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So, this is what my cartoon sockpuppet Bookworm Bob have been looking at since our last This & That post.Image may be NSFW.
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This is from a bit more than a week ago, but we post on it. From the Baltimore Sun's Teen pleads guilty to beating transgender woman at Rosedale McDonald's; Prosecutors to seek 10-year sentence, with 5 years suspended, in case that drew national notoriety:
A teenager pleaded guilty Thursday in the beating of a transgender woman at a Rosedale McDonald's, an incident that was caught on video and drew national attention after it went viral online.Teonna Monae Brown, 19, pleaded guilty in Baltimore County Circuit Court to one count of first-degree assault and one hate crime count in the April attack on Chrissy Lee Polis, 22, which became a rallying point for transgender-rights advocates across the state and nationwide.
Prosecutors will seek a prison sentence for Brown of 10 years with five years suspended, said Baltimore County State's Attorney Scott Shellenberger. The combined maximum sentence for the crimes is 35 years.
...Brown's lawyer, Timothy Knepp, said his client "would be a very good candidate for probation." He called the assault a "once-in-a-lifetime" incident that "will forever shape her future."
No, I don't believe so. Brown needs to serve time in prison -- she didn't just beat Chrissy Lee Polis unconscious, and to the point of seizure, she terrorized many in trans community by her heinous behavior. I don't believe probation alone is not punishment enough for Teonna Brown.
The Navy Times' Difficult For Gay Ex-Service Members To Return:
The repeal of "don't ask, don't tell" coincides with the most competitive time in recent history to get into the military because of the sluggish economy, and the Defense Department says it has no plans to give priority to those discharged for being gay, even if they still meet the military's age limits, fitness standards and cutoffs for time out of service.Many, like [Air Force Maj. Michael Almy], 41, see the only way back to active-duty as being through the courts.
He and two other discharged officers - one from the Air Force officer and one from the Navy - are suing the Justice Department to demand they be reinstated, and they hope a federal appeals court will help their efforts by upholding a lower court ruling last year that declared the law unconstitutional.
..."The sad truth is repeal really does nothing for people thrown out of the military," Almy said. "There is no restitution, no reparations, no special personnel process to help those to get back in the military who were thrown out."
Chang.org's petition Let Bert & Ernie Get Married On Sesame Street:
In this horrid age of LGBTQ kids taking their own lives and being beaten for who they are, need to know that they're BEAUTIFUL, as Christine's song goes. Bullies that facilitate those tragedies be it verbal or otherwise should be taught that homophobia is NOT okay. Children and parents need to learn that acceptance of humankind, even puppets, would indeed plant a seed of peace that will reverberate throughout the universe. We are not asking that Sesame Street depict anything crude or disrespectful; this is NOT about any other issue other than education. Sesame Street claims Bert and Ernie are only friends, though that's how marriage begins, right? If they are ONLY puppets, why do they have HUMAN traits and traditions and families? This should not be the end of the issue as why hasn't Sesame Street extended an olive branch out to this new era of one worldness, be inclusive, and offer to develope contemporary LGBTQ puppets and human characters? It would prove to past and current viewers that it's spelled L-O-V-E, not H8.
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Well, PBS said no. From the article Vancouver Sun's Bert & Ernie Wedding: Sesame Street Says No:
It seems unlikely petitioners will get their wish, given the message Sesame Street put on its Facebook page Thursday: "Bert and Ernie are best friends. They were created to teach preschoolers that people can be good friends with those who are very different from themselves."Even though they are identified as male characters and possess many human traits and characteristics...they remain puppets and do not have a sexual orientation."
Of course, some on the religious right/social conservatives have focused in on the call for a transgender character. From the Family Research Council (emphasis added):
...Bert and Ernie couldn't be reached for comment... because they're puppets! If gays and lesbians want to help pull the plug on PBS funding, it's working. This is how ridiculous the homosexual debate has gotten. Not only do they want to force their lifestyle on you and me, but they want to enlist felt-faced non-humans in the fight! And this is on top of the demands for a transgender character to join Sesame Street.
If one were to believe trans is the new gay, that belief would have to come with not only with a positive focus on trans civil rights, but on how those against trans civil rights also focus on trans people and issues.
Los Angeles Times' Youth Pastor Charged With Molestation; Police Seek More Victims:
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A youth pastor at a Venice church has been charged with molesting a 14-year-old girl, and Los Angeles police are seeking the public's help in identifying other possible victims....Prosecutors allege that Allen began a sexual relationship with the teenager while he was the youth pastor at the First Baptist Church in Venice. The relationship lasted 14 months, beginning in March 2010 and ending in May of this year.
Super. Let's raise our glasses in another toast to "family values."
Our Wiener Story Of The Day: the Arizona Republic's Police urge holster use after man shoots his own penis:
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Clik here to view.As Chandler residents Joshua Seto, 27, and his fianc?e, Cara Christopher, walked over to a Fry's Food Store for refreshments, he tried securing her pink handgun in the front waistband of his pants.
The gun fired, striking Seto's penis and continuing through his left thigh. The bleeding started immediately and was heavy, according to police dispatch recordings released Sunday.
"He is still conscious, there is just a lot of blood," Christopher , 26, told 9-1-1 operators and dispatchers.
One operator told Christopher to apply direct pressure to the wound with a dry towel or T-shirt, but to avoid looking at the wound...
As always, "The weenie tempts you!"
So anywho...It's an open thread! What are you thinking about today, or what books or articles have you been reading the past few days? Wanna share?
And again, please feel free to chat, blogwhore, and link-share in the comment thread because...it's an open thread! Woo-hoo! Image may be NSFW.
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