Obscanity: You'll know it when you see it

“Insurance companies are detail-oriented enough to deny claims for things like typos. If you spell something wrong, do you really deserve surgery? I don’t think so.”

Horses being killed in South Florida — for their meat? – CNN.com.

That is supremely fucked up. I don’t care what culture you’re from – you don’t kill and butcher other people’s pets. If you want to trade in black-market horsemeat, raise your own damned horses. It’s not “hunting” when you kill other people’s domesticated animals, and on their property no less. Not that I’m saying people should be killing horses at all, but for god’s sake, how would you feel if somebody came into your house and cooked your family dog? It’s just plain sick.

Been reading more about People v. Jackson (Michael Jackson’s molestation accusations). Interesting stuff. I’ve always assumed that whatever his mental state, he actually did what he was accused of doing. But I never really followed the cases closely, and never knew a lot of the details that suggest that he may simply have been an easy target *because of* his mental state. After reading this I feel even more strongly what I’ve also always believed about Michael Jackson, which is that he really never grew up psychologically.

If you see Jackson as a fully-grown man, the circumstances surely suggest he was a pervert and a pedophile – how many middle aged men who *aren’t* pervs like to share beds with little kids?

But think of him as somebody who never developed into an adult at all, and who never really developed those filters about the lines between adulthood and childhood and between adults and children, and suddenly things really start to fall into place. A lot of people, myself included, believe that psychologically, the guy was either permanently a child or desperate to be one again. (See also: Michael Jackson on the Couch.) The facts that *were* proven at trial and by admission (as opposed to the allegations of which he was acquitted) make a lot more sense in that light, and you could see how he could have behaved in the way he did without there being a sexual component – and how disgruntled ex-employees and a “professional plaintiff” could have had a field day with that behavior, given how it looked to the world.

That’s not to minimize the severity of the accusations against him. Regardless of his intentions, actions, or psychological state, he should not have been so unsupervised with young children, especially other people’s young children – because regardless of his own motivations, kids should not be sharing beds with unrelated adults, and shouldn’t be learning that it’s okay for adults to act like children in certain contexts, e.g. sleepovers. If those lines couldn’t be drawn internally, they should have been imposed. And if he was guilty, he certainly should have been held accountable and incarcerated or institutionalized (depending upon diagnosis), and not had his actions indulged as celebrity eccentricity.

But as far as his moral character goes, especially in light of his acquittals and the circumstances surrounding his accusers (not to mention the fact that Michael Jackson was what the world made him), I can only quote “Wicked” and say, “There are precious few at ease with moral ambiguities, so we act as though they don’t exist.”

Commentary: Chastity, ‘Good luck, brother’ – CNN.com.

Before the word "transsexual" had been coined in English, an intrepid young person whose family belonged to the British nobility set out to transform herself from female to male. He received a medical school education, obtained hormones — relatively new substances that were poorly understood at the time, and independently began living as a man in the early 1940s. Read more….

Ms. Magazine | Between A Woman And Her Doctor.

I don’t care if doctors don’t expect to have to use these procedures – they need to be trained in them. There is absolutely NO excuse for what this woman went through.

Suspect claims ‘victory’ in closing of slain doctor’s clinic – CNN.com.

Great. Watch for the murder of an abortion doctor near you.

I thought this movement was supposed to be “pro-LIFE”??? Nope. Pro-fetus, yes. Once it’s an actual person… meh. Not so much.

Michael Rowe: KRXQ Sacramento Radio Hosts Encourage Violence Against Transgender Children.

There are no words for the way I feel about these talkshow hosts. Well, there are, but I’m certain they aren’t appropriate for a facebook post. Next time somebody tells you (or you tell yourself) they’re voting against LGBT rights to protect children, you just reread this article and remember all the children who have DIED because of attitudes like this.

In Memory of Dr. George Tiller: A Tireless Supporter of Women’s Dignity | RHRealityCheck.org.

Rick Warren’s Saddleback Church condones domestic violence.

Fun trivia about deodorant – CNN.com.

Are Your Gadgets Making You Sick?.

Hysteria over swine flu is the real danger, some say – CNN.com.

Mmmmm, gotta love some nice mass hysteria.

Joe. My. God.: Israel: Let’s Call It “Mexican Flu” Because “Swine” Is Religiously Offensive.

Okay, I know people are always itching to criticize Israel for breathing, but how about cutting her some slack on this one? Whatever its motivations, changing the name from “swine flu” to “Mexican flu” is actually a pretty smart move on their part, just from a public health standpoint. I’ve already spoken to at least one person who thought she wouldn’t get the swine flu because she didn’t eat pork and therefore wasn’t exposed to it. Since Jews and Muslims don’t eat pig products (in theory), calling it the swine flu could be confusing. People might think it’s similar to mad cow disease or something.

And let’s be honest – most of the cases and most of the deaths HAVE been in Mexico. You want to call something the American flu, how about Type II diabetes?

[Edit – I should read more closely; it wasn’t Israel’s policy, but rather the suggestion of the Health Minister.]

Joe. My. God.: Report: Masters & Johnson Faked Their “Gay Conversion” Study.

The religious right loves to cite a famous claim made by noted sex researchers Masters and Johnson that they had "successfully converted 70%" of their gay patients to heterosexuality. However Scientific American is now reporting that assistants who worked with the duo back in the 70's never saw any evidence of the research and believe that Masters made up the work.

There’s more in the New York Times.

The Supreme Court takes failing to get it to a new level in a strip-search case. – By Dahlia Lithwick – Slate Magazine.

Wow. Supreme Fail.

Jewish legacy inscribed on genes? – Los Angeles Times.

If they can prove it, more power to ’em. Until then, I’m going to stick with the more logical reason that as a people, we place a huge emphasis on education and literacy, and when an immigrant group has a high literacy rate in their native language, that translates to higher success achieving literacy in the new country, which in turn leads to a greater likelihood of economic success. And, you know, education.

Renegade DEA finds new excuses « The Hemp Factor.

So the fun now is that the DEA is going to start claiming that dispensaries are in violation of state law in order to continue their raids. Never mind that in the most recent raid in San Francisco, in which the DEA claimed the dispensary was not in compliance with state law, local law enforcement was not even included in the decision to raid. What gives these federal bureaucrats the idea that they get to decide what complies with state laws? Don’t they realize that interferes with the state’s authority to enforce its OWN laws?

Renowned Hoo-Ha Doctor Wins Nobel Prize For Medical Advancements Down There | The Onion – America’s Finest News Source.

I do love “The Onion.”

Natasha’s lesson helps save Ohio girl – CNN.com.

Wow. Thank goodness for celebrity media coverage, I guess! That’s one lucky little girl. I’m sure Natasha Richardson’s family takes little comfort in this one small miracle – that if Richardson had not died, this little girl would certainly have – but it still makes ya think, doesn’t it?

‘Miracle fruit’ turns sour things sweet – CNN.com.

Interesting!

Attorney general signals shift in marijuana policy.

I wonder how this will affect people who are serving time for complying with state medical marijuana laws, e.g. Charles Lynch.

According to the government's sentencing recommendation for Lynch, which says the five-year mandatory minimum prison term is an appropriate one, Lynch had violated California state law because his "operation was rife with activities having more to do with business and casual drug distribution than anything medical."

Well, obviously. The federal government had refused to acknowledge any medicinal properties of cannabis in the first place, so obviously they were going to say he was operating in casual drug distribution. They also claimed that Lynch was distributing marijuana to children, failing to mention that the minors involved were teenaged cancer patients whose parents had initiated contact with Lynch because pharmaceutical appetite stimulants had proved ineffective.

Time shall tell, I guess.

Senators want to fight Mexican drug cartels’ expanding influence – CNN.com.

Anthony Placido of the Drug Enforcement Administration said the DEA does not believe "that in the near term the cartels will deliberately target U.S. government personnel or interests or intentionally target U.S. civilians in the United States."

Yeah, well. We all know how much the DEA is to be trusted. They would just as soon ignore the cartels and stick to the far safer job of taking medicine from cancer patients and uprooting big mean plants.

Here’s hoping Obama’s DEA is different.

K, remember how I raved yesterday about iHerb.com and their prices and cheap shipping? Well, add another thing to the list: My order ARRIVED TODAY. Of course it helps that we’re located in the same region, but still, I’m IMPRESSED.

Go to iHerb.com and check out their stock; they have a pretty broad selection. Don’t forget to use code COF922 to get $5 off your first order!

iHerb.com: Use the code COF922 at checkout and receive $5 off your first purchase!

I bought this really amazing elderberry syrup while I was in Seattle – not syrup for pancakes, but tonic-type syrup that you take to boost your immune system when you’re sick or getting sick. I went to restock my supply online, but discovered that the company that makes the product wanted nearly $15 in SHIPPING for one 4oz bottle! I’m all for supporting small businesses, but not when the shipping costs more then the product! So I did what any self-respecting ‘net junkie would do: I Googled the stuff.

That’s how I found iHerb.com. Not only did they sell the bottles at a discount, but Priority shipping was less than $3 (I think they deliberately take a hit on shipping to encourage people to shop there) even though I bought 2 small bottles and two large bottles! Not only that, but I was able to find a code for $5 off. So four bottles of product – the equivalent of six, in volume – cost me the same ($30) as a single small bottle + shipping would have cost elsewhere. Can’t beat that.

iHerb.com has lots of popular natural products at discount prices. Use the code COF922 at checkout and receive $5 off your first purchase!

Someday our children will look up at us, shake their little heads, and say, “Did the federal government learn nothing from Prohibition? I’m so glad we live in a more enlightened era.”

Cenk Uygur: Why Firing Phelps Might Cost Kellogg’s More Customers.

Yes, there is still a certain percentage of the country that is mental about this. They have no problem if their son drinks two gallons of alcohol, but a joint and they lose it. I think this is a cultural thing more than anything else. I think pot represents hippies, liberals and all that’s wrong with America to them. And yes, this is about 25% of the country.

But what about the other 75%? You annoy them when you side with the prudish minority. You offend their sensibilities when you kowtow to the puritan zealots. Every single person I have spoken to says they are less likely to buy Kellogg products now that they have fired Michael Phelps. Not because we love Michael Phelps, not because we think you can make pants out of hemp, but because it seems like they are choosing sides in the culture war. And it’s the wrong side.

Sean Carman: Suddenly, It All Makes Sense.

If there’s any justice in the world, the Olympic committee will give Phelps another gold medal, just for doing more in the Olympics than we knew at the time. Forget all those athletes on performance-enhancing drugs. Phelps won 8 golds on one of the most potent performance-diminishing drugs known to man.

Paul Armentano: Why Are We Condemning Michael Phelps’ Pot Use?.

Sure, there will be some who will say that this latest chapter in Phelp’s life is deserving of criticism because the 14-time gold medalist is sending a poor message to young children. And what message would that be? That you can occasionally smoke marijuana and still be successful in life. Well sorry if the truth hurts.

Keli Goff: Michael Phelps Deserves a Spanking, But Not for Getting Caught with Pot.

This article is pretty much in line with the email I sent to Kellogg’s – I think it’s ridiculous that they hired him knowing he had a DUI arrest in his recent background (at age 19, no less), but somehow that’s perfectly acceptable, while smoking some marijuana (and NOT driving) is an offense worthy of termination.