. Whoever gave them the idea that they have the right to do that needs to have their noggin examined, but since no one is taking responsibility for that, we have to take them to task ourselves.
I’m going to look at three specific things that happened recently and were reported today. These things matter because if we don’t lock them down and yell and scream our absolute disgust and outrage, they’ll keep happening and, ultimately you will pay the price. Personally, I plan on dying sometime in the next twenty years, so I’ll probably avoid the worst of it. But the rest of you are in danger. Consider this your warning.
A lot of people like to accuse the good folks of Seattle, Washington of being liberal and soft on crime, but that’s not the case of Aaron Brown Myers, a 51-year-old resident of the city who apparently thinks he’s a one-person police force. This fucking idiot decided that he was going to sit outside a Big 5 Sporting Goods store in Renton, Washington “just in case” the place were to be the victim of a violent crime. WHY he thought that the sporting goods store was going to be targeted no one seems to know at this point. Still, this self-proclaimed “security consultant” sat out in the parking lot and waited for something to happen.
Along come three kids, two of the kids had Airsoft guns on their person, one in a back pocket, the other in a coat pocket. They intended to return or replace the guns because they weren’t operating as they should. It’s important to understand that Airsoft is a game, not a brand. The compressed air-powered weapons can be purchased legally from a variety of sources and, because they’re not considered lethal, can be purchased and carried by people under the age of 18. Because of the wide variety of brands and the popularity of such games, it’s not too surprising that some guns would be prone to being faulty.
Seeing the three kids, Myers makes the stupid decision that they must be about to violently rob the store and decides to intervene. He ended up killing a 17-year-old. The teen was shot once in the side and six times in the back. King County senior deputy prosecuting attorney Lauren M. Burke wrote in a case summary, “In this case, the defendant attacked three teenagers who had not committed any crime and at every stage of the interaction chose to escalate with more and more violence until it culminated in the defendant taking the life of 17-year-old H.R.”
Myers’ attorneys are claiming that he “feared for his life,” but you and I both know that’s total nonsense. He was told that the boys were only carrying Airsoft guns, not real ones. And shooting anyone in the back six times is overly aggressive. Furthermore, this isn’t the first time Myers has pulled this stunt! According to public records, on March 22, Myers called 911 and said that a person on a bicycle was holding a gun and pointing it at people. He told the 911 operator that he (Myers) had a pistol and “might have to intervene.” That time, the police got there and discovered that there was no weapon. Left to his own devices, Myers would have shot a totally innocent person.
This is one of the biggest problems with the broad outline of the Second Amendment. Myers isn’t part of some “regulated militia!” He’s a fucking menace! It’s because of him that the very concept of “good guys with a gun” is null and void. Just earlier this week, the FBI announced that murders across the country are down by 15% over last year! We don’t need fuck-ups like Myers taking it upon himself to sit in random parking lots and look for potential robbers. He’s killed someone completely innocent. A kid who had his entire life in front of him and probably was himself a gun proponent. Because of idiots like this, you and I are better off shopping from home.
Long before they showed up in Indianapolis this week, we knew the Southern Baptist Convention was going to do some stupid things while in town. The fun thing is that the headline being spread around sounds like they didn’t. “Southern Baptists reject ban on women pastors in historic vote” is the headline being pushed by USA Today. As is often the case with this particular news source, the headline is not 100% accurate.
While the 10,000 or so “messengers” fell short of the two-thirds majority to change their constitution, they only did so narrowly. 61% voted in favor of the measure. Southern Baptists still hate the voice of women, still reject the historical and biblical authority of women, and have their heads completely up their asses and stuck deep in their bowels as to how women could actually help the rapidly declining population of the denomination. Being a woman in a Southern Baptist church is like being a mole on someone’s back: no one notices until it turns cancerous and starts causing trouble.
Let’s be very clear: what Southern Baptist rejected was allowing the national organization, or any subset thereof, to control the actions of individual churches in any way, shape, or form. This was about governmental autonomy, not women. One of the hallmarks of the SBC is that each of their churches is independent. There is no council that keeps pastors in line, there is no committee that can slap sanctions on a church that steps out of line. This is why they have no database, no hard records, and no way of defrocking ministers who are guilty of rape and sexual abuse, both of which are, according to previous outside reports, rampant across the entirety of SBC churches. They’re a bunch of ministerial predators who want to avoid anything that could get them caught and result in a large number of pastors and youth ministers ending up in jail. THAT is what the SBC rejected this afternoon.
Making their hatred of and desire to dominate women even more obvious, the SBC also voted today to condemn IVF procedures. In my opinion, this may be one of the most cruel statements they’ve ever issued. What the statement essentially does is allow local churches to excommunicate, or in their terms, “remove from fellowship,” any woman who avails herself of IVF procedures at any time, whether it works or not.
Disclaimer: I have both family members and very dear friends who are the fortunate parents of darling children whose birth would not have been possible without IVF. I might be a bit biased on the issue.
Why in the world would the SBC [and the Catholic church as well] villainize a medical procedure that holds the potential of bolstering their sagging membership? Because IVF has become the new center of the ridiculous abortion argument. Mind you, it’s not a debate. A debate occurs between two reasonable people based on established facts. The anti-abortion side is not reasonable and refuses to recognize established medical facts. This is a sloppy and unnecessary argument that no intelligent person would engage in were this a reasonable society. The far-right is afraid of reason, however. They fear that reason will keep you from believing in their deity (which is likely true). Therefore, they abandon reason altogether and come at us with one stupid idea after another.
IVF has helped millions of families conceive and have beautiful children who are loved and cherished. The process (which I just had to explain to Tipper because she was looking over my shoulder) involves taking an egg from the mommy and the sperm from the daddy and introducing them to each other in a petri dish. If the egg likes the sperm and becomes fertilized, it is then planted back in the mommy who then becomes pregnant. Nine months later, if everything goes well, a beautiful little baby is born.
The problem, from a medical perspective, is that not everything goes well. In fact, the chances of a mother’s body rejecting the zygote (calling it a fetus is wrong) are pretty high. That’s why doctors don’t do one at a time. Repeated rejections would be extremely difficult on the mother’s body and could keep her from ever carrying a baby to term. To remedy that problem, they take multiple eggs (and plenty of sperm) and then only reinsert the most viable zygotes. This is why you’ve seen a dramatic increase in the number of twins, triplets, and quads over the past few years. It is safe to assume that if they’re not identical (all from the same egg) siblings, then they are likely IVF babies.
Again, you’d think churches would be excited about the prospect of more babies! But no, they’re worried about the leftovers, the ones that are either ethically destroyed or frozen in case the couple wants to try again somewhere down the road. In the opinion of the church, destroying those eggs and sperm, most of which have not yet been brought together and likely never will be, is the same as abortion.
See? I told you they don’t recognize established facts! These are not viable fetuses that we’re talking about! If implanted in a mother’s womb, there is a severe potential they could do incalculable damage to the woman’s body. And you know what else? The SBC wants other couples to “adopt” these frozen specimens and “bring them into a full life.” Do you even begin to comprehend how fucking dangerous that is? Getting IVF to take hold is rough enough when only the biological parents are involved. Bring in another family and the chances for everything to go wrong, including but not limited to the death of the woman, rises astronomically! Who the fuck would want to encourage that? Slapping everyone across the face with an iron skillet would be less painful!
This is exactly how wrong Catholics, Southern Baptists, and the GOP are on reproductive rights. They’d rather see people die than listen to science and/or allow a woman to have control over her own body. They’re happy to risk the lives of adults if it “saves” a fucking zygote. There are no working brain cells in their argument! This is idiocy at its worst and if you’re buying this load of crap then you’re just as big an idiot.
Yeah, I said it. Intelligent people trust the science, not the mythology.
And that’s just a part of the crazy that has taken place today. You might as well strip down and run around naked in your front yard. You still won’t be as crazy as the far right and their felonious leader.
Share this:
Like this: