Old Man Yells at Cloud

So I hear that North Korea has threaten South Korea again and that was the first picture that came to mind. Seriously, North Korea seems more and more like a cartoon villain. 

Dunce Vs. Dunce

I'm not a fan of pointing out "schism" because it's a double edge sword. If you can point out the right's schism then they can point out the left's schism. No movement is monolithic. Still, it's refreshing to see idiots making an ass out of themselves in thinking the right supports them. Attention hog and authoritarian Michael Lucas got to an argument with Ann Coulter (a person who doesn't need my introduction). Lucas is generally right wing, supporting various conservative politicians. He has a great cognitive dissonance in thinking that the right is somehow gay friendly (like all Homosexual Conservative). I have no sympathy for him and treat him as a horrid enemy of social rights. Well it turns out he and Coulter don't agree and it turns into a shout fight with both sides huffing and puffing without substance. It's funny because Homocons don't seem to grasp the concept that the American right doesn't want them there. They are outsiders in the conservative movement.

Anyways, Lucas should stay with what he's good at (which is directing and producing high budget porn) and keep his simple little mind out of politics.

He's thinking what many liberals are thinking

Shepard Fairey, the artist who created the world's most famous Obama poster, says he has given up on the president's ability to make progressive change. He's not the only one, as many liberals have harshly criticized president Obama's policy of bending to the design of the Republican. PZ Myers have noted that Obama is moving too slowly for us.

Obama position how has always been that of the Democratic party. In order to maintain voters, the Democratic party allows the GOP to do whatever they want, which ironically cause them to lose voters.

DADT ruled unconstitutional

Oh look, those GOProud losers are actually good for something for once. A judge has ruled that Don't Ask Don't Tell violates the 1st Amendment.

EDIT: Okay not GOProud but Log Cabin. Still asinine in my eyes. Apparently GOProud doesn't agree with using the judicial process.

Idiot of the Day

German Edition!

Ein Sprecher der katholischen Kirche in Mexiko hat behauptet, die Homo-Ehe sei schlimmer als der Drogenhandel im Land, der in den letzten sechs Jahren mindestens 28.000 Menschen das Leben gekostet hat.

Wie die Zeitung "El Universal" meldet, erklärte Hugo Valdemar, dass er die Öffnung der Ehe in Mexiko-Stadt als Angriff auf die katholische Kirche versteht. "[Mexiko-Stadt-Bürgermeister] Marcelo Ebrard und seine Partei, die PRD, wollen uns vernichten", ist sich Valdemar sicher. Ebrard führte vor wenigen Monaten die Gleichbehandlung im Eherecht in der Hauptstadt ein (queer.de berichtete). Seither muss er sich gegen Angriffe aus der katholischen Kirche wehren. Zuletzt verklagte er einen Kardinal, der ihn der Korruption bezichtigt hatte (queer.de berichtete).

Oh ja, die zwei liebevoll Menschen in einer einvernehmliche Ehe is schlechter als eine 28.000 Morde (Sarkasmus). Hugo Valdemar und der katholischen Kirche sind Arschgeigen und Lügner. Die Homo-Ehe schmerzt niemand. Sieh auf Spanien, Kanada, Argentinien, Schweden, Norwegen, Island, den Niederlanden, Belgien, Portugal und Südafrika. Die Folge Der Homo-Ehe ist nur Homo-Ehe.

They're Still There

Ever noticed, when going to a museum, how past culture are presented? Usually it's just by the extraordinary physical remains they leave behind. Stuff like pottery, sculpture, and architecture. In older museums, it really brings out the idea the the culture and/or people are gone. Well, it's wrong. They're still here. It's just that culture has changed, just like any culture, but they are still here and they can track back their current culture to the old one.

The Greeks:

When we talk about the Greek, we get ideas of gods and goddesses, fantastic stories, wars, and romance. We're told that it's an ancient time, when culture was at it's zenith. The Greeks however, are not some dead people that only the old story speaks about. Since the time of Antiquity, Greek culture has changed greatly going from Christianizing to domination by the Turks, to modernization. This has resulted in a rich new culture for the modern Greeks.

(Pic: Kostas Martakis is a Greek pop singer and model. Like the rest of Europe, Greece has adapted to pop-culture.)

The Khmers:

Visions of the Khmers either bring out the splendid images of Angkor or the genocide under Pol Pot. For some people, it's hard believe that the current Khmers were then ones who built Angkor. French explorer Henri Mouhot even deny that the agrarian Khmers could do it. But the historical and ethnographic evidence shows that it is the modern Khmers who made Angkor. They're not some lost civilization. They're still there.

(Pic: Pich Sophea is a pop icon in Cambodia. Cambodia has made strong efforts to prove to the international community that it is capable of bringing modernity to it's culture.)

The Thais:

What the Age of Imperialism has brought us is an Image of a rugged and exotic Siam filled with people that were so removed from modernity and western civilization. And with the way Thailand is advertised by travel agencies, it still looks like it's the exotic place. But such images denies the Thais their modernity. Modern Thailand has grown fast economically, resulting in ever increasing technological and global awareness by modern Thai peoples.

(Pic: Top Chaiwat is a Thai actor and model. Here we see a fashion show. Thailand has since become an important place of cultural exchange and development.)

The Mayans:

Old scientists have always wondered about the fate of the Mayans. Their temples were abandon and it seems the civilization has collapse. But the Mayans continue to exist. Their modern civilization is fraught with the effort of their ethnic groups to obtain rights and awareness in the international community.

(Pic: Rigoberta Menchú is a Nobel Peace Prize winner who dedicated here career to advancing rights for the K'iche' Mayans of Guatemala. Mayans suffer from invisibility and harassment, such as the one they faced under the CIA funded Contra.)

To Be Honest, I Don't Trust Any Of You.

The current ruling party of Cambodia, is indeed a sellout party. They've only shown time and time again that they care more for corporate. interest than they do the interest of the people. Money flows into the system, but where is the money for environmental protection, health care, welfare and education? Needless to say, something is fucked up in Cambodia's Parliament. They've done little to stop environmental degradation, corporate exploitation, and exploitation of underprivileged citizens.

But Nationalists are no better. What Nationalist wants is nothing but fascism, feed through a populist ideal. They could really give a shit about improving the lives and environment of Cambodia. Look at all their rhetoric: They're either about returning to a glory day, waging war, or something that amounts to an ethnic cleansing. Sorry, but the "glory days" are gone. Cambodia needs to move on. Culture changes and the Khmer culture is no exception. (You think it hasn't? You've clearly haven't paid attention to the last 2000 years.) Khmer people should be proud of their culture, for sure, but what one generation wanted is not going to be what the next generation wants. War waging is pointless. Unless it's for defensive purposes, it's nothing more than a show of bravado that will lead to pointless deaths and lost of finances. Not to mention that Cambodia would lose face in the international community. All the anti-Vietnamese and anti-Thai rhetoric is nothing but unadulterated racism. It's just the same type of racism we see here in the United States against Latino immigrants: scapegoating and ethnocentrism. People migrate. People move. It's been like that in Cambodia for eons. Even during the Angkor period, there were massive amounts of people of different ethnic groups coming in and out. Sure, Vietnam has done a lot of fucked up things to Cambodia, and their current policy is just as invasive to Cambodia's national sovereignty, but this doesn't call for banning all immigration or killing them off. As for Thailand, well we all know they have issues right now. Thailand, like most of the world, suffers from the grand delusion of Nationalism feed by it's government to advert attention from the real problem. Khmer Nationalist, Viet Nationalist, Thai Nationalist and American Teabaggers all look the same to me: a bunch of ignorant gobshits who refuse to identify the real problems. You all yap like toy dogs who don't know that you're all privileged losers.

The real problem for Cambodia is internal. Cambodia need to reform it's economic policies, regulate corporations, increase production without infringing on the rights of hill tribes or degrading the environment further. Cambodia needs to focus on the education of it's people instead of stupid nationalist rhetoric. All these things the current government are failing. They fail and they fail hard. But honestly the nationalists don't help.

Get Married and Be Happy!

The stay on prop 8 has been lifted. Don't worry haters, you can whine and lament about it. You can hate us still. Just you can't dictate our rights. Why? Well how would you feel if a majority took away your rights? See? I say let the wedding bells ring. Lets throw away the idea that marriage is for the sole benefit of a patriarchal society and bring out the idea of marriage being a social union between two consensual adults. (I know, I know, bigots don't give a rat's ass about consent.)

Ethnography

Students of the University of California, Riverside took part in a peaceful protest against unfair fee hikes and budget cuts. Look hard enough and you'll find me (or not, avoided the cameras.) We marched from the main campus to the downtown districts. (Good thing public transportation was there, I was soooo not in the mood to walk back.)

Shoppers in Hillcrest San Diego.

Lao American girls attend at a Wat.

Indonesian youths participate in a rock band.

Quick News

Another endangered Irrawaddy dolphin dies in a fishing net in the Mekong. Four such dolphins have died, as the the global population of river dolphins continue to decline.

Woman dies due to unsafe abortion in Camobodia. The problem of course is the lack of access to safe abortion and general medical care for many Cambodians. This is worsen by the lack of health education. Cambodian laws state that only license medical officials can perform abortion.

Teabagger fails. In an attempt to show their diversity, a teabagger rally ends up being overwhelmingly white and straight. The very few gay teabaggers there are, of course, idiots.

Fires in Russia.

Like American university graduates, Japanese university graduates are expected to face a small job market.

UNESCO to add Bikini Atoll as a heritage site. Bikini was used as a nuclear bomb test site by the United States during the Cold War. The natives of the island were relocated to another island where they suffered from starvation due to poor conditions there.

Racist wants the 14th Amendment repealed

GOP Sen. Jon Kyl wants Congress to start proceedings to repeal the 14th Amendment so that the children of undocumented immigrants are not born as U.S. citizens.

Kyl told CBS' "Face the Nation" that he supports a call by fellow Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., to introduce a new amendment to repeal the 14th Amendment of the Constitution. Support is growing for this stunning reversal from Graham, who in 2007 drew the ire of Republicans when he lobbied for granting legal status to 12 million undocumented workers, and along with President George W. Bush and Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., led the failed immigration reform effort that would have given illegal immigrants a path to citizenship. The 14th Amendment was enacted in 1868 to ensure that states would not deny citizenship to former slaves. It reads, "All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside."

There you have it. The GOP and their ilks are just a another racist group. They want the Latino community to have not rights or amnesty (yet these are the same fuckers who will let German have amnesty because they want to teach creationism to their kids.) They hate the hate the Latino community because they are different, they speak another language, and they have differing social ideals. Remember that these are the people would have supported The Immigration Act of 1924 based on our culture and our skin color. I've always found it amazing that even with the GOP's hate of the Latino community, they still have some Latino supporters.

Idiot of the Day

Phyllis Schlafly, speaking in Michigan:

"Do you know what the second-biggest demographic group that voted for Obama --
obviously the blacks were the biggest demographic group. But do you all know
what was the second-biggest?" she asked the crowd attending the fund-raiser in
Troy. "Unmarried women, 70% of unmarried women, voted for Obama, and this is
because when you kick your husband out, you've got to have big brother
government to be your provider."

Can't her god rapture her already? This is profoundly stupid on so many levels. There exist many family situations where women are the sole provider not the men. Women have been and will continue to be a powerful working forces, much to Schlafly's displeasure. Be not surprise by here, though. Schlafly can't compete against the patriarch of her beloved society. She bows down to the misogyny of the Church. Instead she works and get her ways by belittling women, and constantly attacking them. She steps all over women rights, because that way she'll have a place in her patriarchal fascist ideal.

Also don't you love how idiots like her goes all foaming mad about the imaginary things that Obama has done. To be sure, liberals are now complaining that Obama isn't doing enough. This has been true for any Democrat president. It's just hilarious that the religious right are going off about his no-existent actions (and complaining about how he was democratically elected into office. We all know the religious right wants fascism.)

Judge says fat chance to bigot

Thanks to Aratina Cage for tipping me off:

Judge upholds dismissal of counseling student who didn't not want to affirm homosexual behavior to patients:

A federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit filed against Eastern Michigan University by a student who was kicked out of its graduate program in school counseling last year for refusing, on religious grounds, to affirm homosexual behavior in serving clients.

In an order granting summary judgment to the university on Monday, Judge George Caram Steeh of the U.S. District Court in Detroit held that the university's requirement that the student be willing to serve people who are homosexual was reasonable, and did not amount to an infringement of the Christian student's constitutional rights to free speech and free expression of religion.

The university "had a right and duty to enforce compliance" with professional ethics rules barring counselors from being intolerant or engaging in discrimination, and no reasonable person could conclude that a counseling program's requirement that students comply with such rules "conveys a message endorsing or disapproving of religion," Judge Steeh wrote.

They doth protest too much, don't they

The Patriarchal Pseudoscience Council. . . I mean the Family Research Council. . . Tried another hand at upholding DADT by saying we'd be putting soldiers at risk of STD and psychological problems if we let gays serve openly. Except there are server logical problems too this. And it's very revealing.

The argument they use is that homosexuals are at a greater risk of HIV and other STDs and they might spread it to other soldiers. Now think about this. When you're in the military, sex should be the least of your concern. If you're in for the sex, you're doing it wrong. The only way STD would grow rampant is if the military is one huge orgy already. It also implies that our service men and women don't have self control. Finally, why would straight soldiers be having gay sex anyways? On another level, it's a requirement to obtain physical and mental checkup in order to enter and be in the military, so that already reduce the risk of any psychological and physical problems. Finally, there are already gays in the military deal with. Research shows that being in the closet is detrimental to their health, so letting them serve openly will actually improve their mental health.

All this anti-gay rhetoric about DADT is actually rather insulting to all those who serve in the military when you think about it. Notice that FRC focus so much on sex. More than even normal gay people. It's like they're not getting enough. hmm

Kiang Guek Ew: Guilty

Kiang Guek Ew, chief of S-21 prison, was sent to 30 years in prison for his involvement with the Khmer Rouge.

Lt. Dan Choi and Sen Harry Reid at Netroots Nation

Idiot of the Day

Via Towleroad,

A student at Augusta State University, Jennifer Keeton, claims that the school is forcing her to abandon her religious belief by accepting homosexuality. The school, of course, feels that her writing are inappropriate for a her degree to become a councilor. She's demanding the school bend to to her religious belief. Wouldn't that be great? If schools bended to the beliefs of it's student. It means I can become a mathematician and claim π = 3. Hey the Bible claim that it is and forcing me not to believe it is oppression. But the idiot isn't done with her little whine-fest:

The letter also cites an email from Keeton in which she says: "my Christian
moral views are not just about me. I think the Bible's teaching is true for all
people and it shows the right way to live."

Well that's just dandy. She "thinks"it's the right way to live. So lets get this straight, she suing to defend her first amendment rights to revoke the first amendment rights of others? That's what it boils down to. Keeton and her ilks are the type who wants freedom of religion to herself and end the freedom of religion of others. If you don't think so, see how they react when government tries to include other religions in their program; these idiots goes foaming mad if a Buddhist or Hindu tries to express their religion. Sorry Keeton, if you truly think the Bible is the right way to live than go back to the kitchen as you have no business in a learning institute (1 Timothy 2:12). And I hope you don't wear pants, either (Deuteronomy 22:5). I mean if you're going to use Leviticus, you'll have to use those too. Here's hoping that ASU wins against Keeton's stupidity.

Republican are more likely to have sex scandals (with gay men)

Via Science Duck,

Methods: the number of sex scandals for politicians (both state/local and
national) for the past 10 years was tallied from the list of political scandals provided on Wikipedia. Each
scandal was scored as to if it involved a Republican or Democrat, if it involved
a gay or straight affair, and whether or not the victim/participant was
underage.
Results: Republicans were involved in 61% of sex scandals in the
past 10 years, whereas Democrats were involved in just 39%. Moreover, 34% of the
total number of scandals were gay scandals (i.e, involving an ostensibly
straight politician and a same-sex partner), with Republicans accounting for
78.5% of all gay scandals. Republicans were also involved in 66% of the underage
scandals.
Conclusion: If a sex scandal is going on in Washington, there is a
2 in 3 chance it will involve a Republican. And If it’s a gay scandal, it’s
almost a sure bet that it involves a Republican.

And of course, they (the GOP) are the ones preaching about "family values" and "anti-gay". "Family Value" almost certainly means that they want the patriarchy to do what ever it wants. As for them being anti-gay, the evidence points to them being self-haters, poisoned by their need to be "normal". The hypocrisy of the GOP is so overwhelming, it's a wonder that their bigoted ass hasn't fallen flat on the ground yet.

I'm joking about wondering of course. It's a fact that the Republican party is supported by an inane idea that you can do everything just as long as it helps the patriarchy.

More Evictions in Cambodia

Via the Phnom Penh Post,


Hok Bunnat, president of Newspaper Distribution Association, sales her books and magazines in front of her house because the government has yet to compensate her and other vendors with new vending areas after evicting them from Borei Keila.

In the wake of Cambodia's economic development, it's abitious government is often criticized for not caring about the well being of it's citizens over attracting business and companies.

Better PR

The leader of the opposition party, Sam Rainsy, was recently arrested for removing border posts on the Cambodia-Vietnam border. The concern is that Vietnam was encroaching on Cambodian territory in secret, which is not uncommon in territorial dispute. Just earlier, Thai nationalist were arrested for attempting to alter the Cambodia-Thailand border post. Of course, let us remember that this whole border dispute is a product of colonialism. Prior, there was NO border definition amongst any of the states of Southeast Asia.
Well, Sam Rainsy is objecting that they are unfairly prosecuted and have evidence for their claim. They can rightfully claim so, since the government is riddle with lobbyist corruption. Ah, but Sam Rainsy isn't going to get by with just a prosecution claim. The problem is that the opposition is party is riddled with racist agenda. I don't disagree that the current government is a foreign sale out. Any educated Cambodian will know that Hun Sen is an eleitist power hungery brown-noser who follows the beckoning of the more powerful East Asian states. But what exactly do want to replace him with. Racist war-mongers aren't exactly an ideal candidate, yet that's exactly what Sam Rainsy has been portraying themselves to be. Ay, the whole issue of ethnic relations in post-colonial Southeast Asia could fill volumes and the Viet-Khmer relationship is just a part of that. Presenting yourself as racist isn't going to help your cause, especially for a country whose trying to get recognized by the international community. Yeah the Viets are stilling Khmer lands, but hey the Javanese are taking the Papauans' lands, the Burmese taking the Kayins' land. Don't claim your the only ones. Yes it is noble (to the extant that you believe in the nation state system) to guard your border, but bringing racism into it makes you no better than the enemies who probably considers you barbarians likewise (see pot kettle black).