Wednesday, June 3, 2015

The Week So Far: Caitlyn on the Cover, Cavuto Mourns the Fall of Rome, Huck Makes a Joke, Scott Plays to the Rubes, Dennis Hastert Might be a Dirty Old Man, and Lyudmila Needs to Stay Low and Keep Moving

So far, it has been quite a week on the internet.

For a day or so it seemed all anyone wanted to talk about was an aging Olympic champion who decided to go all glam on the cover of Vanity Fair Magazine. The president of the United States called Bruce Jenner's decision to become a woman brave, while various Fox News personalities, to no one's surprise, scoffed in derision. One, Neil Cavuto, went so far as to describe Caitlyn's Jenner's presence on not just the cover, but the planet itself, as, "Rome, the final days."

Several web sites seemed shocked and outraged because of these unseemly reactions by right wing wankers, although it is unclear why they should have expected anything else. One site, "World Net Daily," even drudged up a February speech made by former Arkansas governor, Mike Huckabee to the National Religious Broadcasters Convention. During the speech the Huck made fun of transgendered people with a little joke about how he wished he had told his P.E. coach he was feeling more like a woman, so could he could go shower in the girls locker room.

After the crowd quieted down the presidential candidate got serious and talked about how people would have to accept that their seven year old daughters will be greeted in public restrooms by 42 year old men who are feeling feminine. At this point one could argue that seven year old girls will do far better in restrooms with transgendered people, no matter what their age, than in their bedrooms with hyper Christian, Josh Duggar, but why drag up really old news?

Meanwhile, Wisconsin governor, Scott Walker, yet another in the endless cast of republicans running for president, said he is ready to sign a state bill which will prohibit abortions after 20 weeks. The bill makes no exceptions for those women who became pregnant due to rape, or incest. It does, however, contain a provision which would allow the father of the fetus to sue the provider for, "emotional and psychological distress," even if the one and only time he ever saw the woman involved was the night he knocked her up.

Similar laws have been struck down by courts in Georgia, Arizona, and Idaho. That means, ultimately, Walker's signature is nothing more than political theater pandering to the rubes who will be voting in republican primaries next year.

On Sunday Wheaton College in Illinois took former house speaker Dennis Hastert's name off its center for economics, government, and public policy. Mr. Hastert is accused of lying to the FBI about banking transactions made over the years and will be in federal court next week to answer the charges.

The bureau is claiming Hastert lied about making huge withdrawals because he was paying off someone in his deep dark past in order to cover up, "prior misconduct." The indictment identified that person only as,"Individual A." The misconduct is alleged to have taken place in Yorkville, Illinois, while the former representative, a self described, "rock ribbed Illinois conservative," was a teacher and high school wrestling coach.

Hastert ended up in the speaker's chair after Newt Gingrich only because Robert Livingston of Louisiana stepped aside due to revelations of extramarital affairs. NBC reported the republicans, after Gingrich and Livingston, were only too happy to get a guy with a squeaky clean background to run the house. Yeah, well, $1.7  million, which is the sum Hastert paid on a $3.5 million tab to, "Individual A," buys a lot of that.

Finally the bravest person in the world at this moment resides in Russia. Her name is Lyudmila Savchuck. She is suing to shut down a Russian company known as, "Internet Research." It's located in a St. Petersburg building and employs up to 400, or so people. The sole purpose of Internet Research is to make sure the world knows what a great guy Vladimir Putin is. They work 12 hour shifts filling European and American chat rooms and news sites with pro Putin and anti west and Ukraine propaganda.

Ms. Savchuck worked there two months before quitting. She says the content of the information they were spewing out onto the web was so incredibly vile and false, she couldn't stand it any more. In her words the place needs to be closed.

The proceedings have been delayed until late June. Given what has happened to a number of high profile critics of Brother Putin it is safe to say Ms. Savchuck will be dining alone for quite some time.

Indeed, you can say many things about him, but you'll never be able to accuse Vladimir Putin of being worried about collateral damage.

So there we have it. Bruce became Caitlyn, conservative talking heads were disgusted just enough to make jokes about it, Scott Walker is playing to the howling right wing masses, Dennis Hastert might be a dirty old man who screwed the wrong kid, and Lyudmila Savchuck needs to immediately hire a food taster with suicidal tendencies.

And, just think, this week is only half done.


sic vita est

6-3-15

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