Quote of the Month

Realistically, most people don’t construct their life stories with themselves as the villains. Everyone is the hero of their own story. The Enemy’s story, as seen by the Enemy, is not going to make the Enemy look bad. If you try to construe motivations that would make the Enemy look bad, you’ll end up flat wrong about what actually goes on in the Enemy’s mind. -- Eliezer Yudkowsky

OTD

Forty years ago today, I was in Washington, DC, marching for the Equal Rights Amendment to prohibit sex discrimination by government. This march won a three-year extension of the deadline set by Congress for ERA's ratification, but it was still a few states short of the requisite three-fourths when that date passed in 1982.

Today there are still a number of areas where government discriminates on the basis of sex -- two of them being the men-only draft registration and penalties for non-registration, and government-mandated batterer intervention programs based on the sexist "Duluth model." But there's a revived ratification campaign inspired by the belief that the Congression

ally set deadline won't stand Constitutional scrutiny. It's now only one ratification short of the needed thirty-eight, if the deadline is struck down and they're all counted as valid.

Neither Fascists nor Anti-Imperialists

A good analysis here of two errors frequently made in characterizing Islamic fundamentalism -- or, as David Finkel has described it more precisely, totalitarian-religious fanaticism:

https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/333668-neither-fascists-nor-anti-imperialists

In response to an email in which I sought clarification on the last sentence, Mr. Sulehria writes that "by declaring them as Islamic fascists, it becomes easy to justify state-oppression as was the case in Algeria where a section of the left was supporting the military operation against FIS."

It's also worth noting that the historically informed definition of fascism used here, from Ernest Mandel, explains why the Trump regime, although disturbingly authoritarian, is not an example of fascism in power.

Please join me in helping artist and social commentator Alison Tieman fight this good fight!

The fundraising page reviews the facts of the case and provides links allowing you to verify them for yourself.

 

Hello Eric,

Thank you so much for helping me continue the fight against the Mary Sue and Calgary Expo!

There are three days left on the fundraiser and only $2035 left to go. Please spread the word to those who may be interested in finally seeing justice.

www.feedthebadger.com/projects/help-us-infiltrate-alberta-civil-court-again/

Thanks again and we’ll all keep badgerin’ on,

Alison

This Fundamentalist Apologist Can't Even Keep His Lies Straight

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/may/26/us-liberal-islamophobia-rising-more-insidious#top

For instance, he claims that reforming Muslims like Maajid Nawaz think "that Muslims must choose between liberal principles and their faith" -- and, just a line further on, that they call Islam "a religion that is in need of reform”. Obviously, if you think a religion is in need of reform, that means you think it can be reformed -- and, therefore, that you don't need to choose between your liberal principles and your faith. Of course Nawaz and others also prove that they don't think you need to choose by the very fact that they remain Muslims.

A few paragraphs later, this liar claims that Nawaz's "Quilliam Foundation adopts the Islamophobic tenet that radicalization is a uniquely Muslim phenomenon," while linking to a sympathetic article that says nothing of the sort.

More People Are Signing for Amnesty to End Its Sexist "Troll Patrol" Program

I'm pleased to report that my petition to Amnesty International to end or reform its sexist "Troll Patrol" program, which I back-burnered while I was working on a GoFundMe, has started picking up new signatures again.

 

I have also added some additional information and a link to the explanatory text: https://www.change.org/p/amnesty-international-usa-end-or-reform-amnesty-international-s-sexist-troll-patrol-program