Today's Mighty Oak


Alright, let’s see what we have today.  Oh hey look, Drumpf is rolling back transgender health care.  We keep fighting.

And a gay teacher in Kansas was run out of town due to death threats for being gay.  When we say this country still hates us, we’re not lying.  We keep fighting.

Republicans introduce a bill to allow anti-queer discrimination in adoption agencies nationwide.  We keep fighting.

Thank you, to Garfunkle and Oates for hitting it out of the park with this song:

This makes me laugh, but it’s what we deal with all the time.  A person makes some bigoted remark about how he thinks gay people are going to hell and then gets all upset when the pushback happens.  The hypocrisy is staggering.

The trailer for the new Ryan Murphy show Pose, about the ballroom scene.

Let’s talk about gun control.  Thankfully, America’s Best Christian, Betty Bowers is here to have the conversation:

In case you forgot, PA state Rep (from north of Pittsburgh, so not my elected official) Daryl Metcalfe is a bigoted, misogynistic,, racist waste of oxygen.  He’s also been single handedly holding up the bills that would give me some equal rights in the Commonwealth.

HRC is hitting hard against Mike Pence, which is good to see them going on the offensive as he starts campaigning across the country for the midterms.

The BBC released a really good video about what homophobia feels like in 2018.

From a favorite youtube channel, Ask a Mortician, let’s talk about funeral strippers:

A bartender who was organizing a drag show that was “supposed” to be a satirical look at Hitler has apologized.  How does someone even think that is a good idea?  Words escape me.

Are you excited for Infinity War?  Do you like to crochet?  I have the link for you!  Crochet your own Infinity Gauntlet!

Speaking of The Avengers, the new movie will have an Arrested Development reference in it!  I must admit, I was so excited I decided to blue myself early and I have a little bit of a mess on my hands.

Randy Rainbow hits it out of the park again:

A Neural Network created new DnD monsters, and the results are pretty awesome.

Speaking of DnD (and crochet from above), would you like to make your baby look like a Beholder?  I mean, please don’t, Beholders are the worst.

GLOW comes back this June!  Check out the trailer:

And finally, it looks as though Labyrinth is going to become a stage musical!



Alright, let’s see what we have today.

I really, really, really hope they don’t get sued, but a children’s hospital has rebranded chemo treatments as superhero formula.

So under oath, a gun executive called proposed gun control legislation “common sense.

Surviving the World celebrates victories of marriage equality:

Sometimes, I hate the world.  White supremacist are all up in arms because…well does it really even matter.  The point is Cheerios.

A bunch of really awesome people debate how Superman shaves.

Following up “Ship My Pants”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m1yir-p68xM

I was all excited about the great outreach the Pope was doing, and then the Vatican reminded us all that Atheists are going to hell.

An idiot Idaho sheriff is dropping his BSA charter because “sodomy is against the law.”  While it is true that law is still on the books in Idaho, that law has been rendered void by the Supreme Court.

The best wedding photo ever.  Seriously.

More about the Oregon bakery who won’t bake a cake for a lesbian wedding.  Their version of City Paper called and was able to order cakes for Pagan ceremonies, divorce parties and even stem cell/cloning celebrations.  The bakery claims it didn’t act with an anti-gay animus, just faith principles, but I’m not seeing it.

I spent Friday night watching the house floor of the Illinois legislature.  Their marriage equality bill failed, and this was the tearful ending of the night.  The bill however, in a surprise move, has been extended until August 31 by the Speaker, giving it a new chance.:

The Lutherans join the Episcopalians with their first openly LGBT bishop.

That’s it for today, have a great one!



Alright, let’s see what we have today.

One of my professors actually had this happen at her kid’s school, and I think it’s smart.

Today was the deadline for briefs for the Prop 8 and DOMA cases going before the Supreme Court.  Briefs have come in from Democratic members of Congress, Republican lawmakers, NFL Players Chris Kluwe and Brendon Ayanbadjeo, 300 major corporations and the rest of the 50 briefs can be read here.

President Obama weighs in here (the justice department submitted a brief):

Kathy Bates is joining American Horror Story for Book 3, very exciting!

A statue of Rosa Parks has been unveiled at The Capital.  Fun fact, she is a saint in the Episcopalian church.

I love when the Internet makes things like this:

How about a replica of yourself…made from gummy candy?

That’s it for now, have a great one!



Alright, let’s see what’s been going on.

First up, if you use Chrome, check out this really fun map of the cosmos.

Here’s what I just don’t get about those who stockpile guns.  I can’t imagine living life so scared of the world.  And that’s what the NRA does, convince people to be afraid.  And just a reminder, the NRA represents the gun makers, and works to make them money.  So making the public afraid enough to stockpile guns is their goal.

And of course, death threats will be made, you know, for proposing any kind of gun-control legislation.

And in other far-right news, those who continue to fight, saying climate change is a hoax, are funded by the far right.

The far-right should really consider changing their views, as that holds back their technology.

So, the Pope is retiring:

And the Gutters covers it here.

Yes, I’m excited, considering Benedict continued to hide child molesters and defend them in court (see: Australia, L.A., et. al.).  But I can’t imagine the next pope is suddenly going to drop the homophobic, misogynistic, anti-sex views.  I’m not holding my breath.  Corporate Hallucinations covers it here.

And this happened the day it was announced:

The other big news is Orson Scott Card being tapped to write a new Superman series.  Card, is a very outspoken homophobic bigot (as well as hating the Jews, you know, for being Jews).  He’s entitled to his opinion, and I’m entitled to not buy his comics.  That’s how it works, although you’ll probably notice that the far-right complains and claims they are being harassed and victimized when the center/left does anything they disagree with.  However, when someone like Card, who has been quoted saying that it should be illegal to be gay, gives tons of money to hate groups like the FRC and NOM (and is a member of their board), it’s a bit beyond his opinion and more like a crusade on his part.  So excuse me as I try to protect myself.  Anyway, the Gutters covers it here.

And here’s a quote from Michael Hartney:

If this was a Holocaust denier or a white supremacist, there would be no question. Hiring that writer would be an embarrassment to your company. Well, [Orson Scott] Card is an embarrassment to your company, DC. And of all the characters Card could have been hired to write, you give him Superman? The character that taught me to lead by example? To do the right thing, even when it was hard? To keep going, even when it seemed hopeless? What an insult. Kids are killing themselves. They are killing themselves in a climate of intolerance and homophobia publicly fostered by people like Orson Scott Card. You don’t have to contribute to this. You shouldn’t. You mustn’t.”

Copyranter covers some of the greatest taglines:

And a freelancer goes up against a gym chain after they don’t pay him.  Ballsy and awesome.

The amount of puns (and carbs) in this coming out is jaw-dropping.

In case you missed it, the cool Oscar poster for this year, showing 85 years of Best Picture.

Pretty cool ad campaign, dolphins and machine guns!

In case you missed the story, a group of parents and students in Indiana wanted a “traditional Prom,” because the idea of seeing same-sex couples walk in holding hands is so repulsive to them.  The school has nothing to do with it, although one of the teachers has said on camera that gay kids “serve no purpose.”  The community, a local church and the school are reaching out to all kids, and you can read about the whole ordeal here.

Buffy, well at least SMG, is coming back to TV, and with Robin Williams!

For the first time that I can remember (because I think it’s the first time), a majority of Pennsylvanians think we should have marriage equality.

And as the UK debates equality, take a look at this amazing speech by one of the MPs:

And the last thing to talk about, the AP has decided that same-sex couples don’t get to use the terms husband and wife.  Journalists have called them out on it, and have declared they will ignore the memo.  But Fake AP Stylebook (which you should follow on Twitter), wins the Internet:

Avoid using “husband” or “wife” in reference to same-sex married couples; instead use “roommates” or “confirmed co-bachelors.”

That’s it for today, have a great one!



Happy New Year to everyone!  I hope you had a wonderful celebration bringing in 2013.

Now, first up, I’ve talked about this before with some friends, and we all still have a problem believing that it’s a thing.  The Strategic Maple Syrup Reserve was robbed of $18 million worth of syrup.  Go ahead and read that a few times and just let your mind be blown.  Only in Canada.

The NYT has a great, long-form piece about the avalanche at Tunnel Creek.  It’s a great story, and the way it is presented is just amazing as well.  Some people are saying the ads break it up too much, but I didn’t find them that intrusive, honestly.

The gun control debate (hopefully) continues.  I don’t agree with the NRA’s idea of putting armed guards in schools (there’s also no evidence that that would work, case in point, the fact that everyone at Fort Hood had access to guns and the massacre still happened, the police department at Virginia Tech and the armed guards at Columbine).  But here’s a new angle I never thought of:

And as always, violent video games aren’t to blame.  Otherwise we’d have a much, much larger problem.

And this is scary, the Los Angeles gun buy back program produced two rocket launchers.

That’s it for right now, but I’ll be back with more soon, have a great one!

The Guardian and Information is Beautiful teamed up to look at that data for the end of the world, which, in case you weren’t aware, didn’t happen.

 

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