Obsidian Wings

FFS

by liberal japonicus

From The Guardian Pinker’s progress: the celebrity scientist at the centre of the culture wars

He has twice been a guest at Bohemian Grove, which has been described as an off-the-record summer camp for male members of the American establishment.

Discuss.

Variations on a theme

by liberal japonicus

We've talked about this a bit here, so a discussion on where things are moving in Minneapolis

https://www.politico.com/news/2021/09/22/minneapolis-reckoning-defund-the-police-513568

This, from this link is interesting.

The amendment went through the city’s Charter Commission, who are appointed by the chief judge in Hennepin County. At the Minneapolis City Council, city staff tried to attach “explanatory language” onto the ballot question, which wasn’t the traditional practice. Although some council members had concerns about the explanatory language, they approved the ballot question anyway due to time constraints.

Yes 4 Minneapolis sued the city, arguing that the explanatory language was misleading. The judge agreed with the group in part, and sent the ballot question back to the council. Council members passed a version that didn’t include any explanatory language, which Mayor Frey opposed. The mayor vetoed the ballot language twice, until nine council members overturned his veto.

Discuss.

interesting juxtaposition

by liberal japonicus

This article
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/sep/25/california-latino-voters-democrats-gavin-newsom-recall

About 30% of California’s registered voters are Latino, and it appears they voted largely Democrat – but some say it was ‘about ensuring this state didn’t move backward’

and this one
https://www.thedailybeast.com/tucker-carlson-pushes-racist-great-replacement-theory-yet-again-adl-renews-call-for-fox-to-fire-him

The Fox News host has repeatedly fear-mongered about Democrats allegedly bringing in dark-skinned immigrants with the express purpose of “replacing” the American (read: white) electorate. On Wednesday night, he declared that the Biden administration is intentionally trying “to change the racial mix of the country” through immigration.

“In political terms, this policy is called ‘the great replacement,’ the replacement of legacy Americans with more obedient people from far-away countries,” Carlson exclaimed. “They brag about it all the time, but if you dare to say it's happening they will scream at you with maximum hysteria.”

COVID's greatest hits

by liberal japonicus
I feel like posting this in the open thread would be a bit of a U-turn, and I wanted a ever-so slightly more focussed thread. And I had forgotten all about this.

https://www.military.com/daily-news/2021/09/22/chaos-and-drama-new-report-sheds-light-what-went-wrong-aboard-navys-covid-stricken-carrier.html

There was a comment about how, with the withdrawal from Afghanistan, the US military should be pivoting to a sea based approach rather than a land based approach. Unfortunately, in the era of COVID, this is going to be a problem. Yet the fact that this was the military pointing out the problems has not slowed up conservative opiners to BS about corona. Funny that.

Bali Hai is calling you for a Friday open thread

by liberal japonicus

I love this stuff
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/jul/08/indigenous-americans-polynesians-dna-800-years-ago

https://www.theguardian.com/science/2021/sep/22/genetics-reveal-how-humans-island-hopped-to-settle-remote-pacific

Frames and framing

by liberal japonicus

An interesting piece about the various frames in the decision to shelve the military's DADT policy.

https://inkstickmedia.com/transcending-a-readiness-frame-for-lgbtq-rights-in-the-military/

Driving the repeal forward with a readiness frame was a huge success. The day the repeal was implemented there was an enormous lifting of weight off the shoulders of LGB military personnel. However, downplaying the justice frame also came with costs. Perhaps the greatest cost was that it left transgender service members behind. Widely held misconceptions about transgender medical treatment and its impact on their readiness made the issue easy to sideline. There were also other less visible costs.

Framing the repeal as an issue of readiness rather than justice provided DoD leadership with a ready made justification for withholding resources that could have been used to support LGB service members through a difficult transition. Sensitive to the perception that LGB military personnel would be afforded “special treatment,” the committee tasked with studying the possible impacts of the repeal recommended against granting LGB service members access to Equal Opportunity programs. “[W]e do not [sic] recommend,” they wrote “that the Department of Defense place sexual orientation alongside race, color, religion, sex, and national origin as a class eligible for various diversity programs, tracking initiatives, and the Military Equal Opportunity program complaint resolution processes.” The report emphasized the need to treat all military personnel with respect, but prioritized appeasing the homophobic sentiments of a minority who resented the fact that gays would be allowed to serve openly in “their” military over providing appropriate protections against discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation.

Friday, again?

by liberal japonicus

Hope I don't insult everyone by suggesting that there may be a lot of people here who are bibliophiles. So, an article.

https://www.theatlantic.com/books/archive/2021/09/why-are-ebooks-so-terrible/620068/

I've got some thoughts, but the lamp is lit.