Lavender Files 27.

The Price of Salt and Spring Fire are both well known, especially Highsmith’s Price of Salt. Spring Fire started the Lesbian pulp genre, and the author, Marijane Meaker, was always unhappy about the forced ending she had to do. As for Satan Was A Lesbian, people may not know the story, but it’s probably one of the best known pulp covers, which has been reproduced on all manner of goods.

Angels Would Be Raped!

Three angels visiting Abraham, Ludovico Carracci.

Rick Wiles. Again. Never shuts up, this one.

Citing the biblical tale of Sodom and Gomorrah, Wiles insisted that that “sick, sick society” had nothing on modern-day America.

“I think, right now, if God sent angels to this country, homosexuals would attempt to rape them,” Wiles said. “I have read comments by homosexual rights activists—I don’t even want to say the words, I can’t even say it, what they want to do to our Lord, Jesus Christ. I have seen comments, it’s so wicked, so blasphemous I can’t even say it. I don’t want to even go there.”

“I’m telling you,” he continued, “if angels arrived in some major cities in this country, men would seek to rape them. We have become that wicked.”

Sigh. I’m starting to think of evangelical conservatives as bullshit faucets, always on full spew. First, that moronic bible story is not at all what most christians think it is, and whatever the ‘grievous’ sin of the people in Sodom and Gomorrah, that will never be known, because although Jehovah mentions it, he never says what it is. One thing is clear, and that’s Jehovah’s plan to destroy all the people long before they get there. He lets Abraham in on his little secret, and Abraham, not being an idiot, inquires if all the good people will be destroyed, too. Then Abraham starts bargaining with Jehovah, from 50 to 10, that if he can identify 10 good people, Jehovah will have to stay his hand. Abraham is never given that opportunity, though. The whole damn story is nonsense, from start to finish. You can read a basic summary here. One thing which happens a lot in the bible is a whole town’s worth of men always showing up when there’s a new man in town, clamoring to have him come out for a spot of gang rape. In most cases, Jehovah doesn’t seem to be terribly upset about it, so it’s hard to imagine everyone had to die for that one. You know a story christians don’t like? The Levite’s Concubine. That’s a nasty one. And the town of Gibeah wasn’t destroyed! Well, they weren’t looking to rape an angel. Maybe that makes the difference. Jehovah doesn’t care if people are gang raped, but hands off the angels! Besides, there’s the easy way to prevent men being raped – just toss them a woman or two. That’s biblical.

Naturally, willfully ignorant, hateful, bigoted christians just love that story. Now Wiles claims he’s read comments by gay rights activists, but of course, he won’t say which activists, what organizations they represent, or where he’s read these awful things he just couldn’t possibly repeat. Providing a source would not force him to repeat anything. I guess he didn’t think of that. So, we can be fairly safe in assuming that Mr. Wiles has been trawling places he shouldn’t be, or is just making shit up. Most likely the latter. I can’t think of a single LGBTQ activist who would say anything so gosh darn awful it would be unrepeatable. I know they aren’t going around advocating rape, angels or no.

As for this: We have become that wicked. No. Speak for yourself, Mr. Wiles. You wouldn’t find me raping anyone, ever. I also wouldn’t protect or defend rapists, like you do.

Since there’s no convenient way to identify an angel, perhaps we should just concern ourselves with people. I figure angels could fend for themselves. We have, if not a rapist, a serial sexual assaulter sitting in the white house. I’d like to do something about that. Be nice if you mouthy fuckin’ goddists were concerned about that, too. Because that sends a message, doesn’t it? But not only are you asshole christians supporting the pussy grabber, you’re busy supporting people like Moore, too, and his skeevy, sleazy pursuit of teenagers over the years. Of course, that sort of thing doesn’t upset you types, does it? That’s being all manly and godly. :spits: Go the fuck away, Mr. Wiles. Go become an angel hunter, and you can be an angel bodyguard or something.

Via RWW.

A Russian Art Connection.

Leonardo da Vinci, “Salvator Mundi” (c.1500), oil on panel, 25 7/8 x 18 in.(65.7 x 45.7 cm) (image courtesy Christie’s).

There was an astonishing sale at Christie’s, the last privately held da Vinci, supposedly, for an unprecedented amount of money: over $450 million dollars. The Russian connection is of interest, as is the doubtful provenance of the painting. There’s also the problem of such a painting, if it’s a true da Vinci, going into private hands. No museum could possibly have coughed up over 400 million for it.

Last night, Christie’s auction house sold “Salvator Mundi,” which it claims is the last painting by Leonardo da Vinci in private hands, for an astounding, record-setting $400M (the final price was over $450M with fees). The sale was controversial for a couple of reasons: that mind-numbing number itself, but also the fact that there are a lot of questions — and serious doubts — about the painting’s authenticity, restoration, and provenance.

One can therefore be forgiven for initially overlooking another elephant in the room — the identity of the seller. When there’s this much money involved, though, it usually pays to follow it, and here the money leads directly back to the Russian billionaire Dmitry E. Rybolovlev. Rybolovlev’s family trust sold the painting, through Christie’s, to an undisclosed buyer, but if his name sounds familiar for other reasons, that might be because in 2008 he paid (through a company he controlled) $95M to buy a Palm Beach mansion from Donald Trump.

You can read more about this at Hyperallergic, and there’s an earlier article too. The earlier article is disheartening, to say the least, as half of all the world’s wealth is in a very small circle of people, while little money ever goes to all those things which make for a healthy society. Once again, I’m reminded of A Perfect Circle’s new beatitude…

30 Brumaire.

Today marks my 60th birthday. Rather surprised I made it this far. I also have to be at Pain Clinic today, so I’m taking the day. TNET will be open, as always. Have fun, and don’t burn down the blog or anything. See you all tomorrow! Well, scratch that. Just got a phone call canceling my appointment for the second time this month, so you are all stuck with one very cranky person for the day. Who has matches?

Sunday Facepalm.

This is from some days back, it’s hard to keep up with the constant stream of conspirashit coming from the conservachristians. Today, we return to Rick Wiles, who for once, has dropped the commie threat he’s so attached to, in favour of the New New Nazis, who are coming to get you, Barbara.

“There is a hatred of Christianity,” Wiles warned. “The homosexuals, the leftists, the socialists, the communists, the deep state in Washington, they hate [the Bible], they’re going to team up with the Muslims, you’re going to have an alliance of God-haters that are coming together to form a new Nazism in America.”

So. Much. Crap. I don’t hate your non-existent Jehovah, dude, or your ghostie trinity and whatever. Who on earth has that kind of time, or is willing to make such an emotional investment? Not me. I wouldn’t care about theists at all if you’d just mind your own damn business. Keep your gods where they belong, in your head, your house, and your place of worship. Keep that nonsense out of government and publicly funded institutions, and we are good. I don’t know how to break this to you, Mr. Wiles, but muslims aren’t god haters. They believe in the same god you do. Abrahamaic religions, y’know. All from the same source. Glad I could clear that one up.

Now, we do have nazis. Mostly hateful, bigoted, incredibly insecure white people, who think Nazism is a dandy idea, no matter how much they try to re-brand it. All the new nazism is on them. Me, I’m anti-Nazi, anti-shite supremacist, and anti-fascist. That goes for all the lefty liberals I know, too.

“Right now, what we are experiencing is what the Jews experienced in the ’30s and early ’40s in Nazi Germany,” he continued.

Oh the fuck you are. Such a vile liar. :spits: You’re privileged out the ass, sir. There speaks the voice of arrogant privilege, that you dare compare yourself to people who truly suffered.

“That spirit of Nazism slaughtered millions of Jews, that spirit in here in America. Let me tell you something, it’s going to be different this time. The Christians are going to be rounded up.”

That “spirit of nazism”? Yeah, it’s being held by white people, in particular, white christians, who want to stomp all over everyone who doesn’t fit their tiny box of “acceptable” people. You’re a loudmouthed, lying, wannabe leader of that spirit of nazism. You fucking christians, with your endless persecution complex. You want people to believe they are being persecuted, so very badly. What you don’t want is to actually be persecuted. It’s all pretend with you. “Oh dear god, people are ignoring us on social media! The persecution!” “Look, social media doesn’t approve of our hateful bigotry! Oh, the torture! Oh, the persecution! All we said is that gay people should be executed! What’s wrong with that?”

Shut the fuck up. Just shut up. Throughout history, christians have excelled at being those who torture, imprison, and execute anyone deemed guilty of heresy, with a side specialty in genocide, like the Albigensian Crusade.

Saint Dominic Presiding over an Auto-da-fe. The whole piece may be seen here.

You christians are dripping with centuries upon centuries of blood. You should be down on your knees in perpetuity, begging for mercy and forgiveness for all your crimes against humanity.

Warning that Christians are going to be ostracized and pushed into a “digital ghetto” as their rights are methodically stripped away, Wiles declared that “the ultimate desire of these people in America right now that are in high places of power in this country, the ultimate desire is to kill you. Listen to what I am saying. They are coming for you, they plan to destroy you, they plan to destroy the church, they hate Jesus Christ, they hate you, they hate your children and they are coming for you.”

Oh, a digital ghetto. Well, that’s different, isn’t it? I’m coming for you? :Snort: I don’t think so. I fully admit, I’d be much happier if you’d all shut the fuck up, and stop trying to stick your nose up everyone else’s crotch, but I do not have time to come after you all, I’m a busy person. I couldn’t be arsed to do so anyway. All I want is for you to mind your own damn business, and deal with the fact that no, not everyone else believes as you do. You christians can’t even agree with one another. There’s something like 38,000 different factions of christianity*, and none of you agree on anything. Get your own fucking house in order, that should keep you all occupied for a few centuries.

I have absolutely no desire to kill anyone at all. Most people are not bloodthirsty like you christians, who project your bloodlust all over everyone else. Why don’t you figure out just why you’re projecting so hard? That one might keep you busy a while. Clutch your bible, and go off and have a think, and please, please be quiet a while. The noise of you being “censored” and shoved into a digital ghetto is one mighty cacophony.

*Here’s a basic list.

Via RWW, there’s video.