Politics

[IrishJayhawk]

Woah. That's wicked.

 

[NDgradstudent]

They're throwing hammers down in the bayou

If every Democrat was like Edwards -pro-life and Catholic- there'd be no problem.

 

[Cackalacky]

Straight People Dont Exist- New Study

Abstract
Studies with volunteers in sexual arousal experiments suggest that women are, on average, physiologically sexually aroused to both male and female sexual stimuli. Lesbians are the exception because they tend to be more aroused to their preferred sex than the other sex, a pattern typically seen in men. A separate research line suggests that lesbians are, on average, more masculine than straight women in their nonsexual behaviors and characteristics. Hence, a common influence could affect the expression of male-typical sexual and nonsexual traits in some women. By integrating these research programs, we tested the hypothesis that male-typical sexual arousal of lesbians relates to their nonsexual masculinity. Moreover, the most masculine-behaving lesbians, in particular, could show the most male-typical sexual responses. Across combined data, Study 1 examined these patterns in women's genital arousal and self-reports of masculine and feminine behaviors. Study 2 examined these patterns with another measure of sexual arousal, pupil dilation to sexual stimuli, and with observer-rated masculinity-femininity in addition to self-reported masculinity-femininity. Although both studies confirmed that lesbians were more male-typical in their sexual arousal and nonsexual characteristics, on average, there were no indications that these 2 patterns were in any way connected. Thus, women's sexual responses and nonsexual traits might be masculinized by independent factors. (PsycINFO Database Record

 

[phgreek]

moment of zen...

Vassar official shreds Constitution because it 'triggers students' twitchy.com

...just showing you what they "profess" every single day, and what weak minded little fools they churn out. When the pendulum swings back, I reserve no empathy/pity for fools.

 

[RDU Irish]

Any sort of IQ or knowledge based test to exclude voters won't fly. Voting is a civil right, and you'd have to have a compelling state interest to exclude anyone.

Put another way, politicians represent and thus should be accountable to stupid people as much as they should be accountable to smart ones.

If we don't even hold anyone accountable for basic knowledge of civics, why do we exclude felons from voting? Just because they break the law should not mean they cannot affect their representation?

 

[connor_in]

Any sort of IQ or knowledge based test to exclude voters won't fly. Voting is a civil right, and you'd have to have a compelling state interest to exclude anyone.

Put another way, politicians represent and thus should be accountable to stupid people as much as they should be accountable to smart ones.

Can we check for a pulse? You know, to get rid of all the dead voters in Chicago and other places. Should also cut down on the fictional voters like Donald Duck and Mickey Mouse who seem to keep voting all the time.

 

[phgreek]

If we don't even hold anyone accountable for basic knowledge of civics, why do we exclude felons from voting? Just because they break the law should not mean they cannot affect their representation?

...well, and add in the fact we require immigrants (legal) to earn citizenship through demonstrating those very things. The ignorant stooges are generally the ones BORN here...

 

[pkt77242]

Secrecy, corruption and conflicts of interest pervade state governments

 

[connor_in]

Secrecy, corruption and conflicts of interest pervade state governments

unlike federal govts

 

[connor_in]

Yale Student Goes Drama Queen Berserk Over Lack of 'Safe Space'

Remember when Universities were supposed to be the place where the free expression of ideas and views was encouraged? I am in my forties and was in college in the late 80's and early 90's and while not exactly the 60's, even with the beginnings of PC on campus, we had an area where people would get up and spout their views on pretty much any subject and their were groups for seemingly everything. I do not get how these places turned from being a place to let you experience the world into places to hide you from it and to keep you from hearing opposing viewpoints. Trigger warning, microaggressions, are you freakin' kidding me?

These were the places that seemed to be fighting for every ounce of freedom of speech. Now they fight against it.

SMDH

 

[Polish Leppy 22]

Yale Student Goes Drama Queen Berserk Over Lack of 'Safe Space'

Remember when Universities were supposed to be the place where the free expression of ideas and views was encouraged? I am in my forties and was in college in the late 80's and early 90's and while not exactly the 60's, even with the beginnings of PC on campus, we had an area where people would get up and spout their views on pretty much any subject and their were groups for seemingly everything. I do not get how these places turned from being a place to let you experience the world into places to hide you from it and to keep you from hearing opposing viewpoints. Trigger warning, microaggressions, are you freakin' kidding me?

These were the places that seemed to be fighting for every ounce of freedom of speech. Now they fight against it.

SMDH

Tolerance

 

[Ndaccountant]

Dartmouth Protesters Assault Students While Screaming Racial Threats | The Daily Caller

 

[connor_in]

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/oBbpvMmWaWM" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

 

[phgreek]

Dartmouth Protesters Assault Students While Screaming Racial Threats | The Daily Caller

Man there are so many victims in this story only millennials and academia could make sense of this.

We have the Black Lives matter victims, who now have victimized students who apparently were not able to do anything for themselves but whine to the administration who appears to be recognizing the Black lives matter victimization as trumping their actual victims in multiple assaults, thereby further victimizing the victims of victims.

So in the world of the Millennial and Academia this makes sense...

Had I been in that Library, I guarantee everyone would have gotten an object lesson on how not to be a victim (well and the collar and belt toss), and a few unfortunate folks would have known they chose poorly ... as they bounced down the front stairs. In life, there are indeed times where your willingness to fight for yourself matters for your long term mental health...I suggest some of you youngsters decide right now what your "trigger" might be, and don't ever flinch, and happily accept the consequences for delivering yourself from victimhood.

 

[connor_in]

When I was in college, people ued the f-word like the Smurf used the word smurf. Noun verb adjective, heck even as an adverb and no one hardly blinked. Would that be a micro-agression or worse in today's world?

 

[phgreek]

When I was in college, people ued the f-word like the Smurf used the word smurf. Noun verb adjective, heck even as an adverb and no one hardly blinked. Would that be a micro-agression or worse in today's world?

as it was used in the Dartmouth article, I'm guessing it was the kind of aggression that would have drawn 2 lefts and a looping overhand right...

as to rather it constitutes a micro aggression...someone who has experienced such a thing may be better to answer where that fits today....

 

[connor_in]

L.A. council declares shelter crisis in effort to help the homeless - LA Times


What is wrong with the LA Times? Don't they realize we still have a Democrat in the White House? They aren't supposed to mention the homeless problem until a Republican is elected. Everyone knows that!

 

[NDgradstudent]

The war on policing that Obama et al have launched recently has led to mob destruction of inner cities and skyrocketing crime rates. The same theory -white people are the cause of all problems, black/Hispanic people are not responsible for their actions- also explains the Obama administration's attack upon school discipline.

This attack is now bearing fruit. The LA Times reports:

In a South Los Angeles classroom, a boy hassles a girl. The teacher moves him to the back of the room, where he scowls, makes a paper airplane and repeatedly throws it against the wall. Two other boys wander around the class and then nearly come to blows.

"Don't you talk about my sister," one says to the other. The teacher steps between them.

When she tries to regain order, another boy tells her: "Screw you."

It's another day of disruption on this campus in the Los Angeles Unified School District, which has been nationally hailed by the White House and others for its leadership in promoting more progressive school-discipline policies. The nation's second-largest school system was the first in California to ban suspensions for defiance and announced plans to roll out an alternative known as restorative justice, which seeks to resolve conflicts through talking circles and other methods to build trust.

He can tell the teacher to go screw herself in a "talking circle," too.

The shift has brought dramatic changes: Suspensions districtwide plummeted to 0.55% last school year compared with 8% in 2007-08, and days lost to suspension also plunged, to 5,024 from 75,000 during that same period, according to the most recent data.

That must be because student behavior dramatically improved.

The district moved to ban suspensions amid national concern that they imperil academic achievement and disproportionately affect minorities, particularly African Americans.

But many teachers say their classrooms are reeling from unruly students who are escaping consequences for their actions.

#blacksuspensionsdontmatter.

"My teachers are at their breaking point," Art Lopez, the school's union representative, wrote to union official Colleen Schwab in a letter obtained by The Times. "Everyone working here is highly aware of how the lack of consequences has affected the site. Teachers with a high number of students with discipline issues are walking a fine line between extreme stress and a emotional meltdown."

Lopez wrote that many teachers felt that administrators were pushing the burden of discipline onto instructors because they can no longer suspend unruly students and lack the staff to handle them outside the classroom. Associated Administrators of Los Angeles, which represents principals and others, declined to comment.

One of the effects of this refusal to punish is the cry-bully culture on our campuses, including Mizzou, Yale, and Dartmouth. Other effects include the increased crime in cities already mentioned.

The Obama administration can't be bothered with defending school discipline. It is too busy forcing functional school districts to permit boys use the girls' bathroom.

 

[phgreek]

I just came here to say...JV.
...and
President Obama.

That is all.

 

[Polish Leppy 22]

Four dozen Democrats joined Republicans in passing this 289-137 vote in the House. Obama will veto. Fundamental transformation in full swing, again.

House Passes Bill to Halt, Overhaul Syrian Refugee Process - WSJ

 

[Cackalacky]

Christian groups break with GOP over Syrian refugees - POLITICO

46083 Shares Twitter Google + Email Comment Print
Faith-based groups, who play a key role in resettling refugees to the United States, say they are dismayed by the wave of anti-refugee fervor set off by the Paris terrorist attacks and are urging supporters to contact elected officials on behalf of victims of the Syrian civil war.

Evangelical Christians, as well as Christians more broadly, are a core group in the Republican electoral base and are among the most passionate advocates for aiding refugees.


A push by Republican presidential candidates to ban Syrian refugees "does not reflect what we've been hearing from our constituencies, which are evangelical churches across the country," said Jenny Yang, vice president for advocacy at World Relief, an evangelical organization that helps resettle refugees. "Most of the people have been saying we want to continue to work with refugees, that what happened in Paris ... doesn’t reflect who refugees are."

Reports that a Syrian migrant may have played a role in last week's attacks in Paris, which killed around 130 people, have set off a GOP-led backlash over the Obama administration's plans to admit 10,000 Syrian refugees next year. More than half of U.S. governors have said they do not want Syrian refugees resettled in their states, while House Speaker Paul Ryan says he wants a vote this week on GOP-drafted legislation to halt the administration's plans.

World Relief is one of nine not-for-profit organizations, several of them faith-based, that help resettle up to 70,000 refugees from around the world in the United States each year. Others include the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service, and the Church World Service. Many other faith-based groups, including evangelical Christian organizations, also perform aid work overseas specifically aimed at refugees fleeing conflicts.

151117_Paul_Ryan_AP_1160.jpg
House likely to vote Thursday on Syrian refugee bill
By JAKE SHERMAN
For Republican presidential contenders such as former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee and Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, who have been working hard at shoring up evangelical support in a crowded field, harsh words against refugees carries a risk of looking politically opportunistic instead of compassionate. Some advocates were particularly shocked when Republican presidential candidate Chris Christie, New Jersey's governor, said that the U.S. should bar Syrian orphaned toddlers if necessary.

"That was offensive. That was mean-spirited," said one advocate with a Christian group that resettles refugees. He added: "it’s disappointing because there have been Republican senators and presidents who have strongly supported this program over the years. There’s a proud tradition in the Republican Party of welcoming those who are fleeing persecution, and this takes the party in a negative direction. It’s easy to pick on vulnerable refugees who have no voice. But there are immigrant groups who have voting power that understand what is going on. They understand that it’s an anti-immigrant message."

Even though many on the Christian right have reservations about immigration overall, and may in particular be unhappy about people who illegally enter the United States, there's long been a recognition that refugees fall under a different category. The 11 million Syrians who have either fled the Arab country or are displaced within it are dodging terrorist groups such as the Islamic State or the barrel bombs of Syrian President Bashar Assad. Many are elderly, widowed or in need of medical care.

Some Republican candidates have suggested that only Syrians who are Christian be allowed on U.S. soil, something President Barack Obama has blasted as shameful. Yang said many evangelical Christians would also oppose such a religious test, especially because many are eager to share their faith with new arrivals.

The United States so far has admitted roughly 2,100 Syrians since the conflict in the country began in March 2011. To be allowed in, refugees have to undergo the most stringent security checks of any traveler heading to the United States, according to the State Department. Officials from the Obama administration on Tuesday began reaching out to the media and lawmakers in a bid to explain the screening process, which takes an average of 18-24 months.

Meanwhile, faith-based groups have also stepped up their advocacy efforts for refugees. The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops released a statement expressing distress over calls by elected officials to halt the resettlement program.

151117_syrian_refugees_AP_1160.jpg
White House pushes back against GOP on refugees
By NAHAL TOOSI
"These refugees are fleeing terror themselves — violence like we have witnessed in Paris," said the statement by Bishop Eusebio Elizondo, chairman of the conference's committee on migration. "Instead of using this tragedy to scapegoat all refugees, I call upon our public officials to work together to end the Syrian conflict peacefully so the close to 4 million Syrian refugees can return to their country and rebuild their homes. Until that goal is achieved, we must work with the world community to provide safe haven to vulnerable and deserving refugees who are simply attempting to survive."

Since the Paris attacks, World Relief has used a website to urge people to contact their governors to express their support for resettling Syrians. The Anti-Defamation League also has spoken out in favor of helping the Syrian refugees, noting that U.S. wariness to accept Jewish refugees during World War II is an example that must not be repeated.

Jonathan Greenblatt, the chief executive officer of the ADL and a former Obama aide, stressed that much remains unknown about the Paris attacks, including the exact nature of the allegation that a Syrian migrant was one of the eight or nine attackers. Even if a terrorist posed as a migrant to reach France, it's less likely that the U.S., with oceans to protect it and a stricter screening process, faces the same level of dangers, other advocates said.

"Republicans and Democrats have to tread very carefully here," Greenblatt said. "Faith-based voters are very attentive to these issues. They’re very sensitive to helping those in need."

Joanne Kelsey, assistant director for advocacy with Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service, said she hoped that the sound and fury over refugees would soon be replaced with reason as Republican lawmakers and officials get more details about how the refugee program works.

"This is a very reactionary time," she said.

 

[Grahambo]

As a Christian myself, glad to hear them break away.

 

[IrishinSyria]

I think there's a clear moral obligation that should cut across party lines to a) provide asylum to as many people as we can safely accommodate and b) not allow a small group of largely teenagers to scare us into altering our national priorities.

 

[Buster Bluth]

Four dozen Democrats joined Republicans in passing this 289-137 vote in the House. Obama will veto. Fundamental transformation in full swing, again.

House Passes Bill to Halt, Overhaul Syrian Refugee Process - WSJ

Isn't the reactionary and childish Congress the group trying to fundamentally transform our immigration/refugee policy?

 

[IrishinSyria]

Isn't the reactionary and childish Congress the group trying to fundamentally transform our immigration/refugee policy?

No, the bill was obviously the result of a careful consideration of our asylum procedures and not a cheap ploy to get political points by voting for hastily written legislation with an Orwellian name (the SAFE act!) in response to irrational fears.

 

[pumpdog20]

I think there's a clear moral obligation that should cut across party lines to a) provide asylum to as many people as we can safely accommodate and b) not allow a small group of largely teenagers to scare us into altering our national priorities.

No thanks.

 

[NDbrbkny]

DAVID VITTER LOSES!
AND WILL NOT SEEK REELECTION TO SENATE NEXT YEAR!

 

[Polish Leppy 22]

Disappointing is an understatement here.

College Students Say Remembering 9/11 is Offensive to Muslims - The Daily Beast

"The everything-is-offensive brand of campus activism has struck a new low: Students at the University of Minnesota killed a proposed moment of silence for 9/11 victims due to concerns—insulting, childish concerns—that Muslim students would be offended."

 

[Ultimate Penn St. Hater]

DAVID VITTER LOSES!
AND WILL NOT SEEK REELECTION TO SENATE NEXT YEAR!

Family values and hookers.

 

[pkt77242]

Family values and hookers.

So what you are saying is that Josh Duggar went to the David Vitter school of family values?