From Reduxx:

The German federal government was responsible for funding a research project labeling “organized transphobia” a threat to democracy. The project, which was made in collaboration with a trans-identified male known for threatening violence against women he disagrees with, classifies those opposed to Germany’s radical gender self-identification laws as “enemies” of society.

Hm. Man who threatens violence against women labels disobedient women “a threat to democracy.” So democracy=men forcing women to lie about who is a woman? Weird definition.

Days ago, the Institute for Democracy and Civil Society (IDZ Jena) published a brochure reporting the outcome of a research project it had undertaken on “Organized Transphobia: Concepts, Actors, Narratives, and Counter-Strategies.” In the 92-page release, it

So dignified.

Gibson, the maker of famous electric guitars, has issued a cease and desist order to the company behind a range of “Trump Guitars” endorsed by the US president-elect.

Gibson told Guitar World, which first reported the story, it took action because the design of the instruments being sold as Trump Guitars “infringes upon Gibson’s exclusive trademarks, particularly the iconic Les Paul body shape”.

Named for the American musician the Guardian once said “basically invented the electric guitar”, Gibson Les Pauls have been sold since 1952 and played by countless rock legends, among them the Edge of U2, Jimmy Page of Led Zeppelin and Slash of Guns N’ Roses.

Trump Guitars were announced last week, as the latest

UK Women’s March has a statement about itself.

*Our Statement*

With Donald Trump set to return as US president in January 2025 and Nigel Farage picking up the anti-abortion mantle here in the UK, it’s time to make our voices heard.

We are marching because violence against women and girls in the UK has increased by 37% since 2018 and has now been declared a national emergency.

We are marching because abortion in England and Wales, if not carried out according to the strict requirements of the Abortion Act 1967, is technically still a criminal offence carrying a maximum penalty of life imprisonment.

We are marching because reproductive rights are being removed state by state in the US making it

So now we’re a threat to democracy. Reduxx has the details:

The German federal government was responsible for funding a research project labeling “organized transphobia” a threat to democracy. The project, which was made in collaboration with a trans-identified male known for threatening violence against women he disagrees with, classifies those opposed to Germany’s radical gender self-identification laws as “enemies” of society.

Interesting. So a guy who threatens women with violence is fine, but women who say men are not women are threats to democracy.

Days ago, the Institute for Democracy and Civil Society (IDZ Jena) published a brochure reporting the outcome of a research project it had undertaken on “Organized Transphobia: Concepts, Actors, Narratives, and Counter-Strategies.”

Oooh how thrilling.

When’s the next minstrel show?

CNN on Trump’s noisy claims that Panama owes him a canal:

Panama President José Raúl Mulino posted a lengthy statement in Spanish and English on social media declaring ownership of the port “not negotiable.” Built at the turn of the 20th century, the canal was operated by the US until 1999, when it was fully turned over to Panama under a treaty signed by President Jimmy Carter two decades prior that guaranteed American use of the canal in perpetuity.

“I want to express precisely that every square meter of the Panama Canal and its adjacent area belong to Panama, and will continue to,” Mulino wrote.

The response did little to discourage Trump and his allies, though, who responded with

Yes come on, Nicola Sturgeon, explain what “shadowy forces” tricked us into believing that…er…men are not women.

All those ‘shadowy forces’. Sneakily organising demonstrations, writing articles, making speeches, fundraising…. No. It was women exercising their democratic right to disagree with the former First Minister. Visibly and courageously. And for some at huge personal cost. https://t.co/pIKpQkZ3ci

— Johann Lamont (@JohannLamont) December 23, 2024

… Read the rest

Behold, the women-hating piggy reveling in the revived fashion for hatred of women.

I've loved watching Celia completely annihilate you, Helen. You have absolutely nothing when you can't use your womanhood as a weapon and shield. Your weak arguments, all based on emotion, just crumble.

— Shay Yay (@sheawilliamsy) December 23, 2024

He does the “Karen” thing too. Piggy piggy piggy.

Barbie Kardashian was kept under strict conditions, including being locked in her cell for 22 hours a day and segregated from the general prison. But please tell us how this impacted your life and stripped away all your rights, Karen.

You are so smart.

— Shay Yay (@sheawilliamsy) December 24, 2024

… Read the rest

Stephen Whittle, self-important, admits how risky and drastic all this “transitioning” is, apparently without noticing he’s doing so.

By “patient” and “patients” she means young girls.

3. … patients, many of whom were mid-surgery (grs for TM is complex & requires several procedures) & who had been waiting for years for their next surgical procedure.
d) The surgeons have been working flat out in an attempt to put a dent in the waiting list – even so…

— Prof. Stephen Whittle OBE, PhD, DLaws, FAcSS, (@stephenwhittle) December 24, 2024

Mangling female genitals is “complex and requires several procedures” and it’s risky, so don’t you dare say it shouldn’t be done.

RIP first do no harm.… Read the rest

Fariborz Pooya writes:

The Saudi Arabian doctor and psychiatrist Taleb A., who carried out an attack on the Magdeburg Christmas market on Friday evening, has terrorized the Central Council of Ex-Muslims and the Secular Refugee Aid for several years. He apparently shared beliefs from the far-right spectrum of the AfD and believed in a large-scale conspiracy aimed at Islamizing Germany. His delusional ideas went so far that he assumed that even organizations critical of Islamism were part of the Islamist conspiracy.

“The news of the attack on the Magdeburg Christmas market has shocked us!” said Mina Ahadi, chairwoman of the Central Council of Ex-Muslims, on Saturday morning. “The attacker Taleb A. is no stranger to us, because he has

Originally a comment by Der Durchwanderer on Known as a stalker and cyberbully.

Eugyppius has become a go-to for his cogent explanations and analysis of Germany’s socio-political peculairities, written in English for an international audience. He has gathered a sober accounting of the facts of this case as we yet know them without any real editorialising (though he makes some conclusions and opinions known in a few replies to comments), and it is well worth reading if you are truly interested in this incident.

The suspect seems to be severely mentally disturbed (perhaps ironically, or perhaps only to be expected, as he is a psychiatrist himself). It is incredibly unlikely that he is a sleeper agent for a Jihadist … Read the rest

Ominous.

President-elect Donald Trump shared his renewed interest Sunday in the U.S. controlling the autonomous territory of Greenland, which is owned by Denmark.

“For purposes of National Security and Freedom throughout the World, the United States of America feels that the ownership and control of Greenland is an absolute necessity,” Trump wrote in a statement announcing that he had chosen Ken Howery to serve as ambassador to Denmark.

In other words Trump told Greenland and Denmark and the world that he intends to take Greenland by force.

He floated the idea last time he was “president” and Greenland said no you won’t.

At that point, Denmark said that Greenland was not for sale, which caused Trump to cancel a

Janice Turner gives us some background:

When Thibaut Rey was radioed by a colleague to say a man in the cosmetics department was behaving suspiciously, he went to the CCTV room to watch. It was late summer in Provence, so many women browsing the E.Leclerc hypermarket were bare-legged. Walking among them a man was carefully positioning a cool box beneath their skirts. Out of it poked a mobile phone.

The man, in his sixties, was deftly moving from woman to unwitting woman, and Rey, a security guard, was incensed. He ran on to the shop floor and grabbed the man’s arm. “You are a disgusting person,” he said. “I swear if she was my mother, I’d rip your head

Why does Musk have so much power over the government and how can it be taken away?

…the billionaire tanked a bipartisan spending deal in the House last week and sent lawmakers scrambling.

Musk torched the plan to his 200 million followers on X, the social media platform he owns, and President-elect Donald Trump called on Republicans to reject the deal.

That’s part of the answer – he owns TwitterX and he abuses the power that gives him.

Musk was one of Trump’s biggest benefactors on the campaign trail and has been attached to the president-elect since his victory — weighing in on Cabinet appointments, meeting with foreign leaders and, increasingly, swaying dealmaking in Congress.

And that’s another part. Trump … Read the rest

More bullying:

Trump has demanded Panama reduce fees on the Panama Canal or return it to US control, accusing the central American country of charging “exorbitant prices” to American shipping and naval vessels.

“The fees being charged by Panama are ridiculous, highly unfair,” he told a crowd of supporters in Arizona on Sunday. “This complete rip-off of our country will immediately stop,” he said, referring to when he takes office next month.

His remarks prompted a quick rebuke from Panama’s president, who said “every square metre” of the canal and surrounding area belong to his country.

Also, and more frivolously, Trump is a funny guy to complain about rip-offs, given all the gilded trash with his name on it … Read the rest

Nicola Sturgeon throws mud in the general direction of feminist women yet again.

I wholly endorse this call for clarity from @mbmpolicy @ForWomenScot @Scot_Feminists @ScotLesbians @WRNScotland @VoteWithOurFeet & @WWWheesht. It undermines our democracy when politicians cast unevidenced aspersions like this. https://t.co/XNnBx4sk74 pic.twitter.com/P7VVWsVmuR

— Joanna Cherry KC (@joannaccherry) December 23, 2024

The Herald tells us:

Ms Sturgeon’s comments last week came during interviews marking the tenth anniversary of Scotland’s equal marriage laws.

The ex-SNP leader told Diva magazine: “I’ve had more abuse hurled at me on the issue of trans rights than I have on probably any other issue in my career and I am a politician who helped lead an independence referendum.

“There are people who have muscled

Maryam Namazie has a statement at Ex-Muslims International:

At least five people, including a child, were killed, and 200 others were injured when Taleb Al Abdulmohsen deliberately drove into the Magdeburg Christmas Market on December 20. Abdulmohsen, a Saudi-born doctor and self-proclaimed ex-Muslim atheist activist, starkly illustrates that right-wing extremism knows no racial, cultural, or religious boundaries. Despite being an immigrant, he was an outspoken supporter of the far-right AfD, harboring vehemently anti-Muslim and anti-migrant views. His attack was reportedly motivated by anger at Germany’s acceptance of Muslim refugees.

Abdulmohsen was known to our coalition as a stalker and cyberbully, which underscores his commitment to division and dehumanization. His actions serve as a reminder that hate cuts across backgrounds,

Ahhh sweet.

The mills of God grind slowly but they grind exceeding fine.

Victorian opposition to vote on John Pesutto’s future as leader

Victorian opposition leader John Pesutto will face a leadership spill against him on Friday after a group of Liberals called a special party meeting. 

Victorian Opposition Leader John Pesutto is set to face a leadership challenge this Friday after a group of shadow ministers called a special meeting of the Liberal party room.

The meeting will formally debate readmitting exiled MP Moira Deeming back into the Victorian Liberal Party team, just a week after a near-identical motion failed due to a 14-all votes deadlock.

MP Moira Deeming was exiled because she knows a man is not a woman.

Under

Trump is throwing his weight around before he’s in the job.

Trump threatened to reassert U.S. control over the Panama Canal, accusing Panama of charging excessive rates to use the Central American passage, which allows ships to cross between the Pacific and Atlantic oceans.

Says the guy who bills his own Secret Service agents when they have to stay at his Florida hotel.

The post was an exceedingly rare example of a U.S. leader saying he could push a sovereign country to hand over territory. It also underlines an expected shift in U.S. diplomacy under Trump, who has not historically shied away from threatening allies and using bellicose rhetoric when dealing with counterparts.

Aka picking fights and creating enemies.

“The