The Hobnail Boots of The Homosexuals.

Anti-LGBTQ hate group C-Fam sent this meme in a fundraising email about its United Nations work.

Dear Friend of the Friday Fax,

A teacher in Canada shows a video of a free speech hero who stood up against the homosexual fascists.
The Teacher is about to lose her job.

Also called teaching inappropriate material, i.e., bigotry, intolerance and hate. This is not about a freeze peach superhero.

The state of Michigan just took a child from the home of a Christian family because they refused to
allow their daughter to transition into a boy.

Good, that’s doing right by the child. Your ‘good’ christian family would have condemned that child to abuse, agony, and misery.

The state of Colorado wants to shut down the Christian baker because he won’t celebrate a gay wedding.

He doesn’t have to celebrate anything, you fuckstick. He just has to bake a fucking cake, because that’s his business.

Friends, we are living in fascistic times except this time the hobnail boots are worn by homosexuals and
their allies in government and major corporations.

Yes, we are surrounded by fascists and nazis. I’m looking at a fine example of such zealotry right now.

These fascists are out to get Christians who view men and women as God made them and who live their lives
that way. They seek to stamp us out.

:near fatal eyeroll: Oh please, no one is out to get you. We just want you to mind your own damn business. You’re free to have any view you like. A bit of advice though: If you’re going to act like cockroaches, don’t be surprised if people start looking at you like you need to be stamped out.

Want to be shocked? Would you like to know the one place where you are free to stand up to the LGBT fascists?
Want to know where Christians actually win victories against the LGBT fascists?

The UN that’s where. How do I know? Because we do it every single day and we have many goverments behind us.

You have no business peddling your desire for an inquisition anywhere, and it’s a travesty you are able to spread your poison at the UN.

Keep us going!

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And I will tell you the secret. It is because we are brave. We are fearless. We will not be bullied, we will not
step back, and we will always call homosexual behaviour sinful, offensive, and deeply harmful to the individual
who practices it and to society at large.

And I will tell you the secret. We are brave. We are fearless. We will not be bullied, we will not step back, and we will always declare we are human, deserving full rights, bringing light, love, acceptance and inclusiveness to all within our community and to society at large.

Keep us going!

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[repeat]

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You will not find “mainstream” religious conservatives speaking this way. They talk about religious freedom.
Let me tell you another secret. If we are having to defend religious freedome, then we are fighting the enemy
in our own house. We are not on offense. We are on defense. And we are going to lose.

Well, we are on offense. Want to be on offense with us? Tired of being on defense? Then help us now. Join us!

You certainly are offensive. And disgusting. And repellant. Altogether, quite vomit-worthy.

Yours in Christ,

Austin Ruse
President/C-Fam
Publisher/Friday Fax

PS Keep in mind the Universal Declaration of Human Rights uphold free speech, freedom of religion, freedom of assembly,
all the freedoms and rights the fascistic left wants to take away. I promise you we will stop them.

No one is looking to take your rights away. It would be you fucking fanatics who are looking to take basic rights away from others. Also, I hate to break this to you, but all manner of queer folk are religious. Most of them manage to hold onto their beliefs without trying to infringe on the rights of others, and aren’t looking to start an inquisition.

Ruse has also said that all countries should pass laws against homosexual behavior “even if unenforced,” in order to “help society to teach what is good” and “prevent such truly harmful practices as homosexual marriage and adoption.” According to GLAAD, Ruse has claimed that, rather than bullying and social stigma, LGBTQ people and activism are the real cause of LGBTQ teen suicide and alcoholism.

Brennan Suen has the full story, and it’s important reading. These asshole christians are those who applaud imprisoning gay people, executing them, and if nothing else, want to make being queer unlawful. Regressive doesn’t cover them. (Any errors in the transcription are mine.)

What The Fuck Is The Art World?!

William Powhida, “What The Fuck Is The Art World” (2017), acrylic on paper mounted on aluminum, 55 by 44 inches, Postmasters Gallery (photo by the author for Hyperallergic). Click for full size.

Elisabeth Masé, Amerika. Give me a reason to love you series (2013–2017), watercolor, Katharina Maria Raab (photo by the author).

Thiago Martins de Melo, “Deus Cortado” (2016–2017), site-specific mixed media installation featuring painting, sculpture and stop-motion video, dimensions variable, GAMMA GALERÍA (photo by the author).

…I came to Untitled hoping the art would have caught up with the times, because the times hurt.

And, as far as fairs go, Untitled does address the strange and painful quality of the world we’re inhabiting. Another special project, Thiago Martins de Melo’s, “Deus Cortado” — which translates from Portuguese to “severed God” — is a striking, brutal installation and animation that portrays the harsh realities of colonialism in bright colors: the rape, torture, decimation of whole belief systems, and destruction of landscapes.

[…]

In between all the swaths of pleasant colors, plenty of work at Untitled addresses dystopia, the reclamation of history and identity, and the absurdity of an art market that tries to address these topics, and thankfully does so with a great sense of humor.

You can read and see much more about Untitled at Hyperallergic.

Trumpy Bear, The Real Red Pill, & Snowflakes.

These are, sad to say, real products, which you can purchase at over-inflated prices.

At the Values Voter Summit earlier this year, President Trump declared that he will be “stopping cold the attacks on Judeo-Christian values” and that Americans will finally be “saying Merry Christmas again” after avoiding the phrase because “it’s not politically correct.” Now that the shackles of politically correct culture have been unlocked by our president, Right Wing Watch can finally release its 2017 annual gift guide for the holiday Christmas season.

You can see and read more at RWW, with full links to all the conservachristian goodies. You might want to put off any eating until after you peruse the gift guide. Lots of gag worthy stuff to behold.

Horse.

As the first leaves to Horse are missing in the Aberdeen Bestiary, we’ll start with some general observations. Given the importance of horses in the Medieval Age, you won’t be surprised by the length of this entry.

Bodleian Library, MS. Ashmole 1511, Folio 32v.

Bodleian Library, MS. Ashmole 1511, Folio 32v.

Morgan Library, MS M.81, Folio 44r.

Morgan Library, MS M.81, Folio 44r.

Bodleian Library, MS. Bodley 764, Folio 46r.

Bodleian Library, MS. Bodley 764, Folio 46r.

Pliny the Elder [1st century CE] (Natural History, Book 8, 64-67): Several stories are told of horses that would let only their master ride them, who defended their rider in battle, or who grieved at the death of their master. Horses are very intelligent. They may live up to 50 years, but mares die sooner. The mare loves her young more than any other animal does. At birth, horses have on their foreheads a love-poison called horse-frenzy; this is the size of a dried fig and is black. If the mare fails to eat this immediately, she will not suckle her foal. Is someone takes it before the mare can eat it, the scent of it drives him into a sort of love-madness. Near the town of Lisbon, mares stand facing a west wind and conceive a foal from it; such colts are very swift but only live three years. (Book 10,83): To make a mare willing to mate with an ass, her mane must first be clipped; a mare with a long mane is too proud and high-spirited. After mating, mares run either north or south, depending on the sex of the foal they have conceived.

Augustine [5th century CE] (City of God, Book 21, chapter 5): In Cappadocia the mares are impregnated by the wind, and their foals live only three years.

Isidore of Seville [7th century CE] (Etymologies, Book 12, 1:41-59): Horses exult in fields, can smell war, and are roused to battle by the sound of the trumpet; when provoked by a voice to race, the exult when they win but grieve when they lose. Some horses recognize enemies and attack them by biting. They recognize their own masters, and some will not allow anyone else to ride them. They weep for dead or dying masters, being the only animal to do so. [Isidore continues with tips on what makes a good horse and describes their various colors.] There are three kinds of horse: one is noble and good for war and work; the second is common and good only for carrying burdens, not for riding; and the third is a hybrid of the first two.

Bartholomaeus Anglicus [13th century CE] (De proprietatibus rerum, book 18): Horses be joyful in fields, and smell battles, and be comforted with noise of trumpets to battle and to fighting; and be excited to run with noise that they know, and be sorry when they be overcome, and glad when they have the mastery. And so feeleth and knoweth their enemies in battle so far forth that they a-rese on their enemies with biting and smiting, and also some know their own lords, and forget mildness, if their lords be overcome: and some horses suffer no man to ride on their backs, but only their own lords. And many horses weep when their lords be dead. And it is said that horses weep for sorrow, right as a man doth, and so the kind of horse and of man is medlied. Also oft men that shall fight take evidence and divine and guess what shall befall, by sorrow or by the joy that the horse maketh. Old men mean that in gentle horse, noble men take heed of four things, of shape, and of fairness, of wilfulness, and of colour. In his forehead when he is foaled is found Iconemor, a black skin of the quantity of a sedge, that hight also Amor’s Veneficium; and the mother licketh it off with her tongue, and taketh it away and hideth it or eateth it. For women that be witches use that skin in their sayings, when they will excite a man to love…. The colt is not littered with straw, nor curried with an horse comb, nor arrayed with trapping and gay harness, nor smitten with spurs, nor saddled with saddle, nor tamed with bridle, but he followeth his mother freely, and eateth grass, and his feet be not pierced with nails, but he is suffered to run hither and thither freely: but at the last he is set to work and to travail, and is held and tied and led with halters and reins, and taken from his mother, and may not suck his dam’s teats; but he is taught in many manner wise to go easily and soft. And he is set to carts, chariots, and cars, and to travel and bearing of horsemen in chivalry: and so the silly horse colt is foaled to divers hap of fortune. Isidore saith, that horses were sometime hallowed in divers usage of the gods.

You can find additional information about hippomanes (the love-poison) here, including how to preserve one, if you’re so inclined.

Text and Translation [from Aberdeen Bestiary]:

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The Most Prayingest Prez Ever.

Flauros is a strong Great Duke of Hell, having thirty-six legions of demons under his rule. He gives true answers of all things past, present and future, but he must be first commanded to enter a magic triangle for if not he will lie, deceive the conjurer, and beguile him in other business. But if he enters the triangle he will answer truly, and gladly speak about divinity, the creation of the world, himself, and other fallen angels. He can also destroy all the conjurer's enemies by burning them up. If the magician requests it, he will not suffer temptations from any spirit or in any form. Flauros is depicted as a terrible and strong leopard that under request of the conjurer changes into a man with fiery eyes and an awful expression. Flauros can also supposedly be called upon when a mortal wishes to take vengeance on other demons. This is likely included in his capability to destroy the conjurer's enemies.

Flauros is a strong Great Duke of Hell, having thirty-six legions of demons under his rule. He gives true answers of all things past, present and future, but he must be first commanded to enter a magic triangle for if not he will lie, deceive the conjurer, and beguile him in other business. But if he enters the triangle he will answer truly, and gladly speak about divinity, the creation of the world, himself, and other fallen angels. He can also destroy all the conjurer’s enemies by burning them up. If the magician requests it, he will not suffer temptations from any spirit or in any form. Flauros is depicted as a terrible and strong leopard that under request of the conjurer changes into a man with fiery eyes and an awful expression. Flauros can also supposedly be called upon when a mortal wishes to take vengeance on other demons. This is likely included in his capability to destroy the conjurer’s enemies.

Today, we have self-styled prophet Mark Taylor (again), and Carl Gallups. We’ll start with Mr. Taylor, as he provided the subject line for this post.

Taylor told host Perry Atkinson that Mary Colbert, with whom he authored his book “The Trump Prophecies,” is a part of Trump’s evangelical advisory board and that Trump recently told this group that “when he leaves office, he wants his legacy to be that he wants to be known as the most praying president in American history.”

Has anyone seen the Tiny Tyrant praying outside of a few photo ops? It’s very difficult for me to imagine Trump saying that, close to impossible, really. I doubt Trump wants a legacy of appearing to be submissive to a god.

Taylor went on to assert that Trump’s name-calling and personal attacks on his critics are no different than what Jesus did.

“I’ve seen evangelicals attack this man over how he attacks people or how he speaks to people or he’ll call people names,” Taylor said. “Well, read your Bible folks, the Lord Jesus himself called people names.”

Yes, Jesus had his moments, mostly with hypocritical, corrupt assholes. Wait…

Taylor said that America is in such “a huge mess” that God realized that it was going to take someone “with a very heavy hand” like Trump to turn things around, which means that those who are criticizing Trump are actually criticizing God.

“God himself is using Donald Trump,” Taylor said. “It’s God that is doing it, He’s just doing it through Donald Trump.”

No, I’m afraid ol’ Yahweh isn’t doing shit, Mr. Taylor. This is magical thinking in action. Until you folks can point to something which is obviously, unequivocally the work of a god,* I can’t be arsed to pay much attention. (Then you have to figure out which god, out of the thousands. Fun times!)

Moving on to Carl Gallups, who is sticking with old school: birtherism. I still can’t believe that’s a word.

Carl Gallups, a right-wing pastor and conspiracy theorist who spoke at Trump campaign rallies during the 2016 election and who served as a “special deputy” on disgraced sheriff Joe Arpaio’s “Cold Case Posse” investigation into President Obama’s birth certificate, said last night that President Trump is “getting his ducks in a row” to finally expose Obama’s phony birth certificate, despite efforts by the “deep state” to intimidate him into silence with the Russia investigation.

Appearing on “The Hagmann Report” last night, Gallups said that Arpaio’s contempt conviction earlier this year was nothing more than an effort to discredit his birther investigation but Trump is “now in the White House, he now holds the power, he now holds the reins” and so he pardoned Arpaio because he is getting ready to blow the lid off the “earth shattering” scandal.

Why don’t these people ever get tired of this shit? Apparently, they have no problem with being bored to death, or boring others to death. Trump pardoned fellow sociopath Arpaio because he thinks Arpaio is a good guy, a fine person, like all those nazis. It’s not because there’s an “earth shattering” revelation in the offing. Even if you posit this nonsense as trufax, what would be the point? You can’t rewind the last eight years, and the Idiot King has already wrought devastation on most of the good policies which were in place. So really, who would care?

“I’m convinced that Donald Trump is probably getting his ducks in a row to bring this to the forefront,” Gallups said.

Donald. Getting his ducks in a row. Hahahahahahahahahahahahahaha. Has anyone drawn Trump as Donald Duck yet? Oh, yes!

That was a nice distraction.

“All of these sham investigations that they have going on on him—there is no evidence that he did anything with Russia to sway to sway our election, but I’m telling you, it’s all a big smokescreen and shots across his bow to say, ‘Don’t you touch this birth certificate.’”

Oh FFS. There’s a mountain of evidence, and it keeps getting bigger and bigger. One might say Yuuuuuuuge or Bigly! On top of the evidence, the fucking idiot keeps incriminating himself, with help from his idiotic spawn.

Via RWW: Taylor, Gallups.

Ox, Camel, Dromedary, Ass, and Wild Ass.

This is where two leaves, after f.21v are missing which should have contained ox, camel, dromedary, ass, wild ass, part of horse. Filling in from other sources today, and partly tomorrow, with horse.

Koninklijke Bibliotheek, KB, KA 16, Folio 47r.

Koninklijke Bibliotheek, KB, KA 16, Folio 47r.

Oxen can predict the weather, and knowing when it is about to rain, refuse to leave their stalls. They do not like to be separated from their kind; an ox wants to be with its usual partner when pulling a plow, and they will roar if separated. There are several kinds of ox: in India lives a particularly cruel sort with one horn, that cannot be tamed. Ox horns are used to make drinking cups.

The dung of an ox cures the bite of a water snake called hydros (Isidore, Etymologies, 12, 4, 22). [This is a hydrus, click image for full size.]

Pliny the Elder [1st century CE] (Natural History, Book 8, 70): Indian oxen are said to be as tall as camels and to have horns up to four feet wide. Among the Garamantes oxen only graze while walking backwards. A tale is told of an ox that is worshipped as a god in Egypt.

British Library, Harley MS 4751, Folio 24r.

British Library, Harley MS 4751, Folio 24r.

There are two types of camels: Bactrian, which have two humps and are strong; and Arabian, which have one hump and are more numerous. They hate horses. Camels can endure thirst for three days and prefer to drink muddy water; if only clear water is available, they will stir it up with their feet to muddy it. When they drink, they fill up for both past thirst and for future needs. Some camels are good for carrying burdens, while others are better suited to traveling. Their hoofs do not wear down. They can live for one hundred years, unless they are taken to a foriegn country, where the change of air makes them ill. Female camels are used in war. Camels grow wild with the desire to mate; this desire can be destroyed by castration, which also makes the camel stronger.

Pliny the Elder [1st century CE] (Natural History, Book 8, 26): Camels are found in the East, and are of two kinds: Bactrian, with two humps, and Arabian, with one hump. Both kinds are like oxen in having no teeth in the upper jaw. They live fifty to one hundred years, but are vulnerable to rabies. They are used to carry burdens; they will refuse to carry more than the regulation load. They are also used in battles, but are slower than horses, for which they have an inate hatred. They can travel four days without water; when they find water they drink to quench their thirst and to provide for the future, first stirring up the water with their fore feet. Their strength is increased by denying them sexual intercourse; for this reason both males and females intended for war are gelded.

Isidore of Seville [7th century CE] (Etymologies, Book 12, 1:35): The camel gets its name either from the Greek chamai meaning low and short, because camels lie down while they are being loaded, so they are shorter or lower; or from the Greek chamai (meaning hump) because they have a hump on their back. Most camels come from Arabia. Camels from other lands have one hump, but Arabian camels have two.

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