Tyrants tyrannized by tyranesses

We keep on hearing lately girlfriends' perspectives on various criminals. The laughing loner Loughner's former girlfriends spoke up and he emerges from their memories as a normal person.

Yo DUB, B gd 2 me!

Every now and then, when my 80s cravings strike, I remember one of the best one hit wonders to have ever hit my ears, infecting me with the dance bug, modifying my DNA and significantly improving my music taste buds.

i had to drive - mommy was tired!

Episode 4 (season 3) from Mad Men featured grandpa teaching his granddaughter how to drive on a quiet neighbourhood street, as probably many people were doing in the 60s. Today, if a child is driving her stoned mom home, it’s news. Should it be? Really?

Our society has changed a great deal since the 60s. We live in one big safety bubble, with the president and vice-president no longer interested in upholding the US Constitution, but rather concerned with the nation’s safety at all costs. Was it that long ago that Benjamin Franklin said his famous words, warning against trading off freedom for security, as we’ll end up with neither?!?

Well, anyhow, two moms were busted for being so stoned / drunk that their kids did a better job driving. The first, had her 6-year-old drive the car because, as the kid said, mommy was too tired to drive after smoking that smelly stuff:

In the second news, mom was too drunk, ending up driving her child to the wrong school:

Said the admission officer at Harvard: “to get into our school, you have to smoke crack and your father must be head of the CIA. Then, you have to sleep in crypt. Wait, scratch that last one; it’s true only if you plan to run for president.”

As you can tell, the main thing the two mommies have in common, apart from kids, is a certain aristocratic flair – even the MILF descriptor would seem like an insult.

Here’s the sneak preview of S03E04 of Mad Men, where a grandfather is teaching his young granddaughter to drive on a residential street:

This is not the first time that show is playing with the safety and youth obsessions that have come to define our age. It wasn’t long ago that safety was not paramount and kids enjoyed a less greenhouse-bound existence, better preparing them for real life. Today, this can be seen only in developing countries..

Sources / More info: msn-stoned, msn-drunk, mad-men-ep-4, yt

Verba Volant,mom, mommy, drive, dui, stoned, kids, driving, joyride, pot, dope, marijuana, grass, smoke, weed, w33d

the way we cheat

There is something weird about the way women cheat, something I can't figure out. Men know when they cheat, things are simple and obvious, though they might lie about. When women lie about it, they somehow seem to believe their own lies.

When men cheat, their only defense (and it actually works) is to deny it:

Women, on the other hand, might call you when you’re away to tell you that they’ve been “out”, but no matter what has happened, you are the one. They seem to genuinely believe that their cheating is different than yours and that when they can “give in” to another man while staying true to you, while you could never do that for them. I’ve never had this song sung to me, but at least once I had the feeling that it’s been implied: 

LOIS: Oh, Bill,
Why can't you behave?
Why can't you behave?
How in hell can you be jealous
When you know, baby, I'm your slave?
I'm just mad for you,
And I'll always be,
But naturally
If a custom-tailored vet
Asks me out for something wet,
When the vet begins to pet, I cry "Hooray!"
But I'm always true to you, darlin', in my fashion,
Yes, I'm always true to you, darlin', in my way.
I enjoy a tender pass
By the boss of Boston, Mass.,
Though his pass is middle-class and notta Backa Bay.
But I'm always true to you, darlin', in my fashion,
Yes, I'm always true to you, darlin', in my way.
There's a madman known as Mack
Who is planing to attack,
If his mad attack means a Cadillac, okay!
But I'm always true to you, darlin', in my fashion,
Yes, I'm always true to you, darlin', in my way.
I've been asked to have a meal
By a big tycoon in steel,
If the meal includes a deal, accept I may.
But I'm always true to you, darlin', in my fashion,
Yes, I'm always true to you, darlin', in my way.
I could never curl my lip
To a dazzlin' diamond clip,
Though the clip meant "let 'er rip," I'd not say "Nay!"
But I'm always true to you, darlin', in my fashion,
Yes, I'm always true to you, darlin', in my way.
There's an oil man known as Tex
Who is keen to give me checks,
And his checks, I fear, mean that sex is here to stay!
But I'm always true to you, darlin', in my fashion,
Yes, I'm always true to you, darlin', in my way.
From Ohio Mister Thorne
Calls me up from night 'til morn,
Mister Thorne once cornered corn and that ain't hay.
Aha!
But I'm always true to you, darlin', in my fashion,
Yes, I'm always true to you, darlin', in my way.
From Milwaukee Mister Fritz
Often moves me to the Ritz,
Mister Fritz is full of Schlitz and full of play.
But I'm always true to you, darlin', in my fashion,
Yes, I'm always true to you, darlin', in my way.
Mister Harris, plutocrat,
Wants to give my cheek a pat,
If the Harris pat
Means a Paris hat,
Bébé, Oo-la-la!
Mais je suis toujour fidèle, darlin', in my fashion,
Oui, je suis toujour fidèle, darlin', in my way.

As a believer in freedom, I've never been a sucker for fidelity. I do appreciate honesty, however. How about you?

Sources / More info: flickr, yt-wasnt, yt-always

Cracanel, cheat, cheating, cheating heart, inselat, insela

Catholic Church vs women

In a controversial and highly inflammatory new document, the Catholic Church has once again refused to treat women and men equally when it comes to priesthood. Though we recognize their right to worship as they see fit, we feel that this is a matter that needs to be discussed.

What draws me to this issue is its ethical complexity. As a former relationship and sex counselor, I have a significant feminist streak. As a libertarian, I believe that the state should not interfere with religion. If the Catholic Church wants to prohibit women to become priests, they should have the right to do so. Women with such a vocation could start their own Christian church.

Back in 1999 Sinead O’Connor defied those Christians who believe that Jesus chose his apostles to be only men for a reason by being ordained in a ceremony of the Latin Tridentine church in Lourdes. But she did not stop there. After singing “War”, she tore the picture of the Pope live on TV saying “fight the real enemy” (see videoclips below).

The incredibly surprising thing here is how poorly the Church fares in Public Relations. Recently, when condemning the ordaining of women priests, they almost equated it to pedophilia. According to the BBC,

Pat Brown, of the group Catholic Women's Ordination, said she was deeply shocked and called the change to Church law "a slap in the face to women". She said of the Pope: "He is not doing himself any favours."

The Vatican says ordaining women is "grave" as is sex abuse, but denied it was equating the two. The Pope was "talking about paedophiles and talking about women wanting to be priests as a crime against the faith. I cannot understand that language," said Ms Brown.

(..)

The new Vatican document was released on Thursday, just days after the Church of England's General Synod voted in favour of legislation to consecrate women bishops. The new measures are expected to be interpreted as a pointed message to Anglicans.

In the document, the attempted ordination of a woman is listed as a "grave crime" to be handled by the Vatican's Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, just as sex abuse is.

Vatican sex crimes prosecutor Monsignor Charles Scicluna said that including the two issues in the same document was not equating them, but was done to codify the most serious canonical crimes which the Roman Catholic Church handles. "They are grave, but on different levels," he said on Thursday.

One very interesting (for us) subject is that of the intersection of money and church. With reason or not, the Catholic Church is universally considered the richest church in the world, with the Vatican being the richest state. There is a precedent of a church (scientology) being denied by several countries non-profit / church status and being taxed as a business. Though we generally consider churches to be expressions of the freedom to worship, we regulate against discriminatory practices among employers. Slate (linked below) has examined the relationship between “soul saving” and pay incentives and advocates for using performance-based pay for priests:

Parsons' thesis adviser, Jay Hartzell, is also a preacher's son. Hartzell likes to quote Corinthians in connecting his current work to his father's ministering roots: "If we have sown spiritual seed among you, is it too much if we reap a material harvest from you? If others have this right of support from you, shouldn't we have it all the more?" In other words, if Goldman Sachs bankers get paid based on profits they earn for the company, why shouldn't preachers get bonuses based on souls saved (and paying members recruited)? (..) Before examining how financial incentives have affected Oklahoma's pastors, we first need to say what makes a great minister. Performance for corporate execs is relatively straightforward—they get paid based on the profits they generate. For nonprofits, performance depends on the organization's mission. Hospitals exist to heal the sick; schools, to educate children. The United Methodist church's primary objective is to attract disciples (which in turn keeps the collection box full and the church solvent).

Rather than unsuccessfully contacting the Anglican Church for a reaction, the BBC should have contacted Sinead O’Connor..

Sources / More info: bbc-catholic-women, church-money, wiki-scientology, wiki-sinead, yt

VerbaVolant, catholic, pope, papality, women, equality, ordain, priesthood, misogyny, misoginy

Rocco Luka Magnotta: murder, video, arrest and hypocrisy

I haven't watched the video. What disturbs me most about this whole story right now is how hypocritical everybody is about censoring his videos.

Shaming Steve Martin or Why Trump Won

In his tribute to his friend Carrie Fisher, Steve Martin dares to call her beautiful and SJWs of the world unite in their outrage. This demented political correctness police is part of the reason why Trump has won.