Sweet baby jesus, what's gayer than gay?

Blogger Vox Day's band of followers.

I stumbled upon this gem yesterday, sent to me by a friend. I honestly didn't know if Day is serious in his anti-women articles, or if he is a parody of a woman-hater just trying to get attention or to make money. People can resort to pathetic means when trying to gain fame, or infamy.

The article he writes here, in the ever-neutral, ever-reliable news source World Net Daily "A Free Press for a Free People," Day discusses "The real assault on science."

This self-ascribed "...member of the SFWA, Mensa and IGDA..." (not that anyone knows what those acronyms stand for) writes about how the principle of "female equalitarianism" (ie-the belief that men and women are equal)is the single biggest threat to "Western Civilization" and to science. After the predictable woman-hating rants against Title IX, atheism (because how does one uphold his male-on-top status without the misuse of religion?), and "womyn's" studies (his spelling) he actually gets to the point of his article, which is not at all related to the former topics: that women are good at education, just not the application of it in the real world. And this failure in ability to apply themselves is going to lead to the destruction of science as we know it.

He matter-of-factly states "Of course, this will sound to equalitarians and their sympathizers like nothing more than male whining, but it's nothing of the sort. Because they are the intellectual driving force of humanity, men will be fine..."

Oh, it gets better.

He continues, "It is written that 'women ruin everything'; having destroyed the liberal arts, the classics and the pseudo-sciences, it is now abundantly clear that the more rigorous sciences are next on the equalitarians' destructive agenda."

Of course, we don't know where "it" is written. Or who said that "women ruin everything," but I suppose we should just take this Mensa member's word for it. After all, a wise man once said, "Wherever you go, there you are."

Instead of getting angry (because really, how could one take this article seriously?), I went to his blog to figure out if this was just a parody of a typical woman hater. To see if the guy was actually serious when he wrote this article about applied science that doesn't actually apply any science.

Yep, he was serious.

I left a comment on his blog calling him a tool for this, and the rash of his fellow circle-jerk members were quick to defend him and to tell me to "take it up the ass" with their (obviously) large penises, and to whip out my "womyn's studies" book.

Yawn.

A group of men who hate woman predictably stereotyping someone who opposes their views as a "womyn's studies" major or something. Because how could a woman possibly be offended without having a college degree in feminism? Not any women of theirs, who are surely cutting their pieces of steak for them at the kitchen table as we read this.

One can't blame them. It is true. Okay, kind of. On the way to my graduate degree and then my successful career in the applied sciences, I did take a women and lit class once in undergrad to fulfill gen. ed requirements. Maybe that's what they were referring to?

But I guess my success is due more to some kind of gender affirmative action, than any true ability on my part?

After all, Mr. Day said that "womyn" are bad at science, it must be true. Don't believe him? Ask his fans. They will back up his article with "scientific" facts of their own. I mean... they are coming from men. It must be true.

What is the saddest thing of all, though, is that I think most of these guys really believe what they write. They whine when people stereotype them as having tiny dicks, or being secretly gay, or as hating women. I don't give a rat's ass about any of that. (being a lesbian, I really don't care about penis size, after all).

What I do care about is that he has this many fans who only perpetuate the hatred of women. Don't like his style of "cruel humor?" You must be a radical atheist fascist feminist lesbian. Nothing good ever comes from hate speech. To me, it just looks like a pathetic attempt to gain fans by being completely radical in anti-women speech, and knowing full-well that there are men who will eat it up.

That is fucking pathetic. Enjoy your homo circle-jerk while it lasts, fellas. You are in a minority now that is getting smaller by the day.

The reason for the HPV vaccine...

The CDC announced yesterday at it's annual conference (in Chicago this year!) that 1 in 4 teenage girls has a sexually transmitted disease (STD).

The most common STD among teenage girls being Human Papilloma Virus, or HPV, the disease that can cause cervical cancer in women and can cause penile or anal cancer in men. The second-most common STD in teenage girls is chlamydia.

"The study by CDC researcher Dr. Sara Forhan is an analysis of nationally representative data on 838 girls aged 14 to 19 who took part in a 2003-04 government health survey. Teens were tested for four infections: human papillomavirus, or HPV, which can cause cervical cancer and affected 18 percent of girls studied; chlamydia, which affected 4 percent; trichomoniasis, 2.5 percent; and genital herpes, 2 percent."

Cecile Richards, president of Planned Parenthood Federation of America, said the study shows that “the national policy of promoting abstinence-only programs is a $1.5 billion failure, and teenage girls are paying the real price.”

It's sad that in a country led by social conservatives who are trying to teach the world that sex is immoral and wrong, one quarter of our teenaged girls have STDs. The topic is so hush-hush in many circles, that I fear our teens aren't getting accurate information when it comes to safe(r)-sex and STD transmission, including their risk factors.

It's sad that in a country led by, and continuously threatened by, the religious and conservative right, more money is spent on scientifically disproven "abstinence-only" sex education programs, and NONE is allowed be spent on the scientifically proven #1 way to reduce new HIV cases: needle-exchange programs.

All because a greedy "pastor" or "church-leader" and the legislators who are funded by them, realize he or she can make millions off of other's ignorance, or by inciting fear into the "good" God-fearing people of this country, who want nothing more than an authority figure to tell them they are better than someone else.

Sadly, because our country is still very Puritanical, girls and boys alike are being harmed in ways that could be prevented by a simple vaccine, and with a little education.

Instead, corporation-like mega-churches that provide millions in funding to lawmakers and our administration, decide for the rest of us which actions are to be condemned and punished, and which ones--regardless of the cost to public health and health disparities in minority groups--will be rewarded. It is a system that continues to do more harm than good, regardless of the will of the people they supposedly represent. Regardless of the research that proves their harm.

And regardless of the research that shows the benefits to things like sex-education programs, STD education, drug awareness, and--yes--even needle-exchange programs to prevent the spread of HIV and hepatitis C.

It's sad that instead of realizing that not everyone is lucky enough to fit a cookie-cutter white, middle-America, Christian, heterosexual image, conservatives are too busy condemning the "morally wrong" instead of offering any real solutions to the very real problems the rest of us face.

Problems they also face, but usually don't want to admit.

My solutions to the STD problem?

-Increase funding for sex-education programs in public schools, which would include a discussion on safer sex, abstinence, and STDs.
-Throw out the ineffective abstinence-only programs in public schools
-Place additional funding for programs and sex ed in schools were there are large percentages of racial minorities, especially black children.
-Require/allow-for confidential STD testing for teens, to ensure their parents can't get their results without written authorization
-Mandate that the children attending public schools (boys and girls) be vaccinated for HPV, the way many other vaccines are mandated.
-Allow exceptions to the vaccine mandate based on religious or personal beliefs the way it is allowed for other vaccines.

I know these are simple solutions. But the game of political football isn't simple. I don't expect much from our government lately.

PS- I am realllly jealous that due to work obligations I didn't get to attend the CDC conference. It's never in Chicago. Humph.

Open Letter to Fitz

Fitz,
having read your latest article at Opine, I have a few comments and questions. Let's start with this:

What is your solution to the problem of the "selfishness" of gay people?

Do you propose that gays not be allowed to have children?

Do you propose that they not be able to legally be in relationships with each other, since they are so selfish?

Do you deny, like others on your blog, that gay people even exist?

Do you think that heterosexuals who get married in "shotgun" types of weddings only to divorce shortly after having children are "selfish" as well?

Or do you hold gay and lesbian relationships to higher standards than heterosexual relationships?

Are you only opposed to marriage equality insofar as "the children" are involved?

Because so far, all I've seen you do is bitch and moan about how selfish they are, and cheer on every anti-gay victory that passes, and vow to only vote for candidates based on their "SS'M'" (as you call it) stance as if that one thing is the basis of every choice you will ever make.

Get a life, man.

Even gay people don't care about marriage equality that much.

Instead, why don't you for once offer real, workable solutions or stop bitching?

Answer this simple question, and we will proceed from there.

What is an acceptable life for gays and lesbians to lead, in your eyes, Fitz?

Simple question. Should be a simple answer. Or what's the matter, haven't thought about that? Well give it a minute or two, and then come up with your answer.

I'm doing this as an exercise in empathy. I want Fitz to answer these questions to see his real views on gay people. You see, the Opiners all claim to not hate gay people, yet all they ever do is complain about the trouble we cause, and our lack of morals, and our excess of selfishness.

We'll see.

Toodles,
Jane.

Help Celebrate "Keep the Bigots Home Day!"

Imagine a world with no bigots.

A country with no little bigot-spawn spewing forth their biblical curses and rants towards gay people, or people without faith, or people of a different faith.

Imagine a classroom where all children feel loved, regardless of their differences.

Imagine a school that teaches acceptance and love for all. A school without bigot-brigades, self-righteous hypocrites, or "religious" leaders attempt to censor the words of teachers.

Imagine a time when there are no fundamentalist religious congregations and CEOs "pastors" trying to force their beliefs on everyone else.

Sounds nice, right?

Well, that can become reality for just one day if you participate in "Keep the Bigots Home Day" on April 25.

To see what the world would be like without any nut-wing homobigots, encourage all the homobigots you know to keep their children home from school that day.

You see, April 25 is also "Day of Silence," the largest student-led action towards creating safer schools for all regardless of sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression.

By the way, this year's Day of Silence is in honor of Lawrence King, the student who was murdered at his California school on February 12 because of his sexual orientation and gender expression.

In response to the mass acceptance that "Day of Silence" has received across the nation, the AFA is honoring "Keep the Bigots Home Day" and encouraging all its members to keep their children home from school.

In an email I received today, Don Wildmon (Founder and Chairman of the AFA) states:

"DOS is sponsored by an activist homosexual group, the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN). DOS leads the students to believe that every person who identifies as a homosexual, bisexual or cross-dresser is a victim of ongoing, unrelenting harassment and hate. Students are taught that homosexuality is a worthy lifestyle, homosexuality has few or no risks, and individuals are born homosexual and cannot change. Those who oppose such teaching are characterized as ignorant and hateful bigots."

And, on the AFA website, it states:

"...AFA is joining other family-oriented groups in urging parents to keep their children at home that day if their local school is participating in the DOS project. By remaining silent, the intent of the pro-homosexual students is to disrupt the classes while promoting the homosexual lifestyle."

LOL.

Excuse me?

LOL.

"By remaining silent, the intent of the pro-homosexual students is to disrupt the classes..." [emphasis added]

Sometimes I don't know whether the AFA is serious in their anti-homosexuality, or if they are a mockery of real fundamentalists. Either way, don't forget to encourage your local homobigots to keep their children at home for a day!

Oh, and in case any of you have any questions about "Keep the Bigots Home Day," you can click on this convenient list of FAQs, created by the AFA.

On Second Thought...What's Better Than Winning a Gold in the Special Olympics?

Not being retarded.

I had written about half an article in response to Fitz' gem, and this other gem that Opine Editorials linked to on their blog.

Instead, I thought, why do I want to reply again and again and again to their boring-ass cut-n-pasted justifications of bigotry?

After all, I could win a gold medal in their game of Special Olympics.

But in the end, it will still be the Special Olympics.

Don't EVEN talk to me until I've had my coffee...an excellent un-PC blog

I was perusing a friend's blog, and came across this one, entitled "Stuff White People Like."

Hilarious.

My favorite article so far is the first one ("#1 Coffee"), because it is SO true.

The best observation?

"White people all need Starbucks, Second Cup or Coffee Bean. They are also fond of saying 'you do NOT want to see me before I get my morning coffee.'"

As a fellow white person, I love a good cup of coffee in the morning. But it has always been a pet peeve of mine when people say that...what is even more annoying is when the speaker at a business meaning or a professor at a lecture messes up or stutters, and then says, "Sorry... haven't had my morning coffee yet," to which the audience all laughs understandingly...making them all part of one giant ball of uber-yuppie-very-important-coffee-drinking-member-of-society-ness. And if you don't laugh, you obviously aren't cool or important enough to NEED your morning coffee like the rest of the civilized world.

I always just want to say, "Hardy-fuckin-har, you're so funny, you can't function without your morning cup o' joe, because you're so important?"

Anyway...I may be a liberal, but I love me some un-political-correctness once in a while.

Payday lenders and Conservative Christians: A Surprising Correlation

In a paper to be published this spring in the Catholic University Law Review, professor Christopher Peterson and Steven Graves find a surprising correlation between the geographic density of payday lenders and the political clout of conservative Christians.

Payday lenders have been gaining notoriety among consumer advocates for being predatory towards desperate, lower-income consumers. They offer small-ish loans to people in need of a quick fix for money. The catch? The exorbitant interest rates that are racked up as a result, which often leaves people in debt for much longer than they bargained for, or with loans that they are never able to repay.

Peterson and Graves essentially mapped out the densities of payday lenders and started to find that the regions with the highest densities were the Bible Belt and the Mormon mountain West. They also created a map indexing the political power of conservative Christian Americans. What they found was a strong correlation between the two.

Of course, the researchers note in a caveat that correlation is NOT the same as causation. They are not blaming the rise in payday/predatory lending on Christian conservatives. They are, however, noting that in regions where politically powerful (rich) conservative Christians exist, there are disproportionate numbers of payday lenders.

AND, given the Biblical condemnation of usury, it seems that there should be aggressive regulation and less demand for payday loans in such states where biblical literalists are rampant. Instead, the opposite is the reality. The state laws in these states are actually more permissive of this type of lending than in more socially liberal states. Throughout the Bible Belt and Mormon mountain West, there is relatively little regulation on this type of lending at all, which is clearly a causal factor.

But the authors must ask, "why?"

They offer their own hypothesis: that starting in the 1980s and 1990s powerful/rich social conservatives began to align themselves with Wall-Street business that were also socially conservative, which has been an effective way for them to push their pet agenda issues (abortion, "some sorts of family questions," and gun rights) in their states. The one roadblock to this political alliance has been consumer protection law and limits on usurious lending. As the alliance between the two factions have grown, the laws limiting predatory lending has fallen to the waste-side.

Another important note is that even compared to other issues that one would think should be stronger in correlation (poverty levels, race, income), the correlation between conservative Christian political power and payday lenders is the strongest.

Reading the comments section was an interesting mix of outraged sheeple and the non-surpised social liberals.

Among other comments: "It seems obvious to me. Evangelicals, Fundamentalists and Mormons oft times refer to their parishioners as their flock, and where their are more sheep, more sheep are slaughtered. Perhaps less time studying the Bible, and more time studying math might move these enclaves forward in time?

When a culture is rooted in financial exploitation by charlatan preachers for generations, is it any wonder these fools can be manipulated by charlatan bankers?"

and

"Posted By: isaidit @ 02/26/2008 3:54:48 PM
Comment: The Christian faith, as it is practiced today in the U.S., is as harmful to the common man as the pagan societies it saved him from 2000 years ago. The Christian right has aligned itself with the most extreme and harshest of libertarian republicans, and then breaks with them on the issues of drugs and doctor assisted suicide, which one can't be blamed for choosing after a lifetime of being exploited and strangled by big business, only to be faced with staggering healthcare costs in the end. I understand this may not be real Christianity, but it rules the day in this country, and encourages those of us who should fight the plutocrat menace to wait and hope for them take their foot off our cllective[sic] necks instead."

Basically, I am being convinced a bit more every day that the "Christian conservative/social conservative movement" is rooted less in true friendliness, concern, love-they-neighbor, caring, compassion, empathy, and other "Jesus-like" qualities and values, and MUCH more in the power of exploitation for monetary gain.