The Other McCain

"One should either write ruthlessly what one believes to be the truth, or else shut up." — Arthur Koestler

Slate Scrapes the Bottom

Posted on | September 19, 2014 | 171 Comments

Or maybe “Slate Spanks the Bottom” would be a better way to describe the nadir of editorial judgment whereby the desperate quest for traffic — let’s face it, they’ll do anything to get hits — led them to publish Jillian Keenan’s perverted prose:

Once again, I’ve been accused of pedophilia. Well, to be technical, my sexual identity was called “somewhat pedophilic.” But we’re talking about one of the most loathsome things a person can be accused of, so why split hairs? I’m also regularly told that my sexuality is “repulsive,” “damaged,” and “abusive.” But all of those feel like Valentines compared with “pedophilic.”
People say this to me so often because I’m kinky, and I’ve written about it. I have a spanking fetish. In my case, that means I like to be spanked, usually with a hand, belt, hairbrush, wooden spoon, switch, or paddle. It sexually gratifies me. I’ve had submissive fantasies for as long as I can remember, and it’s part of my identity. I consider my kink to be my sexual orientation. . . .

Eventually, she gets to her point:

So I have a question: If it’s “somewhat pedophilic” when my adult husband consensually spanks me in a simulated “punishment,” what should we call it when parents do the same physical thing to actual children in an actual punishment?
I realize that many well-meaning parents will disagree with me, but spanking kids is gross. . . .

Stephen Green at PJ Tatler gives Keenan the spanking she deserves, but leaves unpunished the editors at Slate who thought it was “clever” to give Keenan a platform to parade her perversion. This is a perfect example of the 21st-century progressive sexual philosophy: Any Sex Is Good Sex, as Long as It’s Not Normal Sex.

Does anyone suppose the editors of Slate would be interested in an article headlined, “Making Babies With My Wife Is Awesome”?

Only if the author were a lesbian.

This is the logic of the post-Windsor age: Having secured recognition for same-sex marriage — so that everyone is now required to approve of homosexuality, or else — Our Moral Superiors in the cultural elite are hard at work undermining the legitimacy of normal sexuality.

It is not now, nor was it ever, “sexual equality” that the Left has sought during the Culture Wars. Rather, they seek for themselves uncontested power to define what is sexually acceptable, so that the cultural elite (a distinct class of people who include the editors of liberal publications, radical university professors, and Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy, among others) displace the moral authority previously exercised in our society by Judeo-Christian belief.

What we are learning — what we should have anticipated, what we should have been warned against, had our leaders been astute enough to perceive the danger — is that no society can long sustain itself when two conceptions of moral idealism are in competition. One or another system of belief must ultimately prevail in government, in law, in social custom, and the subversive enemies of American civilization have always known this. Unfortunately, this cultural logic has seldom been made apparent by our most eminent conservative intellectuals who, wishing neither to appear intolerant nor to risk the accusation of inciting irrational fear, have tended generally to underestimate the danger and have failed to make clear the stark choices our nation faces.

Those who still cherish a traditional vision of the American Dream for themselves, their children and their grandchildren, must recognize that our society cannot forever continue this struggle between two competing moral ideals. We must contemplate the consequences of defeat in the Culture War. While traditionalists have long tolerated perverts like Jillian Keenan — what do we care how she gets her depraved private thrills? — we see that the perverts, once emboldened by the knowledge of their cultural authority in the post-Windsor age, are unwilling to extend to traditionalists a similar toleration. Nor can we afford to ignore the claims of radical feminists like Catherine Deveny, when every day brings further confirmation that their beliefs now enjoy hegemonic dominance within our institutions of higher education.

While producing the “Sex Trouble” series about radical feminism’s war on human nature, I have frequently deployed my habitual sarcasm to mock the absurdity of feminist beliefs. However, no one should assume from my cheerful good humor that I do not take this project seriously. As crazy as feminists may seem, as laughably wrong as their ideas may be, they are extremely serious in their purpose to destroy traditional morality in our society. They and their allies have seized power in the elite precincts of academia and have used that power to influence every institution of our society, from the Supreme Court to your local public school. If you don’t understand what is happening, and in what direction our society is heading, you have not been paying attention.

My advice to anyone who has been ignoring this menace is to wake the hell up. There may still be time to save our nation from destruction.




 

 

Category: Sex Trouble

LIVE AT FIVE: 09.19.14

Posted on | September 19, 2014 | 3 Comments

— compiled by Wombat-socho


TOP NEWS
Scots Hae Voted Nae

Unionists celebrate referendum results at the Better Together headquarters in Glasgow

With two-thirds of the vote in, Unionists have 54% of the vote and the SNP has conceded defeat
Close vote in Glasgow doomed secession push
Pound hits two-year high against Euro on results


Five Big Takeaways From Xi’s Visit To India
One of them being promised investments falling $80 billion short

Alleged Arsonist Jailed As Wildfires Scorch California
Pollock Pines man charged with setting the massive King Fire



POLITICS
Immigration Worker Union Warns Of Serious ISIS Threat

Statement backs recent claims by lawmakers

Union chief Palinkas warns of porous southern border, lax visa enforcement

Obama Expresses “Strong Confidence” In Embattled DNC Chair Wassermann-Schultz


Bipartisan Call To Roll Back Defense Cuts Amid Ebola, ISIS Crises

Federal Probe Into “Bridgegate” Finds No Link To Christie

More Bad Polls For Senate Democrats

NY Man Denies Recruiting For Islamic State

Gov. Scott Walker Fights To Keep His Job In Wisconsin

Holder Announces Initiative To Study Racial Bias, Calm Tensions Between Police, Communities



THE ECONOMY, STUPID
Supply Glut Forces Asian Crude Further Down: WTI $92.87, Brent $97.55
Larry Ellison Steps Down As Oracle’s CEO
Alibaba Prices IPO At $68, Raises $21.8 Billion
US Housing Starts Tumble In August
Dow, S&P At Records As Fed-Driven Rally Continues
Stock Market Lifts US Households Wealth
Bug Infects iOS 8 HealthKit, Delaying Third-Party App Launches
Android L To Offer Default Encryption
Cloudflare Launches Open Source Keyless SSL
Qualcomm Announces Vuforia For Digital Eyewear
Wireless Is The Growth Engine At Verizon



SPORTS
Astros Waste Feldman’s Gem As Tribe Rallies To Take Finale

8 IP, 4 hits, one run, one walk, two Ks…and it wasn’t enough.

Indians win 2-1 on sac fly in 13th

M’s Beat Angels 3-1

Yankees Squeeze Out Win Over Jays On Lind Error

Cardinals Rally, Beat Brewers 3-2 In Extras

Former Rangers Manager Ron Washington Left Team Due To His Infidelity

Pirates 3, Red Sox 2

Rangers Complete Sweep Of A’s With 7-2 Win

Rockies Edge Snakes 7-6 On Sayonara Homer

Padres Take Three Of Four From Phillies With 7-3 Win

Dodgers Rally To Hold Lead In NL West

Stanton Talks About Beaning: “I Was Very Fortunate”

Hope Solo Sets Shutout Record While Awaiting Trial For Domestic Violence

Irish Cricket Handed Seven-Figure Boost By Billionaire

Former NZ Star Cricketer Cairns Cleaning Bus Shelters To Make Ends Meet

Gonzalez, Harper Lead Nats Over Fish, 6-2



FAMOUS FOR BEING FAMOUS
Duchess Of Cambridge Cancels Malta Visit; Morning Sickness To Blame

Kate and Wills

Prince William to pinch-hit


All Hail Vulvatron, GWAR’s Unlikely New Lead Vocalist

Andie McDowell Joins Cast Of “Magic Mike” Sequel



Darrell Hammond To Replace The Irreplaceable Don Pardo On SNL

Miley Cyrus Twerks While Getting Spanked With Mexican Flag; Mexicans Not Amused, Demand Fine And/Or Jail Time

Lindsay Price: It’s A Boy!

Joan Rivers’ Personal Doc Denies Selfie Rumor

Lifetime Chooses Voice Of Grumpy Cat

“Doctor Who” Star Matt Smith Joins “Pride And Prejudice And Zombies”

Apparently Nobody Wants To Watch P. Diddy’s Revolt TV



FOREIGNERS
Chief of Thai Junta Apologizes For Bikini Comment
Mexico Sends Troops To Cabo San Lucas To Halt Post-Storm Rioting
Scottish MPs To Be Barred From Voting On English Laws
Aussies Uncover Islamist Plot For Mumbai-Style Attack On Parliament
Richard Rahul Verma Named US Ambassador To India
Tropical Storm Flooding Shuts Down Manila
Canada Quietly Takes Two Small Russian Banks Off Sanctions List
Fiji Coup Leader’s Party Set To Form Government Alone After Decisive Win
Israel Believes Syria Kept “Significant” Stocks Of Chemical Weapons
What The Missing Billions Say About Sino-Indian Relations



BLOGS & STUFF
Batshit Crazy News: Back From The Dead! ZomBlog Apocalypse! Go throw money at them!
Doug Powers: Have The Democrats Already Picked A Scapegoat For A Possible November Election Massacre?
Twitchy: How Moronic Is Sally Kohn? THIS Moronic.
American Power: How The Left Gave UK Girls To Muslim Rape Gangs
American Thinker: Where Are The Newspapers On Education?
BLACKFIVE: White House Press Briefing – GEN Dempsey Says “Boots On The Ground”
Conservatives4Palin: Sarah Palin To Speak At Values Voter Summit
Don Surber: Scottish Independence And West Virginia
Jammie Wearing Fools: ISIS Calls For “Lone Wolves” To Find Service Members’ Homes, Then “Show Up And Slaughter Them”
Joe For America: Remember Michael Brown? The Media Doesn’t.
JustOneMinute: Hey, Dude, Where’s My Gender Gap?
Shot In The Dark: Our National Monologue
STUMP: Public Pension Watch – More Reactions To Calpers Pulling Out Of Hedge Funds
The Gateway Pundit: Penn State Officials Threaten To Call Police On Students Handing Out Copies Of The Constitution
The Jawa Report: Good News! ISIS Openly Recruiting In Turkey On Istanbul Buses
The Lonely Conservative: Ezekiel Emanuel Thinks 75 Years Is A Long Enough Life For You Peasants
This Ain’t Hell: Army Private Arrested For Smuggling Illegals
Weasel Zippers: Dem Senator Blocks Ted Cruz Bill To Seize Passports Of ISIS Jihadis Returning To US
Megan McArdle: Boring Lives, Boring Television


Deadline to submit links for the FMJRA is tomorrow at noon.
DO IT.
Deadline to submit links for Rule 5 Sunday is tomorrow at midnight.
DO THAT TOO.


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Category: Live at Five

Why Do They Make It So Easy?

Posted on | September 18, 2014 | 51 Comments

Feminist blogger @joyintorah18 RT’d the above image on Twitter, which was noticed by MRA (Men’s Rights Activist) Mike Buchanan, and someone then called it to my attention. OK, so who is this feminist? Not the naked lady in the picture, I mean @joyintorah18?

Joy is a Canadian who runs a site called “Mancheeze,” which she describes as “dedicated to critiquing the Manosphere, a loose connection of anti-feminist/misogynist websites run by men.” And she recently put up a post with this headline:

Why I’m A Radical Feminist:
OPEN THREAD Without MRA’s UPDATED

It seems that Joy is running a sort of online clearinghouse for this stuff, in other words. To quote from her post:

A couple of female commenters, Wendy and chiiill, have expressed they are happily in relationships with men. One of the things MRA’s and other male supremacists like to do is say feminists hate men. This is clearly not true. Andrea Dworkin, an amazing radical feminist, was married happily.
Granted there are some women, like myself, who for political and personal reasons will not have a sexual relationship with men but it’s NOT the only relationship you can have with a person.
I have male friends. They’re just very few and far between and I don’t see them sexually so it removes much of the problem. Men who can carry on a great friendship with me are far more valuable to ME.
I consciously choose to have sexual relationships strictly with women but there is ONE man who I did have a sexual relationship with and who I fell in love with.
This whole ‘manhater’ line is just a cop out projection that they use to woman hate.

There are so many things wrong with this “argument” that it could be mined endlessly — the Comstock Lode of feminist neurosis — but Joy is not significant enough to deserve such labors, and is not as creatively crazy as Witchwind. So let me just focus on this odd sentence: “Andrea Dworkin, an amazing radical feminist, was married happily.”

It is a fact that Andrea Dworkin was legally married to a man. She was a lesbian and her husband, John Stoltenberg, is a gay man who first met Dworkin in 1974. They lived together for about 30 years. But to say that Dworkin “was married happily” is to abuse the definition of “married” as well as to abuse the definition of “happily.”

Was Andrea Dworkin ever happy about anything? Perhaps her rants against men and sex made her “happy” in the same way the blitzkrieg of Poland made Hitler “happy,” but that’s about it.

“Andrea Dworkin, an amazing radical feminist, was married happily.”

A sentence like that could never be written by any honest person who cared about facts, but Joy is a Canadian feminist.

Let’s talk about John Stoltenberg, the gay man to whom Andrea Dworkin was, we are told, “married happily.” In 1989, Stoltenberg published Refusing to Be a Man: Essays on Sex and Justice, in which he “argues that male sexual identity is entirely a political and ethical construction whose advantages grow out of injustice.” In 1994, he published The End of Manhood, about which a reviewer wrote, “The notion of manhood itself, says Stoltenberg, is a sham, a trap — and those who would redeem it or remythologize it are kidding themselves, for manhood is a mask, incompatible with truly human selfhood.”

To put it as bluntly as possible, Stoltenberg’s attitude toward masculinity is the attitude of Aesop’s fox toward the grapes: He pretends to scorn that which he desires, but is unable to possess.

Any psychologist would recognize that Stoltenberg’s personality is warped by masochistic tendencies and — hey! — did I mention he lived with Andrea Dworkin for 30 years?

John Stoltenberg’s life, career and ideas are a testimony to the truth of something Glenn Reynold recently remarked:

I’m beginning to think that most lefty movements are just about broken people trying to manipulate the rest of us so they can feel good about their broken selves.

This is exactly right. Sane, happy, normal people don’t need “movements” to validate their self-worth. However, people who are “broken” — unhappy, abnormal and/or mentally ill — are continually chasing after some cause, some crusade, some source of secular salvation that inspires them to immanetize the eschaton.

If they can’t save the world, these deranged souls can at least make themselves believe they are morally superior to the rest of us — we who are sane, happy and normal. This would be harmless, were it not for the fact that such “movements” are supported by intellectuals who turn these crackpot crusades into powerful political forces that result in the enactment of policies that make life miserable for everybody. And so we return to the Canadian feminist Joy, and her weird claim: “Andrea Dworkin, an amazing radical feminist, was married happily.”

About six weeks after Andrea Dworkin died in 2005 — she was 58 and had been nearly crippled by damage to her knees resulting from her morbid obesity — Ariel Levy published a long article about Dworkin in New York magazine called “The Prisoner of Sex.” Go read that article (Part One, Part Two, Part Three, Part Four, Part Five) and then tell me how “happily” Dworkin was married. It’s absurd even to argue about it, and if not for this Canadian feminist idiot Joy, I wouldn’t bother.

Go read Joy’s “radical feminist” post and laugh at the absurdity of it: She’s arguing with a blog commenter and, congratulating herself on what she considers her triumphant victory, she then struts before her readership: “Praise me, for I have slain the dreaded MRA!”

A cheap stunt, that. At least when I stomp a troll like Bill Schmalfeldt, I manage to make a clever joke or two. Joy is neither clever nor humorous. The fact that she’s got an entire blog devoted to trolling MRAs is a sad testimony to the pathetic emptiness of her life.

 

Category: Feminism

The Mythic World of Women’s Studies

Posted on | September 18, 2014 | 38 Comments

Are you tired of reality? Do you feel that you are being oppressed by facts and logic? Then you should consider majoring in Women’s Studies at one of our nation’s elite universities, where your liberated consciousness is protected from these hateful forces of patriarchy.

Just ask Sarah Blugis of George Washington University:

Why you should take a women’s studies class
On the first day of a women’s studies class, instead of spending the first few minutes evaluating the professor, students’ eyes immediately focus on those considered the bravest students in the class — the men.
Spotting male students in these classes is fairly rare. Most have only one or two men, who are consistently asked for “the male perspective” or need substantial warning before discussion of the menstrual cycle. . . .
Only a small percentage of the GW student body — about 90 to 100 students each year, according to the women’s studies department — choose to take introductory-level women’s studies classes at all. . . .
Learning about past hardships is how we come to appreciate the status of women today. Courses like Athletics and Gender, A Study of Women and Media, and Women and Politics also enlighten students to the disadvantages with which women continue to struggle.
Most people are familiar with the statistics: one in five women experience an attempted or a completed sexual assault in college, and women earn 77 percent of what their male counterparts do for the same work. But there are other issues not so obvious to the untrained eye: These include sexual objectification of women and girls in the media, everyday examples of rape culture like street harassment and the lack of female representation across the political spectrum. . . .

See what I mean? Those statistics with which Sarah Blugis says “most people are familiar”? They are both provably false, as Christina Hoff Sommers has demonstrated. But at George Washington University (annual tuition $48,760), the so-called “facts” don’t matter! This is the beauty of Women’s Studies, where you can send your daughter to spend four years in a mythic world of unicorns, leprechauns and phony statistics that prove to her how horribly oppressed she is.

How does life on the campuses of our nation’s elite universities differ from life in the oppressive “real” world? For one thing, the mechanisms of patriarchal heteronormativity are inoperative at any school where tuition exceeds $40,000. Emory University in Atlanta (annual tuition $45,008) has an Office of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Life. The Office of LGBT Life proudly lists the university’s proudly LGBT faculty and staff, from which I’ve culled this list of female Emory employees who call themselves “lesbian”:

  1. Leslie Harris (Associate Professor, History and African American Studies);
  2. Beverly Walker (Assistant Supervisor, Building & Residential Services);
  3. Joy Wasson (Academic Degree Program Coordinator, Department of Religion);
  4. Valerie Molyneaux (Director, International Programs, Goizueta Business School);
  5. Danielle M. Steele (Assistant Director, Office of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Life);
  6. Marsha Howard (Assistant Operations Manager, School of Medicine, Division of Animal Resources);
  7. Bonnie Jean Woolger (Manager, Digital Imaging Group of the Woodruff Library);
  8. Kim Fugate (Associate Director, School of Medicine, Simulation Lab);
  9. Rachelle Lehner (Assistant Dean for Staff Development, School of Medicine);
  10. Anne Rector (Program Director and Administrative Professor, Law School);
  11. Kathy Britt (ILL Lending Coordinator, RW Woodruff Library);
  12. Melissa Gilstrap (Manager of Communications, Laney Graduate School);
  13. Johanna Hinman (Associate Director of Education, Department of Surgery);
  14. Catherine Shiel (Senior Research Analyst, Development);
  15. Rebeca Quintana (Program Administrator, Master’s in Development Practice, Laney School of Graduate Studies);
  16. Michelle Hammond-Susten (Clinical Care Coordinator Social Worker II, Emory Trauma & Anxiety Recovery Program, Dept of Psychiatry, Emory School of Medicine);
  17. Laura Zajac-Cox (Instructor, Division of Physical Therapy, School of Medicine);
  18. Deb Floyd (Director of Student Affairs, Law School);
  19. Lauren Gay (Special Assistant, Carter Center);
  20. Patricia Del Rey (Adjunct Professor, Women’s Studies, Oxford College);

This list of self-declared lesbian faculty and staff at Emory does not include three other women staffers who described themselves as bisexual, nor does it include another 11 women (at least, I think they’re all “women,” but gender is a social construct) who prefer the label “queer,” a category that includes Dona Yarbrough, director of the Center for Women at Emory, as well as Lynne Huffer, a professor of Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies.

So, 20 lesbians, 11 queers and three bisexuals. We have not been able to confirm rumors that Emory may begin a “diversity outreach” program, if they can find any heterosexual women willing to work there.




 

 

 

Category: Education, Feminism, Gays, Sex Trouble

LIVE AT FIVE: 09.18.14

Posted on | September 18, 2014 | 2 Comments

— compiled by Wombat-socho


TOP NEWS
Obama Insists Ground Forces Won’t Join ISIS Fight; Pentagon Less Sure

The SCOAMF insists to troops at McDill AFB that they won’t be going to Iraq and that he’ll still respect them in the morning.

Odierno, former SecDef Gates say not putting boots on the ground won’t work
House approves arms for Syrian rebels
Iraq PM rules out US ground troops
Obama’s approval hits all-time low in ISIS crisis



Doctor Confirms Toronto Mayor Rob Ford Has Cancer
At least he’s got Don Cherry in his corner

Sheriffs In The Southwest: Border Is “Spiraling Out Of Control”
Coalition of sheriffs’ associations says Border Patrol and law enforcement are swamped



POLITICS
Kentucky Shootout: McConnell Derides Grimes Gun Ad As “Publicity Stunt”

Grimes: I’m totally not Obama!

RCP poll averages show McConnell with 5-point lead over Grimes

Holder: Corporate Execs Responsible For Company’s Wrongs

KS Senate Race Tightens After Democrat Drops Out

Senate Report Accuses PRC Of More Cyberhacking

Former VA Doctor Calls Phoenix Report “A Whitewash”

Bipartisan House Benghazi Committee Kicks Off Without Bickering

Colorado Poll: Hickenlooper Trailing Beauprez By 10

Biden Preaches Populist Theme On Taxes

Quinnipiac Poll: Ernst Pulls Ahead Of Braley In IA Senate Race

School District Police Stocking Up On Free Military Gear



THE ECONOMY, STUPID
Brent Falls Toward $98 In Asia On Strong Dollar As US Supplies Spike: WTI: $93.79, Brent $98.37
Alibaba Set To Price IPO Shares Amid Investor Frenzy
Asian Stocks Mostly Down After Fed Meeting
Nikkei Hits Eight-Month High As Weak Yen Powers Exporters
Pier 1 Posts Lower Profit, Lowers Outlook
Hyundai Turns On Gangnam Style To Win $10 Billion Land Bid
Bezos Unveils Rocket Partnership With Boeing, Lockheed
iOS 8 Also Comes With A Bucket Of Security Fixes
Amazon Extends Gadget Lineup, Offers Fire Tablet For Kids
FCC’s Wheeler Commits To Equal Internet Access For Rural America
Logitech Enters Home Automation Space With Harmony Living Home Line
BlackBerry Unveils Luxury Porsche Phone



SPORTS
Angels Blank M’s 5-0, Take AL West Title

Angels start C.J. Wilson held the M’s scoreless for seven innings

First division crown for Anaheim since 2009

Adrian Peterson Case Exposes Strong Beliefs About Spanking

Hamels Dominant As Phillies Top Padres 5-2


Carrasco K’s 12 As Tribe Blanks Astros 2-0

Fish Edge Marlins, 4-3

Cain, Aoki Power Royals Over White Sox; KC Now Just 1/2 Game Behind Detroit

Twins Pummel Price, Rip Tigers 8-4

Wainwright Pitches Shutout For 19th Win As Cards Beat Brewers

Williams Gives Regulars Night Off; Braves Snap Skid, Beat Nats’ B-Squad 3-1



FAMOUS FOR BEING FAMOUS
Mayim Bialik Says She Hates “Frozen” In Blog Post

No love from the PhD neuroscientist and “Big Bang Theory” star

Three main reasons, the first being the lack of female agency. RTWT.

Warning: The Unspeakable Armenians Are Spawning Again

Avril Lavigne & Hubby Headed For Split After A Year

Beyonce Photoshopping Her Bikini Photos Now?

Wedding Details: George Clooney And Amal Alamuddin


“Boardwalk Empire” Star Jack Huston Lands Lead Role In “Ben-Hur” Remake

Iggy Azalea Sues Ex-BF For Jacking Her Laptop Data

Michael Idol’s Best Friend Claims Coverup In “American Idol” Contestant’s Death

Meredith Vieira Reveals Past Abusive Relationship  – And Why She Stayed

Rosie O’Donnell, Nicole Wallace Clash Off-Air On “The View”

K.D. Lang Makes Play For Billionaire’s Wife

The Godfather Of Miami Nightlife Goes Mobile With VIP App

Voice Doc To The Stars Was Unauthorized Doctor In Joan Rivers Surgery

Founding Member Of Joy Division Furious About Band’s Twitter Account

Liza Minnelli Resting Comfortably After Back Surgery



FOREIGNERS
Scottish Independence Vote Begins
Australian Police Carry Out Massive Anti-Terrorism Raid
International Monitors Endorse Fiji Election
XI: China, India Should Take Strategic Partnership To Higher Plane
Suspected Boko Haram Gunmen Kill 47 In Kano, Kaduna
Poroshenko To Meet With Obama
Iran Rules Out Cooperation With US In Iraq
Spanish PM Rajoy Warns Independence Votes “Torpedo” Europe
Japan Announces Plan To Restart Whaling
Volunteers In Kashmir Ask: Where Is The Indian Army?
Silva Seeks Grassroots Reform For Brazil
Uighur Scholar Denies Separatism As Trial Begins



BLOGS & STUFF
First Street Journal: So, Why Does Alison Lundergan Grimes Want To Be In The Senate?
Michelle Malkin: The Spread Of Rocky Mountain Jihad
Twitchy: Anthony Weiner On Debbie Wassermann-Schultz – “Why Doesn’t The White House Take Her Out?”
The Quinton Report: Adrian Peterson Received Award From Anti-Abuse Group
American Power: Bluest Of Blue State Blues – California’s Declining Quality Of Life Under Democratic Party Rule
American Thinker: Is Obama Wagging The Ebola Dog?
BLACKFIVE: Secure Freedom Radio – Syria, ISIS, And General Dempsey’s Oops
Conservatives4Palin: Governor Palin Hits Administration On Death Panels, Benghazi
Don Surber: Crying Al Qaeda Tears
Jammie Wearing Fools: Dick Durbin Claims Immigration Reform Would Have Contained Ebola Or Something
Joe For America: Cover Girl Gets Twitter-Punked For Ravens Ad
JustOneMinute: What Obama Meant To Say
Protein Wisdom: First World Vagina Warrior Problems
Shot In The Dark: Pardon My Confusion…
STUMP: Public Pensions Watch – Reactions To Calpers Pulling Out Of Hedge Funds
The Gateway Pundit: Ferguson Mob Threatens St. Louis County Leaders
The Jawa Report: ISIS’ Chlorine Work Accident
The Lonely Conservative: Obama Administration Now Requiring Gun Buyers To Declare Race
This Ain’t Hell: 3000 Troops To Fight Ebola
Weasel Zippers: Senate Democrats Demand Rush Limbaugh Be Taken Off The Air
Megan McArdle: Are Tree Huggers Hypocrites?


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Category: Live at Five

Senate Poll Wars

Posted on | September 17, 2014 | 54 Comments

Less than seven weeks before Election Day 2014, the epic struggle to control the media narrative continues:

Democrats are now (very slightly) favored to hold the Senate majority on Nov. 4, according to Election Lab, The Post’s statistical model of the 2014 midterm elections.
Election Lab puts Democrats’ chances of retaining their majority at 51 percent — a huge change from even a few months ago, when the model predicted that Republicans had a better than 80 percent chance of winning the six seats they need to take control.

What this is about is managing expectations, preventing Democrats (and their reliable allies in the media) from becoming demoralized by the more likely prospect that Republicans will capture control of the Senate in November. Last week, poll wizard Nate Silver gave the GOP a 65% chance of winning the Senate majority, and I cautioned at that time a lot could change between early September and Nov. 4.

A mid-term election is not like a presidential campaign, where there are two candidate engaged daily in a single contest. A Senate campaign is fought in multiple states, and a shift in any one of those races could have a significant impact on the Big Picture, where the question is whether the Republicans will make a net gain of enough seats to displace Harry Reid as Senate Majority Leader. Can Republican Sen. Pat Roberts halt his slide in the polls in Kansas? Can the GOP do something to torpedo Democrat Sen. Kay Hagan? These are the kind of questions that will be answered over the next 49 days, and we don’t know what the answer will be.

My hunch — and it is only a hunch — is that we will wake up on the morning of Wednesday, Nov. 5, with the issue still in doubt. There will probably still be two or three Senate races within the range of a recount, and all eyes will quickly turn to Louisiana, where the runoff to decide Mary Landrieu’s fate will be the tiebreaker.

 

Category: Election, Polls, Senate

LIVE AT FIVE: 09.17.14

Posted on | September 17, 2014 | 4 Comments

— compiled by Wombat-socho


TOP NEWS
Obama Urges Global Effort To Stem Ebola As Virus Spreads

MGEN Darrell Williams, tapped to lead the fight against Ebola in Africa

Pentagon requests approval for $500 million budget shift
Global peril cited as US prepares to send troops to Africa
CDC ramps up Ebola worker training

Ukraine Parliament Approves Special Status For Lugansk, Donetsk Regions
Also approves amnesty for rebels

Investments On The Agenda As PM Modi Greets President Xi
The Prime Minister will spend his 64th birthday at a private dinner with China’s president



POLITICS
JCS Chairman Opens Door To Ground Troops In Iraq, Despite Obama’s Promise

SecDef Hagel, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs GEN Dempsey

Dempsey says he’d recommend using American troops if the anti-ISIS coalition proves ineffective; administration flacks scramble

House Passes “No Welfare For Weed” Bill


NY Man Indicted For Attempting To Support Islamic State

Curtain Closes On Taxpayer-Funded Climate Change Musical

KS SecState Kobach Says He’ll Force Democrats To Name Candidate Even If State Supreme Court Allows Taylor’s Withdrawal

Healthcare.gov Still Has Security Issues, Say Watchdogs

EPA Grants Extension On Power Plant Regulation Plan



THE ECONOMY, STUPID
Asian Crude Drops From NY Close: WTI $94.77, Brent $98.92
Financial Markets Awaiting Fed Signal On Rates
China’s Central Bank Injects $81 Billion Into Banks
Sears Could Be Gone If Slump Lasts Through Christmas
Corinthian College Sued For $500 Million Over Student Loans
Microsoft Boosts Dividend, Adds Two New Directors
Developers Seek Next Minecraft At Tokyo Game Show
Apple Confirms iPhone 6 NFC Locked Into Apple Pay
Nvidia Taking Preorders For 32GB 4G LTE ShieldTablet
Facebook Reportedly Working On New Private Sharing App
Chromecast Bulks Up On Content



SPORTS
O Say Can You See – O’s Clinch First Division Title Since 1997

Jimmy Paredes congratulates Steve Pearce on his three-run dinger in the first inning of last night’s game

O’s clinch with decisive 8-2 drubbing of Blue Jays

Vikings Reverse Course, Suspend Adrian Peterson

Padres Hold On, Edge Phillies 5-4

NFLPA Appeals Ray Rice’s Indefinite Suspension

Flores Leads Mets In Crushing Fish 9-1

Tony Stewart Case Goes To Grand Jury

Kluber K’s 14 As Tribe Tops Astros 4-2

Cards’ Lead In NL Central Shrinks With Loss To Brewers In Extras

Nationals Clinch As Roark Blanks Braves 3-0



FAMOUS FOR BEING FAMOUS
Rihanna Furious With CBS For Pulling “Thursday Night Football” Intro

“You pulled my song last week and now you want to slide it in this week? NO, [expletive] you! Y’all are sad for penalizing me for this!”


CBS dropped the song last week because of Rihanna’s abuse by Chris Brown.

Eva Mendes, It’s A Girl!

Cara Delevingne Lands Lead In “Paper Towns”


“Facts Of Life” 35th Reunion

Tom Hiddleston To Star In King Kong Origin Pic “Skull Island”

Rosie O’Donnell Reveals Downside Of 50-Pound Weight Loss

Taylor Swift Has New Tits And A Tumblr Account

Cheryl Burke To Quit “Dancing With The Stars” After Season 19



FOREIGNERS
Australia Promises $6.4 Million To Fight Ebola
Welsh Politicians Join Final Push For Votes In Scotland
Gaza Widow Offers Insight Into World Of Spies
South Africa Says Unknown Number Of Citizens Missing After Nigerian Church Collapse
Pak Politicians Ejected From Plane After Causing Delay
French Government Survives Vote Of Confidence
Heavy Security As Chicoms Put Uighur Scholar On Trial For Separatism
Fiji Holds Election After Years Of Military Rule
Canada Set To Strengthen Ukraine Ties With Loans, Humanitarian Aid
Bangladesh Court Commutes Islamist Leader’s Death Sentence



BLOGS & STUFF
First Street Journal: Housing Prices
Proof Positive: Mark Twain On Obama’s Coalition Building
Valley of the Shadow: Out From The Heat, The Valley Opens!
Doug Powers: Former Diplomat Describes Effort To Scrub Damaging Benghazi Docs
Twitchy: Angry Mob Tosses Ukrainian Politician In The Trash
American Power: What’s Behind Germany’s New Anti-Semitism
American Thinker: How Illegal Immigrant Youth Will Serve The Democrat Party
Conservatives4Palin: Politico Poll – GOP Has Edge On Immigration In Midterms
Don Surber: Go Away, Hillary
Jammie Wearing Fools: Desperate Democrats Unveil Benghazi Website To “Drown Any Potential Leaks In A Flood Of Information”
Joe For America: Jihadist In The USA
JustOneMinute: Boots On The Ground In Liberia
Protein Wisdom: Obama – Rubber Boots And Gloves On The Ground
Shot In The Dark: Trulbert! Part XI – Rumors Of Warp
STUMP: Public Pensions Watch – Calpers Pulls Out Of Hedge Funds
The Gateway Pundit: Code Pink Activists Disrupt Senate Hearing, Protest US Attacks On ISIS
The Jawa Report: NYC – Muslim Day Parade 2014
The Lonely Conservative: Economic Recovery – More New Food Stamp Recipients Than Jobs Created
This Ain’t Hell: The Grauniad’s New Military ANALyst
Weasel Zippers: CAIR Demands Oklahoma Law Enforcement Protect Them From GOP State Rep
Megan McArdle: Big Oil Vs. College Kids, Part 2


Category: Live at Five

‘Erection Equals Consent’?

Posted on | September 16, 2014 | 84 Comments

This is a phrase I never expected to encounter and, when I saw the headline, I misunderstood what the writer meant by it:

The flesh is weak: On the
Erection Equals Consent rape myth

What I expected, based on that headline, was an argument by a feminist “deconstructing” the common claim that men are unable to control their physical urges, so that male arousal obliges women to consent to sex. Bracing myself to engage with such a feminist argument, I clicked the link, and found something completely different:

Whenever an article appears about the sexual abuse of men and boys – especially abuse perpetrated by women – you can almost guarantee that a comment will appear saying something like: ‘well he couldn’t have been that unwilling if he got a boner.’
It is an incredibly damaging and harmful myth . . .

WHOA! What strange argument is this? Tell me more, Ally Fogg:

Contrary to popular belief, many men can get an erection when they are too drunk to speak or to remember what they have done the next day. A man in a drunken stupor can sometimes be stimulated to erection without even waking up. . . .
Perhaps more pernicious is the belief that even if a man did not want to have sex before he got an erection, he certainly will once it is in place. This is patently untrue. Men are sentient beings who (mostly) have conscience and self-restraint and make decisions about who they want to have sex with all the time, independently of their erectile engorgement . . .
The academic literature describes how all of the above can play out in abusive situations. A study of 22 male-on-male rape victims by Nicholas Groth and Ann Burgess (1980) found that half of the victims maintained an erection throughout their assaults. The original, ground-breaking paper on adult male victims of female molesters by Sarrel and Masters (1982) described some of the assaults perpetrated on their subjects . . .

You can and should read the whole thing.

Glenn Reynolds yesterday noticed a case in which a 240-pound woman broke into a house and raped a sleeping man. Such cases are obviously exceptional. Where Ally Fogg’s argument is more typically relevant is in understanding cases of adult women (usually school teachers) who sexually abuse underage boys. When we read of these crimes, our instinctive reaction is to discount any claim that the boy is truly a victim. This reaction is particularly common if the perpetrator is young and attractive like Debra Lefave, so as to fit the popular “Hot for Teacher” fantasy. Our jocular reaction — “Oh, yeah, victimize me, baby!” or “Where were teachers like her when I was in school?” — ignores many moral and psychological issues involved, and risks setting up an “equality” argument that would justify underage sex in any case where (a) the perpetrator was attractive, and (b) the underage victim was “consenting.” That is to say, if we argue that Debra Lafave’s victim wasn’t actually a victim because Lafave is a pretty blonde, a logically consistent extension of such an argument would invalidate all statutory rape law in any similar circumstance, regardless of whether the perpetrators or victims were male or female, gay or straight.

Teacher-turned-predator Debra Lafave

Once you stipulate that sex with minors can be acceptable under specific circumstances, you open the door to a stampede of perverts who will use that premise in arguments you never meant to make. Statutory rape laws are often criticized on the basis that they are arbitrary in setting a specific age as the limit of legal consent when, as everyone knows, young people mature emotionally, mentally and physically at different rates. There are 15-year-olds who are more “mature,” in some sense of that word, than the average 17-year-old, yet if the age of consent is 16, the 17-year-old is fair game, whereas having sex with the 15-year-old could put you in prison. Such a limit is arbitrary and therefore, critics of statutory rape laws frequently argue, these laws should not be enforced.

Those arguments completely misrepresent the reasons we have statutory rape laws, although my purpose here is not to mount a thorough argument in defense of these laws, except to say (a) such laws are intended to set a minimal age below which consent is invalid as a legal defense; (b) this prevents prosecutors from having to put the underage victim on the witness stand, if there is evidence that sex occurred or if the perpetrator admits having sex with the minor; and (c) the discretion of prosecutors and judges will tend to ameliorate punishment in circumstances where leniency may be merited.

Furthermore, I will say — as I kept saying during the Kaitlyn Hunt saga — that most incidents of statutory rape never make headlines either because the perpetrator is discreet about their relationship with a minor or else, if caught, they take the plea bargain. Only because Kaitlyn Hunt rejected the plea deal offered by prosecutors, and her supporters tried to turn her crime into a political crusade, did she make national headlines.

Myth, Reality and the Assault on Innocence

Every parent, I hope, understood the danger involved in arguing, as Hunt’s “Free Kate” supporters did, that the law which criminalizes sex with minors (the age of consent in Florida is 16) should be disregarded because Hunt was “only” 18 when she engaged in sex with a 14-year-old girl. Nor could any parent fail to be angered by the claims made by Hunt’s supporters that she was a victim of homophobia, a claim that had the effect of impugning the motives of the 14-year-old’s parents. The effect of all arguments of this kind is to undermine the basic right of parents to protect their minor children. (Let me recommend Neil Postman’s 1994 book The Disappearance of Childhood and Dana Mack’s 1997 book The Assault on Parenthood as useful explorations of this theme.) It is possible to have ideals of youthful innocence that are unrealistic, perhaps even in some ways harmful, but those who criticize statutory rape laws are attacking a legal basis of parental authority in a crucial matter. If we wish to prevent another “Rotherham Horror,” we must take this threat very seriously.

Returning, then, to the “Erection Equals Consent” myth that Ally Fogg examines, we must ask what this tells us about women predators who take advantage of teenage boys. When I call attention to these cases, the same issues are raised by commenters: Here is a female teacher in her late 20s or early 30s (the typical perpetrator) who is at least moderately attractive and in many cases married, yet who has engaged in sex with a boy (or sometimes multiple boys) as young as 13 or 14. “Why can’t she get a grown man?” commenters will ask or, raising the same point from the obverse angle, “Why does she want to have sex with boys?”

These questions plague the minds of sane normal people who take for granted that everyone views sex in a sane normal way. We assume, for example, that people prefer (and believe they should prefer) an approximate parity of age in their romantic partners.

We view as creepy the middle-aged executive who divorces his wife and acquires a much younger girlfriend. It’s not just that the 25-year-old female is young enough to be the 50-year-old executive’s daughter (triggering our crypto-Freudian suspicion of symbolically incestuous ideas lurking in the old man’s depraved psyche) but that we assume, without need for any evidence, the young girlfriend is a selfish gold-digger who is cynically trading sex for money and status. Certain other assumptions are involved in the case of an older woman who goes into “cougar” mode, pursuing sex with virile young studs.

Many reasons (moral, political, anthropological) could justify our negative attitudes toward relationships between consenting adults of widely varying ages. People who engage in such relationships are guilty, at least, of disregarding common opinion that disapproves of wide age differences between sex partners. We are prone to suspect that people who flout social conventions are not trustworthy.

It is impossible, really, that the 28-year-old teacher who engages in sex with a 15-year-old boy is not aware that what she is doing is (a) against the law, and (b) strongly disapproved by society. She knows there will be terrible consequences if she is caught, but she wants to do it so badly that she convinces herself she can get away with it. Her willingness to engage in this illegal and socially disapproved behavior implies a risk-taking attitude that can only be explained by the perpetrator’s profound interest in the sexual attributes specific to a very young partner. We therefore are tempted to categorize any person caught in such crimes as perversely abnormal — that loathsome creature, the pedophile.

Defendants in these cases, however, quite understandably try to avoid this implication. They made a mistake, they showed poor judgment, they understand what they did was wrong, but please — please! — don’t put them in the same category with predatory perverts.

These typical defenses represent a belief that sex offenders can be clearly divided into two categories, one of which is the dangerous pedophile that everyone should hate and fear, and the other category (in which the pleading defendant always includes herself) of basically good people who are well-meaning and harmless, but just sort of accidentally happened to engage in sex with a minor.

That 15-year-old boy’s penis in her mouth? A random coincidence!

Such defenses involve at least three myths about these crimes:

  1. There is no significant number of adults who might seek sex with teenagers, if they thought they could get away with it;
  2. There is no objective or rational reason why any person would ever prefer an adolescent sex partner; and
  3. Laws against sex with minors were enacted by people who were ignorant of facts regarding Myth 1 and Myth 2.

Let me suggest (contra Myth 3) that lawmakers who established legal limits on consent, going back to Roman law and English common law, were as fully familiar with basic human nature as any latter-day sociologist or psychologist. Furthermore, contra Myth 2, it does not take much imagination (perhaps no imagination at all) to see why someone seeking to satisfy their sexual urges might select a 15-year-old as the object of their desire. And, contra Myth 1, if society did not exercise its legitimate authority to protect juveniles by enacting laws against sex with minors, the number of adults who might seek adolescent partners could prove much larger than anyone now imagines.

This is the “Sexual Anarchy” scenario that Matt Barber has warned about: People who want to normalize pedophilia typically claim that only bigotry and ignorance can explain society’s strong disapproval of underage sex. They ask us to believe that there is no real danger involved in a lenient attitude toward sex offenders.

The pro-pedophile activists accuse their critics of exaggerating these dangers and fostering a climate of irrational fear, so that when we point to a clear trend — e.g., the frequency of child pornography arrests, the discovery of organized child-prostitution rings, etc. — this evidence is denounced by pro-pedophile activists as an attempt to stir up a “sex panic,” a “witchhunt,” a hateful “hysteria.”

The Swiss Army Knife of ‘Consent’

Yet how do these arguments appear in light of the “Erection Equals Consent” myth as explained by Ally Fogg, and in the context of the typical “Hot for Teacher” scenario, where a reasonably attractive woman in her late 20s or early 30s is having sex with her 15-year-old male student? If we set aside all moral, legal, social and ethical objections to such behavior, must we pretend that we are unable to explain why a woman would be interested in a 15-year-old boy? Oh, hell, no.

Having once been a teenage boy, I know exactly what she enjoys in this activity. If erection equals consent, I was in a condition of permanent consent from the time I was 13 years old. A teenage boy is capable of sexual arousal with the least provocation, or no provocation at all.

Any adolescent male’s penis is, so to speak, the sexual equivalent of a Swiss Army knife — a tool that can be adapted to any purpose.

Furthermore, even if we ignore whatever aesthetic appeal there might be in the youthful appearance of an adolescent, there are other attributes typical of youth that might lead an adult woman to desire a 15-year-old boy as a sex partner. The teenage boy is more or less a tabula rasa, a lump of unmolded clay, an empty page on which she can inscribe whatever she wishes. Suppose that the teacher, attractive as she may be, is dissatisfied with the quality of her relationships with adult men. There in her classroom is a teenage boy, who is ready, willing and able to attempt any sexual act his teacher may desire him to perform. Not only is the boy’s impetuous eagerness flattering to her ego — adult men are probably less impetuous and more demanding — but as the teenager is less experienced in sexual activity by comparison to her adult male partners, the teen may be more easily tutored to perform sexually in the precise manner that pleases his teacher the most. The boy is more eager to please, more cooperative and less judgmental, and probably far more grateful to have her as a sex partner than any adult male would be.

The reader knows very well that I am not arguing in favor of such criminal activity. Instead, I am saying that if we are willing, for the sake of argument, to look at the situation outside of a moral framework, we can easily imagine why a Debra Lafave (or any other woman who was less than fully satisfied by her relationships with adult men) might find a teenage boy particularly appealing as a sexual partner. And we can extend or adapt this reasoning — in terms of objective incentives to illegal sex with minors — without regard to whether the victim is male or female, whether the perpetrator is male or female, whether the criminal behavior is heterosexual or homosexual. Once we are willing to recognize that the underage partner might have qualities that are sexually desirable to an adult, we can stop pretending to be mystified by these crimes.

Beyond that, if we can put aside our moral sensibilities for the sake of argument, we don’t have to pretend that the legislators who enact statutory rape laws — or the police or prosecutors or judges who are charged with enforcing these laws — are ignorant of the fact that a large number of adults might seek sex with young people, who might enthusiastically consent to those acts, if it weren’t for widespread social disapproval and strong legal sanctions against such activity.

We don’t have to pretend that sex crimes against minors are only perpetrated by a tiny group of predatory weirdos. We don’t have to pretend that minor victims of sex crimes are always helpless, unwilling innocents who were coerced or brainwashed into sexual activity. There is no need for us to prefer a convenient mythology to inconvenient reality. All we need is to agree that adult/minor sex is wrong, and that the laws against it should be vigorously and fairly enforced, and we can then reject as dangerous every nitpicking criticism made by moral relativists who want to squawk about how “arbitrary” these laws are.

Finally, let me point out (as if it were not already apparent) some reasons why this is relevant to my critique of radical feminism.

Readers of the “Sex Trouble” series are by now familiar with my contention that feminist theory has been decisively shaped by arguments put forward by radical lesbians, whose anti-male/anti-heterosexual biases have pervaded the field of Women’s Studies. Insofar as any woman’s attitudes are influenced by feminist theory, her attempts to live in accordance with these doctrines will make it difficult for her to find happiness in a life of men, marriage and motherhood. Let me further explain (again, as if it were not already apparent) that after more than 40 years of feminist activism, these ideas have been dispersed so widely through our society and culture, it is possible for a woman to have internalized feminist beliefs simply by conforming to what she is taught in school, what she absorbs through watching TV and reading popular magazines, and what she is told by her peers.

Therefore (and yes, you have now finally reached the conclusion) it is not surprising that many women are unhappy in their adult relationships with men, which are in many ways sabotaged by the influence of feminism. Nor is it surprising that these unhappy women, who have been told that sexual “empowerment” is an ideal goal for women — a goal thwarted by the compromises women must necessarily make in their relationships with adult men — should seek to exercise their “empowerment” in relationships with teenage boys.

You may be certain that somewhere a Gender Studies major is examining cases of female teachers caught in sex crimes against minors, and theorizing a way to blame these crimes on the patriarchy.

Of course, as every feminist knows, the patriarchy is always to blame for everything, especially anything that involves an erect penis.

(Mic drop.)




 

 

Category: Crime, Sex Trouble
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