All purpose news and politics thread part VI: This Is Not The Time For Posing

[worstblogever]

I actually have two FRED updates I need to do today, because in spite of someone being completely bats*** for the past 13 years after leaving halfway through their one term in office where they were incompetent and corrupt, their career as a Republican isn't over, and they're running again. So the profile I did back in 2014 that I hoped was their political epitaph on this date requires a revisit.

This is your chance to "guess the loon" before I put the update up.

[worstblogever]

Look at all these "bigots":

https://www.npr.org/2022/06/19/11061...nsgender-women

"The world swimming body effectively bans transgender women from women's events"

"FINA said it may also develop an "open" category in future swimming competitions for people who don't meet the criteria for either the men's or women's events." - I don't disagree with this

Would you like to explain why a "separate but equal" approach to human rights that puts trans people in their own separate league that isn't allowed to play with binary people isn't bigoted?

Because that is discriminatory, and a form of gender segregation, by every dictionary definition of the terms of those words.

[Tendrin]

Gee. Banning trans women from swimming altogether sounds pretty bigoted, yeah. It's not as if we're in the middle of a full-scale moral panic about trans people, with them being consistently demonized everywhere.

[Dalak]

Would you like to explain why a "separate but equal" approach to human rights that puts trans people in their own separate league that isn't allowed to play with binary people isn't bigoted?

Because that is discriminatory, and a form of gender segregation, by every dictionary definition of the terms of those words.

Gee. Banning trans women from swimming altogether sounds pretty bigoted, yeah. It's not as if we're in the middle of a full-scale moral panic about trans people, with them being consistently demonized everywhere.

I tried replacing 2 words in one of their statements to show where the Bigotry was, and as they've kept going I think it's safe to say it was ignored. Sealions gunna sealion I suppose.

[Tendrin]

It's OK. I'm not in Utah and I wouldn't vote for the GOP anyways?

"faux-moderation" - love that expression. Will try to use it sometimes. Again, a character attack, you just can't help it

Letting trans compete in kids sports or amateur sports etc.? Sure, I have zero problem with that right now.

But when I meant "sports" - and I should have been more clear - I meant professional sports, Olympic sports, sports that women make a living from.

At the end of the day, I'm not here to try to change your mind or whatever, I am just conveying that you do not own the absolute truth on this topic, that it's clearly, clearly not as clear cut as you are trying to make it seem, and that - yes, there are bigots out there - but that not everybody criticizing "trans in women's sports" is a bigot. I am sorry but that's the reality, as much painful as that might be to you and others who think the world is polarized and just has two sides.

I wasn't aware suggesting that you're not a moderate is a 'character attack'.

[worstblogever]

Back on this date in 2014, “Fanatical Republican Extremist of the Day” published a profile on Sarah Palin, the former Vice-Presidential Candidate and Governor of Alaska (who quit halfway through her first term amidst various abuse-of-power scandals). We covered as many possible insane quotes, gaffes, or word-salad speeches as we could, from "Seeing Alaska from her house", to not being able to name a newspaper she read, to trying to look presidential by pardoning a turkey in Alaska while others were butchered and drained of blood while she gave a speech unaware... Sarah Palin is one of the most deranged, brain-addled members of the GOP we've ever run a profile on. We're honestly grateful that he hasn't held or run for office for a long enough period of time that we have to update our readers on all the continuing moments where she gets in front of a microphone for the attention and says clueless, bigoted, or nonsensical things.

Somehow, don’t ask us how, Sarah Palin, after continuing to say stupid, stupid, and downright cruel things publicly for the past 14 years, attacking anyone in the media who dared to show any sympathy towards victims of mass shooting and screaming for “MOAR GUNS!” before the bodies got cold, getting disinvited from John McCain’s funeral, losing a defamation lawsuit to the New York Times on the account of her not submitting any evidence, while having some of her kids making the police blotters at points, and her husband Todd sending her divorce papers back in 2020 probably because he didn’t want to be cooped up with her during the pandemic, and we see his point, considering she was still chasing fame by doing things like humiliate herself on The Masked Singer, or was stupid enough to get Covid-19 and go dining out two days later in New York City. Speaking of, she passed some of her time during the pandemic spreading anti-vaccination views… Anyway, she decided to throw her hat in the ring in 2022 to fill the Congressional seat that Don Young held since the Nixon administration, getting the endorsement of Donald Trump, because OF COURSE he did, because he saw Palin on TV once. Polling has her finishing in third in the primary, which would, y’know, leave her definitely a loser and far from Washington, D.C. so the work of our democracy can be done and not let her form a Mean Girls club with Marjorie Taylor-Greene and Lauren Boebert. Even thinking about her back in politics should make anyone cringe, after she was such a disaster as a governor in only half a term that she served. The country still has not recovered from Republicans championing her ignorance in 2008, and all the years that followed.

It was in 2015 that we published our original “Fanatical Republican Extremist of the Day” profile of former perennial Presidential candidate Carly Fiorina, the failed former CEO of Hewlett-Packard who lost the company about $700 million in its worth, got thousands of employees laid off, then took her golden parachute settlement after being pushed out by disatisfied stockholders and fellow executives. She then tried parlaying this collossal failure into a political career, where she first became one of the worst campaign proxies in existence for the 2008 McCain campaign before challenging Barbara Boxer for her U.S. Senate seat in 2010 and still getting shellacked after she ran a bizarre "demon sheep" ad. For whatever reason, Fiorina took her vast unpopularity and tried to run for president in 2016, where her main strategy in debates seemed to be to lie her arse off. She demonized workers for "watching porn all day" as an economic problem, claimed the Obama administration "broke every rule" in negotiations with Iran, and that Hillary Clinton had "blood on her hands" because of Benghazi. Since we wrote that profile of Carly last July, she tried gaining attention in the GOP Primary by perpetuating as many of the horror stories about Planned Parenthood started by the Center of Medical Progress as she could, and making graphic descriptions of babies being dismembered to be sold for profit in the "sting" videos (that were a hoax), and her cries about "baby parts" were the sort of rhetoric that inspired Roland Dear to go on a shooting spree against a Planned Parenthood clinic in Colorado Springs as a stochastic terror trigger. Fiorina eventually had to abandon her own campaign, and then tried joining forces with Ted Cruz, singing creepy songs at Sen. Cruz's children, and then falling off a stage comically after introducing the runner-up for the GOP nomination. Fiorina remains ridiculous, and unlikely to ever hold office in any sane part of the country.

[Tendrin]

I tried replacing 2 words in one of their statements to show where the Bigotry was, and as they've kept going I think it's safe to say it was ignored. Sealions gunna sealion I suppose.

Stop being so mean.

[hyped78]

Gee. Banning trans women from swimming altogether sounds pretty bigoted, yeah. It's not as if we're in the middle of a full-scale moral panic about trans people, with them being consistently demonized everywhere.

So FINA, the world's governing body for swimming, which approved this ban with 71.5% of votes - they're all bigots? (just trying to clarify that I understand correctly)

And wait:
https://www.bbc.com/sport/rugby-league/61875651
"Transgender players banned from women's international rugby league"

The IRL - International Rugby League - they're all bigots too? Just to be sure.

[hyped78]

I tried replacing 2 words in one of their statements to show where the Bigotry was, and as they've kept going I think it's safe to say it was ignored. Sealions gunna sealion I suppose.

What you did was a good example of whataboutism, a poor attempt at comparing different things or whatever that was meant to be. But thanks for trying.

[hyped78]

I wasn't aware suggesting that you're not a moderate is a 'character attack'.

It is if I said that I am a center-left moderate and you say "faux-moderation" - because I assume you're calling me a liar? Can you please clarify? Maybe I misunderstood

[Tendrin]

So FINA, the world's governing body for swimming, which approved this ban with 71.5% of votes - they're all bigots? (just trying to clarify that I understand correctly)

And wait:
https://www.bbc.com/sport/rugby-league/61875651
"Transgender players banned from women's international rugby league"

The IRL - International Rugby League - they're all bigots too? Just to be sure.

I mean, I posted about the rugby league where Joanna Harper pointed out the transphobia of the ban already so... probably? Them being in that position doesn't make them immune to the social pressures brought to bear against trans people, either, or acting out of fear or bigotry. These are the same leagues that previously endorsed other bigotries, after all.

[hyped78]

Would you like to explain why a "separate but equal" approach to human rights that puts trans people in their own separate league that isn't allowed to play with binary people isn't bigoted?

Because that is discriminatory, and a form of gender segregation, by every dictionary definition of the terms of those words.

If you can explain why trans athletes - if there is no certainty that they don't have an unfair advantage vs. women (and there is no scientific consensus) - can and should participate in women's professional/ adult/ etc. sports, thus discriminating against women? You say "discrimination", I say "discrimination". See, it goes both ways.

[Dalak]

I think you're inferring something from the use of a phrase that you were unfamiliar with.

A difference between us may be that I don't think all people within the parties are the same. I certainly don't think all Democrats want open borders, or an Australia style gun confiscation policy. But it does seem some do.

As you are complaining because I believe there is maliciousness in maliciously complying and/or complying maliciously, I think that you have reached a new peak of WTF Mets. Bravo!

However you're still the one assuming Teachers protecting themselves from a vindictive and bigoted law are being malicious with no proof, when you've defended the makers of the law as doing what they feel is best for children.

[Tendrin]

If you can explain why trans athletes - if there is no certainty that they don't have an unfair advantage vs. women (and there is no scientific consensus) - can and should participate in women's professional/ adult/ etc. sports, thus discriminating against women? You say "discrimination", I say "discrimination". See, it goes both ways.

Well, there we have it.

Transwomen are discriminating against *real* women. That's the unspoken subtext that existed before and now you've gone and acknowledged it. Thanks for, again, showing at the heart of every ban-caller is the belief that trans women are not women.

[hyped78]

I mean, I posted about the rugby league where Joanna Harper pointed out the transphobia of the ban already so... probably? Them being in that position doesn't make them immune to the social pressures brought to bear against trans people, either, or acting out of fear or bigotry. These are the same leagues that previously endorsed other bigotries, after all.

And AFL? Bigots too!

It's raining bigots la la la la!