#Terry Schilling

[justinspoliticalcorner]

Parker Molloy at The Present Age:

During his acceptance speech as the Democratic vice-presidential nominee on Wednesday night, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz shared a deeply personal story about his family’s struggle with infertility. As he concluded by saying, “Hope, Gus, and Gwen, you are my entire world, and I love you,” the camera caught his 17-year-old son Gus standing up, tears in his eyes, pointing to his father and exclaiming, “That’s my dad!”

It was a sweet display of familial love and pride — a rare moment of raw emotion in the ordinarily carefully choreographed world of political conventions. For many viewers, it was surely a timely reminder of the human beings behind the political personas we see on stage. However, what should have been universally recognized as a beautiful father-son moment quickly became fodder for cruel mockery from pro-Trump social media accounts. The contrast between Gus Walz’s sincere emotion and the derision it provoked from the right offers a troubling glimpse into the state of political discourse and the depths to which partisan attacks have sunk. This not only highlights the lack of basic human decency in certain right-wing corners of our politics but also raises important questions about how conservatives view emotional expression, particularly from young men, in the public sphere. Not only is Gus a minor, but he’s also neurodivergent. People recently ran a story about the Walz family and what Tim and Gwen Walz have come to refer to as Gus’s “secret power" — a non-verbal learning disorder, ADHD, and anxiety disorder.

Tim Walz told People:

["When our youngest Gus was growing up, it became increasingly clear that he was different from his classmates," the couple tell PEOPLE. "Gus preferred video games and spending more time by himself." The statement continues: "When he was becoming a teenager, we learned that Gus has a non-verbal learning disorder in addition to an anxiety disorder and ADHD, conditions that millions of Americans also have."]

It’s a sweet article that makes the attacks that would follow Gus’s display of emotion that much more unacceptable. Anti-LGBTQ activist Terry Schilling of the American Principles Project mocked Gus Walz, writing, “Tim Walz’ son Gus wears eyeliner.” Prominent pro-Trump Twitter accounts Dom Lucre, Colin Rugg, and Autism Capital all mocked the 17-year-old. “Get that kid a tampon already,” wrote a right-wing podcaster Alec Lace. Trump ally Mike Crispi called Gus Walz a “beta bitch.” Right-wing radio host Jay Weber called Gus Walz a “blubbering bitch boy.” Ann Coulter called Gus Walz “weird.” You get the idea.

Right-wing beta losers doing what they do best: insult people.

This time, it’s Gus Walz, the son of Tim Walz.

#DNC2024

[justinssportscorner]

Alyssa Tirrell at MMFA:

In late December, USA Boxing released a new set of guidelines for the inclusion of trans competitors, and right-wing media responded by criticizing the regulations, relying on anti-trans tropes and misinformation in their coverage. GOP members of Congress have since introduced twin legislation that promises to ban all trans competitors from the Olympic and amateur levels in any sport, citing the new regulations as a motivating concern and repeating the anti-trans framing popularized by right-wing media's backlash.  

While the USA Boxing guidelines are a departure from a trend of sports organizations banning trans participation, the requirements are considered stringent. Athletes under the age of 18 must compete “as their birth gender,” and adult competitors are required to obtain genital surgery and regular hormone testing, both in the four years preceding competition and throughout any competitive period. Nevertheless, right-wing media are attacking the rules, which USA Boxing says build on the consensus of several medical groups and international athletic federations.  On January 3, Fox News' America's Newsroom co-host Dana Perino referred to the eligibility requirements for trans female boxers as “nonsense.” Hosts and guests repeatedly referred to trans women as “men” or “guys,” and co-host Bill Hemmer quoted former NCAA swimmer Riley Gaines' claim that “it will take a woman getting killed before these misogynistic fools wake up.”   Fox’s Outnumbered also said a woman could die because of the new rules, arguing that the regulations would lead to “one-punch killings.” Co-host Harris Faulkner cited Gaines' campaign against the inclusion of trans swimmers, misgendering Gaines' former competitor Lia Thomas in the process and expanding the panel's criticism to trans inclusion in noncontact athletic competitions as well. 

Despite such concerns over safety, coverage disregarded USA Boxing's medical citations, which include the recommendations of Boston Children’s Hospital Sports Medicine and Harvard Medical School Teaching Hospital. Instead, for instance, The Ingraham Angle platformed the perspective of UFC fighter Colby Covington, who argued that “it doesn't matter what their hormone levels or pronouns are,” because “when they dig up their bones in 200 years, their bones won't leave pronouns.” (Actually, archeologists are capable of imputing that a skeleton may have belonged to a transgender person after more than 200 years.) [...] USA Boxing responded to backlash by restating that it is in compliance with federal law. The following day, U.S. Rep. Greg Steube (R-FL) and Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) introduced twin legislation in both the House and the Senate that would “prohibit any governing body recognized by the U.S. Olympic Committee (USOC) from allowing men to participate in any athletic event intended for females.” 

A joint press release cited the USA Boxing guidelines and repeated right-wing media's anti-trans framing. Tuberville's statement claimed that “men should not be competing in women’s sports at any level—and especially not in a sport like boxing. Whether in little league or the Olympics, it’s unsafe, it’s unfair, and it’s just plain wrong. This bill will ensure that the Olympics are fair to American women who train their whole lives to represent our country on the world stage.”   The press release also cited the support of a number of anti-trans organizations, including the Alliance Defending Freedom, the Independent Women's Forum, and the Independent Council on Women’s Sports and quoted several anti-trans figures, including American Principles Project President Terry Schilling and — yet again — Riley Gaines. 

Right-wing media pundits, led by anti-trans grifter Riley Gaines, is leading the backlash against USA Boxing's trans-inclusive policy.

[x-manson-annotated]

X-Manson Annotated Chapter 5 - Part One: INFILTRATORS.

Holy shit, the final chapter. This is where I really like a lot of concepts. The Avengers make a proper appearance and everyone's favorite sapphic Carol Danvers has a shitty time. See the reblogged version for the rest of it, since Tumblr has a limit on only 30 images.

If i'm not mistaken, this places the year that Kitty is watching the documentary as 2000 whereas before it said "Present Day" or "Today" . This places Kitty and Dani at probably 23 and 26 respectively.

**Dwight Hammer, like all cops is a goddamn moron.

Paid Schill.

1999 the y ear of the raid? Xavier's psychics forcing people to confess to murders that they didn't commit?

*I'm not sure if Dolores is a reference to someone special or just a filler character.

**I don't know why the spelling of her name with the 'e'. I've looked at multiple versions of the story and that detail remains in all of them.

**ALIENS EXIST IN THE CULT AU.

Motherfucking Carol Danvers!

*I'm not totally sure if that's something Supergirl used to be like.

** Rogue. I'm not sure who the intelligence agency is, since SHIELD seems to be a known quantity in the world.

*** That isn't really a thing she's known for either.

*Carole uses that very insistent phrase "the Kree that fucked me up". In the comics, she gained her abilities from an explosion that mixed her DNA with Mahr-Vel. So, is it possible in this au the Kree intentionally experimented on her?

**Pretty green eyes convince Carole Danvers that Rogue isn't a tech. Gay as hell behavior, champ.

***Further gay behavior. Much less traumatic loss of her powers as opposed to what happened to her in the comics.

*This is referencing her lesbianism within the story. I don't know if this is Benway's potentially homophobic perspective on Carole's sexuality, or if it's meant to be a purely in-universe sense of present homophobia.

Rogue's Mom, Destiny is being a cryptic old biddy. She's present twice the story, but Mystique isn't. Maybe she died a while back after some encounter with the cult, resulting in Rogue being sent in as an agent. But, that's just my headcanon.

*See.

**Rogue gave Carole a type.

**Why didn't she decay? Because of Carole's powers?

***Destiny was able to see that Carole was going to fuck her shit up by kissing Rogue's corpse, but not that Rogue would get murdered? Like, c'mon, that's your daughter.

*I might be right.

**I'm so fucking sick of Vance taking every single incorrect lesson from his life. Of course, she was angry, Vance. She was in near-constant pain, you unbearable prick.

***Probably doesn't help that she was being cryptic about what happened.

*I still love how angry he is with American spy agencies.

*Possibly this universe's version of Freedom Force?

Xavier loaning out cult members for odd jobs?

*Sorry HOXPOX fans, Moira isn't a mutant.

**So that's where they're potentially filling up their ranks?

***My immediate thought was Gambit both because of the title and the New Orleans connection. This might also be Amahl Farouk, who has a history of employing pickpockets, but he was based in Egypt. Though, I don't want to discount him totally because of my biased headcanon.

*Tracking the cult's activity from the ground up. But, how is the cult going to all of these places constantly? How far spread are they outside of Westchester?

** Nice to know that Black Tom exists in this au. Hope he and Cain have a summer cottage together somewhere on the coast where they can grow old together, far away from any of this cult horseshit.

Spain

Morocco

Romania

Hungary

Yugoslavia

Westchester, New York.

So, Sean was likely trying to infiltrate them after making contact in Yugoslavia and then ended up being inducted into the cult, proper.

That is so goddamn scary it's unreal.

*was their a psi on the isles manipulating the local Interpol agents? Can Xavier or Cable stretch their influence that far?

*Rahne Sinclair

*I just now noticed that Terry in this story is eleven. My god. That's an especially horrifying ordeal at that age.

*if Sean was pleading, it's possible that either they didn't have him under psychic control yet (not coring him) or the distance allowed the connection to break. But who else is with Logan that's coercing Sean into action?

*She could tell almost immediately that Rahne was a mutant and not some kind of freakish dog.

The river to confuse Logan's tracking ability?

*Rahne's home in the woods.

*They don't see her transform in the dark, but she can take on a human or at least human adjacent shape. Rahne Sinclair is a saint.

First Voice, Unknown.

Second Voice, Logan.

*My first instinct was that this is Sean, but Moira would have clarified if it were. Maybe it's Cable or Piotr?

**Rahne can take on a human shape, but is functionally feral and cant understand human language.

*Logan's voice again.

**Cars everywhere. Some of them look burned. Sunfire? Is the second voice Sunfire?

*Christ alive, they massacred ten whole police officers and special forces agents.

Logan sticking around to threaten the family by leaving shreadded vehicles around? Why not murder them?

[ryanthedemiboy]

The push to restrict gender-affirming care has been a central focus for a number of well-funded national right-wing groups, including the conservative American Principles Project. The group’s president, Terry Schilling, told CNN that it works with states to introduce and pass such bans, saying their overall goal is to eliminate gender-affirming care for all Americans, regardless of age. “The movement to oppose (gender-affirming care) has never said, ‘we only care about children.’ We’ve said, ‘we want to protect children,’” he said. “And so, we want to protect who we can as quick as possible. And the group of people that we can protect as quick as possible is children,” Schilling added. “And so that’s the thrust of the strategy – is we want to protect everyone from this stuff. But ultimately, we have to start with children because that’s where the vast majority of the American people are right now.”

This entire article is terrifying, but this is the worst bit.

[reallucasbergman]

My clean version of Blender magazine's "50 Worst Songs Ever"

Some people thought about a clean version of Blender magazine's "50 Worst Songs Ever", and I wrote this version of it. The list avoids critically acclaimed songs, so that it's nice, clean, more accurate, and more easier to understand.

The list no longer avoids novelty songs, while the critically panned songs that were included in the original version stayed in their rightful positions.

Other alternative names include:

"50 Most Awesomely Bad Songs Ever"

"Run for Your Life! It's the 50 Worst Songs Ever!"

"The 50 Worst Songs Ever! Watch, Listen and Cringe!"

Here's the list:

Starship - We Built This City (1985)

Billy Ray Cyrus - Achy Breaky Heart (1992)

Kim Wilde - Kids in America (1981)

Limp Bizkit - Nookie (1999)

Vanilla Ice - Ice Ice Baby (1990)

Falco - Rock Me Amadeus (1985)

Bobby McFerrin - Don't Worry, Be Happy (1988)

Eddie Murphy - Party All the Time (1985)

Madonna - American Life (2003)

Paul McCartney ft. Stevie Wonder - Ebony and Ivory (1982)

Clay Aiken - Invisible (2003)

The Beach Boys - Kokomo (1988)

Genesis - Illegal Alien (1984)

Chuck Berry - My Ding-a-Ling (1972)

Nena - 99 Luftballons (1983)

4 Non Blondes - What's Up? (1993)

Richard Harris - MacArthur Park (1968)

Toni Basil - Mickey (1982)

Rick Dees & His Cast of Idiots - Disco Duck (1976)

Sisqó - Thong Song (2000)

Starland Vocal Band - Afternoon Delight (1976)

Peter Schilling - Major Tom (Coming Home) (1983)

Reginald Bosanquet - Dance with Me (1980)

Los del Río - Macarena (1993)

Captain and Tennille - Muskrat Love (1976)

Paul Anka - (You're) Having My Baby (1974)

Trio - Da Da Da (1982)

Phil Collins - Sussudio (1985)

Deep Blue Something - Breakfast at Tiffany's (1995)

Legendary Stardust Cowboy - Paralyzed (1968)

Crash Test Dummies - Mmm Mmm Mmm Mmm (1993)

Will Smith - Gettin' Jiggy With It (1998)

Aqua - Barbie Girl (1997)

Take That - Could It Be Magic (1992)

R.E.M. - Shiny Happy People (1991)

Las Ketchup - The Ketchup Song (Aserejé) (2002)

Black Lace - Agadoo (1984)

The Cheeky Girls - The Cheeky Song (Touch My Bum) (2002)

Ricky Martin - She Bangs (2000)

Baha Men - Who Let the Dogs Out? (2000)

Billy Joel - We Didn't Start the Fire (1989)

After the Fire - Der Kommissar (1982)

Terry Jacks - Seasons in the Sun (1973)

Des'ree - Life (1998)

Spandau Ballet - True (1983)

Chris de Burgh - The Lady in Red (1986)

Counting Crows ft. Vanessa Carlton - Big Yellow Taxi (2003)

The Beatles - Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da (1968)

Bobby Goldsboro - Honey (1968)

Celine Dion - My Heart Will Go On (1997)

[jwood718]

Selena Simmons-Duffin and Hilary Fung for NPR: "In just a few years, half of all states passed bans on trans health care for kids"

"Transgender people under 18 face laws that bar them from accessing gender-affirming health care in 25 states — just a few years ago, not a single state had such a law...

'Pressure had been mounting for the Supreme Court to weigh in here,' says Lindsey Dawson, director for LGBTQ Health Policy at the health research organization KFF."

The surge in such lawmaking has come about with little input from constituents, who overwhelming agree that lawmakers have better things to do than worry over children and their gender. None the less, anti-liberal think tanks are getting "conservative" statehouse members need to protect -- something.

"For the American Principles Project, the bans represent 'efforts to rein in the predatory transgender industry,' as President Terry Schilling wrote in a statement this week. The American Principles Project did not respond to NPR’s multiple requests for comment on this story...

These claims — and the speed at which lawmakers have acted on them — mystify Dr. Kade Goepferd, chief education officer and medical director of Children's Minnesota's gender health program. Goepferd has provided the same kind of care for gender-diverse kids for 20 years.

'There's no new way that we're approaching this care. There's no new medications that we're using. There was no new groundbreaking research study that came out — nothing has changed,' they say. 'If anything, the care has become more standardized, more guideline-based.'”

All too often lawmakers not only cite bogus information about the drugs or the effects, they invoke the Christian God's having created men and women, which therefore means they need to legislate their view of the population.

“'When God created us, he created us male and female, and that's it — there is no other choice,' South Carolina House Majority Leader Davey Hiott, a Republican, told reporters in January. 'All these other folks that want to change that from birth or change that through their life, we need to stand up against that.'”

Full story

What's touched on in the story, if only briefly, is the influence that the likes of Heritage Foundation and its ilk have on these legislators. Too often, where laws are being passed, it's because some think tank or other has come up with a strategy, has circulated the basic legislation, and the states then enact variations on the theme.

There's no real justification for such laws -- not really -- it's just cheap shots to keep "conservatives" voting to preserve -- whatever it is they think they're losing. As long as anti-liberal lawmakers can push "conservative" buttons, they get the votes and stay in power. And staying in power is the whole point.

[the-eternal-quest-for-balance]

NEW Fed Jan 6 Probe UNLEASHED: Terry Schilling Breaks It Down

[mongorevera]

NEW Fed Jan 6 Probe UNLEASHED: Terry Schilling Breaks It Down

[justinspoliticalcorner]

Erin Reed at Erin In The Morning:

In an interview with ABC News on Sunday, JD Vance claimed that Minnesota Governor and Harris VP running mate Tim Walz signed a bill allowing the state to kidnap a transgender child if their parents did not approve of their transition. However, the bill Vance referenced actually provides refuge for transgender youth and their parents fleeing unsafe states where their care is criminalized. The legislation contains no provision allowing the state to “kidnap” children when their parents do not support their gender transition. These claims arise from an intentional misinterpretation of a provision that specifically applies to custody disputes between parents in different states. In the interview, Vance sat down with "This Week" co-anchor Jonathan Karl, who pushed back against the claims:

[Karl: “[Trump] said that Tim Walz signed a letter letting the state kidnap children to change their gender, allowing pedophiles to be exempt from crimes… this is not true, this is not remotely true.” Vance: “What President Trump said, Jon, is that Tim Walz has supported taking children from their parents if the parents don't consent to gender reassignment, that is crazy…Tim Walz gets on his high horse about ‘mind your own damn business.’ One way of minding your own damn business, Jon, is to not try to take my children away from me.” Karl: “He has not signed a law allowing the state to kidnap children to change their sexual identity.” Vance: “What I just explained to you I would describe as kidnapping.” Karl: “That’s crazy, come on.”]

The claim that HF 146, also known as the “Trans Refuge Law,” would allow the state to kidnap children stems from a deliberately misleading interpretation of the bill. Terry Schilling, president of the American Principles Project and director of millions of dollars in anti-transgender ads targeting Democrats, pointed to a section of the bill stating that the state can take jurisdiction if a child is “present in the state” and has been unable to obtain gender-affirming healthcare. Deliberate misinterpretations of this clause is the primary source of false claims about the Minnesota law.

What Vance, Schilling, and others fail to mention is that the provision in question applies to Section 518D of Minnesota law, known as the Uniform Child Custody Jurisdiction and Enforcement Act. This act, adopted by most states in the U.S., addresses disputes between divorced parents when one parent lives in or moves to a different state, or when multiple states have competing claims to jurisdiction over custody cases. The specific provision highlighted by Schilling and referred to by Trump and Vance states that the state can take “temporary emergency jurisdiction.” This does not equate to taking custody of the child; rather, it allows a judge to hear a case in a custody dispute where one parent resides in a state that criminalizes trans care and the other in a state where such care is legal. Notably, it does not even tell the judge who should be awarded custody, it merely allows a court in Minnesota to hear such a custody dispute.

[...] Most importantly, the claim that Walz supports the state “kidnapping children” from their parents to “trans” them is absolutely false. Walz signed a bill making the state a refuge for transgender people fleeing states that criminalize their care. The bill not only responds to states like Texas and Florida, which have indeed threatened to remove transgender kids from supportive parents, but also to cases where attorneys general attempted to subpoena medical records across state lines, such as when Attorney General Ken Paxton sought medical records from Seattle Children’s Hospital; a similar law protected transgender youth who received care there. Similar protections have also since been extended to abortion patients and providers, who face nearly identical issues.

Appearing on ABC’s This Week on Sunday, JD Vance (R) baselessly claimed that Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D) signed a bill (HF146) that allow the state to “kidnap children”. The bill in question deals with custody disputes and trans safe refuge.

Interviewer Jonathan Karl called out Vance’s bogus lie with this: “He has not signed a law allowing the state to kidnap children to change their sexual identity.”

From the 08.11.2024 edition of ABC's This Week:

[themfp1]

Watch "Timcast IRL - Pride March Chants WE'RE COMING FOR YOUR CHILDREN, Grooms Kids w/Terry Schilling" on YouTube

[automatismoateo]

The media needs to highlight who are these Christian nationalists hate groups and their back stories. They're repugnant. Case in point: American Principles Project. via /r/atheism

The media needs to highlight who are these Christian nationalists hate groups and their back stories. They're repugnant. Case in point: American Principles Project.

I was reading this article on CBSNews today about a family in North Carolina with a trans child, and their fear they may have to flee the state because of all the Christian nationalist hate there.

​

One group that is behind a lot of this hate is The American Principles Project.

​

Read this transcript of what the American Principles Project's leader, Terry Schilling, said with regards to families with trans kids:

​

Spencer (the interviewer) asked Terry Schilling, "The parents of some of these children would look at you and say, 'If you wanna protect kids, leave us alone.'"

"We are leaving your kids alone," Schilling said. "We are the ones that are protecting them from getting sex change procedures and puberty-blocking and cross-sex hormones –"

"And they would say, 'We know better than you do.'"

"And I would tell them, they don't," Schilling replied.

"Who are you to say that?"

"I am an American citizen that gets to vote, and organize people in politics," Schilling replied. "When we both disagree, then we go to the American people and make our cases to them, and we see who can pass the most laws. And right now, we're starting to win."

​

Essentially, he is saying might makes right, and that because he is part of a well-funded superPAC, he can terrorize trans kids and their families.

​

That is such a callous thing to say to anyone.

​

I don't know why the media continues to shy away from calling these fundie groups what they really are—Christofascists. They will do everything to avoid it.

​

When observing the American Principles Project, it was founded by a man named Robert P. George.

​

Robert P. George once said this with regards to the killing of abortion doctors:

"I believe in policies that reduce the urgent need some people feel to kill abortionists while, at the same time respecting the rights of conscience of my fellow citizens who believe that the killing of abortionists is sometimes a tragic necessity-not a good, but a lesser evil. In short, I am moderately pro-choice."

​

So, as one can see, this is not just some Christian group. This is a Christian nationalist terrorist group that apparently gets to brand as a 501(c)3, for some reason.

​

In 2020, American Principles Project (APP) led by Terry Schilling sent fake text messages in Pennsylvania claiming Joe Biden wanted to perform gender mutilation on 8 year-olds.They claimed they were "Democratic volunteers", but they lied.

https://www.lgbtqnation.com/2020/10/hate-group-targets-swing-state-voters-anti-trans-text-fake-democratic-volunteer/

​

So, not only are they Christian terrorists, they are also prevaricators. Something, something 9th commandment?

​

The American Principles Project was also behind the famously debunked Regnerus Study that falsely doctored stats and evidence to try and claim that straight parents raise healthier kids than LGBTQIA+ parents (total bullshit!)

​

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Family_Structures_Study

​

The American Principles Project lies time and time again, and yet no one calls for them to be brought to account.

​

I have a lot more evidences in this thread, in which they attacked asexual marriages as somehow being a gateway to a "marriage inferno" due to no sex being involved. They basically made the case for an 11th commandment, to where everyone has to be forced into sex or else be damned to hellfire!

​

https://twitter.com/TygerSongbird/status/1553518964290080771

​

That is the American Principles Project in a nutshell—a group of Christian nationalists who violate the "Bearing false witness" commandment.

​

Why isn't the media saying more about this?

Submitted June 18, 2023 at 11:27PM by southpawFA (From Reddit https://ift.tt/7BRKceY)

[alaturkanews]

Advocacy group warns of the loss of parental rights in California and Minnesota

The American Principles Project President Terry Schilling discusses the group's travel advisory issued for California and Minnesota over 'trans refuge' bills on 'Fox News Tonight.' Subscribe to Fox News! https://bit.ly/2vBUvAS Watch more Fox News Video: http://video.foxnews.com Watch Fox News Channel Live: http://www.foxnewsgo.com/ FOX News Channel (FNC) is a 24-hour all-encompassing news service…

[arcticdementor]

As John Schilling once said over at Slate Star Codex,

And there is no problem so bad, so desperately in need of a solution, that it cannot be made worse by squandering limited resources on a plan that cannot work.

What “my ideas” get someone is the portion of their (limited) time and energy that would otherwise be spent on futile endeavors, on trying to accomplish things that are beyond their limited powers. Like inspector Harry Callahan said, “a man's got to know his limitations.” And the Serenity Prayer calls on us to accept the things we cannot change.

Further, to add another quote,

Hope is a first step on the road to disappointment.

Setting expectations too high, particularly of one’s own personal capacity, is a recipe for crushing failure. (I have a whole bit I could say about this in regards to the duality and tension within the character of It’s a Wonderful Life’s George Bailey.) When you always expect the worst, you are unlikely to be unpleasantly surprised.

This is setting aside the question of whether ideas should be judged more on their truth/accuracy or on their utility/benefit to those who hold them (what ‘going along with them gets you’) implicit in your framing, which could lead to a rabbit-hole of optimism bias versus depressive realism, Douglas Adams’s Total Perspective Vortex, Sir Terry’s “knurd,” H.P. Lovecraft, and whether Camus may have had the right question but the wrong answer.

[ arctidementor ]

You’re still thinking too much of yourself, thinking that you matter in any way, that your existence makes any difference in the world at all.

Going along with your ideas gets me nothing, AD.

[wtffundiefamilies]

Highlights below but I would recommend reading the entire article for a clearer picture of events.  Gifs purely to maintain my sanity.

Paul, a former ophthalmologist, was questioning Levine about transition-related care for transgender youth when he said that “genital mutilation is considered particularly egregious because ... it is nearly always carried out on minors and is a violation of the rights of children.”

Erroneously claiming that Levine supports “surgical destruction of a minor’s genitalia,” Paul asked Levine if she believed minors are capable of making “such a life-changing decision as changing one’s sex?”

Levine, a pediatrician, responded that transgender medicine is “a very complex and nuanced field with robust research and standards of care that have been developed,” and promised to discuss specifics if she is confirmed.

Paul continued his line of questioning, asking if she supports permitting the government to override a parent’s consent to give a child puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones and “amputation surgery of breasts and genitalia.” Levine provided a similar response, leading Paul to accuse her of evading the question. He further questioned criticism of prescribing hydroxychloroquine to treat Covid-19 by the same people who support hormones for transgender teenagers. Dr. Colt Wasserman, a fellow with Physicians for Reproductive Health, who provides gender-affirming care to trans minors, told NBC News that Paul’s questions and concerns are “not based in medical fact whatsoever.” Wasserman said gender-affirming care is understood and supported by major medical associations and physicians “to be a life-affirming practice that, through an informed consent process, patients, parents and their providers come together to support gender-diverse youth in the medical environment in a wide range of ways, which typically doesn't involve any kind of procedural intervention.”

“There's a lot of concern about surgery or irreversible decisions,” when it comes to the health care that transgender youth receive, Wasserman added, but surgery is not a component of that care.

But the American Principles Project, a conservative lobbying group that opposes gay marriage, transgender rights and abortion, defended Paul’s “immense courage” in challenging Levine.

“It is important that the American people are aware of just how extreme Joe Biden’s nominees are and what they are likely to support as members of his administration,” the group’s executive director, Terry Schilling, said in a statement. “Dr. Levine’s radical ideology ought to be a disqualifier for any position at HHS, never mind one as important as assistant secretary for health, and we urge the Senate to reject this confirmation when it comes up for a vote.”

Levine was most recently Pennsylvania's secretary of health, and helped steer the commonwealth's coronavirus response. She received high marks for remaining what The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette called “the calm in the eye of the Covid-19 storm.” 

[hipmamajenn]

In "The Public" Emilio Estevez Addresses Homelessness Through the Eyes of Public Librarians

In “The Public” Emilio Estevez Addresses Homelessness Through the Eyes of Public Librarians

Stuart Goodson (Emilio Estevez) is trying to do right every day. He is a public librarian in Cincinnati, where the paralyzing cold makes being outside a life-threatening reality for the large homeless population. The film begins with Goodson being interviewed by legal staff as the defendant in a legal case. He had asked a homeless patron with a strong body odor to leave the library. Other patrons…