Random Musings

I have been watching “I Am Cait” every so often. I try to avoid the more Kardastrophe-like moments when it plays like reality show trash, and focus on the parts where Cait is stepping out of her shell to speak to young trans people and hear of their lives and their struggles. I like that because, as I’ve said before, Trans is the new gay, as it were, and is a huge part of the next phase of our march …

That said, I will spend a moment in shock and surprise at some of the Kardastrophe moments from last week, namely Kim and Khloe.

The episode centered on the weeks after the Vanity Fair piece on Caitlyn was released, and both Kim and Khloe felt that Caitlyn had said some rude things about That Woman, AKA Their Mother. But here’s the rub … and seriously I was shocked.

Kim Kardastrophe was cool calm, rather plain Jane looking, and rational when she aired her grievances with Caitlyn, while Khloe seemed too busy showing up her newly plumped to the point of explosion lips and flipping her newly blond hair.

Having never seen an episode of the Kardastrophes’ show — just a snippet here and there — I’d always assumed Kim was the stupid vain one who only cared about her looks and couldn’t string together a sentence with rope and glue, while Khloe was the intelligent, thoughtful sister.

Wrong. Just sayin’.

[Caitlyn, Kim, Khloe]

Well well well … TLC, the former home of the Duggar brood, has created a documentary about child sexual abuse and has set the date for its airing, August 13.

The one-hour special, Breaking the Silence, comes on the heels of the scandal involving the Duggars and their son Josh, who molested five young girls, including two of his own sisters.

That’s all well and good, but this is where is gets ugly and creepy … among those who will speak out in the documentary are Jill and Jessa Duggar, who previously shared their struggles to cope with the aftermath of being molested by Josh more than a decade ago.

I wonder if the girls were paid for their time, since TLC canceled the Duggars’ show and their one source of income.

And I wonder if anyone in the documentary will question those two girls about their continued support and affection for their molester.

Speaking of child molesters … this week former Subway spokesman Jared Fogle will plead guilty to charges that he possessed child pornography and had sex with at least 14 underage girls.

Now, pleading guilty without so much as a trial makes it appear that the case could have been much worse, because with his plea comes a sentence of 5 to 12 years in federal prison, with it appearing the sentence will lean more toward twelve and not five.

I hope it twelve, fully, and all the way.

[NPR] 

So, while we’re on a role with horrible people: In Texas, Hood County Clerk Katie Lang just cost the taxpayers in her county some $44,000.00 because of her “religious freedom.”

Both Lang and Hood County were the subjects of a federal lawsuit filed by Joe Stapleton and Jim Cato after Lang refused to issue the couple a marriage license. The lawsuit was recently settled by Hood County, which will have to pay Stapleton’s and Cato’s legal fees, amounting to $43,872.10.

The county commissioners voted to take this action “to save [Lang] from dealing with the additional expense and significant financial exposure her actions caused the taxpayers of her county.”

I think since it was Katie Lang — and it isn’t lost on me that her name sounds like kd lang — who cost the county so much money for her personal beliefs, she should pay the $44,000.00. Why burden anyone else in the county because of her region-based hatred?

[Gannett]

So, [t]Rrump wants to take all those children born in this country to undocumented immigrants and send them back to their own country, eh?

Well, first off, if they’re born here, this is their country, and secondly, there’s a little something called the 14th Amendment to the Constitution that makes all children born or naturalized in this country automatic US citizens.

[t]Rump’s response: The 14th Amendment to the Constitution is unconstitutional. Yes, he does not know the law but thinks he can just change it at will if he were to become president.

And I thought Jeb was stupid.

[Seattle PI]

So, I follow cartoonist Nick Anderson on Facebook and use some of his political cartoons on my Sunday post.

I had no idea he was such a hunk, though.

Savvy, smart, artistic, hunky? Yes, please.

[Facebook]

And, well, let’s move on with more Duggar news … It appears that after the recent hacking of adultery site Ashley Madison, and the release of their clients’ emails and profiles and such, that Gawker has discovered not one but two paid Ashley Madison accounts for child molester and religious icon Josh Duggar.

Here’s the gist: Someone using a credit card belonging to a Joshua J. Duggar, with a billing address that matches the home in Fayetteville, Arkansas owned by his grandmother Mary — a home that was consistently shown on their now-cancelled TV show, and in which Anna Duggar gave birth to her first child — paid a total of $986.76 for two different monthly Ashley Madison subscriptions from February of 2013 until May of 2015.

Uh huh. The good news, I guess, is that Josh Duggar has finally stopped molesting young girls and has moved on to women who aren’t his sisters … or his wife.

Okay, Tracy Morgan had that terrible bus accident, when his tour bus was hit by a Wal-Mart truck. And one of his friends was killed in the accident, and Morgan suffered serious injuries.

Now, though, I wonder how serious, because, a couple of months ago I caught Morgan on film using a walker to walk into a local Post Office in his town, and then mere weeks later, when the suit against Wal-Mart was settled for an undisclosed amount, Morgan goes out bowling for his birthday and announces he’ll host SNL this next season.

That was some recovery … and that’s just my opinion.

[Mass Appeal]

The GOP just cannot divest itself of homophobia.

The Republican National Committee has adopted a resolution which calls on Congress to pass the anti-LGBT First Amendment Defense Act in the names of several … get this … martyred anti-gay business owners who have been found guilty of violating public accommodation laws.

Yes, because people were found guilty of discriminating against The Gays, the GOP has doubled down on The Gay Hate. The legislation was introduced in the House by Republican Raúl Labrador of Idaho, and in the Senate by Republican Mike Lee of Utah.

Ellen Barrosse, the RNC Chair of the Conservative Steering Committee, says the resolution is “an attempt, for those of us who are people of faith, to protect religious organizations.”

Um, Ellen, dear? A bakery is not a religious organization, m’kay, so stop playing hate.

Luckily this legislation doesn’t have a snowball’s chance in hell of passing, but it makes it clear that many in the Republican party are still virulently anti-LGBT and will use whatever means and excuses they can find to Hate.

[PBS]