From Gordon Sondland’s prepared statement to the impeachment inquiry:

On May 23, 2019, three days after the Zelensky inauguration, we in the U.S. delegation debriefed President Trump and key aides at the White House. We emphasized the strategic importance of Ukraine and the strengthening relationship with President Zelensky, a reformer who received a strong mandate from the Ukrainian people to fight corruption and pursue greater economic prosperity. We asked the White House to arrange a working phone call from President Trump and a working Oval Office visit. However, President Trump was skeptical that Ukraine was serious about reforms and anti-corruption, and he directed those of us present at the meeting to talk to Mr. Giuliani, his personal attorney, about

I feel somewhat shattered at the loss of Elijah Cummings. Dan Rodricks in his hometown paper, the Baltimore Sun:

“We are better than this.”

Elijah Cummings said that over and over again, urging his fellow Americans and his fellow Baltimoreans to believe it — and to be it.

The U.S. congressman from Maryland, who died early Thursday morning at 68, was a long-time warrior for justice, truly a great man. He spoke truth to power even as a member of the power class. And the Democrat was not above pleading, with rival Republicans or constituents, for what he knew was right.

He chose politics and public life because he wanted a better country, a better city. Immersed in the

But wait, there’s more! James Kirkup introduces us to Deputy Chief Constable Julie Cooke of Cheshire Police.

DCC Cooke has rather a big job in Cheshire, where there were more than 30,000 violent crimes in the year to August 2019 and the monthly rate of violent crime is up by more than 50 per cent in the last year. 

Fortunately, however,  DCC Cooke has still managed to find time to make a video marking International Pronouns Day.

Marking what??!

No, I know what; I had heard of it; it’s just that it’s so idiotic, and so idiotic-squared that anyone is paying attention to it, let alone making police videos about it.

If you’re not familiar with that occasion, the

More pathetic Qusilings who don’t even know they’re Quislings.

Women’s Book History:

Good morning! Just a reminder that our page celebrates things related to book history for all of the following:

– cis women
– trans women
– cis men
– trans men
– nonbinary folks

and everyone else in between! We usually post about women, but that’s because that’s our jam. We do, and always have, included trans women in our category of “women’s book history” and this stance is not up for debate. If this bothers you, we encourage you to keep scrolling. Anyone who posts harassing messages about trans women will have those comments deleted and then they will be banned from the page.

In other … Read the rest

For people who are as all-powerful and privileged as women are, we sure do have a hard time being allowed to speak.

Despite professing commitment to free speech principles, today Massey University announced they would be revoking their agreement with Speak Up For Women to host their event ‘Feminism 2020’ at their Wellington Campus.

So in other words they’re going with Don’t Speak Up For Women.

Citing “external advice on its health, safety and wellbeing obligations under the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015, and its duty of care to the University community,” Massey have once more proven that they are willing to cave to activist intimidation tactics.

“The staff and students of Massey were never at any

First, this is the Daily Mail, so caution is advised – but, that said, if the facts are as stated…there’s an issue. The claim is that judges have been ordered to give harsh sentences to people convicted of “transgender and homophobic hate crimes” – that is, hate crimes against LGB and trans people. New sentencing guidelines say six months in prison should be the minimum.

But what are they defining as hate crimes? That’s the crucial question, and from what we’ve seen lately it includes dissenting from various wild truth-claims about Magic Gender Changing.

The instructions, which will come into effect on January 1, follow a series of cases in which police have been accused of launching heavy-handed investigations

White House people are upset because…they can’t keep doing whatever they want without any oversight? I guess?

Inside the West Wing, sources say, there is escalating concern about administration witnesses who are giving depositions on Capitol Hill.

Pence’s lawyer Matthew Morgan says but history and precedent.

“Instead of being accountable to the American people and casting a vote to authorize what all agree is a substantial constitutional step, you have instead attempted to avoid this fundamental requirement by invoking the Speaker’s announcement of an ‘official impeachment inquiry’ at a press conference?” Morgan wrote in a letter to House Oversight Chairman Elijah Cummings, House Foreign Affairs Chairman Eliot Engel, and House Intelligence Chairman Adam Schiff.

Morgan added, “Never before in

Let’s all congratulate Dawn, Naomi and Kirsten:

Congratulations Dawn, Naomi, and Kirsten for coming First, Second, and Third – your efforts are to be commended and I’m looking forward to watching you in future races.

And there he is in all his glory:

Sport is a human right! Cheating at sport is a human right!… Read the rest

Trump betrayed the Kurds; Trump betrays everyone. Peter Wehner writes:

For once, Republicans have forcefully spoken out against Mr. Trump. Graham said our Kurdish allies had been “shamelessly abandoned by the Trump administration.” Representative Liz Cheney of Wyoming, the third-ranking Republican in the House, said Trump’s decision is having “sickening and predictable” consequences. Representative Adam Kinzinger, an Air Force veteran, said on Face the Nation that “leaving an ally behind … is disheartening, depressing.” He added, “The Kurds found out on Twitter, for goodness’ sake. We have left them to the wolves. And the message this is sending to our allies around the world, I think, is really going to be bad.” Senator Mitt Romney, the Republican lawmaker

Jolyon Maugham again. Sigh.

James Kirkup tweeted his Spectator piece yesterday:

A ‘transphobic’ crime wave has hit Oxford: stickers so offensive the police refuse to describe them. (The stickers say “Women don’t have penises” and “Woman = adult human female”)

Maugham replied:

Surely you can see what an ugly and destructive provocation that is?

Ah yes; women saying women are women is so ugly and destructive. How dare we.

Jane Clare Jones:

Surely you can see that female people have the right to their own ontological, legal and political category and have a right to defend that category from colonization. Oh no of course you can’t. You just expect us to be good compliant little girls and hand