Bobservations

Another tale of Carlos and his hearing, and his refusal to wear his ‘ears’: I heard him ranting in the living room about the MyPillow jackass who’s come up with a new ‘cure’ for VCOVID-19, and he runs into the laundry room to vent. I listen, and then I say:

“It’s made from the oleander plant , which is a toxic plant.”

Cut to ten minutes later and I’m in the office and Carlos comes back:

“That extract they keep talking about is made from the oleander plant , which is a toxic plant.”

It took all my strength not to reach for my cartoon frying pan and thump his melon.

Once again, as it should be, I am totally with Tuxedo on this one. Neither one of us really like people very much …

Jared Kushner is a birther because that makes Daddy-in-Law happy. When asked if he accepts that Kamala Harris is a qualified candidate, Kushner said:

“I personally have no reason to believe she’s not.”

But after CBS This Morning co-host Anthony Mason pointed out that Harris was born in Oakland and that makes her a qualified candidate, Kushner spun:

“[_____] just said that he had no idea whether that’s right or wrong. I don’t see that as promoting it. But look, at the end of the day, it’s something that’s out there.”

It’s out there because you, your racist Daddy-in-Law, and the entire GOP put it out there.

Like, I question if you’re even a real person or some kind of self-loathing queer goose-stepping blow-up doll who spends his days carrying water for his complicit wife and bigot father-in-law.

It’s just out there.

Back to Mike Lindell, the MyPillow lunatic, and Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson who met with _____ to push the use of oleandrin, that extract from the oleander plant as a cure” for COVID-19, despite lack of proof that it works.

Hydroxychloroquine, say what?

But best of all is that Lindell and Carson have a financial stake in the company that develops the product. Swamp Things.

More Carlos … when he practices his trumpet Consuelo sits outside the closed door and waits, because after practice Carlos always gives the cats their treats. And so she would run into the kitchen—Consuelo only runs for food—and wait impatiently for Carlos.

The other night, though, she stopped short and Carlos stepped on her. She howled at him. He howled at her. And she took off. I finally found her in the master bathroom, tucked into a corner. She was upset because her other Daddy yelled at her.

It’s been seven days and she is still mad. Every night Carlos calls the cats for treats and Consuelo goes to the back part of the bathroom and sits in the corner.

Bitch can hold a grudge!

The Democratic AND Republican chairmen of the Senate Intelligence Committee notified federal prosecutors last year of their suspicion that several individuals, including _____’s family members and confidants—Donald _____ Jr. and Jared Kushner—might have lied in the panel’s investigation of Russian interference in the 2016 election.

Huh. Shocking.

It looks like the RNC will stand for Racists Nutjobs Convention this year because two prominent features of the convention will be Mark and Patricia McCloskey aka  Ken and Karen, the St. Louis couple who brandished guns as Black Lives Matter protesters marched through their neighborhood.

And then they throw in pipsqueak white supremacist in training, Nick Sandmann, aka the Covington Catholic school kid who was part of a larger group of MAGAt-gear wearing children who swarmed Native American activists in Washington, DC in January 2019.

That’s the kinds of people the GOP wants you to hear ... racists, toddlers, gun nuts, and Scott Baio.

Last May David Lynn Richards Jr., a  former pastor was convicted of repeatedly raping his adopted teenage daughter over a four year span, was sentenced to just twelve years because a Knox County judge called him a “good Christian” who had a lot of friends supporting him … and who never seemed bothered as to why the “good” pastor’s semen was found in his daughter’s bed.

White "Christian" male privilege.

Melanie will give a speech at the RNC, though we don’t know if she’ll give Michelle’s speech or Jill’s. But what we do know, because even the _____ Administration and the RNC say so, is that after she speaks she’ll do very little to nothing to help her husband’s campaign.

So, either it’s time to visit Plastic Surgeon for an upgrade ... yes, that's Melanie in both pictures ... or even Missus _____ won’t speak to reelect her husband.

I like a good horror movie, but they’re scarce these days because horror movies have been dumbed down over the years. Still, I watched a little something called Countdown, about an app for your fun that tells you how long you have to live … and it means it.

It was silly, well, dumb, and I was thisclose to turning it off when one Jordan Calloway appeared onscreen and suddenly I was, um, interested. I’d never heard of him, but he was cute, with a rockin’ body in a tight t-shirt. And then, because he was a person of color, he was :::SPOILER ALERT:::: killed.

But he lives on in my dreams … where we wrestle.

Jacob Anderson Another White Rapist Walks Free

And folks, mostly white folks, mostly white male folks, say there’s no such thing as white privilege.

Jacob Anderson, the former president of Baylor University’s Phi Delta Theta fraternity, was accused of raping a woman at an off-campus party in 2015. The victim, then a sophomore at Baylor, says she was given a drink at an off-campus frat party and “became very disoriented.” She says she was taken “to a secluded part of the grounds behind a tent in order to get some air, however once away from everyone else attending the party” Jacob Anderson sexually assaulted the woman. She lost consciousness during the rape but awoke all alone a short time later; she returned to the house, found a friend, and went to the hospital.

This past fall, the district attorney’s office offered Anderson, who was originally indicted on four charges of sexual assault, a plea deal for a lesser charge of unlawful restraint, which is a third-degree felony. Anderson pled no contest.

Jacob Anderson will not serve any prison time.

Jacob Anderson will not be required to register as a sex offender.

Jacob Anderson will pay a $400 fine and receive counseling.

If he completes three years on deferred probation, he won’t even have a criminal record.

For rape.

The victim’s family learned of the plea deal via an email from Hillary Laborde, the assistant district attorney:

“I’ve accepted an offer on Jacob Anderson. It’s for probation on the charge of felony unlawful restraint, not sexual assault—therefore, he will not have to register as a sex offender. I realize this is not the outcome we had hoped for or that I had originally offered, but I tried a very similar case to this one last month, and lost. In light of the similarities between the cases, it’s my opinion it would be worse to try Anderson and lose and have the entire matter wiped from his criminal history than to accept this plea offer.”

It appears that because she lost one case,  Hillary Laborde won’t bother with rape cases that are hard; sad, because even if she lost the case Jacob Anderson would have to go to court and defend his indefensible actions, but, because of Laborde, he gets a pass.

Vic Feazell, the former McLennan County District Attorney, who represents the victim’s family:

“As a former DA, I never, ever have seen such a sweetheart deal for a defendant like this. It pays to be rich and white in McLennan County when you’re charged with a crime.”

Well, if you’re a white man charged with a crime, because, as much as it pains me to say this, had Jacob Anderson been black or Hispanic, there would have been a trial; there would have been a guilty verdict; there would have been jail.

But being white, Jacob Anderson, rapist, walks free.

Jezebel

The Funny Papers

Mike Luckovich, Mike Smith, Clay Bennett, Steve Benson, Kevin Siers, Nick Anderson, Drew Sheneman, RJ Matson, Darrin Bell, Marc Murphy, Jim Morin

Anna Was Raped By Police Officers ... And It Was "Legal"

Anna—her last name has not been made public though she is known on social media as Anna Chambers ... not her real name—was sitting with two friends in a parked car when a charcoal gray van pulled up; two men got out and used their flashlights to see inside the car.

The men also flashed their badges and began asking questions. When they discovered marijuana in a cupholder, they ordered Anna and her friends out of the car. Anna was handcuffed, but her two male friends were told they could leave, and then the two officers took Anna into the back of that unmarked police van with tinted windows.

Inside the car each man raped Anna—who was crying and shouting ‘No’—through the streets of Brooklyn, stopping every so often to switch places and allow one to drive and the other to rape the young girl.

About an hour later, but just a few minutes’ drive from where these men took Anna, the detectives dropped Anna off on the side of the road; surveillance footage shows she was about a half-mile from a police station. She stood there, arms wrapped around herself, pacing, until she found a stranger who let her use a cell phone to call a friend.

The detectives didn’t arrest Anna; they issued no citation; they filed no paperwork about the stop. Once Anna returned home, her mother took her to the hospital where the semen collected in Anna’s rape kit was discovered to be DNA matches for Detectives Eddie Martins and Richard Hall of the Brooklyn South narcotics unit.

Both men have since resigned from the force and been charged with rape. A simple case, everyone, including Anna, thought: two cops dragged her from a car, put her in a van, drove around town and raped her. Simple.

But … in New York, there is no law specifically stating that it is illegal for police officers or sheriff’s deputies in the field to have sex with someone in their custody.

Let that sink in; it isn’t a crime for a police officer to take someone into custody and have sex with them; most officers caught in the act claim the sex to be consensual.

Some states have closed this “rape” loophole, but most have not because few people realize the loophole exists and because it is politically unpopular to push laws that target cops and anger their powerful unions.

So, they let a loophole that allows police officers to legally rape detainees because they don’t wish to piss off their union? Seriously?

Luckily, some good has come from Anna’s case, in that it has brought new attention to the loophole. On October 26, New York City Council member Mark Treyger—inspired and repulsed by Anna’s story—proposed a bill to make it illegal for police officers to have sex with anyone in their custody.

Seriously; they have to propose a bill to make rape a crime, in the case of police officers raping people in their custody.

Hopefully Anna’s case will be the end of that loophole.

Defendants Martins and Hall haven’t told their side though their lawyers have made it clear that they are pursuing the consensual sex defense; you know, Anna was removed from a car, her two male friends sent away, she was placed in handcuffs, driven around for hours, and raped repeatedly and then just let go. No charges filed against her for anything.

Again, let that sink in …and then remember that Anna will be taking this to trial, and she will not give up; she will not stop until, in America, it becomes illegal for a police officer to rape anyone.

Buzzfeed

Do We Move On? Can We? Should We?

This story has me kind of stymied, so let’s start at the beginning ...

Back on August 12, 2012, several people, including two high school football players, Trent Mays and Ma'lik Richmond, raped a 16-year-old girl in Steubenville, Ohio.

Shortly after midnight, the girl, heavily intoxicated, left a party with four football players and went to a second party where the victim vomited and appeared "out of it." The same group left that party and headed to another home. During the car ride, the victim’s shirt was removed and Trent Mays digitally penetrated the her vagina and exposed her breasts while his friends filmed and photographed her.

Once reaching the house, the players took the victim to the basement where Mays attempted to orally rape the victim by forcing his penis into her mouth. She was stripped naked and the second accused, Ma'lik Richmond, also digitally penetrated the victim's vagina while she was photographed. Three witnesses to the crime took those photos back to the second party and shared them with friends.

In the days following the rapes, Trent Mays tried to orchestrate a cover-up, telling a friend, 'Just say she came to your house and passed out,' and pleading with the victim not to press charges. But Ohio investigators confiscated and analyzed 15 cellphones and two tablets, collecting hundreds of text messages and photos and videos from dozens of students.

During the trial, the victim testified in court that she had no memory of the six-hour period in which the rapes occurred, except for a brief time in which she was vomiting on the street. She said she woke up the next morning naked in a basement with Mays, Richmond and another teenage boy, missing her underwear, flip-flops, phone and earrings.

The evidence presented in court consisted of hundreds of texts and cellphone pictures taken by more than a dozen people at the parties and afterwards traded with others and posted to Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube.

On March 17, 2013, Trent Mays and Ma'lik Richmond were convicted of rape after the judge found they had used their fingers to digitally penetrate the victim's vagina and that it was impossible for the victim to have given consent. Ma'lik Richmond received a minimum sentence of one year for penetrating the girl while she was unconscious, while Trent Mays was given a minimum two year sentence for penetrating the girl while she was unconscious and disseminating pornographic pictures of her. Ma'lik Richmond was released from detention on January 5, 2014 and this story is about him ...

In 2016, Ma’lik Richmond transferred to Youngstown State and tried to resurrect his football career.  YSU head coach Bo Pelini knew about Richmond’s transfer, and met with him in person after YSU’s 2015 season ended. Richmond made the team as a walk-on, and was slated to appear for the Penguins until a student circulated a petition demanding that YSU prohibit Richmond from playing for the team. More than 10,000 people signed the petition, and YSU officials then announced that Ma’lik Richmond would be allowed to stay on the team for practices and other team activities, but would not be allowed to play for the Penguins during the 2016-2017 season.

Richmond—who says his transfer to football powerhouse Youngstown State had nothing to do with football—sued the school for denying him the opportunity to potentially advance his professional football career and this month his lawyers and the school reached a settlement that will reinstate Ma’lik Richmond to the team.

“What is most important is that Ma’lik moves on. This is a case about Ma’lik being given all the opportunities afforded a student of good standing.”—Susan Stone, Richmond’s attorney

But what about ethics? Most colleges and universities hold their student athletes to higher levels of accountability than typical students; breaking even the smallest of team rules can result in disciplinary action, up to and including dismissal from the team. And while college athletics departments have a spotty track record for handling instances of sexual assault, players have been cut from rosters all the time for getting into legal trouble. But what about the legal trouble that occurs before the student joins a team?

During court hearings, Richmond’s legal team argued that YSU had “hurt [his] football career prospects by curtailing his exposure to professional scouts at the peak of his abilities,” and that the university was “contractually obligated” to let Richmond play; this claim is absurd because no college athlete, anywhere, any time, is guaranteed a spot on a team’s roster. Still, Richmond won his case and will be allowed to play on the team, so here’s the question: when do we forgive, if that’s even the right word, and move on?

While many, myself included, think Richmond’s sentence for rape was far too light, it was the sentence given to him, and he served it. And so, do we continue to punish him for the rest of his life for a crime, albeit a sexual assault, he committed as a teenager? When do we move on? Do we move on?

I lean toward ‘Yes.’ Richmond did the crime, he did his time, he paid his debt, hoewever light that might have been; but then I think about the victim. She’ll carry this with her forever, and then, perhaps, one day she might absentmindedly be clicking though the channels on her TV and come across a professional football game and see one of her rapists playing, being celebrated for his athleticism, and making, no doubt, quite a good living off the sport.

And I lean toward ‘No.’ Have we done her a disservice? Have we once again subjected her to more victimization?

I want to think we could, and this isn’t the right word, forgive, the crime of a teenager and let him, or her, live their lives as they choose, but then I think about the life-long emotional scars on that victim and wonder if we should ever, in any way shape or form, forgive a convicted convicted rapist.

Like I said, I’m stymied. Do we continue, for the rest of his life, to punish Ma'lik Richmond for his crime and deny him the right to earn a living doing what he loves? Or, do we stand with the victim, for always, and tell this young man that all he is, and all he will ever be is a convicted rapist?

What do you think?

Random Musings

Ivana _____, the first ex-Missus _____, and Melania _____, the future ex-Missus _____, are feuding because Ivana claims she’s the “First Lady” since she married _____ first.

Seriously? Two women, one of whom was cheated on by the Lying Hypocritical Bigoted Homophobic Pig In Chief, and the other, who probably has also been cheated on by the Lying Hypocritical Bigoted Homophobic Pig In Chief, are sparring over a title.

It’s like a bad episode of The Real Housewives Of Cheating Lying Hypocritical Bigoted Homophobic Pigs. Sit down, ladies, you both look ridiculous.

Joseph Boeckman, a former Arkansas judge, faces a possible prison sentence of 260 years and a $2.5 million fine if he’s convicted on all 21-counts alleging he abused the power of his office for years by giving lighter sentences to men guilty of minor crimes if, in return, they provided him with nude photographs of themselves, or performed sexual favors.

Um .... ick. I mean, look at the guy. I’d take my chances in prison.

Howsabout some good news that starts off bad?

Stiles  had been attending the Tri-City Christian Academy [TCCA] in New Hampshire since kindergarten, but in 2015 started transitioning to male. He was called into a meeting with TCCA administrator Paul Edgar and told that, in order to stay at the school, he would have to keep his transition a secret, only use the girls’ bathroom, play on the girls’ sports teams, and not talk about his gender identity on social media.

Stiles agreed, but when he started hormone replacement therapy, his transition became more obvious and so he was once again called another meeting with Edgar who gave him three options: he could stay at the school if he confessed his “sins”, stopped taking testosterone, attended “Christian counseling” to change his gender identity, and was home-schooled for a year under the supervision of TCCA. Or he could leave.

Stiles, who says he “didn’t know how to do or be a female,” chose to leave TCCA and attend Noble High School in North Berwick, Maine where he was welcomed with open arms ... and was voted Homecoming King.

Good on Stiles for choosing himself over a transphobic environment of “Christian” love.

Remember the post about the Salt Lake City police detective who was video recorded aggressively hand-cuffing a nurse who refused to allow him to draw blood from an unconscious patient in July? It’s HERE.

That police detective, Jeff Payne, has been fired from his job, and his watch commander, Lt. James Tracey, has been demoted him to the rank of officer. Internal Affairs found that both officers were in violation of department policy, and failed in their requirement to treat all citizens "equally with courtesy, consideration and dignity."

Sorry not sorry.

Y’all know I am no fan of Gwyneth Paltrow and here’s another reason why ... Paltrow has joined a loooong list of women who say they were sexually harassed by, now-fired, movie executive Harvey Weinstein.

But here’s where Gwyneth’s story gets me ... she claims Weinstein made sexual advances toward her when she was a younger actress, and that she was so distraught, she sent her then-boyfriend Brad Pitt to Weinstein’s house to tell him to stay away from Gwynnie.

But then Paltrow worked with Weinstein  to make Shakespeare In Love—and won an Oscar for her role, though many suspect Weinstein bullied and bought the award for her—and thanked him profusely. And over the last twenty years has sung Weinstein’s praises as the man who helped make her career.

I do not doubt that he’s a pig and came on to her, but then why work for him, and why brag about him, and why, for the love of god, thank him?

Now, I am not blaming the victim, I am simply wondering  why, since the man had made improper advances toward her before, she would choose to work with him.

Just sayin’.

And again, why I loathe Log Cabin Republicans ... Their president will be the first sitting president to ever deliver the keynote at the Values Voter Summit, anti-LGBTQ conference sponsored by the Family Research Council, designated a hate group by the SPLC. FRC President Tony Perkins made the announcement:

“Values voters have waited eight years for a leader who puts America’s mission first and respects the values that made America into a great nation. ... Since the early days of the campaign, President _____ allied himself with values voters, promising to put an end to the 8 years of relentless assault on the First Amendment. President _____’s executive order on religious liberty and the follow up actions last week by HHS and DOJ, demonstrate that he is committed to undoing the anti-faith policies of the previous administration and restoring true religious freedom.”

Let’s be clear: the anti-faith policies and the religious liberty executive orders are the one designed to shove the LGBTQ community back into a closet and make us less than, able to be fired, denied housing, denied services ... because that’s what this group, and ____, value.

Thank you LCR.

Dan Amboyer, right, who plays twins on the TV show Younger, took two bold steps recently: he came out as gay and he married his longtime boyfriend Eric Berger in front of 115 family and friends, saying:

“It was a hard decision to figure out how to approach it in a public way. There are some actors out there now who just keep it as an unspoken aspect of their life and never discuss it in public. But then there are men like Matt Bomer and Zachary Quinto. I look up to them and see how [they’re] being so open affected other people and the country’s perception of gay people. ... I think the more open actors can be the less stigma there will be attached, which will be a positive thing moving forward.”

Since yesterday was National coming Out Day it’s nice to see a man come out and thank those who came out before him and paved the way.

Thanks Dan, because you have just paved the way for someone else to take that step. Oh, and congratulations on your wedding!

Christopher Mirasolo was awarded joint legal custody of his son by Judge Gregory S. Ross after DNA testing established paternity.

The child’s mother was seeking protection under the federal Rape Survivor Child Custody Act because, yes, Mirasolo is accused of raping a woman, who became pregnant as a result, and he wants to be the Daddy. And so Judge Ross disclosed the rape victim’s address to Mirasolo and ordered Mirasolo’s name to be added to the child’s birth certificate all without the victim’s consent or a hearing.

Rape Culture in America. It exists.

Scandal has returned for its final season and brought with it some mighty nice Latino Eye Candy in the form of Jay Hernandez who may be Olivia Pope’s new man-toy. Lucky biatch.

Also, on You’re The Worst, in my mind the best show you’re not watching, hunky Colin Ferguson has joined the cast as Boone and has already shown himself to be high-larious, hot, and possessing a very fine ass.

Just sayin’.

We’ve all seen those staged wedding pictures, right? Boring.

Well, a Dutch couple, with the help of photographer Michael Klooster chose another style of weeding pictures and, yeah, I love them.

The couple didn’t want typical wedding pictures—they wanted spice—so Michael took that first picture, up top, which was kind of tame, with the groom lying atop the bride in an old truck. But they wanted something, um, more, and the bride’s mom told Klooster what they were looking for ...

Gotta love it!

CNN announced today that Anderson Cooper and Andy Cohen will host its New Year’s Eve celebration from New York City’s Times Square this year. Anderson My-Husband-In-My-Head Cooper and Cohen are longtime friends and have been touring the country on a speaking tour.

Cooper says:

“Andy is the life of the party wherever he goes, and what bigger party is there than New Year’s Eve?  It is going to be a blast!”

And Cohen says:

“I’ve been friends with Anderson for twenty-five years. We’ve travelled the world together and performed in 30 plus cities with ‘AC2’ and it’s all led to this one huge night!”

Kathy Griffin, with whom Cooper hosted the evening with in recent years, was dumped by the network following controversy over a photo in which she held the bloody head of Donald Trump. Griffin has since said she and Cooper are no longer friends.

I imagine she’ll be sitting home that night ... not watching.