Very Low Food Security

via this Mark D comment at teh Mothership.

There's already been a lot of good commentary on how horrible teh Julie Gunlock piece is so it's tough to add anything worthwhile. Well Imma try anyways.


Teh USDA page has a lot of useful descriptors and statistics regarding food insecurity. It is no wonder Gunlock didn't link it.

She is using teh stat for "very low food security" even though a substantial percentage of the "low food security" group report skipping or reducing the size of meals. What she describes as "unpleasant to be sure, but at its core, just a somewhat boring, irregular, and occasionally reduced diet" includes households where someone did not eat for an entire day. Sometimes several days a month, several months a year.

While it's true that in households with children, the adults shield teh children from hunger by going without food first - this factor is offset by the fact that households with children are more likely to suffer from food insecurity.

Regarding teh lazy bums ought to get a job so's they can afford food aspect of Gunlock's inhuman sociopathy, 85% of households with food-insecure children had at least one working adult, the majority being full-time workers.

Gunlock is offended that Sesame Workshop is creating a whole new muppet to address this minor issue which only affects a bare few million American children. This character was created specifically for this one television special. She claims the Sesame Street is "telling a fib" - but as far as can be determined from the available information and teh sneak preview clip, nothing of the kind occurs. Lily only claims to understand teh unpleasantness about "not knowing where your next meal is coming from" because her family is food insecure and has used food pantries before. Gunlock assumes that government programs and charitable organizations addressing hunger in America "will likely be absent" despite the fact that Lily specifically mentions school meal programs and that TEH ENTIRE SPECIAL IS BUILT AROUND A FOOD PANTRY BEING RUN ON SESAME STREET.

Of course, Gunlock doesn't really think her pre-schooler needs to learn about the welfare system in the U.S. Which is why this show IS AN ABOMINATION BEFORE GOD. NO ONE MUST LEARN OF ANYTHING THAT LITTLE GUNLOCK IS BEING KEPT IGNORANT OF.

It's amazing. There's this one-off Sesame Street special coming up and Julie Gunlock is offended and pissed off about it. Despite being exactly wrong about what is and is not in it. She is offended by what she imagines those dirty hippies at Sesame Workshop have cooked up in their dirty socialist puppet conspiracy. And that's the least offensive part of the column. That she's an ignorant idiot raging against an obviously irrelavent strawman pales in comparison to teh arguments she's using to tear it down. She is actually saying that millions of households experiencing very low food security - where adults are skipping meals for entire days - in teh RICHEST NATION IN THE WORLD - that is okay by her. That situation is a non-problem. Feature, not a bug. God bless those United States of America.

Good-bye Jack

Jack Layton has passed away this morning.

He was that odd thing which confuses everyone - a decent politician. He was genuinely liked and respected throughout the nation. If anything, people thought he was too naive and not cynical enough to be playing teh game. And yet he lead his party to a historic showing in the last election, the first non-Conservative and non-Liberal to be elected Leader of the Opposition.

A hippie and an idealist. The guy was a complete and total dork - but in that honest and endearing way. This is him on the campaign trail for that historic election:


It does seem like a smaller world without Jack in it.

My Generation's Reaching Out For You*

SOCIALISM!

We got our phone call from Toronto Public Health to see how things were going. They phone all new parents and "interview" them to make sure they're raising the kids in the Government Approved Prescribed Method**. I was talking about it to the mother-in-law who explained how things went back in the day. Public Health made house calls. To every home with a new baby. They didn't ask to be let in, they just flashed their "badges", barged in and inspected your baby for signs of abuse. The State wasn't acting like a nanny, it was acting like you were the nanny of their child.

Tea Party people are, by and large, geezers. They are from generations before mine, from the Olden Days when Government actually acted in the ways they claim it does now.

Maybe it's really different south of the border. Maybe you guys really do have some sort of massive Creeping Socialism thing going on. But I doubt it. Don't get me wrong, it's certainly true that the current Administration is making some pretty broad and sweeping claims to power. Suspension of habeas corpus, warrantless wiretapping, the things being done in the name of the Struggle With The Existential Threat To Civilization Posed By A Few Unhinged Religious Nutjobs, or whatever they are calling it these days. But,,,

The generation before mine was the one that got drafted to shoot the Viet Cong. The generation before that had McCarthy's witch hunts. Imagine the response to the "grassroots" Tea Party protests if they were held in the fifties.

We laugh at blue laws now, but for me - it was only twenty years ago that Government decree prevented people from shopping on Sunday. The stories I hear about the hoops one had to go through in order to purchase alcohol back then make my head spin.

All a part of that arcing moral universe bending towards justice and whatnot.

Now if the complaints against Government were that the arc was bending too slowly - that we aren't doing enough to get to that just society where people are judged by the contents of their character - then I am all in. In fact, my words to the "Moral Universe" are "Get Bent".

But that's not what Tea Partiers and conservatives in general are saying. They aren't calling for progressive changes, they aren't clamoring for moving with that arc. They are pining for the Olden days - when there wasn't as much SOCIALISM! - only that Government intruded much moar deeply and into way moar areas of your life.

Here's what I'm saying (although I recognize no one that needs to hear it is going to be reading this blog) - you are now more Free than you ever have been***. It's a bit clouded for the Tea Partiers since everything they want to do are the socially and legally mandated behaviours, but being prevented from doing things that you probably weren't going to anyways is still a loss of Freedom.

In closing, my baby is UNBELIEVABLY ADORABLE! SHE IS THE BESTEST THING IN TEH UNIVERSE (even if her hand is too small for my bourbon glass).

* Title from this song which I may have posted before, but this video is a newer version.

** Mostly that you're feeding her and that mom is recovering well. Oh, and that you are reciting the correct ideological manifestos**** to her while she sleeps.

*** Offer not valid for Bradley Manning and other Enemies Of The State.

**** This is what I mean. The concept of reading brainwashing materials to a baby as it sleeps is too ludicrous to be considered reasonable satire. Especially by those who read the Bible to their sleeping babies.

I LOVE BOOBIES*.

Thoughts stemming from an argument I'm having with T&U at teh Mothership. Here's teh basis.

I have now waded through both the Blag Hag guest post and clarification as well as the Angel of Harlots reply and Update^2 and the Butterflies and Wheels post. For me the audio on the YouTube has been replaced by classical music. WTF?!

Here's my read on what happened. Some atheist guys think that if a girl is also an atheist, they are totes "fair game". Not "fair game" as in okay to hit on sense, but "fair game" in the treat them as huntable animals sense. Some atheist women think this is fucked up bullshit that needs to stop. Some atheist guys agree. Some atheist guys think that the offended women are being oversensitive and should just get over it. Some atheists guys think that they totes aren't treating women like animals - that they are just following their biology. Some people think those atheist guys are full of shit.

D-KW's Pronouncements About Atheist Pear-gate

1. d00d, you share some interests with that girl, that's great. You want to ask her out - go ahead. But No means No. Don't hound her. Don't harass her. If she's not interested - she is not interested. Also too, staring at b00bies is only okay when you have permission or are watching teh interjizz pr0ns. Look, I likes teh BOOBIES too. Lots. But if you are face to face with someone - be face to face.

Here's a bit to halp you to understand - imagine someone staring at your package while you are talking to them. No eye contact, they are just constantly staring at your crotch. Now imagine if that someone was your mom**. Fucking weird huh? Gross and creepy. That's kinda how those women feel.

PROTIP - just because you find them attractive, that doesn't meant the feelings are necessarily reciprocated. Not to say that you are hideous, although if you need this advice, you are at least a little bit hideous. There could be any number of reasons apart from your boorish and creepy behaviour that's turning them off.

2. Fuck you with your "biological imperative" bullshit. You know what? Thems womens are feeling threatened by you, and it would be following their "biological imperative" to kill you. Huh, not such a grate argument no mores is it?

3. Are the hypersensitive feminists over-reacting? WHO FUCKING CARES? They are upset and hurt and creeped out and frustrated and THESE FEELINGS ARE REAL. You don't have to understand them, I don't have to understand them, even the women going through them don't have to understand them. It's not rocket science here. It doesn't matter if their responses are justified or not (although from the evidence I've been able to check out, I would say they are). Really it doesn't make no nevermind. Stop trying to argue about it.

Seriously. Does. Not. Matter. When you are told, plainly and simply that what you are doing is causing pain - then you stop. Otherwise you either don't give a shit about the folks you are hurting or you think they are lying (although I suppose there's the option that you are a sadistic shitbag that likes hurting others - but I like to believe that conservatives don't read my blog).

If it's case 1. and you don't care, well then you're a fucking asshole - and not in the good way. Get some help. Really. Unhealthy behaviour. Sign of psychopathy. Very Not Good. If it's case two and you think you're being trolled - that people are claiming to be hurt as some sort of powerplay - you had better hope to whatever higher power you don't believe in that you are right, because otherwise you just flagged yourself as a sociopathic asshole over a hunch. Also what one might think of as irrational behaviour.

5. The number 4 is unlucky.

6. What about the feelings of the men? It hurts to be called a chauvinist pig just because you're socially inept and have a fondness for BOOBIES. Yeah, your feelings are real too. But unless you can articulate them, express what your issues are - what the fuck is anyone supposed to do about them? And that's where the whole adult discussion part takes place. And sometimes your feelings are not that important. That you feel put upon for having to not stare at the hot chick - and yes this is despite the fact that she obviously spent a lot of time and effort to make herself so attractive - not as important as her feeling like she is going to be molested. Thems the breaks. Don't leer.

7. But those feelings are real too. Guys get frustrated all the time about all sorts of stuff. And the feeling of resentment at all of womankind is a real thing that some guys experience from time to time. Not unlike how sometimes some women sometimes have a real resentment towards all men. And, at least in my opinion, it does not matter if those feelings are rational or justified. Does. Not. Matter.

I'm not trying to even imply that women should put up with getting ogled. That's just dumb. I'm just pointing out that the folks in the position of privilege are still human beings with real feelings and if you really think "tough shit, I don't care a whit if those privileged jerkwads are upset" then you are also in the fucking asshole group.

8. So that should be the basis for the conversation. Yeah, here I am idealistically suggesting that people should honestly and openly discuss their feelings and reactions to stuff and then figure out how to go forward together. Requires that all sides engage honestly and with respect for each other.

This is why I had to admit error in that argument with T&U. Read through the Pharyngula thread and look out for Attendee. The existence of Men's Rights Advocates wrecks it. T&U called them douchebags, but douchebags are way more useful. We're talking about damaged people who have a world-view that is unmoored from reality. They literally can not comprehend that evidence discrediting their ideology can be real. Must be part of a conspiracy. They are the Young Earth Creationists of gender relations. Only difference is that Creationists are motivated by their unwavering devotion to God and MRA's are motivated by their hatred of women. It's not a plus for them. And they poison the well and make intelligent discussions about stuff like this impossible or very near to it.


* This is true. I do love BOOBIES. And maybe it is part of a cowardly and cheap ploy to keep intelligent women from reading this post and then challenging me on my beliefs. Then again maybe it's a trigger alert of it's own, warning that the post contains its fair share of chauvinism.

** This is true too, your mom stares at my package all the time.

Loughner

A potential political assassination leaving six dead any more wounded and the first thing we hear from the right (after finding out the shooter wasn't brown) is outrage about how people are politcizing the event. It was a political event.

The second thing we hear is about how Loughner isn't a Tea Party d00d, he's a deranged psycho nutcase. In fact he ain't even a conservative! He's a pot smoking, flag burning, Communist Manifesto reading leftsist. (And Mein Kampf too, the most liberal lefty book written since Jonah Goldberg said it was).

There are actually delusional idiots who are saying that this is payback for Giffords' symbolic anti-Pelosi vote.

Nevermind the deranged rants about the Gold Standard. Nevermind the obsession with declaring anything he dislikes as being "not in the Constitution". Nevermind the Ayn Rand book also on his list. Clearly a leftsist.

These idiots are completely missing the point. Loughner is a deranged paranoid delusional. Possibly schizophrenic, possibly a host of assorted crazy, possibly a victim of the government's grammar based mind-control experiments. Anyways, crazy-go-nuts bonkers woohoo woohoo ooga booga boo. It doesn't matter if he's a conservative loonytoon or a liberal loonytoon, he's a demented individual.

Loughner's politics don't matter to the criticism being levelled at the voices of conservatism right now. The problem and complaint is that too many on the right have been wallowing in violent rhetoric - in responding to every last slight as yet another rallying cry for WAR! Tip of the hat to the apparently gracious Bouffant who seems to have a magic index card for the memory hole, and is reminding us all of what that rhetoric was.

When you use gun sights to target people, with the chant of "Don't Retreat, Instead - RELOAD" that says something. And to people who are suffering from paranoid delusions, it says something pretty large. Incidentally, reloading was what Jared Loughner was doing when he was finally stopped.

Don't kid yourselves conservatives. Go ahead and search all you want for the scraplings of violently angry lefty comments - the basic fact is that it's the right that constantly wallows in gun culture and mindless devotion to all things military and related to war.

But I'm a lefty liberal loonie. Free Speech is one of those important concepts for me. Maybe this is a good time to talk about what reasonable limits on that are, like yelling Fire! in a crowded theatre or libel or more relevantly, hate speech and the incitement of violent crime. But those are contentious points and society redraws the lines defining those categories everyday. Perhaps this tragic incident will put a bit more emphasis the line marking "incitement of violent crime". But I can understand how a rational person might see that as a negative, even now.

Instead, what I'd like to address is something that shouldn't be contentious or controversial at all right now. MBouffant again (days if not weeks ahead of me on this one) gets to the point. I think we're pretty much all agreed that Loughner is seriously mentally disturbed and could have used some professional psychiatric help and possibly pharmaceutical treatment. This attack clearly shows that providing treatment for mental illness is a societal good, it's a strong argument in favour of government funded mental health.

I admit that I am not a fan of Obama's final Health Care Reform package, but credit where due - mental health and treatment for addiction are both part of the Essential Benefits package. The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act has endorsements from the American Psychiatric Association, the American Psychological Association Practice Organization, Mental Health America, the National Alliance on Mental Illness, and who knows how many others. In the wake of yet another senseless attack on civilians by a mentally disturbed individual, perhaps we can all agree on the need to treat these people, regardless of who's on the hook for the bill, before incidents like this happen.

Condolences

My thoughts are with the people of Tucson, Arizona.

Teh Obion County Fire

So anyways, teh Obion County Fire. I'm sure we all know the story: Guy doesn't pay his $75 annual subscription fee, his house catches fire, the Fire Department lets it burn. Libertarians and right-wing nutjobs continue to display there utter lack of humanity by saying it was teh right thing to do [no link, I'm sure you can find plenty on your own].
Anyways, I made my position on it pretty clear at the Mothership.

As it turns out, it's been a pretty bad week for "compassionate" conservatism, with the Tea Party coming out against animal cruelty. This is related because as it happens, there were three dogs and a cat in that Obion County house.

I guess in Right Wing World, the horrifically cruel deaths of house pets is a small price to pay to keep them Cranicks from spongeing off their neighbours. Or rather, in the light of the Cranick's offer to pay whatever cost there was - what was really saved was an opportunity to be smugly judgemental and condescending towards a family just after they've lost everything.