#Campaign: yoho

[farmergadda]

Yo-ho Game Report #0 - Pregame Prep

Alright, let’s do this.

Welcome everybody to my first series of Game Reports, specifically covering the events of my new pirate campaign, using my personal Lasers & Feelings hack. This will be a casual game run over discord with 3 players and myself as the GM, focusing on nautical adventure as the party sails around and interacts with a loosely defined sandbox (basically an excuse to do One Piece things without memorizing One Piece lore)

At the time of me writing this post, we are t-minus 2 days to our Session Zero, where we will determine the scope and tone of the campaign, as well as make our characters as a group. Unlike previous games I’ve run, where a well known baseline was used for the setting and tone, simply saying “goofy pirate game” doesn’t explain enough to the players outright. Asking them to make characters and be ready to play day one would be a recipe for disaster. But that’s not what this post is about. No, this post is about the prep I’ve done leading up to session 0, to give readers a baseline of what -I- am imagining this campaign to be.

First off, here’s the live document for the system. Depending on how far into the future you’re reading this, you may or may not notice how it’s clearly unfinished with plenty of holes. Sorry about that. Two of the three players already played with me in a year long campaign using MOSTLY the same rules. They’ll be familiar with it even if player 3 is going in blind. Pray for Player 3′s soul.

My inspiration for trying a Pirate campaign in the first place actually started with This Blog Post by A Knight At The Opera. In it, I gained most of the tenets I intend to work from going forward, namely, that the key to a good wavecrawl requires the STRUCTURE to be solid. Focusing on the nitty gritty or handwaving away anything too time consuming leads not to an enjoyable sailing campaign. My players will have the freedom to sail in any direction they want, upgrade their ship as they please, and end up on any number of small islands with a handful of cool things to see- but I’m not going to make the sailing portion a simulation; nor am I going to just drag them to a predetermined series of island encounters until they get bored. True freedom is the goal, and for that, I need the support to give them that feeling.

My second stop in my research was this fantastic masterpost of another GM’s nautical campaign, Coins and Scrolls’ GLOG. Say what you will about some of the seedier corners of the OSR (I know I have), but I will NEVER turn down a resource with so many TABLES. Mechanically, I decided I didn’t want to use the actual ruleset attached to this blog. But boy howdy did I lift some tables. Supply Tables, Sailing Event Tables, Weather Tables, I lifted them all (yo-ho) and made some adjustments before printing them all out.

Speaking of Tables, did you know you can just google “[Genre] Tables DND” and the internet has a shit ton of them? No joke! I’ve got myself a random Pirate name generator (For the Pirates), a Pirate Island Name generator (For the Islands, not the Pirates), and a Pirate Ship Name Generator (For the sailing vessels, not the romantic intertwinings of old sea dogs).

I also made good use of This Reddit sub Dedicated to Naval Campaigns for 5e. Mostly, I looked at the various rules systems they’ve shared to see the common sizes/styles of ships, compiled them into a table, and added it to the list. I also found this cool as hell playlist of pirate music, which I’m listening to as I type this post lol.

There are other tables I haven’t picked up just yet. Pirate supersitions, a name generator for sea shanties, stuff like that. But until I know the exact scope of the game I’m running, this is more than enough to get me started.

I’ll let you all know how our Session 0 turns out, and introduce you to the crew!

[tm-trx]

*current* ask game

tagged by @omarandjohnny - ::waves:: thanks!

Current Time: 5:47 pm CST

Current Activity: rewatching Love O2O

Currently Thinking About: My kitten got into my partner's Warhammer 40K miniatures today while I was out and from what we can tell she ended up getting stabbed with lots of teeny tiny spiky bits. She's been going through bouts of frantic licking and freaking us out a bit. *The joys of kittenhood.*

Current Favorite Song: "Satellite" by SHINee (the HARMONIES 🤩)

Currently Reading: An online series I love but am very much behind on, so have been catching up the last couple weeks.

Currently Watching: Be Mine Superstar, Critical Role: Campaign 3, Hidden Agenda, Jun & Jun, Kiseki: Dear to Me, Love O2O, Love You Seven Times, Only Friends, Taikan Yoho, Wedding Plan

Current Favorite Character: Lom from Wedding Plan, but Yoh from Taikan Yoho is a close second

Current WIP: Not writing anything at the moment, but we are in the midst of rearranging the living spaces to accomodate our newest family member's propensity for trouble.

tagging some of the folks in my recent notifications, but as usual no pressure! @plantsarepeopletoo @amindlesscontradiction @maibpenrai @ablazenqueen @notafanbut @kirk-goes-to-gallifrey @jinkiinyellow @coolgenie @corettaroosa

[paleopals]

MARK YOU CALENDARS FOLKS!

WE HAVE A KICKSTARTER LAUNCH DAY FOR OAKLEY THE OPABINIA!!!

[202005034caic2122]

How sexism has provided the opportunity for more female involvement in politics

Since the nineteenth amendment, on August 18th, 1920, stated that “the right to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex”, (with the exception of women of colour, until 1965), it meant that women since have been cooking up their own campaigns in an effort to make a dent in the male-dominated political world in America.

Despite this increase, women are still heavily underrepresented in American politics, and it’s estimated that, internationally, “at the current rate, gender equality in the highest positions of power will not be reached for another 130 years”.  However, with the recent political events involving women, such as the attempt to overturn the Roe V. Wade laws, which would prevent women from having access to safe and legal abortions, female presence in the American government has never been more important.

The Roe V. Wade law was ratified in 1973 with the aim to protect pregnant woman’s right to an abortion, however, since then, it has sparked harsh debates over who gets to decide the legality of abortions and whether morality of religious stances should factor into those decisions. Although more recently, it has become a much more prevalent discussion, with the attempt to overturn this law by the majority of the Supreme Court, with the support of republicans and evangelical Christians. The heartbeat bill has already picked up momentum over the past few years and has shortened the window for women to be able to access abortions as it bans abortions after a heartbeat can be detected. Several states have also shortened the opportunity for women to access abortions, usually from 24 to 26 weeks, however, states like Alabama, it is as short as 22 weeks, and there has been a purging of abortion clinics within the state. For example, there are currently only three within the state of Alabama, and a mere 37% of people believe that abortion should be legal, aligning with Alabama’s reputation as a heavily religious and largely republican state. Similarly to Alabama, Louisiana is also a devoutly religious state, as “75% [of people] say they believe in God with absolute certainty”, and most people who live in Louisiana also believe that abortion should be illegal, however, there have been both pro-life and pro-choice activist groups and protests within the state. Alongside these protests, Women’s Marches in Washington DC and other cities across the nation also took place, prior to the Supreme Court’s deliberation on abortion laws. Women’s March has been an organisation that has become critical in bringing women’s voices and opinions to the forefront of politics.

Since 2017, sexual assault has also been a predominant topic for many women in and out of the political world, with examples of sexual violence against women working within the government from other political party members. For example, Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez, also known by her initials AOC, spoke publicly about the harassment she received from republican politician Ted Yoho, as well as experiencing sexual assault at another time in her life.

In America, 54% of people who have experienced sexual violence were aged 18-34, with 1 in 6 women being the victim of an attempted or completed rape. The high rates of sexual violence, specifically against women is proof that the American government should be investing time and effort into preventing these attacks and providing safety for those who are victims of sexual abuse, however, there are no laws for victim protection, and no opportunity for the victim to receive therapy or insurance. The 2005 Violence Against Women Act supposedly ensures that the victim is able to access a forensic examination for free under the American Healthcare System, however, it’s possible through loopholes and shoddy law-making that these victims may still receive a bill for it. Protests against the poor treatment of sexual assault victims have, more recently, been taking place on college campuses, particularly against fraternities, where sexual assault culture seems to be normalised. As AOC stated, sexual violence is a culture that accepts “violence and violent language against women, an entire structure of power that supports that”.

A Pew Research Centre study surrounding gender equality in America concluded that many people across the nation believe that Sexual Harassment is the biggest obstacle in achieving gender equality, with 72% of men and 82% of women agreeing, roughly translating to three-quarters of the country.

Other obstacles that people believe to be large indicators of hinderance in the fight for gender equality included women in positions of power and women not having the same legal rights for men. In terms of women’s suffrage, “about half of U.S. adults (49%) – including 52% of men and 46% of women- say that granting women the right to vote has been the most important milestone in advancing the position of women in the country”. In the House of Representatives, there are currently 120 women (122 by 2023), who make up exactly 27.6% of the total number of politicians there, 31 republicans and 91 democrats. Evidently, there has been a large increase in the number of women being elected to represent their district in the House of Representatives, but democrats heavily outweigh the number of female republicans that are elected, which shows how, even within their own party, republicans do not view women in the same light as men, and therefore, the diverse opinions of women is stifled.

Despite the hinderance of female voices within the House of Representatives, female voters have historically made their opinions known by having a higher turnout than men at the polls every year since 1984.

The difference in party affiliation is also clear between men and women, with 56% of women aligning with the democratic party compared to a smaller 42% of men, in 2018/2019.

This continued exercise of women voting in elections is an example of how more and more women are inserting themselves into the political narrative, especially in an effort to improve the lives of themselves and other women across the country. Along with the rise in female politicians like Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez, Candace Owens and Nancy Pelosi, the first female speaker of the House of Representatives, American women are quickly diverting attention to the injustices that women face within their day-to-day lives and how government legislation and support can change that. Unfortunately, with the male majority in both the House of Representatives and the Senate, and within both the republican and democratic party, women’s voices are far from being equal to their male counterpart. Despite the lack of laws to support the feminist movement in creating a more equal society for everyone, it’s inspirational to see many people continue to take a stand against misogyny, not exclusively within the political world, strictly between political parties and members, but also in the streets, where people take part in protests with the aim to project their voice on issues that they weren’t consulted on, despite being the demographic that it affects the most.

[annieelainey]

"Representative Yoho put his finger in my face, he called me disgusting, he called me crazy, he called me out of my mind, he called me dangerous. Representative Yoho called me, and I quote: "A fucking bitch". I am here because I have to show my parents that I am their daughter and that they did not raise me to accept abuse from men." - #AOC (@aoc) ALSO PLEASE VOTE!!!! 🔵 [Image Description: Annie with long straight black hair, red lipstick, and a red blazer. Edited into the background are campaign posters for Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez] https://www.instagram.com/p/CG-71JHDQMI/?igshid=1wrq88by0nb1x

[madamspeaker]

Remarkably, this previously untagged post went for 63 notes before the inevitable reply like below happened.

Let's take it apart, bit by bit.

But don’t conflate anger and dissatisfaction at one’s job as misogyny. Pelosi’s detractors don’t get angry at her because she is a woman. Well the Democrats and Liberals don’t. I will not speak for republicans.

This argument would hold up a hell of a lot more if far-left pundits and candidates spent even a fraction of the time they spend screaming about Nancy Pelosi to instead blame Mitch McConnell or indeed Chuck Schumer. As it goes, Chuck always gets a pass, and Mitch might occasionally warrant a sassy hashtag, but check the Twitter account of anyone with a rose next to their name, and without fail their target is always Pelosi.

You seem intelligent enough to understand the difference between what Democrats do and what Yoho and Williams did.

I would suggest you expand your energies to something more productive than long winded paragraphs of death on women who are called out for hypocrisy and underperforming her job as if calling them out itself is misogyny. It isn’t.

I have issues with Pelosi. She is inconsistent in standing up to republicans. She’ll stand behind 45 and RIP up a speech in performance, but repeatedly backs down when substantive action is required.

I would say thank you on that first part but I am also intelligent enough to spot condescension a mile away. I would also add that I am intelligent enough to understand how government works in the US, and the fact that given that one party can control the House and another the Senate (not forgetting the White House), that the nature of governance requires that those parties actually need to work together to ensure the country functions when neither party controls all (see the history of federal shut downs for when that all goes awry). I appreciate that this probably flies in the face of your apparent notion that the Speaker of the House has carte blanche to do whatever she pleases, but the reality is that nothing can be done unless a bill can pass both chambers and then get a presidential signature (unless the majorities are large enough to be veto proof). Pelosi picks her battles wisely. In two years she has sent over 400 bills over to the Senate. Underperforming is Mitch McConnell doing nothing with those bills, despite having a majority in the Senate, which one would think would ensure they fail on a vote (one has to wonder then why Mitch doesn't put them to a vote - perhaps he's fearful his own members might back a few of them), or Mitch buggering off for yet another long weekend just as the federal moratorium on evictions expires. He's had two months to come up with a response to the Heroes Act, and as of Thursday he couldn't give Pelosi anything on paper, so instead he's effed off for the weekend. I don't see many on the far-left screaming at him though.

When Obamacare was passed, republicans tried again and again to repeal it. Under 45, they’ve been successful. But when it was obvious it wasn’t, they didn’t stop. Democrats in office could learn from that. But Pelosi doesn’t like that sort of thing, even though it let’s regular Democrats know their representatives are fighting for them.

This is just a ridiculous statement all round, and reveals no understanding of Pelosi or Democratic politics. You are talking about someone who has absolutely no reservation about telling her members to bash her if that's what it takes back home. For two months she has been on television nearly every day pushing the Heroes Act (she's actually be on television nearly every day since this crisis started), and her caucus doing the same in their districts. I very much doubt anyone from the GOP is presently going home and gleefully telling their electorate how Trump is pursuing a repeal of ACA in the Supreme Court in the middle of a pandemic.

Clinton and Harris are problematic for their abuses of black people, specifically black men. Again, calling these facts out isn’t misogynistic.

A statement tossed out minus any details. How convenient. You know who else is problematic, Bernie and his surrogates, who seemed quite happy to dismiss the entire black electorate of South Carolina during this primary cycle, as well as boo John Lewis when he spoke at the DNC in 2016. Didn't see much calling out on that. But yeah, Clinton and Harris are problematic for something, something black men.

And I don’t know where you’ve been, or who you’ve talked to, but over here in the Blue camp we are constantly blaming the orange sigma and the turtle for their bullshit.Perhaps you should consider relocation, but anyone that is calling Pelosi or AOC a bitch isn’t looking at any women in power favorably at all.

And back to condescension again. I will say that your last line might be the only valid thing you've said. Yes, anyone calling Pelosi or AOC a bitch does have a problem with women, but when AOC is lauded as some feminist superstar having passed zero bills and campaigned against one of the first Native American women to be in congress (as well as saying Hillary Clinton blaming misogyny for 2016 was "stupid"), and Nancy Pelosi is blamed for every goddamn thing Trump and Barr have ever done, then the fact remains that the far-left remains incapable of looking at and treating all women equally.

[theliberaltony]

via Politics – FiveThirtyEight

From sea to shining sea (via purple mountains majesty), today’s primary elections have it all. To have a prayer in November, Alaska Democrats may have to nominate … candidates who are not Democrats. In Florida, three campaigns for Congress have devolved into backbiting and criminal accusations. And in deep-red Wyoming, today’s primary will essentially decide the state’s next U.S. senator. Here’s everything you need to know.

Alaska

In 2018, Republican Rep. Don Young — the longest-serving member of Congress — won reelection by less than 7 percentage points. Notably, his opponent in that race, businesswoman Alyse Galvin, wasn’t even technically a Democrat. She was an independent who ran for and won the Democratic nomination.

Two years later, Democrats are trying to double their luck with the same trick: Galvin is running again for U.S. House, and independent Al Gross is the prohibitive favorite in the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate. Gross, a surgeon and fisherman with a bear of an introductory ad, enjoys the endorsement of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee and has raised $5.2 million. Of course, both Galvin and Gross will still face uphill general election campaigns in this red state, but Alaska has a strong independent streak, so Young and Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan can’t take anything for granted.

Florida

Fresh off a victory in the 2018 election, Republican Rep. Ross Spano of Florida’s 15th Congressional District was riding high — until he was faced with the possibility he violated campaign finance law. In a December 2018 filing with the Federal Election Commission, Spano disclosed that he borrowed $180,000 from two friends and then loaned $167,000 to his own campaign. Since individuals were not allowed to give a candidate more than $2,700 per election in 2018, this could be seen as laundering campaign contributions. The House Ethics Committee launched an investigation, and in November 2019 we learned that the Justice Department had opened a criminal inquiry.

Unsurprisingly, Spano is now facing stiff reelection challenges from both parties. In the Republican primary, Lakeland City Commissioner Scott Franklin has hammered Spano as a “criminal” in ads; Spano insists he didn’t know his actions were illegal and is framing himself as a victim of a partisan witch hunt. For his part, Spano has tried to paint Franklin as insufficiently loyal to President Trump — something that has become par for the course in GOP primaries. Both candidates have also accused the other of not being tough enough on illegal immigration.

While Spano has the support of the party establishment, including most of the Republicans serving Florida in Congress, a few high-profile local conservatives have endorsed Franklin. As of July 29, Spano had outspent Franklin, $824,000 to $483,000, and the incumbent’s allies at the anti-tax Club for Growth also invested more than $270,000. But an upset may nonetheless be brewing: Last week, St. Pete Polls found the two men locked in a virtual tie.

Whoever wins will face either investigative journalist Alan Cohn or state Rep. Adam Hattersley, who are squaring off in an evenly matched Democratic primary of their own. As of July 29, Cohn had spent more than Hattersley ($459,000 to $406,600), but Hattersley had more cash on hand for the final three weeks ($236,000 to $130,000). Although the two don’t differ much on policy, Cohn has dinged Hattersley for being too moderate (he has some endorsements from moderate groups and didn’t register as a Democrat until 2018). Hattersley, though, has appropriated that argument to claim he’s the more electable candidate — which might be persuasive given that Trump carried this central Florida district by 10 points in 2016.

Two other Republican primaries in Florida are also on our radar because they’ll likely determine future members of Congress due to the GOP lean of the seats. First, the 19th Congressional District in southwest Florida is open following the retirement of Republican Rep. Francis Rooney, and there are four candidates in serious contention: businessman Casey Askar, state Rep. Byron Donalds, state House Majority Leader Dane Eagle and physician William Figlesthaler.

One of Figlesthaler’s ads aptly describes the contest as “the race to support President Trump,” and all the candidates are fighting for pole position. Figlesthaler says he’ll back Trump’s “America First agenda,” while Eagle argues his experience as a GOP leader makes him the best choice to stand with Trump and “fight for America.” Donalds emphasizes that he’s a “Trump-supporting, gun-owning, liberty-loving, pro-life, politically incorrect Black man.” And Askar proclaims that he’ll “always have the president’s back” in Trump’s battle against the media, bureaucrats and the “radical socialists.”

And as the race has heated up, things have gotten nasty. In one ad, Askar stresses that when he was 18, he signed up for the Marines, whereas Donalds was arrested for drug possession at 19 and Eagle got a DUI at 31. He’s also argued that Donalds lied to get a state job and opposed Trump in the past, attacks that got a “Mostly False” rating from PolitiFact. But Askar’s military service and educational background have been called into question, providing plenty of ammunition for his opponents. And outside groups have also dinged Askar for past contributions to Mitt Romney. They’ve also criticized Figlesthaler for giving money to former Democratic Sen. Bill Nelson (who lost in 2018) and not donating to Trump in the 2016 presidential race.

However, because Askar and Figlesthaler are largely self-funding their campaigns, they’ve dramatically outspent Donalds and Eagle. Askar has raised about $3.7 million (with $3 million from personal loans), while Figlesthaler has brought in a little over $2.5 million ($1.9 million self-funded). Conversely, Donalds has collected roughly $1.2 million and Eagle just about $741,000. However, Donalds has far and away the most outside help thanks to his endorsement from the Club for Growth. The group’s campaign arm has spent about $1.4 million boosting Donalds and another $1.1 million hitting the other three candidates (mainly Askar). And Conservative Outsider PAC, another Donalds ally, has also spent $459,000 attacking Eagle.

As the campaign draws to a close, though, it looks like anyone’s race. An early August survey from St. Pete Polls found the four candidates separated by just 6 points, with Donalds attracting 22 percent support, Figlesthaler 21 percent, Eagle 20 percent and Askar 16 percent.

Meanwhile, the 3rd Congressional District in north Florida also has a busy primary to replace retiring Republican Rep. Ted Yoho. The contest lacks a front-runner, but the most prominent contenders appear to be former Yoho staffer Kat Cammack, businessman Judson Sapp and physician James St. George.

The principal drama in the race has centered on Cammack, who has gained notoriety for running fowl-themed ads in which she calls her opponents and D.C. Republicans too “chicken” to stand up for conservative values. She’s played up her connections to Yoho, too, but those ties have recently come under scrutiny. In late June, Yoho’s son claimed Cammack had been fired as his father’s chief of staff and expressed frustration that Cammack made it sound like the congressman backed her. Following his son’s statement, Rep. Yoho stated that Cammack had been demoted to deputy chief of staff and reassigned to the district office in 2013 “for reasons not to be disclosed,” and later reiterated that he wasn’t endorsing anyone.

As for St. George and Sapp, they have also touted their conservative credentials, support for Trump and opposition to the political left. They’ve also brought more financial resources to the race than Cammack. As of July 29, St. George had raised about $922,000 ($600,000 from his own pocket) while Sapp, who won 24 percent in the 2018 primary against Yoho, had collected $770,000 ($500,000 self-funded). By comparison, Cammack had gathered about $492,000 in contributions with very little self-funding. But Cammack has benefited from the only significant outside spending in the race: $300,000 by the Sen. Rand Paul-aligned Protect Freedom PAC. (Paul has endorsed Cammack.)

And the only recent poll we have of the race suggests Cammack might come out on top with a plurality of the vote. Earlier this month, Meer Research found Cammack garnering 25 percent, Sapp 15 percent and St. George 13 percent. However, 20 percent were still undecided and seven other candidates also attracted support. Cammack doesn’t have an overwhelming lead, so it’s entirely possible one of the other contenders might still best her today.

Wyoming

With the retirement of Republican Sen. Mike Enzi, the GOP primary for Wyoming’s Senate seat is also in the cards, and the winner of this election is essentially guaranteed to become the state’s next senator, as Wyoming is arguably the most Republican state in the nation. Admittedly, there’s not much drama here as former Rep. Cynthia Lummis is a pretty clear front-runner despite the fact that there are 10 candidates on the GOP primary ballot.

But we mention this race because Lummis’s likely election could be meaningful for Republican gender diversity in the Senate. At present, just nine of the 26 women in the Senate are Republicans. Six of them are up for election this November, with four in real danger of defeat.1 So if things go poorly for the GOP, Lummis could be important to shoring up gender representation within the party’s caucus.

Things are busiest in Florida today, but there are intriguing reasons to watch what happens in Alaska and Wyoming, too. There aren’t many primary or runoff contests left in 2020, so enjoy primary season while it lasts.

[srgame873]

Alexandria Ocasio Cortez C Span

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the New York Democrat, didn’t just reprimand Rep. T slot hardware. Ted Yoho (R-Florida) in her Thursday House floor speech. She also broke some C-SPAN Twitter video records, too.The clip of her speech posted by the official C-SPAN Twitter account currently has over 12 million views, which is even more than the previous record for a House member — 1.6 million — which was. Eastern time on Thursday, C-SPAN sent out a tweet with New York Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's full remarks on the House floor regarding a confrontation with Florida.

| Clip Of Voting Rights, Campaign Finance and Ethics Legislation

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY): “The truth of this shutdown is that it's actually not about a wall, it is not about the border and it is certainly not. Try sports maine. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s first speech on the House floor Wednesday quickly made C-SPAN history.

This clip, title, and description were not created by C-SPAN.User-Created Clip February 8, 20192019-02-06T22:41:25-05:00https://images.c-span.org/Files/c5b/20190206224357002_hd.jpgEducating everyone about what the 'bad guys' can legally do.

Educating everyone about what the 'bad guys' can legally do.

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*This transcript was compiled from uncorrected Closed Captioning.

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[evilkitten3]

fun facts about these absolute cockwaffles (not yoho bc he’s retiring):

thomas massie (kentucky) was the only member of congress who voted against the hong kong human rights and democracy act. he was also the only member of the house of representatives to vote against condemning the treatment of uygurs in china. allegedly bc it’s not our business. he also said that jailing a foreign spy was “russophobia”. he also called emmanuel macron a “social militarist globalist science-alarmist” and doesn’t know the difference between weather and climate.

justin amash (michigan) is kinda surprising, cuz he’s been all over the place. i don’t agree with the majority of his views, but i will say that he seems to be sticking to his guns rather than just doing whatever trump says. he actually left the republican party last year, so he’s now the only independent in the house. he voted against the bill because some of the repercussions for lynching could involve the death penalty, which he would like to see abolished.

louie gohmert (texas) is a dickbag with a long history of dickbaggery. he’s openly stated that climate change is a hoax, supported the trans-alaskan pipeline (apparently so caribou would fuck more??? not making that up, i swear), anti-abortion, super anti-lgbt, said that the sandy hook shooting wouldn’t have happened if the teachers had been armed (two days after it happened), voted against authorizing the national science foundation to support programs for girls (apparently because it discriminates against “poverty-stricken boys”), claimed that terrorists were sending women to america to have “terror babies”, accused then secretary of state hillary clinton’s deputy chief of staff of having ties to the muslim brotherhood (which was denounced as a smear campaign by pretty much everyone, including people like mccain, rubio, and boehner), denied george soros’ experiences as a holocaust survivor, tried to out the whistleblower in the impeachment case, supported derrick miller (the guy who murdered an afghan civilian during a battlefield interrogation), and was also involved in the birther nonsense from obama’s first term.

so yeah, don’t let any of them back into office, but especially not that last guy.

[dispatchesfrom2020]

2020

Week 9: February 23-29

23: Neighbouring countries in the Middle East close their borders to Iran because of the country’s severe COVID outbreak. In Georgia, Ahmaud Arbery is mudered in broad daylight in an attack that feels every bit like a modern-day lynching. Arbery, 25-years old, black and unarmed, was shot and killed by three civilians who ran him down in a pick-up truck as he was jogging. These men had local law enforcement connections - charges were only laid after video footage of the murder was posted in May.

Ahmaud Arbery in a portrait by black American artist Nikkolas Smith

24: A van-attack on a carnival in Germany injures 60. Both opposing Libyan governments withdraw from peace talks in Geneva in the on-going contest for power in the North African nation. COVID-19 spreads across the Middle East as Iraq, Kuwait, Bahrain, Afghanistan, and Oman confirm their first cases of the virus. Harvey Weinstein, noted and revered film director, is found guilty of rape - over 80 women have come forward with allegations of harassment, assault and rape. Katherine Johnson, the black female NASA mathematician who was pivotal to the moon landing, dies.

25: US Stocks begin to crash. Jokes on y’all: I’m a poor millennial anyway.

26: Violence between Hindus and Muslims over India’s Citizenship Amendment Act continues. The bill allows a pathway to citizenship for refugees from Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan - but specifically excludes Muslims, who constitute a majority in each of these three countries. The Act marked the first time religion was overtly used as a measuring-stick for who should - and shouldn’t - be allowed to have Indian citizenship. San Francisco declares a state of emergency over the COVID-19 outbreak. Six are shot and killed by their coworker at the Molson Brewery in Milwaukee. Lynching is made a federal crime, as congress passes the Emmett Till Antilynching Act (H.R. 35). The bill is named after a young boy who was lynched in Mississippi in the 1950s - and whose death helped catalyze the civil rights movement. Republican Congressmen Louie Gohmert (Texas), Thomas Massie (Kentucky), Ted Yoho (Florida) and Independent Justin Amash (Michigan) voted against it in a 410-4 decision. Yoho will become a household name in a few months for harassing Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez in front of reporters and calling her a bitch.

27: There is a flurry of violence in Syria - sniper attacks, air strikes and opposition attempts to recapture key cities and infrastructure. Turkey opens the border with Syria, allowing free passage for refugees seeking asylum in Europe. Over the next few days, tens of thousands of refugees will pass through Turkey on route to Europe. The stock market begins a multi-day plummet, amid fears over coronavirus - it experiences its worst single-day loss in recorded history - and its worst week since 2008. The virus is making its way through the Iranian government, infecting numerous high-ranking officials. Saudi Arabia blocks pilgrims from entering the country, just as Ramadan is set to begin. San Marino - a country we think of so seldomly we’d absolutely mistake it for a brand of sparkling water - records their first case of COVID-19.

28: Donald Trump insists that the coronavirus is a Democratic hoax. It’s not. Retrospectively we all lament that this - of all years - had to be a leap year. As if 365 days of 2020 wasn’t enough. A meteor - 2m across - disintegrates over Croatia.

29: Luxembourg makes public transportation free. Living the dream, Lux. Joe Biden wins his first primary: the South Carolinian race. With strong support from Black leaders in the state, it marks a turn in favours for the beleaguered campaign. The United States inks a deal with the Taliban laying out a timeline for withdrawing American troops from Afghanistan. Negotiations between the Afghan government and Taliban to follow are set to follow, although there are fears that Americans’ withdrawal will provoke greater violence between the these two warring governments. Indeed, in the days following the signing, the Taliban ramp up attacks on Afghan forces.

photos (2) Money Sharma / AFP | (3) Jim Huylebroek / New York Times

[dailynewswebsite]

How sexist abuse of women in Congress amounts to political violence – and undermines American democracy

In a broadly publicized speech on the Home ground, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez rigorously analyzed the dangerous results of sexism in Congress. Invoice Clark/CQ-Roll Name, Inc. by way of Getty Photos

From plans to kidnap Gov. Gretchen Whitmer to Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s being known as a “f—ing b—” by her colleague Rep. Ted Yoho, it’s been a nasty 12 months for ladies in American politics.

Now, some ladies who’ve been targets of such misogyny wish to put this downside on the congressional agenda.

On Sept. 24, Home Democrats Rashida Tlaib, Ocasio-Cortez, Ilhan Omar, Ayanna Pressley and Jackie Speier launched a decision – a largely symbolic congressional assertion that carries no authorized weight however gives ethical help on sure points – recognizing violence towards ladies in politics as a worldwide phenomenon. Home Decision 1151, which is presently into account by the Home Judiciary Committee, calls on the federal government to take steps to mitigate this violence in the US and overseas.

Violence is commonly equated with bodily damage, however in coverage and educational analysis the time period is outlined extra broadly to imply a violation of integrity. Violence is any act that harms an individual’s autonomy, dignity, self-determination and worth as a human being.

H.R. 1151 marks an necessary second in American politics. As document numbers of American ladies are operating for and profitable public workplace, their rising political energy has been met with loss of life and rape threats, sexist abuse and disparagement – together with by the president of the US himself.

Such assaults undermine not solely gender equality however damage democracy itself, my analysis reveals.

Rising visibility in American politics

Tlaib was the primary to enter the time period “violence towards ladies in politics” into the congressional document, with a one-minute ground speech in March. Calling it a “world downside,” she emphasised, “I additionally imply right here in the US. My household and I consistently face loss of life threats and harassment.”

Former U.S. Rep. Gabby Giffords – right here in 2013 together with her husband, former astronaut and present Senate candidate Mark Kelly – was shot whereas campaigning in 2011. Joshua Lott/Getty Photos

In July, after Rep. Yoho’s crude and sexist insult on the steps of the U.S. Capitol, Ocasio-Cortez additionally addressed gender-based violence within the Home. In a broadly reported speech, she mentioned “this subject just isn’t about one incident.”

Ocasio-Cortez described what occurred to her as a “cultural” downside – one during which males really feel entitled to “accost ladies with out regret and with a way of impunity.”

Her remarks apparently resonated with many ladies on Capitol Hill. On July 22, the Democratic Ladies’s Caucus issued an announcement declaring “foul and private assaults meant to intimidate or silence ladies can’t be tolerated.”

The following month, greater than 100 ladies lawmakers, together with Democratic ladies in Congress and feminine parliamentarians from Germany, Pakistan, South Africa and past, despatched a letter to Fb urging the social media firm to extra shortly delete abusive and threatening posts towards feminine candidates and take away digitally manipulated photographs – like “deepfake” movies of Nancy Pelosi – that unfold disinformation about feminine politicians.

Shortly after, the anti-workplace-harassment group Time’s Up Now launched a brand new marketing campaign, #WeHaveHerBack, calling on information media to keep away from gender and racial stereotypes in masking feminine candidates throughout the 2020 election cycle.

Political violence towards ladies

Efforts to silence ladies in political areas trigger collateral injury for democracy, research present. Violence restricts the scope of political debate, disrupts political work and deters ladies from getting into public service.

That, in actual fact, is the purpose of political violence. It seeks to exclude or suppress opposing political viewpoints by assaults on candidates and partisan voter intimidation.

Misogyny provides one other degree to political violence. As I clarify in my new ebook, “Violence towards Ladies in Politics,” sexist assaults towards feminine politicians should not solely pushed by coverage variations. Additionally they query ladies’s rights, as ladies, to take part within the political course of in any respect.

The commonest type of violence towards ladies in politics is psychological violence like loss of life threats and on-line abuse, in keeping with knowledge from worldwide organizations and students. However because the #MeToo motion has uncovered, sexual violence can be an issue in U.S. state legislatures and elected assemblies all over the world.

Precise bodily violence towards ladies in politics is uncommon, but it surely does happen.

The assassination of Brazilian metropolis councilwoman Marielle Franco in 2018 and the tried homicide of U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords in 2011 are examples. When concentrating on ladies of colour like Franco, such assaults typically replicate a mix of sexism and racism.

Councilwoman and sociologist Marielle Franco talking in Rio de Janeiro in 2016. Her homicide stays unsolved. Midia Ninja, CC BY-SA

Prices to democracy and gender equality

Rep. Jackie Speier has known as the violence she and her colleagues have skilled in Congress a type of “weaponized sexism.”

The perpetrators needn’t be males: Ladies themselves might internalize sexism – and racism – and deploy it towards different ladies.

In September, Marjorie Taylor Greene, a Republican congressional candidate from Georgia, uploaded a threatening photograph to Fb during which she was holding a gun alongside photographs of Reps. Ocasio-Cortez, Omar and Tlaib, all ladies of colour. Fb quickly eliminated the threatening picture.

[Deep knowledge, daily. Sign up for The Conversation’s newsletter.]

Violence shouldn’t be the price of exercising ladies’s political rights, says Rep. Pressley.

“We have now each proper to do our jobs,” she mentioned on Sept. 24, “and symbolize our communities with out fearing for our security.”

Mona Lena Krook acquired an Andrew Carnegie Fellowship from the Carnegie Company of New York that helped fund the analysis for her ebook, Violence towards Ladies in Politics (Oxford College Press, 2020).

from Growth News https://growthnews.in/how-sexist-abuse-of-women-in-congress-amounts-to-political-violence-and-undermines-american-democracy/ via https://growthnews.in

[ericfruits]

To China’s alarm, America modestly upgrades ties with Taiwan

When unambiguity is ambiguous To China’s alarm, America modestly upgrades ties with Taiwan

But the island still cannot be sure of American help if China resorts to force

CHINA HAS never renounced what it says is its right to “reunify” Taiwan by force if peaceful means are thwarted. So armies on both sides have to prepare for war, however remote it may seem. Of late the number of naval exercises China has conducted has caused alarm—all the more so at a time of worsening relations between China and America on a number of fronts, including American policy towards Taiwan. The delicate status quo, in which China insists Taiwan is part of its territory but the island functions as an independent country, is fraying. As the Global Times, a tub-thumping official Chinese tabloid, puts it: “The possibility of peaceful reunification is decreasing sharply.” Mercifully, that does not mean war is imminent.

A big reason for that is America’s support for Taiwan. Yet it has no formal alliance or clear-cut commitment to defend the island. A law passed in 1979 obliges it only to provide Taiwan with “arms of a defensive character”, and to take seriously any effort to determine the island’s future other than by peaceful means. This vagueness has been dignified with a clever-sounding euphemism, “strategic ambiguity”. Critics of the policy worry that ambiguity increases the risks of a disastrous strategic miscalculation. Its supporters argue that, for the four decades since America switched diplomatic relations from Taiwan to China, it has worked. It has provided enough reassurance to Taiwan that America would not let China invade unpunished, but not so much as to embolden those who favour a formal declaration of independence—something China has always warned would mean war.

On August 31st America’s position became a touch less ambiguous. It made public classified cables from 1982 in which its government gave Taiwan six supposedly secret but widely known “assurances”. These included not to repeal the 1979 law, and not to set a date for ending arms sales. The declassification went a tiny way to meeting recent calls from some American politicians and former officials to clear up the ambiguity. Ted Yoho, a Republican representative from Florida, for example, is promoting a “Taiwan Invasion Prevention Act”, to authorise military intervention.

The issue has seemed more urgent following a recent series of menacing Chinese military drills, including “realistic” exercises in the Taiwan Strait, at both the north and south ends of the island. No doubt carrying the same message, on August 10th Chinese fighter jets crossed the median line in the strait, the unofficial air border.

The drills serve as a reminder of just how seriously China treats its “sacred mission” of bringing Taiwan back under its sovereignty. They also serve to flaunt China’s fast-improving military capability. It is hard not to see this as part of a more assertive approach to the region. That has been evident in the South China Sea, where China has been steadily building up a military presence in contested waters, although its claims have been rejected both by an international tribunal in 2016 and, just last month, by America. To the north, off China’s east coast, Japan has accused China in recent months of a “relentless” campaign to seize control of the tiny, uninhabited, Japanese-administered Senkaku islands (known in China as Diaoyu). And on August 29th Chinese and Indian soldiers became embroiled in the latest of several stand-offs in a remote part of their long border in the western Himalayas, where India accuses Chinese troops of trying to move the de facto border.

Meanwhile, China’s ruthless approach to Hong Kong has also held a message for Taiwan. The imposition at the end of June of a national-security law in effect ended the autonomy promised under the “one country, two systems” arrangement that was supposed to pertain in Hong Kong until 2047. That deal was a modified version of one on offer to Taiwan. For a time, it seemed China hoped Hong Kong might serve as an advertisement to Taiwan of the benefits of “peaceful reunification”. These days Hong Kong is less an advertisement than a grim warning. That is one reason to worry that China might conclude that its patient approach to Taiwan has failed.

Another reason is China’s concern about America’s upgrading of its ties with Taiwan, which China insists can only be “unofficial”. Those fears have been especially acute under the presidency of Donald Trump, who raised hackles in Beijing by accepting a congratulatory call from Tsai Ing-wen, Taiwan’s president, after his election in 2016. In recent weeks Alex Azar, America’s health secretary, visited Taiwan and met Ms Tsai (apparently provoking the big war-game and the fighter-jet incursion). America has also announced new high-level economic talks with Taiwan.

All of this will annoy China, which will complain loudly. But it is probably relieved that the steps are so modest, and confident that if the ambiguity is resolved under Mr Trump, it will be in its favour. In a memoir published this year, John Bolton, one of Mr Trump’s discarded national security advisers, speculates that Taiwan may well be the next American ally to be jettisoned by his former boss. As a Global Times commentator put it this month: “Taiwan for the US is only a tradable chess piece.” After all, Mr Trump has always put “America first”. Trade concessions have always seemed to matter more to him than alliances, or even the abstractions Taiwan so proudly embodies, of freedom and democracy.■

This article appeared in the Asia section of the print edition under the headline "Unambiguously dangerous"

https://ift.tt/2GsFoPZ

[carolinemillerbooks]

New Post has been published on Books by Caroline Miller

New Post has been published on https://www.booksbycarolinemiller.com/musings/a-womans-world/patriotism-maternity-and-womens-rights/

Patriotism, Maternity And Women's Rights

Predicting the future is difficult because it’s hard to assess how much “nostalgia” from the present or the past will be carried forward.  Poland, for example, is shaping its future by taking a giant leap backward.  Women’s rights recently took a hit when the country withdrew from an international treaty aimed at curbing violence against women. The leaders called it “gender gibberish.” On the streets of Warsaw angry women beg to differ and gather in protest. Whether the demonstrations change the minds of their leaders remains to be seen. (“The World at a Glance,” The Week, August 7, 2020, pg. 8.) Likewise, Turkey’s president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, is slowly breaking ties with the West and returning  the country to Ottoman rule. (“Turkey: Undoing Ataturk’s Legacy,” The Week, August 7, 2020, pg. 14.) As western freedoms disappeared, rest assured, women’s rights will go with them.   Covid-19, too, is also planting seeds that will flourish in the future. For example, despite government rules that have confined people to their homes, there’s been no expected growth in pregnancies.  In fact, there’s been a decline. The virus isn’t to blame, of course. But the resultant lock down underscores how access to birth control has changed society. Many women are delaying pregnancy, preferring to have children later in their lives. One consequence for the country is that we’re headed for “a large and lasting baby bust.” (“The Coming Baby Deficit,” by Peter Coy et. al, Bloomberg Businessweek, Aug. 3, 2020, pgs. 27-29)  A report from the Brookings Institute, issued in June, supports that prediction, saying there will be 10% fewer births in 2020 than in 2019.  A decline in population could have a negative effect on the economy, a fact that is raising concern in some quarters. The time may come when motherhood and patriotism will be intertwined in our thoughts. Those who know history will recall Nazi Germany’s aggressive fertility campaign in World War 11. Echoes of that past exist today, though in a different form. Sweden, for example, has initiated several progressive programs to encourage women to have more children. Of course, women’s rights and pregnancy don’t preclude one another as long as becoming pregnant remains a woman’s decision. Nonetheless, long-time opponents of that choice continue to exist.  They would be happy to raise population concerns as an excuse to bury feminist goals–just as Poland’s government is threatening to do. If female activists are canny, they will use the same concern to push for benefits that will allow women to be parents and maintain their social equality. Universal healthcare would be a start, as well as paid childcare and family leave. Right now they are goals written on paper.  But the future is fast upon us, making it critical that those goals become a reality. Recently, Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez took to the floor of the House to admonish Representative Ted Yoho, Republican from Florida, for his verbal assault on her. She was right to do so.  He presumed he was allowed to treat a woman badly because he has  a wife and two daughters– an excuse which is both irrelevant and incoherent.  But let’s be clear, while it was satisfying to see the Congresswoman take to task an entrenched member of the patriarchy, she did little to shift that mindset or delay for a single hour a future that is barreling down upon us and threatening to demolish a woman’s political freedom. Today, people of liberal persuasion have two choices with regard to women’s rights.  They can stand silent and allow backward attitudes to plant seeds that will survive into  the future.  Or, they can uproot that  ignorance now.  A woman can be a wife, a mother and have a career. But to reap the benefits of her labors, the government must plat its part.  

[fanboyscribbles]

"We have to have the courage to say, 'We can do better.' We can do better." Knock Down the House featured the grassroots campaign that Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez led back when she decided to run for Congress in 2018. It also featured other extraordinary women and men that made an effort to change the political machinery that's been plaguing the US government. AOC's campaign was rooted on the change that needed to happen in order to have proper and fair representation in government. She wanted to take the lead in addressing and providing for the needs of the community. She ultimately ran because no one else would. AOC challenged power, because power wasn't being maximized or even felt by those who needed it. I'll be the first one to say that I didn't know who AOC was until she started going viral. So seeing this journey was moving, especially with other strong candidates in different states failing to secure their respective seat. "It's just the reality that in order for one of us to make it through, a hundred of us have to try." And she was that one. And with the performance that AOC is doing now, all this attention that she's been getting, I'd want to vote for her myself. If you were moved or at the very least agree to AOC's clips that have gone viral on social media from the way she questioned Mark Zuckerberg to the very recent callout of Ted Yoho, then you need to see this documentary. It's still available on YouTube so please, please, give it a watch. https://www.instagram.com/p/CDWj30-FxGl/?igshid=1rtu3jgpjvyz

[theliberaltony]

via Politics – FiveThirtyEight

On Thursday, North Carolina Republican Rep. Mark Meadows announced he won’t be seeking reelection in 2020, making him the 21st “pure” GOP retirement this cycle (in other words, excluding those who are leaving Congress to seek another office). But unlike many other GOP retirees, Meadows’s motivation for leaving Congress isn’t because he had reelection concerns, disagreements with President Trump or feared the loss of institutional clout if the GOP doesn’t retake the House in 2020.

In fact, Meadows is one of the most powerful and highly influential members of the GOP caucus and is thought to have the president’s ear. And it might be that sway that is now taking him on to bigger and better things. In his announcement, Meadows hinted that he might soon take a job working for the president, although it’s unclear what that role might be.

We’ve been tracking retirements over the past few months now, and although Meadows’s retirement is different than many of the retirements we’ve seen so far, one thing that is readily apparent is just how lopsided the GOP retirements are. With Meadows’s exit, roughly 10 percent of the 197 Republicans currently in the chamber are retiring and not running for something else. And since the start of December, five Republicans have announced their retirement, tying it with July for the busiest month this cycle. (By comparison, there have only been six “pure” retirements among the 233 Democrats in the House.)1

21 GOP House members are now retiring

Republicans who declined to seek reelection in the 2020 cycle, excluding those leaving to run for another office, as of Dec. 19, 2019

District Member Trump Score 2018 vote margin Partisan lean NC-02 George Holding 94.5% 5.5 D+19 NC-06 Mark Walker 95.7 13.0 D+18 TX-23 Will Hurd 57.4 0.4 R+4 NY-02 Pete King 79.6 6.2 R+7 IN-05 Susan Brooks 92.6 13.5 R+15 NC-11 Mark Meadows 92.7 20.5 R+17 GA-07 Rob Woodall 98.2 0.2 R+17 TX-24 Kenny Marchant 92.0 3.1 R+17 TX-22 Pete Olson 94.2 4.9 R+19 FL-03 Ted Yoho 98.1 15.2 R+20 OR-02 Greg Walden 74.5 16.9 R+21 WI-05 Jim Sensenbrenner 87.0 24.0 R+24 TX-17 Bill Flores 94.2 15.5 R+25 FL-19 Francis Rooney 75.0 24.5 R+27 MI-10 Paul Mitchell 94.3 25.3 R+27 AL-02 Martha Roby 92.6 23.0 R+31 UT-01 Rob Bishop 96.2 36.7 R+41 IL-15 John Shimkus 94.4 41.9 R+45 GA-14 Tom Graves 98.2 53.0 R+57 TX-11 Mike Conaway 96.4 61.7 R+65 TX-13 Mac Thornberry 94.3 64.6 R+68

Highlighted names announced their retirements in December.

Sources: ABC News, U.S. House of Representatives, Media Reports

In terms of what we know about the recent spate of GOP retirements in December, one major factor is North Carolina’s new House map, which was finalized in earlier this month. Along with Meadows, Republican Reps. George Holding and Mark Walker are also retiring, and for those two congressmen, it’s because the new district lines meant their formerly Republican-leaning seats were much more Democratic and they risked losing reelection. Meadow’s seat, on the other hand, didn’t change all that much. About three-fourths of the voters in his old district are also in the new North Carolina 11th and it’s still 17 points more Republican than the country as a whole, according to FiveThirtyEight’s partisan lean metric.2

As for the other two GOP members who retired in December, their retirements had nothing to do with redistricting, and, in fact, their departures were a bit of a surprise, considering how often they have both voted in line with the president. Georgia Rep. Tom Graves, in particular, was unexpected, considering he is young (49 years old) and according to FiveThirtyEight’s Trump Score one of the president’s most ardent backers. Graves had been floated to possibly fill Sen. Johnny Isakson’s Senate seat, but he didn’t officially apply for the post, and Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp ended up appointing businesswoman Kelly Loeffler instead. Florida Rep. Ted Yoho also has one of the highest Trump scores of any Republican in the 116th Congress, but his retirement was a bit less of a surprise as he had pledged to serve only four terms when he was first elected in 2012. Although, it wasn’t entirely clear Yoho would stick to his pledge — he actually filed with the Federal Election Commission for a 2020 bid — but in the end, he decided to move on, even though at 64 he isn’t that old by Congress’s standards and hails from a safe Republican seat.

But considering how influential Meadows has been since he won his House seat in 2012, his exit is definitely the most notable of the December retirements (so far). It’s worth mentioning, though, that Meadows’s departure may not end up counting as a “pure” retirement — and that’s because he could end up resigning before his term is over. He told Politico that he might not serve out the remainder of his term in order to take a position in Trump’s administration or join the president’s reelection campaign. And if Meadows does resign, that could precipitate a special election.

For now, though, the North Carolina 11th is in line to be an open seat next November, but that might change by the time the general election rolls around. After all, it’s not unheard of for a representative to announce a retirement but later resign early to do something else — Republican Rep. Charlie Dent of Pennsylvania did this last cycle, for example. The real question will be whether this spate of GOP retirements is a final flurry of sorts or if more are coming. With the count now at 21, the 2020 cycle is closing in on the 23 “pure” Republican retirements that happened ahead of the 2018 midterms, and as most state filing deadlines don’t come up until next year, there’s still plenty of time for at least a few more.

[youngandhungryent]

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Adds Details Of Encounter With Hating Ass Ted Yoho

Source: Stephanie Keith / Getty

Ever since unseating the 10-term Democratic Caucus Chair Joe Crowley in an unforeseen upset during the 2018 midterm election primaries, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has endured a hateful smear campaign from her Republican colleagues fueled by their fear that she could inspire more minorities to run for office and push a liberal agenda that would benefit the have-nots for decades to come while holding the haves accountable. Still, Republican representative Ted Yoho decided to call her out her name earlier this week after what some say was a spirited exchange over police reform and called her a “f*cking bitch” on the steps of Capitol Hill after calling her “dangerous.” A woman who wants to fight global warming, calls for health insurance for the poor and wants police reform would be considered dangerous by someone like Yoho.

Reports say that AOC was ready to let the slander slide and get on with her life, but after Yoho took to the House floor and gave a non-apologetic apology for his actions and suggested his being married with daughters absolved him of being a sexist, Ocasio-Cortez decided to put him on full blast and ethered him on the congressional record.

About two days ago I was walking up the steps of the Capitol when Representative Yoho suddenly turned a corner and he was accompanied by Representative Roger Williams. He accosted me on the steps right here in front of our nation’s Capitol. I was minding my own business, walking up the steps, and Representative Yoho put his finger in my face, he called me disgusting, he called me crazy, he called me out of my mind. And he called me dangerous. And then he took a few more steps and after I had recognized his — after I had recognized his comments as rude, he walked away and said, ‘I’m rude, you’re calling me rude.’

I took a few steps ahead and I walked inside and cast my vote. Because my constituents send me here each and every day to fight for them. And to make sure that they are able to keep a roof over their head. That they are able to feed their families. And that they are able to carry their lives with dignity.

I walked back out and there were reporters in the front of the Capitol, and in front of reporters Representative Yoho called me, and I quote, a “fucking bitch” — fucking, bitch. These are the words Representative Yoho levied against a congresswoman. A congresswoman that not only represents New York’s 14th District but every congresswoman in this country because all of us have had to deal with this in some form, some way, some shape at some point in our lives.

And I want to be clear that Representative Yoho’s comments were not deeply hurtful or piercing to me.

And if y’all thought she was going to let the married father of two use his family life as a shield for his disgusting behavior, you’re sadly mistaken.

Mr. Yoho mentioned that he has a wife and two daughters. I am two years younger than Mr. Yoho’s youngest daughter. I am someone’s daughter too. My father, thankfully, is not alive to see how Mr. Yoho treated his daughter. My mother got to see Mr. Yoho’s disrespect on the floor of this house towards me on television, and I am here because I have to show my parents that I am their daughter and that they did not raise me to accept abuse from men.

Now, what I am here to say is that this harm that Mr. Yoho levied, it tried to levy against me, was not just an incident directed at me, but when you do that to any woman, what Mr. Yoho did was give permission to other men to do that to his daughters. He — in using that language, in front of the press, he gave permission to use that language against his wife, his daughters, women in his community, and I am here to stand up to say that is not acceptable.

And this is an example of why Republicans and far-right conservatives fear minority women with a spine and moral fiber becoming members of congress and the senate. AOC carved her initials on Yoho’s congressional legacy by putting his toxic masculinity on blast and we’re all here for it. Monster love and props for her bravery and G’d up demeanor.

In a recent interview with CNN, the congresswoman from the Bronx revealed new details about her conversation with Yoho before he decided to now infamously call her a “f*cking b*tch.”

“Do you really believe that people are shooting and killing each other because they’re hungry? You know, You’re unbelievable. You’re disgusting,” Yoho said, according to Ocasio-Cortez, saying the Florida conservative was wagging his finger at her.

Ocasio-Cortez then said she “tried to calm him down, but he wouldn’t.”

“And then I just told him he was being rude and he got even more angry, when I called him rude,” she said.

Williams, meantime, was first watching Yoho and then Williams “literally started hollering about throwing urine,” Ocasio-Cortez said Friday.

“He started talking about throwing urine,” she said. “I don’t know what he was talking about. I think he was maybe talking about an incident at some protest somewhere that I don’t know about. But he started talking about throwing urine and at that point, I was so bewildered. I was like, these folks are out of their minds.”

And Republicans accuse Liberal democrats of being batsh*t crazy for wanting universal healthcare, equality for all and other basic rights.

Peep her entire speech below and let us know your thoughts on the matter.

source https://hiphopwired.com/890731/alexandria-ocasio-cortez-adds-details-of-encounter-with-hating-ass-ted-yoho/