Amy Goodman Charged with Engaging in a Riot.

Amy Goodman.

Amy Goodman.

Just a few posts ago, I mentioned how embarrassing Ndakota has been lately. Apparently, the state I live in isn’t finished in the quest to scrape the bottom of the barrel, when it comes to stupid, ignorant, embarrassing, cringe-worthy, asshole antics. I do not take any pride in being surrounded by ignorant assholes who proudly wallow in bigotry and willful ignorance.

Bismarck, North Dakota–October 15, 2016 — A North Dakota state prosecutor has sought to charge award-winning journalist Amy Goodman with participating in a “riot” for filming an attack on Native American-led anti-pipeline protesters. The new charge comes after the prosecutor dropped criminal trespassing charges.

State’s Attorney Ladd R Erickson filed the new charges on Friday before District Judge John Grinsteiner who will decide on Monday (October 17) whether probable cause exists for the riot charge.

Goodman has travelled to North Dakota to face the charges and will appear at Morton County court on Monday at 1:30 pm local time (CDT) if the charges are approved.

“I came back to North Dakota to fight a trespass charge. They saw that they could never make that charge stick, so now they want to charge me with rioting, ” said Goodman. “I wasn’t trespassing, I wasn’t engaging in a riot, I was doing my job as a journalist by covering a violent attack on Native American protesters.”

In an e-mail to Goodman’s attorney Tom Dickson on October 12, State’s Attorney Erickson admitted that there were “legal issues with proving the notice of trespassing requirements in the statute.” In an earlier email on October 12, Erickson wrote that Goodman “was not acting as a journalist,” despite that fact that the state’s criminal complaint recognized that, “Amy Goodman can be seen on the video …interviewing protesters.” In that email Erikson justified his quote in the Bismarck Tribune in which he had said that “She’s [Amy Goodman] a protester, basically. Everything she reported on was from the position of justifying the protest actions.” The First Amendment, of course, applies irrespective of the content of a reporter’s story.

The charge in State of North Dakota v. Amy Goodman, stems from Democracy Now!’s coverage of the protests against the Dakota Access pipeline. On Saturday, September 3, Democracy Now! filmed security guards working for the pipeline company attacking protesters. The report showed guards unleashing dogs and using pepper spray and featured people with bite injuries and a dog with blood dripping from its mouth and nose.

Well, Mr. Erickson, thanks ever for helping to paint a picture of my state as one full of shit-for-brains bigots. Christ, I feel like I should just find a cave to hide in.

Via Democracy Now.

There’s going to be a lot of bloodshed…I would do whatever I can for my country.

Vendors sold shirts backing Trump outside the Portsmouth rally.

Vendors sold shirts backing Trump outside the Portsmouth rally. Craig F. Walker/Globe Staff.

As most people will be aware, Trump has been whipping his fans into a furor over voter fraud and a rigged election. He has been openly encouraging his fans to hang out at voting stations to look for “illegals” attempting to vote. Certainly a bunch of fanatical white bigots won’t cause any trouble at all, right? That small bit of sarcasm aside, too many of Trump’s fanatics are most eager to dive into duty on this score, believing every word he says, and these people are fucking scary. Seriously scary.

[…] At a time when trust in government is at a low point, Trump is actively stoking fears that a core tenet of American democracy is also in peril: that you can trust what happens at the ballot box.

His supporters here said they plan to go to their local precincts to look for illegal immigrants who may attempt to vote. They are worried that Democrats will load up buses of minorities and take them to vote several times in different areas of the city. They’ve heard rumors that boxes of Clinton votes are already waiting somewhere.

And if Trump doesn’t win, some are even openly talking about violent rebellion and assassination, as fantastical and unhinged as that may seem.

“If she’s in office, I hope we can start a coup. She should be in prison or shot. That’s how I feel about it,” Dan Bowman, a 50-year-old contractor, said of Hillary Clinton, the Democratic nominee. “We’re going to have a revolution and take them out of office if that’s what it takes. There’s going to be a lot of bloodshed. But that’s what it’s going to take. . . . I would do whatever I can for my country.”

He then placed a Trump mask on his face and posed for pictures.

This isn’t the first time people have spoken about assassination. Does this no longer matter? Or is it that people simply don’t take any of the Trump fans seriously? From what I’ve seen, too many of these people are dedicated fanatics, and I am worried about what they will do.

Cullen expects Trump’s warnings about a rigged election to get even uglier in coming weeks, and he fears they will incite violence if Trump loses.

“That’s really scary,” Cullen said, recounting the violence at Trump rallies around the country leading up to the Republican National Convention. “In this country, we’ve always had recriminations after one side loses. But we haven’t had riots. We haven’t had mobs that act out with violence against supporters of the other side.’’

“There’s no telling what his supporters would be willing to do at the slightest encouragement from their candidate,” he said.

It will be interesting to see how the cops react if this happens. Will they be as zealous in “handling” and arresting fanatical white bigots as they are when it’s peaceful protesters who happen to be Black or Indigenous? Perhaps such an event would help all those cops to understand just how dangerous white people are.

Trump has recently started encouraging his mostly white supporters to sign up online to be “election observers” to stop “Crooked Hillary from rigging this election.” He’s urging them to act as posses of poll watchers in “other” communities to ensure that things are “on the up and up.”

“Watch your polling booths,” he warned.

His supporters are heeding the call. “Trump said to watch your precincts. I’m going to go, for sure,” said Steve Webb, a 61-year-old carpenter from Fairfield, Ohio.

“I’ll look for . . . well, it’s called racial profiling. Mexicans. Syrians. People who can’t speak American,” he said. “I’m going to go right up behind them. I’ll do everything legally. I want to see if they are accountable. I’m not going to do anything illegal. I’m going to make them a little bit nervous.”

Right. Nothing creepy, unethical or legally dodgy about that, no sir! White people are already making me nervous as hell, and I’m camouflaged.

Some Trump supporters say that if he doesn’t win, they figure the United States government will be no better than dictatorships where elections cannot be trusted.

“We’re heading toward North Korea, without a doubt,” said Grant Reed, a Trump supporter wearing a shirt that said, “If you’re offended, I’ll help you pack.”

Joe Cecil, a 39-year-old restaurant manager, said he has never voted before but is newly inspired by Trump.

“If people are offended by the sexual stuff, what do they think is going to happen when Muslims come here, implement Sharia law, and start raping our women?” he asks.

And there we have a splendid example of white willful ignorance, hanging onto idiocy as if it were a treasure. Hey, Joe! Have you noticed Sharia law implemented lately? You haven’t? Wow, weird that, because of all the Muslims living in uStates, and somehow, your life has not been impacted in the least. Golly. What a dumbfuck, and proud of it, too. Also, Joe, “our” women? No. It must have escaped your notice that women are actual people who do not belong to you or anyone else. It must have also escaped your notice that recent cases of rape in headlines have been young white men, who were barely smacked on the wrist to spare them an awful time in the future. The victims? People such as yourself didn’t have much to say about them, you were too busy defending those young white rapists.

It’s a common strand among the Trump crowd. They say they have seen videos of Clinton supporters ripping up Republican registrations. They believe Obama is rushing to allow illegal immigrants to become citizens in order to vote.

“We’re going to have a lot of election fraud,” said Jeannine Bell Smith, 65-year-old longtime teacher in a red Trump shirt with a bucket of popcorn under her arm. “They are having illegals vote. In some states, you don’t need voter registration to vote.”

:Raises hand: I’m in a no registration state. I’m not in any way illegal.

After a prayer is said and the national anthem sung, she leans in.

“We can’t have that lying bitch in the White House,” she said.

Yeah, a delusional maniac who lies every 5 seconds is so much better. What. The. Fuck.

“If Hillary wins, it’s rigged,” said Judy Wright, who is from Illinois but took off work recently to come volunteer for Trump in Ohio.

Wright sighs at what seems to her an unfathomable outcome.

“All I know is our country is not going to be a country anymore,” she added. “I’ve heard people talk about a revolution. I’ve heard people talk about separation of states. I don’t even like to think about it. But I don’t think this movement is going away. We don’t have a voice anymore, and Donald Trump is giving us a voice.”

That old Chinese curse is working overtime here in uStates. Interesting times indeed.

The full story is at the Boston Globe.

Okay, Captain Sniffles.

Image via @Felicia_Darnell on Twitter.

Image via @Felicia_Darnell on Twitter.

Crispy fried Christ, Trump is such a hot mess, you never know where to look anymore. He seems to be utterly incapable of shutting his mouth for five seconds. That said, the Twitterati do love having fun with his constant stream of isht.

GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump threw a new wrinkle into his rambling campaign speech Saturday morning, suggesting rival Hillary Clinton may be using performance enhancing drugs to get through the rigors of electoral season.

Speaking in New Hampshire, the blustery Republican nominee took time out from trashing the seemingly endless parade of women who have accused him of sexual assault, to note that he believes Clinton is busy getting “pumped up” for the debate — a not-so-sly reference to doping.

Trump’s comments should come as no surprise, since the candidate has a habit of accusing his opponent of his own sins — including racism and financial shenanigans — and there has been an extraordinary amount of speculation about Trump’s manic debate performances coupled with his uncontrollable sniffling.

As you might expect, Twitter noticed.

There are more tweets at Raw Story.

Sunday Facepalm: Geofeedia.

geo

There is no denying how amazing internet access and social media has been for so many people who are marginalized and oppressed. Sites such as FB and Twitter have been empowering, and allowed for people to be able to stand together for social change. There’s also no denying the problems with social media, either. Both Facebook and Twitter are home to festering sewers of hate and abuse, and both have been reluctant, to say the least, to do anything about it. There’s plenty of talk from FB, all the time, but in reality, it seems the only thing FB is really serious about is not having any photo of a nipple anywhere, if that nipple is attached to a female body. The fairly new rollout of live streaming has already headed into problems, when a young man live streamed his suicide, and even though notified, FB took days before they finally managed to remove the video. That lack of action, and seeming lack of care earned a number of WTF, facebook! from users. Facebook is currently losing people to Snapchat, and even that hasn’t seemed to stir them to make seriously needed changes.

Now, social media is facing the problem of applications like Geofeedia, programs written for, and used by cops and homeland security. The Verge has a good story on this problem.

Yesterday, social media surveillance became a very real problem for Facebook and Twitter. An ACLU report revealed a CIA-funded tool called Geofeedia was being used by police to track data from Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram to aid in investigations. Documents show Baltimore police used the tool, called Geofeedia, during protests after the death of Freddie Gray, even feeding Instagram posts through a facial recognition system to find protestors with outstanding warrants.

Facebook and Twitter were quick to revoke Geofeedia’s access to social feeds — effectively shutting down the current version of the tool — but its broader implications are harder to dismiss. Facebook and Twitter can control direct access to their data, but they have much less control where the information goes. Now that police departments are looking to tweets and Instagrams for clues, stopping them may be harder than shutting down a single app.

The center of the issue is how Geofeedia was getting the Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram posts it supplied to police. In each case, the company was drawing information directly from feeds supplied by the platforms: Facebook’s Topic Feed API, Instagram’s full API, and a feed supplied through Twitter’s social-data subsidiary GNIP. The feeds are meant to give developers direct, machine-friendly access to posts, making it easier to build software on top of the social networks. Typically, networks want developers building that software — it’s the same system that allows for third-party add-ons like VSCOCam and Tweetbot — but they control access with a Terms of Service and an API key that’s required to access the feeds.

After the ACLU report, Facebook and Twitter revoked those keys — but it’s worth considering how much that will set back similar tools in the future. Facebook and Twitter have complete control over their API keys, but both platforms have made it fairly easy to get one. Developers need to give a general description of the software they’re building and promise to abide by the Terms of Service, but there’s little enforcement and low-level terms of service violations are commonplace. Typically, that’s a good thing. The web was built on permissionless innovation, and heavy-handed enforcement efforts are often seen as bullying or arbitrary. But it also makes it hard for companies to ensure their data isn’t being used for anything controversial.

[…]

Geofeedia’s infractions are more subtle. Nominally, the company was violating Facebook’s provisions against reselling data and Twitter’s provisions against investigating and surveilling users. But the rise of big data has created countlessstartupsdevoted to mining insights from social media streams. People use that data for all sorts of things — trading stocks, spotting trends, or identifying influencers. When people start to get arrested because of that data, there’s an obvious chilling effect, but the distinction between selling data to police rather than a hedge fund is hard to pin down. The problem is with the clients rather than the behavior itself — and clients are easy to keep secret.

That ambiguity is a big part of why Geofeedia was able to stay on the platforms for so long. The company serves a wide range of clients — including “educational companies, cities, schools, sports teams, and the aviation sector,” in the CEO’s words. Absent a public shaming, there was no reason to think law enforcement clients would be any different. A similar case played out on Twitter earlier this year, when a company called Dataminr got in trouble for a contract selling Twitter analytics to the Department of Homeland Security. The company ultimately had to cancel the contract, faced with the prospect of losing access to Twitter’s data stream.

The full story is at The Verge.

Facebook, Oh Facebook XII.

The alt-right movement – known for white supremacist views and its overtly racist ideology – has gained traction during the divisive US presidential race. Photograph: Erik S Lesser/EPA

The alt-right movement – known for white supremacist views and its overtly racist ideology – has gained traction during the divisive US presidential race. Photograph: Erik S Lesser/EPA.

A Nazi-themed Facebook group that called for the “execution” of Jews and African Americans has led to the expulsion of five Boulder, Colorado, high school students in an unusual case of “alt-right” hate speech spreading to teens in a liberal city.

About 15 students participated in a “4th Reich’s Official Group Chat” on Facebook, according to a Boulder police report, which said members discussed “killing all Jews and [N-words]” and encouraged each other to “recruit more members so they can complete their ‘mission’.”

Members wrote messages championing “WHITE POWER!”, posted pictures of guns, called a firearm a “[N-word] BLASTER”, used derogatory terms for gay people, joked about “rape memes”, declared that they “must lynch the [N-words]”, and mocked Mexicans, copies of the group’s chats showed.

[…]

The Facebook group, first reported by the local Daily Camera newspaper, was discovered after one of its leaders allegedly committed suicide, reportedly to “show his allegiance to the [Nazi] party and the killing of Jewish people”, a police report said. Officers were also investigating reports that a Boulder Prep high school student was being “threatened and harassed” by classmates.

Participants gave themselves Nazi-themed nicknames, including the Fuhrer, Gruppenfuhrer and Sturmbannführer. They wrote of “the final solution” and the goal to “eradicate all lessers [sic]”, with some writing, “Let’s have fun killing jews” and “You can hang Jews on trees, shoot them right in the knees. Gas as many as you please.”

The students come from a number of local schools. Officials from Boulder Prep, a charter school, told police they had expelled five participants. Most of the students’ names were redacted in the report, except for three who are 18 years old.

Police ultimately decided not to press charges after determining that “there is no evidence or documentation to support there being any credible threat to any students”, officers wrote.

[…]

At least one student attempted to play down the seriousness of the group, with an officer saying “he informed me that the whole thing was ‘funny’ and he would not actually ever do any of those things”, the report said.

One mother was “visibly shaken by the conduct of her own son”, the report added.

It is unclear how long the Facebook group was running, whether other users ever reported the nature of group or whether the group was known to the social media company. Under Facebook’s community standards, “hate speech” is banned, including content that “attacks people” based on race, ethnicity, gender or other factors.

Facebook representatives did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Everyone who is surprised by FB’s response, raise your hand! It’s no surprise that Germany is looking into making FB financially responsible for all the hate speech they allow to fester. All countries should do the same, as FB never stops talking about how they don’t condone this, don’t condone that, and never do one fucking thing. One of the 18 year olds involved said:

“They’re sorry that it got to this point,” Reynolds said. “They didn’t mean to hurt anybody’s feelings, it was just a joke that turned sour.”

No, they are not sorry it got to any point. Pretty sure they are sorry they got caught. This sort of open, hateful bigotry is not a game, and it is most certainly not a joke. It’s not fun. It’s young assholes like you who end up not having the spine to stand up and do right, so you just follow along in the wake of evil, being willingly led by the nose. FFS.

Via The Guardian and Atlanta Black Star.

Standing His Ground for Closeted Trump Fans.

Pro-Trump protester Daniel Parks and a friend (NEWSPLEX).

Pro-Trump protester Daniel Parks and a friend (NEWSPLEX).

A Trump supporter, worried that there were other “closet” Trump supporters who felt unheard in Virginia, stood outside a Congressional candidate’s campaign office for twelve hours while displaying a loaded firearm. Daniel Parks said that his protest was peaceful, but that he intended to “stand his ground” on behalf of other Trump supporters.

“I’m just trying to  provide a voice for someone who might be a closet supporter of Trump. Other people who are a little worried to speak out because of possible persecution,” Daniel Parks told reporter Taylor Cairns. Cairns reported that the Parks, who was later joined by a friend, wanted people to know that they were not giving up the campaign “quietly.”

Y’know, I don’t think that’s what you’re trying to do at all, Daniel. You claim to be making a peaceful protest (with a loaded gun), which is fine, but generally, a protest is against something. That’s built into the definition of the word. Since you’re busy being intimidating in front of a democrat’s office, one would assume you’re against democrats. As for closet Trump fans being persecuted, oh please. It’s those who are supporting Trump who are more than willing to be screaming bullies, and all too happy to be violent in their “support” for Trump. If someone just can’t cope with hearing different opinions, perhaps they need to stay in their closet.

Parks insisted that he wasn’t a threat, despite the fact that he was carrying a gun to a peaceful protest. Those who think so are ignorant: “We’re not a threat to anybody, the only threat is ignorance, and ignorance breeds fear,” he said.

Ohan, there went yet another irony meter. Yes, that gun is just the accessory to set off your outfit, right? I’m far from ignorant, Daniel, and I don’t like people walking about with guns. You can’t trust someone so attached to a gun to not use it at some point.

Parks also told Cairns that Trump may leave the race, but he will continue to “speak out.” “He [Trump] may be pulling out, but we’re not pulling out, and I’m going to stand my ground. And I’m going to speak out for what I believe in, and I guess I would encourage everyone else to do the same.”

Cairns noted that Parks intends to take his armed, peaceful protest to more campaign headquarters later this month.

You encourage others to speak out. I’d guess you aren’t all that willing for people who are against Trump to speak out though. Just all those terribly timid Trumpians in the closet. Oddly enough, I have not noticed the slightest reticence on the part of Trump supporters. So far, they have all been loudmouths who blithely assume everyone thinks the way they do. I’ve had Trump supporters say the most obnoxious isht to me at the bloody market, ffs! Complete strangers to me, and I live in a state noted for polite niceness on the part of the inhabitants.

Via Raw Story. There’s video at the link.

“Make America rape again.”

Nick Bata - Libertarian candidate for Insurance Commissioner in North Dakota (Photo: Facebook).

Nick Bata – Libertarian candidate for Insurance Commissioner in North Dakota (Photo: Facebook).

Right, as if Ndakota and Ndakotans have not been embarrassing enough lately. Now we have a flaming doucheweasel of an asshole, one Nick Bata. He’s a libertarian. And like most libertarians, shines a bright light on the sheer idiocy most of them happily embrace. At least he’s in West Fargo, not Bismarck, but I sure as hell wish he wasn’t anywhere on Turtle Island. Mr. Bata is a creep of the first water, and oh yes, most certainly a rape apologist.

WEST FARGO, N.D.—A Libertarian candidate for North Dakota Insurance Commissioner has been in a battle of words on the Internet over his comments on rape and women stripping.

In one comment, Nick Bata of West Fargo wrote “Make America Rape” again.

In started off with his post about sexual consent on Sept. 30 and quickly spiraled into an all-out battle of the keyboards with rape and stripping getting thrown into the conversation.

“If people don’t agree with them, they will attack you like a bunch of rabid, wild hyenas,” said Bata. “I tried to have to have a very civil engagements,” said Bata.

His comments ranged from saying rape culture doesn’t exist in this country to saying stripping is some women’s best way to make a living.

But it was the “Make America Rape Again” comment that caused several people to write about how disturbing it was.

“Yes, I wrote Make America Rape again. And in the context because of course they deleted some of the comments because that’s how they operate. They lurk in the dark and edit things, and by me not complying with their world view, I was labeled a rape apologist, I was labeled disgusting, all sorts of pejorative words, and they labeled me a Trump supporter because hey, if you’re not with us, you’re a Trump supporter, and in sarcasm, which leftist supporters can’t understand sarcasm, they misinterpreted this,” said Bata.

“It’s a free society, nobody makes these decisions. If you can’t handle someone’s free speech, that’s your problem not mine,” said Bata.

Goodness, what a charmer. Thanks ever, Mr. Bata, for condoning rape and sexual assault as no big deal. As for your free speech, I think someone needs to take your keyboard away, and put some duct tape to creative use.

Jess Roscoe posted the original article that started the firestorm–and can’t believe what it turned into.

“Even if it’s a play on Donald Trump and his campaign slogan, it doesn’t make that remark acceptable or constructive to any conversation,” said Roscoe.

“As a woman those comments are troubling, and I think that it’s a snapshot at the sorts of comments and beliefs that are said on a daily basis that a lot of people don’t think they’re contributing to something so negative,” said Roscoe.

It’s troubling to me also, as a woman, but I really think this should be troubling to everyone. This is not a lightweight matter, and as Ms. Roscoe notes, these types of remarks and commentary are not only common, but there is always someone who is listening, and hears the implicit consent to commit sexual assault or rape.

Bata said he has no regrets about his comments. “None of it,” he said. “I stand by everything. Why should i apologize and to who?”

Bata said he doesn’t plan on dropping out of the race.

The Libertarian party of North Dakota didn’t immediately respond.

Off the cuff, Mr. Bata, I’d say you should apologize to all people everywhere for pretending to be a human being. You’re doing one shitty job at it.

Via Jamestown Sun.

Really, Walmart?

thug

Walmart is selling a Thug Life Mask with Bandana. FFS, whoever the people are who do the stock buying for Walmart all need to be rounded up and given a serious talk about ethics, sensitivity, and how not to demonstrate they are bigoted assholes. As bad as this is on the part of Walmart, it’s even worse on the part of all those who bought this damn thing. If you purchased this piece of bigotry, you really need to ask yourself, what in the fuck is wrong with me? and don’t move until you come up with an answer.

With all that is going on in the world with Black Lives Matter, police brutality, Donald Trump, and etc, you would think companies would have some sensitivity towards certain issues. Considering that innocent people have lost their lives, now is not the time to be “funny”.

But no, Walmart has decided to sell a Black Thug Life Mask. What message is this suppose to send? How are black people suppose to respond to this? Why is the mask sold out? I guess it is becoming clearer and clearer as to how white america feel about black people. However, I think it is time for black people to send a message back!

Whenever someone pose a threat or say something insensitive to the LGBT community, they unify and then affect that business. They will boycott them and other companies will support that movement. I think it is time for black people to unify and send a message to Walmart. The message should be we ain’t shopping there, PERIOD! If you are down with this movement, share this post and make this GO VIRAL!

I’d happily boycott Walmart, if I shopped there, which I don’t. I haven’t set foot in a Walmart store for over 10 years now. I know it simply isn’t that easy for a lot of people, but if you can’t boycott, then make your voice known, loud and proud. Write letters, send emails, spread the word! This is really beyond the pale.

Via Urban Intellectuals and Black Lives Matter.

Socialist ideology in partnership with homosexual demons.

rainbow-whitehouse

Hat tip to Pierce Butler for alerting me to this. I think. Right Wing Watch (their site has had a makeover!) reports on the current panic of those inhabiting the sewer of hate and conspiracy, Barbwire. One Julio Severo is very upset about the Bisexual conference which took place at the White House, as part of Bisexual Awareness Week in September. Now, as most of you know, there’s a growing awareness of Two-Spirit peoples among native communities, and there was an Indigenous Two Spirit person at the conference who spoke, Victor Raymond, a Rosebud Sicangu Oyate Lakota. Rosebud is in Sdakota, and not terribly far from me. There is a complete fucktonne of wrong coming up, so grit those teeth and get your cussing brain in gear.

BiNet organizer Victor Raymond introduced himself “as an out bisexual two-spirit man” and a member of the Rosebud Sioux tribe. “Two-spirit” is an Indian term for a male-female spirit.

“Today, we are here at the White House, and I call upon the ancestors to witness our presence, and for the Great Spirit, Wakan Tanka, to guide our words and thoughts so that we can speak true and strong,” he said.

Raymond continued, saying, “As bisexual people, we have always been here. Amongst my people, the Lakota Sioux, two-spirit people, bisexual, gay, lesbian people, as they are now known, transgender people, were given the gift of medicine to share with the members of the tribe. It was Wanka, a mystery. But it was proper and it was part of our community.”

“Now we are faced with new times, when bisexual people, two-spirit people, others that we now know as LGBQ, are not recognized and our place in the community questioned. But bi and trans people — and particularly now amongst many tribes and communities, by bisexual, transgender, Native American women in particular — face challenge and discrimination. We stand with them and with all people whose place is no longer recognized.”

Raymond also said members of the bisexual community need to support Black Lives Matter (a black-oriented socialist movement) as part of standing for “other communities.” Socialist ideology in partnership with homosexual demons.

Okay, for the most part, that’s straight up recounting of what took place. Well, except for that bit about homosexual demon infested social ideology.

An interaction between spirits of homosexuality and Indian religions is not uncommon. In Brazil, the most prominent homosexualists are adherents of African and Indian religions, very similar to voodoo. These religions embrace all forms of homosexuality as a gift from their “gods.” Such deities are considered demons in the Christian worldview.

In Christianity and Judaism, homosexuality is accepted only when there is apostasy in those religions. But in Indian religions, heavily affected by witchcraft, no apostasy is necessary for a homosexual presence in their practices, because homosexuality is active among their witchdoctors and other adherents.

Uh…oh FFS, I haven’t even had a whole cuppa tea yet, and it still hurts to sit. What little brain function I have right now does not need this utter isht. Will no one rid me of these meddlesome purveyors of ignorance? This isn’t fractal wrong. This isn’t even beyond wrong wrong. This is wrong spit out from the denseness of a black hole of Christian hate. These people hang onto ignorance like it was their baby. So now we have generic African religion, some Brazilian beliefs thrown in for good measure, and there’s us Indians tacked on. As I have mentioned before, Lakota people do not have deities, we don’t worship them. Please, read John Trudell on the subject. Most indigenous peoples don’t have deities. So, no demons. Also, Indigenous people (in uStates) don’t have witch doctors. We don’t have shamans, either. We also aren’t looking to convert or recruit. It’s difficult enough to stop non-Native people using various bits of Indigenous culture and tradition to scam other non-natives. I’ll also point out that the term two-spirit originated with one particular nation, but now it has been adopted out for more general use among Indigenous people. I’ll also point out that LGBTI people are not wholesale accepted and embraced throughout different Indigenous cultures. There are plenty of Indians who hold onto a bigotry in that regard. That’s also true for a lot of African peoples as well. And people all over the planet, actually. As for what might constitute a “prominent homosexualist”, someone will have to educate me. No idea at all.

A homosexual culture is a culture of demon possession.

No, no it isn’t.

Has the White House turned into a haunt of demons?

No, no it hasn’t.

The first step for a “visitation” of such spirits is invocation — which was made at the White House. Homosexual spirits heard. Their presence is in the place where they were invoked, until their expelling, which can be done only by people who know and use the authority of Jesus’ name.

Okay, really, dude, you’re upset because it wasn’t a Christian invocation. Things would be much simpler if you’d just say what you mean. The ‘Great Spirit’ is a mistranslation from the Lakota language. Russell Means spoke about this at length. Wakan Tanka is more properly translated as Great Mystery. There’s no deity hanging about waiting to be invoked, there’s no demon, either. Basically, you’re invoking the universe, if it could be said you’re invoking, which we are not.

This is getting into what would God need with a starship territory. That nasty El Shaddai of yours can’t manage some gay spirits?

The Bisexual Community Briefing focused on “policy and cultural issues of significance for the American bisexual community.” Spirits focused on the invisible, lethal and destruction.

No, spirits didn’t focus on anything, invisible or visible. I do see an upside here though, if you all are so darn scared of those gay spirits coming to get you, perhaps you’ll keep your distance from the political center of uStates. One can only hope.

Via RRW and Barbwire.

Reno Truck Assault On Protesters: Update.

https://youtu.be/x0D-BgU82jI

RENO, Nev. (AP) — Detectives are preparing legal documents for possible criminal charges after an 18-year-old man drove a pickup truck through a crowd of protesters rallying in support of Native American rights in downtown Reno, Police Chief Jason Soto said Wednesday.

Soto made his remarks to the Reno City Council as a parade of American Indians, local clergy and others expressed their outrage over the fact no one’s been arrested after five protesters were struck Monday night by the truck on the street beneath the city’s famous arch with the slogan, “Biggest Little City in the World.”

Soto said an affidavit is in the works that could lead to prosecution. But he said he won’t discuss the possible charges or any other details because the investigation is ongoing.

In a different article, Soto was making noises about the protesters being in the street, rather than on the sidewalk, heavily implying they deserved to be run over, because street. It has been stated that people gathered in this spot to take photographs. It’s more than obvious that the police chief does not want to press charges in this case, and it’s also obvious he doesn’t think much of anything done was wrong. I’d like to see the Mayor address that little problem.

The Rev. Luther DuPree, an African-American bishop who oversees the Northern Nevada Churches of God in Christ, questioned whether the driver remains free because he is white.

“If it was any other culture, I believe an immediate arrest would have been made,” he said.

Kitty Colbert, 59, the most seriously injured woman who remained hospitalized Wednesday, was accompanied at the rally by her grandchildren who “saw her run over like a bag of beans,” said Ray Valdez, who was drumming and leading the group in prayer just before the incident.

Soto said the activists did not have a permit to protest in the street, but some had gathered in the travel lanes of Virginia Street on the main casino drag.

Jessica White, a local artist, said the activists were gathering in the crosswalk for a group photograph when “the driver began honking and revving his truck’s engine in an obvious attempt to frighten us.”

“I saw a driver purposely drive into a group of people and continue until there were injuries and terror,” she said Wednesday.

Tara Tran said the driver and passenger were yelling “racist” remarks before she was struck by the truck.

“I’ve heard a lot of people say the protesters deserved it… they were blocking traffic,” Tran told the council. “We were not blocking their direction. They were following us. They were not scared. I looked into their eyes. It was not a look of fear. It was a look that they were having fun.”

Grace Potorti, ex-leader of the Nevada Conservation League, said she was driving the opposite direction on Virginia Street when she saw the truck “plow into people, stop and — while people were lying on the road — continue to run over them.”

“This happened under the very symbol of Reno,” she said. “It happened under the arch!”

Reno Mayor Hillary Schieve said in a statement Tuesday Reno police “will hold anyone responsible accountable for their actions once the investigation has concluded.”

“The city does not condone hate,” she said Wednesday.

Full story at The Santa Cruz Sentinel.

Shailene Woodley Released.

Courtesy Morton County Sheriff's Office Shailene Woodley, charged with criminal trespass during peaceful civil action against the Dakota Access oil.

Courtesy Morton County Sheriff’s Office
Shailene Woodley, charged with criminal trespass during peaceful civil action against the Dakota Access oil.

Celebrity support flooded in for the actress after her arrest on Monday October 10 with other water protectors at a Dakota Access oil pipeline (DAPL) construction site. She paid a $500 fine and prepared for an October 24 court date, according to USA Today.

“Shailene Woodley has been released from the Morton County Jail in North Dakota,” her spokesperson told Us Weekly in a statement on Tuesday. “She appreciates the outpouring of support, not only for her, but more importantly, for the continued fight against the construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline.”

The star of Snowden, Divergent and The Descendants, among other films, was among 28 unarmed people arrested by riot police for peacefully demonstrating at the site where Energy Transfer Partners is working on the 1,172-mile-long, $3.8 billion pipeline set to wend its way through North Dakota, South Dakota, Iowa and Illinois, carrying as many as 550,000 barrels of crude daily from the Bakken oil fields. She livestreamed the arrest on Facebook.

Actor Mark Ruffalo also spoke out in support of Woodley, as did Maggie Q, her costar in the Divergent series.

“I stand with @shailenewoodley for standing with the Standing Rock Water Protectors. #NoDAPL,” tweeted Ruffalo, who is outspoken against climate change and walked with Indigenous Peoples alongside Leonardo DiCaprio in the 2014 People’s Climate March in New York City.

“You can arrest someone but you CANNOT silence them,” wrote Maggie Q on Twitter.

Mainstream media picked up on the arrest and mentioned the pipeline controversy. But MSNBC commentator Lawrence O’Donnell took it a step further by noting the irony of date of the arrests, including Woodley’s, on criminal trespassing charges. It was for many (though not for all) a celebration of Christopher Columbus, who he dubbed “the greatest trespasser in human history.”

Via ICTMN.

I’m one of the Central Park Five. Donald Trump won’t leave me alone.

Yusef Salaam, one of the Central Park Five, is speaking out, and has an article in The Washington Post. Some people will remember this, will remember when this happened, the divisiveness among people, the distrust, those who were already predisposed towards racism grabbing on to it, as if it were the final proof that no black man could ever be trusted around any woman, but especially not a white woman. One person who jumped the highest on the bandwagon of bigotry was Donald Trump. He took out a massive, full page ad, declaring their guilt, and demanding the return of the death penalty in very large type. Most people, after learning those young men had been ruthlessly railroaded, tortured, and wrongly convicted and imprisoned, would at least attempt to mumble some sort of excuse, then have the grace to shut the fuck up. But we all know that isn’t Asshole Donald’s way. No. Why do that when you can continue to insist you were right? As Mr. Salaam points out though, it’s much worse that when it comes to Trump. This man is, if not a bonafide maniac, a man with maniacal views and much worse solutions when it comes to all those he sees as problems.

During our trial, it seemed like every New Yorker had an opinion. But no one took it further than Trump. He called for blood in the most public way possible. Trump used his money to take out full-page ads in all of the city’s major newspapers, calling for the reinstatement of the death penalty in New York.

During that time, our families tried to shield us from what was going on in the media, but we still found out about Trump’s ad. My initial thought was, “Who is this guy?” I was terrified that I might be executed for a crime I didn’t commit.

Thirteen years later, in 2002, we were exonerated. Matias Reyes eventually confessed to the rape and was definitively linked to the victim by his DNA. New York paid us $41 million in 2014 for our false imprisonment.

Trump has never apologized for calling for our murder. In fact, despite all evidence to the contrary, he’s still convinced that we were guilty. When the Republican nominee was recently asked about the Central Park Five, he said, “They admitted they were guilty.” In a statement to CNN’s Miguel Marquez, Trump wrote, “The police doing the original investigation say they were guilty. The fact that that case was settled with so much evidence against them is outrageous. And the woman, so badly injured, will never be the same.” It’s further proof of his bias, racism and inability to admit that he’s wrong.

When I heard Trump’s latest proclamation, it was like the worst feeling in the world. I felt as if I couldn’t breathe. Since I was 15, my life has never been my own. I had no control over what happened to me. Being in the spotlight makes me wary and self-conscious again. I am overwhelmed with a nagging fear that an overzealous Trump supporter might take matters into his or her hands.

Doing something simple like picking up dinner for the family or going to the aquarium takes on a whole new wrinkle. I’m always looking over my shoulder, keeping an eye out for people who stare too long. Like a soldier always on high alert, I feel as if I can never enjoy myself fully, with all of the adrenaline that comes with that. It’s a scary feeling.

In some ways, I feel like I’m on trial all over again. Like Trayvon Martin and Mike Brown, young men who were killed and then crucified in the media, I know what it is to be a young black man without a voice. Even though we were found innocent by a court of law, we are still guilty in the court of public opinion. That brings a certain kind of stress.

I realize, too, that I’m not the only victim. Trump has smeared dozens of people, with no regard for the truth. And he has backed a “law and order” system that would systematically target minorities. Trump says he would like to re-institute practices like New York’s “stop and frisk,” a policy proven to be unconstitutional and unjust. When we hear that he is going to be a “law and order president,” a collective chill goes down the spine of those of us who have been the victims of this “law and order.”

Black people across America know that because of the color of our skin, we are guilty before proven innocent. As a result, sometimes we lose the best years of our lives. Sometimes we lose our actual lives. We must not let this man ascend to the highest office in the land when he has always proven that he lets neither facts nor humanity lead his steps.

Full article at The Washington Post.

The Black Panther, Scariest of Them All!

Amanda Stevens. (Twitter).

Amanda Stevens. (Twitter).

Amanda Stevens, a sports journalist, was on her way to Chicago to cover the League of Legends quarterfinals. Ms. Stevens was wearing a Black Panther hat (as in the Marvelverse superhero Black Panther, currently being written by Ta-Nehisi Coates, and star of the eagerly awaited movie), and a T-shirt with an upside down U.S. Flag printed on it (that is a well known signal for distress, there’s more than one at the camps).  It seems a United Airlines pilot was not pleased with Ms. Steven’s attire, and after several demeaning commands (remove the hat, turn your shirt inside out*), decided to kick Ms. Stevens off the plane. I doubt much will be done, but it would be nice if UA would smack their racist pilot, and let him know that airline passengers are not obligated to dress according to a pilot’s taste. After all, aren’t you pilot types supposed to be busy flying the plane and all? As in, you have plenty of shiny stuff to look at already, right?

*Shades of PZ’s visit to Ham’s Palace of Creationism, where a few people were ordered to wear their shirts inside out. Tsk.

You can read Amanda Stevens’s tweet stream about this at io9, or at her twitter feed.