Raskin says he knew.

Jamie Raskin on CNN says he thinks the January 6 committee can prove that Trump knew he lost the 2020 election while he was lying about it and trying to overturn the result pic.twitter.com/eeZG1q7r8n

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) June 12, 2022

I don’t disagree with any of that, it’s just that I think Trump is peculiarly skilled at going on believing what he already believes no matter what other people are telling him – skilled at not listening, in short. He simply pays no attention to things people say that are inconvenient to him, apart from blasting them with dragon breath. He ignores them, in short. That is not a legal defense, I’m pretty sure.

“Barr … Read the rest

The Times has noticed the ACLU’s determination to erase women from abortion rights.

The American Civil Liberties Union, whose advocacy on reproductive rights is of more than a half-century vintage, recently tweeted its alarm about the precarious state of legal abortion:

“Abortion bans disproportionately harm: Black Indigenous and other people of color. The L.G.B.T.Q. community. Immigrants. Young people. Those working to make ends meet. People with disabilities. Protecting abortion access is an urgent matter of racial and economic justice.”

But nothing to do with women. It’s not just the ACLU, the Times correctly points out.

From Planned Parenthood to NARAL Pro-Choice America to the American Medical Association to city and state health departments and younger activists, the word “women” has

… Read the rest

Seeking pre-emptive pardons may turn out to be a mistake.

The House select committee investigating the Capitol attack revealed at its inaugural hearing that Donald Trump’s top Republican allies in Congress sought pardons after the January 6 insurrection, a major disclosure that bolstered the claim that the event amounted to a coup and is likely to cause serious scrutiny for those implicated.

Why? Because “Pardons for what, Senator?”

The news that multiple House Republicans asked the Trump White House for pardons – an apparent consciousness of guilt – was one of three revelations portending potentially perilous legal and political moments to come for Trump and his allies.

Note to journalists: don’t ever write a sentence with “portending potentially perilous” in … Read the rest

What’s wrong with this picture?

Brace for heatwaves next week and more often, says Met Office https://t.co/kRYL6f76Px

— The Guardian (@guardian) June 12, 2022

Too easy. The story is about a heatwave. What do you do in a heatwave? Try to stay as cool as possible. What do you not do? Lie in the sun in a bathing suit.… Read the rest

Well of course he does. He always did. He didn’t want to be bounced out in the first place. We all want nice things, but that doesn’t mean we always get to have them.

The Duke of York has asked the Queen to be reinstated as Colonel of the Grenadier Guards, The Telegraph understands, as he pushes for a return to royal duties.

But he was uninstated for a reason, so it seems pretty toddleresque to whine at Paddington Bear’s friend to let him come back. Has he taken to lying on the floor drumming his heels and screaming?

A source said: “The colonelcy of the Grenadier Guards was his most coveted title and he wants it back.

… Read the rest

Originally a comment by Papito on What kind of “experts”?

Experts said that in today’s world, children must fight against the devil for their souls even while they’re asleep.

Really, what’s the difference?

The difference is that the believers in gender ideology have so completely captured the media elite that, though a reporter may question whether children have “souls,” none may question whether children have “gender identity.”

A reporter who went on NPR or wrote in the Times about how today’s children had to guard their souls against the devil would be seen as religious, and the media organization would fence them in with a counterpoint. No counterpoint is allowed for the hundreds of times a week they assert that … Read the rest

I guess “white supremacist” is a kind of all-purpose political orientation that starts with hating everyone? A group of them were interrupted at a Pride parade in Idaho.

Police in the US state of Idaho have arrested 31 members of a white supremacist group and charged them with plotting to riot at a gay pride event.

Someone saw them piling into a truck with shields and masks, and called the cops.

The vehicle was soon stopped, and the men – members of the Patriot Front group – were arrested.

“They came to riot downtown,” Coeur d’Alene Police Chief Lee White said.

He added that riot gear and a smoke grenade were found in the vehicle.

The lorry was stopped

… Read the rest

Just for fun: Jordan Peterson having a very reasonable calm thoughtful moment.

This dude is still *seething* about seeing one woman on a magazine cover, who looked a little different to what he's used to. He simply cannot get over it.

Imagine the privilege it takes to have a weeks-long tantrum over something like that. pic.twitter.com/swSUdwP0uz

— Eiynah — (@NiceMangos) June 8, 2022

… Read the rest

Originally a comment by Artymorty at Miscellany Room 8.

Per the New York Times:

Experts said that young people increasingly have the language and social acceptance to explore their gender identities

This drives me crazy. What kind of “experts”? The journalistic principle in play should be to weigh the testimony of “experts” against the possibility of influence by a religious belief system that’s applying pressure on the debate.

If you’re talking about any other religious belief — say, Scientology — it becomes very clear that there’s two kinds of “experts” about it: believers themselves, and those who look at the belief system from the outside. Everyone on the inside will of course have nothing but good things to … Read the rest

Another one of those “rights” that isn’t a right.

‘We have a right not to be insulted,’ demonstrator claims as Cineworld fears for workers’ safety

Well, no, you don’t, not exactly, and especially not if you define “insulted” so broadly that it includes living in the same city as a movie house that’s showing a film about Mohammed’s daughter.

A cinema chain has been forced to pull a film about the prophet Muhammad’s daughter over fears for the safety of its staff.

And you don’t have a right to threaten and terrorize people, either.

Demonstrators outside branches in Bolton and elsewhere claimed the work was blasphemous and that freedom of speech should not apply to the subject of 

… Read the rest

Jason Stanley is going all-in on the abuse, not to say libel.

That’s an academic colleague he’s talking to.

Interesting times. Not in a good way.

Updating to add: I see it’s a continuation of his accusations yesterday, which I shared at the time. He’s consistent, at least.

Morality aside, it just doesn’t seem sensible or reasonable or adult to talk this way to a colleague (or anyone else, but administrators could be watching the colleague problem). Bye Felicia at the Washington Post just learned that a couple of days ago.… Read the rest

Women’s cis privilege in China:

CCTV footage of the incident widely circulated online shows a man placing his hand on a woman’s back as she shares a meal with two companions at a barbecue restaurant in the city of Tangshan in Hebei province in the early hours of Friday.

After the woman pushes him away, the man strikes her before others drag her outside and deal a barrage of blows as she lies on the ground. Another woman is also knocked to the floor.

Why are women so cruel and violent to men?

The video quickly went viral on China’s internet and renewed a debate about sexual harassment and gender-based violence in a country where the conversation around women’s

… Read the rest

Virginia Thomas is even more coup plot-involved than we thought.

Virginia “Ginni” Thomas, the wife of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, pressed 29 Republican state lawmakers in Arizona — 27 more than previously known — to set aside Joe Biden’s popular vote victory and “choose” presidential electors, according to emails obtained by The Washington Post.

Which means she tried to leverage Clarence Thomas’s position to bully state legislators into stealing the election.

The Post reported last month that Thomas sent emails to two Arizona House members, in November and December 2020, urging them to help overturn Biden’s win by selecting presidential electors — a responsibility that belongs to Arizona voters under state law.

She used an online platform that … Read the rest

Absolutely classic oblivious male lefty sexist pig type guy. Sports editor at The Nation.

Thread. Right wing state houses are weaponizing and empowering the worst behaviors of parents and coaches. If you don't think snarling moms and dads will line up to do this after their precious Susie loses the big race, then you've never been around youth sports. https://t.co/DpPsPV57Md

— Dave Zirin (@EdgeofSports) June 11, 2022

Right? Right?? That precious little Susie, who does she think she is? Bitch.

It's intolerable, the idea that the results of sporting success won't be cheering crowds and irrepressible joy, but genital inspections demanded by some parent throwing a tantrum because their kid came in second.

— Dave Zirin (@EdgeofSports) June 11, 2022

… Read the rest

The ACLU is promoting this shockingly bad and dishonest article by Chase Strangio and one Gabriel Arkles:

Four Myths About Trans Athletes, Debunked

The dishonesty is apparent already: the issue isn’t “trans athletes,” it’s male trans athletes invading women’s sports. They know that of course, and carefully pretend not to.

Upholding trans athletes’ rights requires rooting out the inaccurate beliefs underlying harmful policies sweeping through state legislatures.

What are “trans athletes’ rights”?

No athletes have a “right” to cheat by playing in categories that are for people smaller or younger or less muscular than they are. That’s it, that’s the issue.

For years state lawmakers have pushed legislation attempting to shut trans people out of public spaces. In 2020, lawmakers

… Read the rest

You’d think an adult who works in a job where he has to handle philosophy would refrain from publicly saying fatuous nonsense like this.

https://twitter.com/jasonintrator/status/1535313389441908738

It depends what the “embattled minority group” is, obviously. I mean OBVIOUSLY, spoken with all the heavy disdain of an enlightened teenager. Duhhhhhhh-uhhhhhhhhhh.

An “embattled minority group” can be anything. It can be rapists. It can be murderers. It can be mass murderers. It can be men who stalk and trap and overpower and rape and murder women. It can be men who stalk and trap and overpower and rape and murder women and are cops. It can be lying cheating thieving heads of state. It can be anything. Just being embattled … Read the rest

This guy should be stripped of all assets and forced to clean out sewers for the rest of his life. Without a shovel.

Former Trump White House Senior Advisor Jared Kushner tells the Jan. 6th Committee he believes repeated threats by White House Counsel Pat Cipollone to resign amounted to "whining" https://t.co/YjEvScXAAd pic.twitter.com/1DN0ZL5FQr

— Bloomberg (@business) June 10, 2022

… Read the rest

Professional philosophy of the highest order.

https://twitter.com/jasonintrator/status/1535295713470464000 https://twitter.com/jasonintrator/status/1535294964011507713… Read the rest

Jason Stan continues to cover himself with glory.

https://twitter.com/jasonintrator/status/1535205966353903621

Jason has met only “pro trans” feminists, therefore Jane Clare Jones doesn’t speak for all women. (Mind you, she’s never claimed to speak for all women, and Stanley’s sneaky insinuation that she does say that is…sneaky.) It’s not a very powerful argument. Jon Pike puts it more bluntly.

You're sure there are complex issues worth debating, but you can't be bothered to do that, so you'll just smear people as far right or fascist instead. The nicest thing I can say about this is that it's staggeringly lazy.

— Jon Pike (@runthinkwrite) June 10, 2022

What did our not at all lazy philosopher do? Debate the complex issues? No…

Of course.

… Read the rest

Obama deals with the “Oh no identity politics ew ew we’re all individuals and only individuals matter” trope a lot more briskly than I did.

Former President Obama calls emotions around culture war issues "powerful" and "legitimate."

"The original identity politics is racism and sexism and homophobia. That's nothing if not identity politics. And it's done a lot more harm than some tweet from an aggrieved liberal." pic.twitter.com/uOa5E4BilY

— The Recount (@therecount) June 10, 2022

… Read the rest