Oh, golf. Well, that’s okay then.

Rudy Giuliani speaks to MSNBC (screen grab).

Rudy Giuliani speaks to MSNBC (screen grab).

Oh, it’s Giuliani again, being the very best drama llama he can be, and not only denying any racism on his part, or on Trump’s part, but there is no racism, no, none at all. Wait, yes, there is a bit of racism, on Clinton’s part. That’s it.

“Racist? The last thing in this world that Donald Trump is is a racist,” Giuliani scoffed. “The man likes white people, he likes black people, he likes Hispanic people, he plays golf with them.”

I bet he’d even let them use one of his bathrooms, right Rudy? Who knew that golf canceled out racism, I didn’t know that.

“To say that Donald Trump is a racist is outrageous!” Giuliani replied indignantly. “To call anybody a racist is outrageous. I can’t stand that.”

“Hold on,” Ruhle interrupted. “There are people that you can call racist.”

Giuliani, however, pivoted: “It’s Hillary Clinton who says to us, we all have implicit bias.”

“Hillary, I got news for you, I don’t,” he added. “Maybe you do. I have no racial guilt. Not a single bit of it, which is why I’m willing to tell the truth about black crime and what has to be done about it.”

Oh yes, to point out racist behaviour and attitudes is just so much worse than the effects of racism, yep. The wounded bellow of white privilege, hear it bluster and sob. As for ‘no racial guilt’? Please. Yes, Rudy, you have implicit bias, we all do. What you don’t seem to have is any sense of shame. Or any ability to think, let alone critically.

“And there is no mayor in this history of this city that saved more black lives than me. Nobody even close.”

Why do I get the idea that Giuliani’s idea of saving black lives is putting a whole lot of black people in prison?

Full story here.

North Carolina: Still Losing.

Attorney General Roy Cooper (D) and Gov. Pat McCrory (R) debating earlier this month. CREDIT: AP Photo/Gerry Broome.

Attorney General Roy Cooper (D) and Gov. Pat McCrory (R) debating earlier this month. CREDIT: AP Photo/Gerry Broome.

NC continues to lose out on the economic front, some might say NC has been hemorrhaging jobs and money since the beginning of HB2, but as usual, McCrory continues to defend this attempt at legalizing bigotry and hatred. There simply isn’t any way for McCrory to save face at this point, but his refusal to back down and withdraw HB2 points to him being a very small man indeed, one who cannot, and will not admit he was wrong. I will give him this, he’s a fine example of what happens when a person embraces bigotry to the exclusion of all else. McCrory is now down six points, but I expect he still thinks he’ll win. I imagine he’ll lose, not only because he has lost his state so very much economically, but out of the sheer embarrassment on the part of many North Carolinians.

This week, North Carolina found out it is not getting 730 new jobs and a quarter-billion-dollar impact that it was the top contender for. The reason? Its anti-LGBT law, HB2, which bans trans people from using the bathroom and bars municipalities from protecting LGBT people from discrimination.

CoStar Group Inc., a real estate analytics company, had been shopping around cities to build a new research operations headquarters, and the contenders were Charlotte, Richmond, Atlanta, and Kansas City. The Atlanta Business Chronicle heard from sources that Charlotte was the favorite. But the jobs are going to Richmond.

According to David Dorsch, CoStar Group’s commercial real estate broker, “The primary reason they chose Richmond over Charlotte was HB2.” CoStar Group was itself, a bit mum, simply confirming the jobs were going to Richmond — and no expansions were planned anywhere else. But Dorsch was adamant that the jobs were another casualty of the discriminatory law. “The best thing we can do as citizens in North Carolina is to show up on Nov. 8 and think about which party is costing us jobs and which one is not.”

[…]

But McCrory’s administration denies there’s been any backlash whatsoever. His Commerce Secretary, John Skvarla, insisted this week that HB2 “hasn’t moved the needle one iota.” Indeed, he claimed that the state is financially and operationally in the “best position” it’s ever been.

Oh sure, that’s why McCrory “redirected” half a million dollars from the state’s emergency disaster fund, because you’re in the best position. FFS.

They’re not in total denial, though. Skvarla also admitted that the state made PayPal give back a ceremonial wooden bowl that McCrory had given to the company as a gift celebrating the original plan to expand in North Carolina. As the Observer described it, “state officials did what any jilted ex might: Asked for their stuff back.”

You can not make this stuff up, you just can’t. One would think McCrory and his cronies were a gang of foot-stomping 6 year olds. I expect that’s unfair to 6 year olds, most of them probably much more mature than McCrory.

McCrory, who is fighting for re-election in two weeks and is down six points, continues to defend HB2 and deny that it’s a problem. His opponent, Attorney General Roy Cooper (D), refuses to defend the law in court and staunchly opposes it. In a recent debate, Cooper called out McCrory’s version of reality: “Gov. McCrory continues to go across the state and tell people it is not hurting our economy. He attacks businesses who are opposed to it and says everything is going fine. Governor, what planet are you on?”

I would guess most of us would like an answer to that one.

Think Progress has the full story.

“Who needs white when black lives matter”

Xavier University student in blackface.

Xavier University student in blackface.

On Monday night, a Snapchat photo of a female Xavier student wearing blackface with the caption “Who needs white when black lives matter” circulated on social media, leading to anger and frustration among students.

The following morning, another violent and graphic photo made the rounds. Individuals hanged a skeleton wearing a traditional West African dashiki from the window of the Fenwick building, which houses primarily sophomore year students.

The skeleton, which was arranged in such a way to replicate the act of lynching, was placed in a window that faces one of the college’s main lawns and was set up alongside a Donald Trump 2016 “Make America Great Again” flag.

The image of the skeleton in the window next to the Trump flag sends an important message. It is absolutely a message to non-white students on the college’s campus.

It is also an incredibly important statement on the state of this country in 2016 and the dangers of a Trump presidency — one that dangerously emboldens the growing white nationalist movement.

This is what bothers me, by magnitudes of order, when it comes to people making all manner of excuses for supporting Trump. This is now outright fascism, you can’t in honesty call it anything else, and it’s brainbreaking to see so many people simply shrug incidents like this off, or try to come up with excuses as to why this isn’t white nationalism and/or fascism. As someone sliding down the old age ladder, it’s seriously disturbing to see this isht in high schools and universities. There’s supposed to be hope in the new generations, not despair.

I’ll spare you the pain of looking at the tweet stream: “Germanic heritage” and “Halloween, Duh”.

Full story here.

NO DAPL: Water Protectors Needed!

Courtesy Rob Wilson Photography.

Courtesy Rob Wilson Photography.

Sarah Sunshine Manning highlights and details the need for more water protectors to make their way to the camps.

On October 18, water protectors called for reinforcements as the Dakota Access construction is quickly closing in on the Missouri River in North Dakota.

Water protectors, skilled in non-violent direct action, should plan to make their way to Standing Rock as quickly as you can get here.

This massive call-to-action is endorsed by more than 10 groups, including the Indigenous Peoples Power Project (IP3), The Ruckus Society, the Indigenous Environmental Network, Honor The Earth, the Oceti Sakowin Camp, the Sacred Stone Camp, West Coast Women Warriors Media Cooperative, Ancestral Pride, Digital Smoke Signals, Greenpeace USA, and The Other98.

“If we’re going to beat the pipeline, we’re going to need more people,” Nick Tilsen, Oglala Lakota, and co-founder of the Indigenous Peoples Power Project, told me.

An informational video was released in accompaniment with the joint-statement made by the groups with the title, “Warriors Wanted.”

“We’re asking for reinforcements to come stand with us, to pray, and to protect,” Tilsen said. “Of all the times to take action, the time is now.”

On October 22, water protectors in the camps reported that Dakota Access construction was just a few miles from the camp, and approximately 5 miles from the Missouri River.

[…]

In another Facebook video posted by Mark K. Tilsen, Oglala Lakota from Porcupine, South Dakota, Tilsen delivered a poignant message to allies across the globe:

“I’m asking you to come to Standing Rock,” he said. “Follow local leadership, but you will be given autonomy to choose your actions, and how you choose to creatively stop the Dakota Access Pipeline. Please. Come to Standing Rock.”

Mark Tilsen has been stationed at the Oceti Sakowin camp for the past two months, also assisting in non-violent direct action trainings.

“We need help. We need bodies on the ground,” said Tilsen. “We need people here who are dedicated and willing. This is not a tourist action. This is not a party. We’re here to stop the Dakota Access Pipeline. Thank you.”

There’s much more here, including a video about strip searching protesters who were arrested for disorderly conduct. This is an obvious tactic on the part of the Keystone cops here to humiliate those who dare to protect the earth and water. Even Chairman Archambault was subjected to this.

In other NO DAPL news:

[Read more…]

The Alpha Male’s Social Media Prowess.

Cult-of-Trump-4

I guess you could call this the precursor to TrumpTV – TrumpFacebook. The Trump campaign has launched a nightly “news” show on Facebook Live to counter that so-called media bias, and they are all excited about what they call bypassing that horrible left wing media, oh my yes.

“[We’re] excited to be bypassing the left-wing media,” host Boris Epshteyn said in opening the inaugural segment, which he co-hosts with fellow Trump adviser Cliff Sims from Trump Tower.

The first 6:30 p.m., 30-minute stream featured Trump campaign manager Kellyanne Conway and Sean Spicer, communications director and chief strategist of the Republican National Committee, Mediaite reported. Conservative pundit Tomi Lahren of the Blaze delivered an opinion segment titled “Final Thoughts.”

Oh, well, that will certainly be fair and unbiased. I just rolled my eyes so hard my spine almost popped out.

Trump’s children and various surrogates are expected to take part as well on subsequent installments.

The show, which will air nightly during weeknights in the lead-up to the Nov. 8 election, is to serve as a lead-in to Trump’s nightly campaign rallies, which also will be streamed live.

“This is a historic movement. Together, we will once again make a government by, for, and of the people! Help us close out the final weeks of this campaign strong and win,” Trump posted on Facebook Monday.

Epshteyn and Sims said the broadcast is a way to capture Trump’s social media prowess, the Hill reported.

Oh, the social media prowess of the alpha male of God, oooooh. If this social media prowess is in any way connected to the constant mess of tantrums on twitter, everyone better sharpen their mockery spears, they are going to get much use.

“We all know how strong the left wing media bias is. This is us delivering our message to voters,” Epshteyn told Wired. “It has nothing to do with Trump TV. It’s about using 21st-century technology and communication in a way that’s effective.”

Before last week’s final debate with Democrat Hillary Clinton, Trump’s Facebook Live broadcast garnered 200,000 simultaneous viewers, which CNNMoney said is high compared to other viewership figures on the web. After it was archived, viewership rose to 8.6 million Facebook users, CrowdTangle data indicated, topping debate streams from ABC and Fox.

Well, all the people jumping off the Fox ship have to have somewhere to go, I suppose.

Via Raw Story.

Renee Davis, Killed by Cops.

Native single mom Renee Davis was five months pregnant when she was killed by deputies on Friday (Facebook.com)

Native single mom Renee Davis was five months pregnant when she was killed by deputies on Friday (Facebook.com)

Renee Davis was five months pregnant when she was fatally shot by King County sheriff’s deputies checking on her welfare Friday night, according to her foster sister, Danielle Bargala.

Davis, 23, had struggled with depression, and had texted someone earlier that night to say she was in a bad way, according to Bargala. That person had alerted law enforcement, leading the deputies to arrive at Davis’ house on Muckleshoot tribal lands shortly after 6:30 p.m.

Bargala, a Seattle University law student, said Saturday that she and other family members have a lot of questions about what happened next. The sheriff’s office declined to comment Saturday beyond what it said Friday night — that the deputies, investigating a report of someone suicidal, found a young woman with a handgun and two small children in the house.

The children were Davis’, ages 2 and 3, according to Bargala. The single mother had a third child, 5, who was at the home of a family friend Friday.

Yesterday, I posted about Native Lives Matter, and an article about the high percentage of Native people who die at the hands of cops. More Indigenous people are killed by cops than any other group. The complete lack of interest in that post was not in the least unexpected, but it left me with a bitter, burning sadness I can’t begin to describe. Yesterday, three people were good enough to actually click over and read the article linked, and one kind person shared the post. I don’t know who you are, but I thank you, from the depth of my heart.

On Friday, Renee Davis was gunned down by cops who were supposedly there to do a wellness check. Obviously, nothing good happened to Ms. Davis. It’s doubtful that any judgment will go against the cops, they seldom do, and yet another Native person is dead at the hands of cops.

Via The Seattle Times.

Native Lives Matter.

I have mentioned, often, that in uStates, the highest percentage of extrajudicial killings are of Indigenous people. To say this isn’t well known would be quite the understatement. It isn’t known at all, and when people do find out, they don’t much care. The Guardian has kept track, along with all the other groups of people who are consistently killed by cops. Very few of these murders get any press at all. The murder of Loreal Tsingine got a little bit, and so did the murder of John T. Williams. Those people who read Indian publications are aware of most of the others, but they don’t get any write up at all. Indigenous people also have the highest rates of dying in captivity, and cops casually toss off excuses like “hey, she overdosed on meth”, as they did in the case of Sarah Lee Circle Bear, who was only 24 years old. The cops neglected to explain how she could have died from a meth overdose while in custody for two days. Sarah’s case, and that of so many others, has been a cause of deep outrage in Indigenous circles, but once again, if you aren’t reading native publications, you aren’t likely to know about any of them.

Chase Iron Eyes started NLM in 2014, but once again, it’s been a slow take because about the only people who care about native lives are natives. In These Times has a very good article about Native deaths at the hands of law enforcement, and the bigotry Natives face every single day. Please, go read. Please, share. I thank you.

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The Police Killings No One Is Talking About.

Happy Halloween to You, Too.

LSU political science junior Clarke Perkins tweeted Wednesday night that her door decoration was damaged and “go back 2 Africa N— monkeys” was written on its side.

Perkins said she noticed that the decoration was damaged when she was leaving her apartment at University House at 6 p.m.

She shared a photo of the decoration online on Twitter Wednesday night. The tweet gained traction, being retweeted more than 2,200 times by Thursday afternoon, prompting LSU President F. King Alexander to release a statement.

“I am sorry this happened to you,” Alexander tweeted. “If the culprit is not a student, we will contact the district attorney for swift action. Let me be clear: LSU will not tolerate this behavior.”

Perkins said she met with Alexander in person Thursday. She said he plans to put pressure on University House and demand that the apartment complex takes steps to protect students.

University House is an off-campus complex on West Chimes Street just north of LSU’s campus. A spokesperson for University House said that they will release a statement Thursday.

Perkins said that she does not know whether she or her four other roommates were specifically targeted. She said she has lived at the apartment since Fall 2015 and has never had an issue before. She is now considering her other housing options.

For me, it’s early, and I have not had tea yet, so not much to say here. What is there to say? This sort of garbage is happening more and more, with bigots feeling happy and smug, wallowing in their poison troughs.

Via KTBS.

Oh, the fuckin’ irony.

pat-buchanan-250x141If I had a real life irony meter, I’d be dead from the massive explosion caused by Pat Buchanan. Pat is once more weeping salty tears over the marginalization and oppression of white men, and the dismal state of patriarchal control. If anyone reading has a shiny Acme™ Irony Meter, get rid of it, it will never take the strain.

Is the system rigged? Ask yourself.

For half a century, the U.S. Supreme Court has systematically de-Christianized and paganized American society and declared abortion and homosexual marriage constitutional rights.

Where did these unelected jurists get the right to impose their views and values upon us, and remake America in their own secularist image? Was that really the Court’s role in the Constitution?

Oh, come now, Pat. You were just fine with assholes like Scalia, who imposed their views and values on people, and in doing so, crushed more lives, liberties, and pursuits of happiness than you could shake a stick at. As someone who had an abortion, Pat, I’ll remind you of something: none. of. your. business. I’m thankful mine took place before the mega-assholes of morality decided to involve themselves. Health-wise, I was safe rather than bleeding to death in a room somewhere, and that termination allowed me to keep my sanity. Never been in the slightest way sorry for it, either. Just relieved. (And yes, I would have taken the risk of bleeding to death in a room somewhere, that’s how strongly I felt, and my reasons? My business.) Everyone allowed to marry? Yes, why not? In case you weren’t looking Pat, that fight took many years, mostly because of those unelected jurists who thought exactly the same way you do. You’re a toddler having a tantrum.

How did we wind up with an all-powerful judicial tyranny in a nation the Founding Fathers created as a democratic republic?

Hey, you started it. Liked it well enough when decisions were going your way.

There are more than 11 million illegal immigrants here, with millions more coming. Yet the government consistently refuses to enforce the immigration laws of the United States.

Yeah, about that…even the incredibly white-washed history texts in uStates could explain this one to you, Pat.

Why should those Americans whose ancestors created, fought, bled and died to preserve America not believe they and their children are being dispossessed of a country that was their patrimony — and without their consent?

Sigh. Fuckety fuck. Oh, you mean those Americans whose ancestors happened on Turtle Island, a place which had been long inhabited, who fought, raped, pillaged, and slaughtered everyone in sight in attempted genocide to steal “America” be dispossessed of a country they stole, without the consent of the inhabitants? Stealing is wrong, Pat. I was under the impression even Christians think so. Something about commandments and being all morally superior. As for your patrimony, oh, you can shove that one, Pat. Really deep.

When did the country vote to convert the America we grew up in into the Third World country our descendants will inherit in 2042?

Perhaps you should find a place you could legally acquire, and start setting up White Patriarchs Paradise. Then everyone could be happy. You could wage war on the sun, in order to preserve that wondrous pasty whiteness, proving for once and all the might of white.

In the Civil Rights Act of 1964, a Congressional majority voted to end discrimination against black folks. When did we vote to institute pervasive discrimination against white folks, especially white males, with affirmative action, quotas and racial set-asides? Even in blue states like California, affirmative action is routinely rejected in statewide ballots.

You make it sound like this happened because a bunch of old white dudes were sitting around one day, and decided to be all loving and stuff. That’s not quite what happened, Pat. There was a long and ferocious road to acknowledging people of colour as full human beings, and a whole lot of people died to make that happen. It was hardly trivial, and it was only a first step. We remain racist, with too many white people refusing to budge so much as a quarter step toward actual equality. You’re one of the assholes who thinks the Civil Rights Act fixed everything.

Yet it remains regime policy, embedded in the bureaucracy.

Oh, you’re one of those folks who buys into that “Obama Regime” noise. That’s not unexpected, with you being one of the old guard white men, wailing, gnashing your teeth, and lamenting your loss of absolute dominion over other people. You can’t be toppled soon enough, Pat.

Via Right Wing Watch.

How Cops Get Away With Murder.

former-cop-guns-3x2

GQ has an in-depth interview with Raeford Davis, a former South Carolina cop (until 2006). It’s good reading, I recommend it. Just a bit here:

When you first became a police officer, what sort of training did you get for de-escalating a potentially violent encounter?

Very little. My academy manual was approximately 1,500 pages long. Of that, maybe 10-20 pages cover effective communication and verbal de-escalation techniques. It wasn’t really until you got out with your field training officer that they would say, “Look you’ve got to talk to people and settle things without getting worked up.” In a lot of ways, when you got on the street you were unlearning a lot of the worst case scenario training that you learned at the academy.

I don’t think the disgrace of so-called police training here in uStates is much of a mystery to most people anymore, but I really wonder if any cops are actually unlearning that garbage anymore.

Were there any mechanisms in place to weed out people who weren’t suited for the job?

Most people wash out based on academic issues and obvious physical issues, like a bad knee, that would prevent them from performing their duties than anything else. As far as spotting over-aggressive or mentally unstable red flags, no, I didn’t see where that would come up and it certainly didn’t with my group. How people washed out from the academy beyond that would be off-campus problems, like getting a DUI or, as happened to one guy, getting into a road rage incident and flashing his badge and gun at people. But it’s the barrel that’s bad, regardless of the apples.

So, what are some of the things you learned about how to behave in those worst case scenarios?

We have this “use of force” continuum. It changes depending on the agency, but there’s a basic format. You can increase your level of response based on the reaction of the individual. You start off with your mere presence, then you have verbal commands, and if that doesn’t work you can put your hands on someone. If they pull back, then you can maybe use a pressure point technique. If they take a swing at you, then you can escalate to a baton. The main takeaway I got from my training concerning individuals armed with a knife or similar weapon was the “21 foot rule.” Basically if you confront anyone with a knife and they get within 21 feet, you can shoot them.

The full interview is at GQ.  Via Black Lives Matter.

It’s Indian, Okay?

I am sick to death of explaining to obnoxious assholes, most often found in a thread at Pharyngula, that yes, Indians use Indian, and I often go to fair length to explain why, but that’s just never good enough, oh no. So, here’s Simon Moya-Smith to explain, and say the exact same thing I do, but maybe some of the obnoxious assholes will get it now, because it’s coming from a man:

That’s all, folks.

Via Twitter.

Thank You for Your Service, You Evil Woman.

Tip left for SC waitress. (Source: Friend of waitress)

Tip left for SC waitress. (Source: Friend of waitress)

In Greenville, SC, a couple left a poison pill note for their server. They did note her service was excellent, but apparently all her hard work and excellence merited nothing more than a self-righteous helping of shit. Christians. Seriously, this sort of crap – every single one of you Christians knows people who commit this banal act of evil, and do you do anything about it? No. Gosh, you just add so much positivity to the world, don’t ya?

GREENVILLE, SC (FOX Carolina) –

A South Carolina server said she feels heartbroken and mortified after the tip she received from a couple she had served told her that her place is in the home.

The server who asked not to be identified said she had just finished clearing off the couple’s table after serving them when the couple walked back in and left her a note on a napkin and darted out the door.

What the napkin said angered her friend so much she submitted a picture of the napkin to FOX Carolina. The napkin read in its entirety:

[Read more…]