12 Oct 2017: Daily Homily (Sexual Predators in Politics) and Tweets

by | Oct 12, 2017 | Tweets | 32 comments

There are, naturally, a lot of tweets about the revolting activities of Harvey Weinstein at the moment. A lot of people are expressing their disgust in suitable terms, all trying to outdo each other with the words they can come up with.

Most of them are a load of hypocrites.

Yesterday I once again watched ‘The Five’ on Fox News. They had a segment about Harvey Weinstein. I also watched CNN‘s AC360 (Anderson Cooper) and their segment on the issue. There were people on both shows whose reactions I found problematic.

However, in this instance I’m not going to name names because most of the bad ones are no different from at least half of their media and political colleagues.

Most Republicans are taking great pleasure in the fact that Weinstein was a big donor to the Democratic Party. They’re insisting that any donations from him be sent back, or given to charity. Many Democratic politicians are indeed doing that.

But what none of these people are mentioning as they take great joy in taking a crack at the Democrats, is that they elected a sexual predator to the presidency.

The “pussy-grabber” tape wasn’t enough to stop them voting for Donald Trump. Nor were his comments about going back stage to see beauty pageant contestants naked. Nor were the multiple allegations of sexual harassment. And nor was the likelihood that he raped a 13 year-old-girl in 1994. (That case has gone away since Trump won the presidency. Although she had public anonymity, she got death threats.)

Other conservative commentators are saying that they, “don’t know what the new rules are.” They’re the same as the old ones mate. Don’t treat women like objects who exist only for your sexual pleasure.

For every Harvey Weinstein there’s a Donald Trump. For every Anthony Weiner, there’s a Tim Murphy And for every Bill Clinton there’s a Scott DesJarlais. Sexual predators exist everywhere. They are no respecter of political boundaries.

The only advantage the Democrats have over the Republicans is that they don’t try to make themselves out to be the guardians of public morality. There’s a certain guilty pleasure is exposing a Republican politician for telling his mistress to get an abortion when he campaigns on family values and being anti-choice.

Playboy mogul Hugh Hefner died two weeks ago. His desire was to be known as a champion of free speech, and he was that. He was also one of the main reasons so many men think it’s okay to treat women like a piece of meat or to force their attentions on them.

I wrote about the GOP War on Women three years ago. The situation has only got worse since then with the election of a sexual abuser to the most powerful job in the world.

 

Environment Tweets

If this is the end of the war on coal does this mean that all those coal jobs are going to come back? No, it doesn’t, but that’s what the Trump Administration wants people to believe. Obama wasn’t the reason for the downturn in the coal industry. Coal is an international commodity and its price depends on a world index. The demand for coal has slumped worldwide. Therefore the price for which it can be sold has gone down significantly and it is no longer economic to mine it except from open cast mines. The “War on Coal” is a complete red herring. It has nothing to do with what is happening in the EPA. Further, getting electricity from renewables has been an economic success story for the US. It employs far more people than the coal industry, and in jobs that won’t kill them.

 

Human Rights Tweets

11 October (today in the US, yesterday for me) was apparently Coming Out day. Listening to what these people had to go through is heartbreaking. In many places it’s still like this. Why can’t people just be nice to one another?

 

An info tweet on sexuality.

 

Imagine that – having your car taken away because your hair is uncovered! Religion is sick.

 

Lying for Allah. Religion is sick.

 

A good thread on sexual abuse starts with this Tweet.
(Via Ann German.)

 

One of the responses at the end of the thread:

Weather Tweets

Circular rainbow!

 

 

Entertainment Tweets

Here’s another balancing act on the top of New York’s Empire State Building. This doesn’t look anywhere near as dangerous as the guy balancing on the chairs from Tuesday, but still my tummy’s gone funny again …

 

I loved the 1960s Batman TV series!!! And check out his mug!

Art Tweets

Another cool video showing a new picture emerge from an old one.

History Tweets

Cool lady!

 

Some of the amazing rock art in Niaux Cave in France. Going to see some of this rock art is on my bucket list.

 

Another cool reconstruction of early people.

Science Tweets

Playing the knife game with a machine. Which would you trust more? A machine or a person? I think I’d trust the machine. as long as I knew it had been properly programmed.

 

Cool gif, but someone needs to explain to me how this works please!

 

It’s always quite hypnotic watching these gifs. But seriously, they’ve created a machine for probably tens of thousands of dollars when they could have just bought a few more bits of track! (Yes, I do appreciate what it’s doing!)

Marine Tweets

One of my all time favourites again – a sea otter with her cub.

 

 

Bird Tweets

This tweets looks innocuous, but if you click on the link you will see my vote in New Zealand’s annual Bird of the Year competition. Go here to check out all the birds and vote yourself.

 

Aren’t those colours beautiful?

 

Who can resist the character of these wonderful birds?!

 

Another entrant in NZ’s Bird of the Year competition.

 

Another kaka, doing its best to get some more votes for its species.

 

A swan making Lake Bled in Slovenia look even more gorgeous than it already is.

 

Other Animals Tweets

What a cutie pie! (Well, for an Aussie anyway. ????)
(Via Jerry Coyne.)

 

Here’s Dr Grarock and Brian the Bettong having breakfast.

 

Ha ha! “Transformational Goat Aesthetics”.
(Via Ann German.)

 

Dog Tweets

Nice story, but it would be better if we saw the dog! It looks like it might be a Labrador or similar, but you can’t really tell.

 

I’m not big on these dogs, but I like the butterfly!

 

Don’t rush it!

 

Why?

Cat Tweets

Interesting new info on pumas.

 

Now you know.

 

These cats are lucky their humans feed them!

Friendship.

What a lovely kitty, given a forever home by a kind person.

 

So sweet!

???? This had me making appreciative noises all the way through! It is so adorable!!! ????

 

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32 Comments

  1. Jenny Haniver
    Jenny Haniver on 12th October 2017 at 5:50 pm

    The dear, goofy, endangered kakapo is my favorite NZ bird, maybe my favorite bird, period. I didn’t know about kakas, and I had no idea that keas were so colorful when they spread their wings. I like them, too, but kakapos take pride of place with me.

    Here’s a funny video of just what happened when the Three Bears came calling, not at Goldilocks’ place, but after hours at a pizza parlor. The surveillance camera caught ‘em. http://www.msn.com/en-us/video/animals/mama-bear-and-her-cubs-break-into-pizza-kitchen-to-eat-salami-and-olive-oil/vi-AAth8Jx.

    Then there’s this dog putting its “cone of shame” to excellent use http://www.gifbin.com/987101

    Reply
    • Jenny Haniver
      Jenny Haniver on 13th October 2017 at 6:53 am

      The bettong was nestled all snug in its bed
      while visions of fat corn ears danced in its head.

      Reply
    • Heather Hastie
      Heather Hastie on 13th October 2017 at 8:22 am

      I saw the bears yesterday on Fox! It’s not all bad there! 😀

      Reply
  2. Yakaru
    Yakaru on 12th October 2017 at 10:38 pm

    That pic of the Trump women is chilling.

    Reply
    • nicky
      nicky on 14th October 2017 at 6:11 pm

      I don’t know if it is chilling or even really telling, but a great & curious photo it is.

      Reply
  3. rickflick
    rickflick on 12th October 2017 at 11:22 pm

    I just returned from a trip (from NY) to France where we visited several caves with ancient art. It was one of the most breathtaking experiences of my life. I strongly recommend a visit. We saw Abri du Cap Blanc, Font de Gaume, Grotte de Rouffignac, Lasscoux, Pech Merle, as well as Musée national de Préhistoire. All of these were simply mind blowing. No one knows the purpose of these brilliant paintings, engravings, and sculptures. The most amazing thing I came to understand was that there is a consistent style running through the whole period of cave art lasting for 20,000 years! This suggests a highly stable civilization that only began to change when Europe started warming about 15,000 years ago. It’s a must see for anyone with an interest in the human story.

    Reply
    • Jenny Haniver
      Jenny Haniver on 13th October 2017 at 6:52 am

      I bet that was mind blowing. I’d love to visit those caves.

      Reply
    • Heather Hastie
      Heather Hastie on 13th October 2017 at 8:26 am

      Of wow Rick! How fantastic! That must have been so cool!

      Were you allowed to take photos? Will we see them online sometime if you were?

      Reply
    • nicky
      nicky on 14th October 2017 at 6:40 pm

      Can one visit the caves of Lascaux again? They were closed for a long time because the water vapour from the breath of the visitors was affecting the paintings. The lights also promoted algal growth.
      Off topic: In the much older Chauvet caves it was discovered that Megaloceros’ (the ‘Irish elk’) most striking feature appeared not to be it’s giant antlers, but it’s prominent dark shoulder hump, and that the antlers were mostly held low. How misleading were the older reconstructions!

      Reply
  4. Robert Ladley
    Robert Ladley on 12th October 2017 at 11:49 pm

    Lovely start to my Thursday morning.
    Thank you Heather for your tweets.
    Robert Ladley

    Reply
  5. Lee Knuth
    Lee Knuth on 13th October 2017 at 5:34 am

    Hope more people vote for the bird they like. Supposedly a picture is worth a thousand words, well that picture of the Trump women certainly is.

    Reply
    • Heather Hastie
      Heather Hastie on 13th October 2017 at 8:31 am

      I’d never noticed it before, but a lot of pics are like that.

      I notice that Don Jr’s got a “display the genitalia” pose going on too. Like father, like son.

      Reply
      • nicky
        nicky on 14th October 2017 at 6:21 pm

        ‘display genitalia pose’? He’s just standing there, not pointing to his genitalia or positioning his pelvis forward. I really don’t see what you mean.

        Reply
        • Heather Hastie
          Heather Hastie on 15th October 2017 at 6:44 am

          I made the comment without checking the pic again. You’re right – I’m getting it mixed up with another pic. My bad.

          Reply
          • nicky
            nicky on 15th October 2017 at 8:28 am

            But then the ladies in that picture.. priceless!

  6. David Coxill
    David Coxill on 13th October 2017 at 7:11 am

    Hi ,sems to have been an open secret in lala land about this guy ,how come no one told on him earlier ?.

    Don’t know if you have heard of jimmy saville (doesn’t deserve capital letters ) ,he was a disc jockey and tv presenter ,it only came out after his death that he had abused boys and girls for decades .
    It was suspected at the bbc ,but once again no one came forward.

    Reply
    • Mark R.
      Mark R. on 13th October 2017 at 7:55 am

      Yeah, I heard about him on the John Oliver show. Oliver was making the point that all of saville’s statues/plaques were removed after the revelation that he was a pedophile; so why do Americans keep up the statues and monuments that “celebrate” the confederacy?

      Reply
    • Heather Hastie
      Heather Hastie on 13th October 2017 at 8:35 am

      I wrote a post about why women don’t come forward in relation to Donald Trump. I understand completely as someone who’s been in that situation. Also, you hear some of the women talking about their experiences with Weinstein, he was perfectly normal and charming in public. You can see why people might not know.

      Reply
  7. nicky
    nicky on 14th October 2017 at 6:48 pm

    Maybe a bit corny, but I vote for the kiwi’s, all three of them. As pointed out earlier, a living example of bird adaptation to a mammal-free island: a mammal-like bird.

    Reply
  8. nicky
    nicky on 14th October 2017 at 7:32 pm

    Mr Trump’s misogyny and ‘lockerroom talk’ are despicable, but the accusations of rape are more: they are criminal charges. The rape of a 13 year old (and apparently not just statutory rape, but ‘rape rape’ (thanks Whoopy)) is an especially heinous crime. If true, and the accusations are quite credible, Mr Trump is not just orange, but should be wearing the Orange Uniform.
    Ironic, these calls for ‘lock her up’, while in all probability he should be the one locked up.

    Reply
    • Heather Hastie
      Heather Hastie on 15th October 2017 at 6:55 am

      The 13yo one is amazing because there is witness testimony. It’s not just he said/she said. He did it in front of others, and he had sex with her on more than one occasion in similar circumstances. She was “acquired” for him. (What’s the bet there was a striking resemblance with Ivanka?)

      Reply
      • nicky
        nicky on 15th October 2017 at 9:24 am

        I’m at a loss why that case is not pursued. I know and understand it is very difficult for Jane Doe, but she has -as you point out- witness testimony, and the circumstances, in the dwelling of a convicted (but escaped?) child rapist, Mr Epstein, gives extra credibility. Prima facie her case appears very strong indeed.
        And then there is the related case of 12 year old ‘Maria’ who ‘disappeared’, should that not be at least investigated? If not, why not?

        Reply
        • Heather Hastie
          Heather Hastie on 17th October 2017 at 2:51 am

          I suspect there’s a combination of money, corruption, and credible threats of harm, or even death. You wouldn’t know who to trust. Even if he just uses his supporters on social media, Trump is able to destroy lives, and he can do a lot more than that. Look what happens to reporters, especially female ones, who stand up to him. There are all sorts of rumours about links to organized crime.

          It’s not like she can just go to the opposition as there are likely high-powered Democrats who would be exposed too. There are rumours re Bill Clinton and Epstein too. Someone like this (then) girl would know where a lot of skeletons are buried. I bet she’s been silenced somehow. The story of rich, powerful men and sex is a pretty sordid one the world over.

          It’s as good a reason as any for why the world needs more women in politics. There are women who are corrupt etc. too of course, but there do seem to be a lot less proportionately.

          Reply
          • nicky
            nicky on 17th October 2017 at 9:59 am

            I guess that something along those lines is the reason indeed. Still, it should be pursued, there must be some powerful figures that would have incentive to (and support Jane Doe), would there? I find it at least as puzzling as the unpursued electoral counting fraud.
            Bill Clinton visited Epstein on more than one occasion, that is not a rumour, but well established and not denied. The rumour is that Clinton therefore participated in Epsteins criminal activities, which is, of course, far from impossible.
            I agree about the desirability of more women in politics. Although, what about Catharina the Great with her regiment of grenadiers? ????

          • Heather Hastie
            Heather Hastie on 18th October 2017 at 7:29 am

            I get the impression that the “Establishment” are so invested in maintaining the status quo that they don’t want to know if there was electoral fraud. Therefore they’re not searching for it. This isn’t the first election this has come up – it’s just worse this time. Look at all the people who tried to get the problems in Florida in 2000 looked at. Person after person stood in front of Congress and was ignored by both sides. They fear the consequences. They fear how some USians would react. I think they fear domestic terrorism as a result or even civil war. However, their failure to deal with the situation honestly in 2000 and 2004 is what let to the growing partisan divide and what gave the world Donald Trump. The Russians were able to succeed because of the failure to address such issues when they were smaller and social media didn’t have so much reach. It’s going to get worse before it gets better imo.

  9. nicky
    nicky on 14th October 2017 at 7:57 pm

    Note, powerful males have always used their position of power to get sexual access to females. The phenomenon is ubiquitous. Despots, rich males and famous males, including pop and sports stars, do that (from JFK, Jimi Hendrickx, Zuma and Trump to Ishmael the Bloodthirsty of Morocco and slave owners) and I guess most males would if they could. However, I do not think one could always call it rape, the line can be very fine.
    [Also read Laura Betzig’s “Despotism and Differential Reproduction: A Darwinian View of History”]

    Reply
    • Heather Hastie
      Heather Hastie on 15th October 2017 at 7:02 am

      Nothing personal, but it pisses me off that certain people always have to drag Darwin into the argument. It’s all the stuff blaming him for eugenics, which he was personally opposed to. Darwin’s theory is not actually that relevant to this sort of thing. There’s a certain cohort who use his name for their own purposes. I can see how it would sell more books.

      Reply
      • nicky
        nicky on 15th October 2017 at 9:09 am

        Nope, Betzig (a respected professor in anthropology) does not blame Darwin for anything at all, and most certainly not for eugenics (which would indeed be ridiculous). In fact there is nothing about eugenics in her book. She only shows -and documents thoroughly- that males in positions of power overwhelmingly behave in certain ways, ie. mainly having sex (consensual or not) with as many women as possible. The best explanation for such behaviour is Darwin’s sexual selection, so Darwinian theory is quite relevant here (immo). I fail to see how that could piss you off (the explanation that is, the behaviour itself is another matter, of course). I’m sure you would like the book if you were to read it, highly recommended. A great little (it is not a hefty volume) jewel.

        Reply
        • Heather Hastie
          Heather Hastie on 17th October 2017 at 2:35 am

          Sounds like it’s not what I was expecting. There are so many books that use Darwin’s name when they shouldn’t. I assumed this was another. I should have known better given that the recommendation came from you!

          Reply
          • nicky
            nicky on 17th October 2017 at 10:07 am

            Your point about the ‘abuse of Darwin’ is taken, indeed it happens all too often.

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