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The Pentagon announced new rules last week easing the ban on women serving in combat. While conservatives like Rick Santorum are a little uneasy with the news, the announcement only formalizes military practices that were already taking place.

But Fox News contributor Liz Trotta’s commentary on the matter took the issue to a whole other level. She’s not really concerned about the “controversy” surrounding the Pentagon’s announcement. For Trotta, the issue is having “women once more, the feminist, going, wanting to be warriors and victims at the same time.”

asshattery rape_culture

rape_culture asshattery

Stephen Harper’s conservative government has declared all marriages from any countries where there is not marriage equality null-and-void. ...

If the bottom line is that if I’m no longer married, that presents an opportunity — we can do what we could not in 2004 — legally marry in NYC... Shove it, Harper.

More from Dan Savage, who is in the same predicament.

marriage_equality asshattery

[What. the fucking. fuck. -L]

wtf asshattery racism extremism

Forbes magazine has posted a column by Gene Marks, a middle aged white guy, who wants to give advice to poor black kids about how to be successful in America. Of course, these young black kids read Forbes everyday and will internalize his wisdom. There is no poverty porn, noblesse oblige, white paternalism, compassionate conservative masturbation, navel gazing at work here. No. None at all.

...[I don't] know what Gene Marks' intentions were in writing his Forbes' essay. However, I am mighty curious about the intentions of Forbes' editors in publishing such a problematic piece of work.

[See also the comment by Shahryar on Tue Dec 13, 2011 at 05:50:49 PM PST - http://www.dailykos.com/comments/1045077/44253350#c9

--L.]

racism classism asshattery

asshattery

"It is tragic what we do in the poorest neighborhoods, entrapping children in child laws which are truly stupid," Gingrich said. "Saying to people you shouldn't go to work before you're 14, 16. You're totally poor, you're in a school that's failing with a teacher that's failing."

...

"I tried for years to have a very simple model. These schools should get rid of unionized janitors, have one master janitor, pay local students to take care of the school. The kids would actually do work; they'd have cash; they'd have pride in the schools. They'd begin the process of rising."

[The Daily Kos writer points out a couple of concerns. I'll add: it's reasonable to want to offer poor kids better opportunities and to consider paid labor as a possible alternative, BUT you have to consider a) how these "opportunities" fit into the rest of the kid's present life, i.e. does it prevent her from having time to do homework and learn the things every citizen should know? and b) how it might fit into her future life, i.e. is this job also a learning opportunity that could lead to upward mobility?

In other words, I'd support a modernized apprenticeship system, if we can work out how to do it without creating castes.

That's not what Gingrich is proposing, however.

-L.]

asshattery child_poverty education

...the initiative would strike the sections of California educational code that require schools to include information about the historical contributions of LGBT people, along with other groups, in social studies courses and prohibit schools from adopting discriminatory materials that reflect adversely on LGBT people.

education homophobia asshattery

If Walsh wants to not pay his child support, then "family values congressman keeps dodging his child support payments" seems a perfectly valid news item. It's even all right to bring it up in the context of campaigning—for example, to say something like "while Joe Walsh talks bullshit about his supposed values at every opportunity, he won't even support his own kids."
You want people to stop bringing up how you won't pay your child support? Then pay your damn child support already. Jackass.

asshattery

homophobia asshattery religious_tolerance

There are numerous ways for makers of pricey brand-name drugs to delay the release of generic copies and hold on to the market for even a few months longer. They could make slight changes to the doses or even go so far as to buy a company that supplies a needed ingredient. But one pharmaceutical company is taking a new approach to putting off the release of generic versions -- etching an additional score into the pill's surface.

intellectual_property asshattery

asshattery extremism violence reproductive_justice

...set off criticism from the medical community and even some fellow conservatives by claiming that vaccine could lead to intellectual disabilities...

asshattery misogyny extremism

The teacher provided a written statement to investigators in which he admitted addressing the children in terms of black and white but denied that his comments were racial in nature.

The child singled out and embarrassed because of his color would probably beg to differ.

asshattery

This short clip is worth watching if you missed it the first time around. In a rather disturbing display -- especially by a presidential hopeful -- Rick Perry simply embarrasses himself with his inability to explain why abstinence, which has proven not to prevent teenage pregnancies, is the preventative solution he recommends.

video asshattery reproductive_justice ignorance_is_strength

Michele Bachman, campaigning in Florida Saturday, said Hurricane Irene was a wakeup call to politicians to listen to the American people. Her campaign said the comment was made in jest.

asshattery

Slur? We're going to have to go with Pat here and agree that it wasn't one. But really, is it so hard to call the president by his name or title? The larger and more troubling issue here involves the total lack of respect for Obama from the right that's become so commonplace that it barely raises an eyebrow.

In his USA Today column this week, DeWayne Wickham makes a compelling argument that the contempt doesn't just stem from political differences. What's behind it is something that's worse than a slur...

asshattery

Lamborn, who has been called the most conservative member of Congress, was of course only familiar with the "difficult to solve" definition. And he's already decided that the president will accept his apology, telling the Denver Post, "I am sure that he will not take offense and that he'll be happy to accept my apology because he is a man of character."

The Tea Partier may be right. ...it's probably the least of the president's problems with him.

racism asshattery

July 29, 2011

As NC passes one of the most restrictive abortion laws in the country, NC citizens and representatives question why state government will now require state documentation in medical records as to whether a woman "averted her eyes" from a new state-required ultrasound she is now required to pay for...

reproductive_justice misogyny why_we_can't_have_nice_things north_carolina asshattery

If you were wondering whether the sleazy and contemptuous culture at Murdoch's tabloids extended to his '"decent" newspapers, today's editorial cartoon in The Times should clear that up for you.

asshattery murdoch_empire shenanigans