Unnecessary Censorship
As long as there have been books, there have been dumbasses trying to ban them, and American dumbasses are among the most obnoxious, Jesus-freaked, and delicate-fee-fee’d in the civilized world. Even with the pandemic, there were 156 cases of attempted book banning in 2020 (nearly 13,000 attempts over the last 39 years), which is why an important group has designated this Banned Books Week:
Continued...
The top 5 banned books last year were (cue the sound of conservative Christians grinding their teeth): George by Alex Gino; Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You by Ibram X. Kendi and Jason Reynolds; All American Boys by Jason Reynolds and Brendan Kiely; Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson; and The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie. Kudos to you all, you’re definitely worth reading.
See the various events scheduled for this week here. The closest I ever came to banning a book from our house was the time I almost tossed an Ann Coulter screed in the trash. How it got here in the first place is still a mystery, but we held on to it. Great doorstop.
And now, our feature presentation...
Cheers and Jeers for Monday, September 27, 2021
Note: Sorry, no note today because I'm too busy. Wait a minute…I think that sentence qualifies as a note, thus fulfilling my contractual obligation and staving off your class-action lawsuit. Ha ha, sucks to be you.
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By the Numbers:
#39 completes another trip around the sun Friday.
Days 'til Jimmy Carter's 97th birthday: 4
Days 'til Boss's Day: Who Cares?
Percent of Americans surveyed by Pew Research who identify as Democrats and Republicans, respectively: 51%, 42%
Percent of Americans polled by Fox News who believe abortion should be legal, a record high: 65%
Percent of Virginians polled by PPP who believe abortion should be legal, which Democratic gubernatorial candidate Terry McAuliffe agrees with but his red-hatted cult challenger does not: 79%
Percent chance that the red-hatted cultist Lt. Governor candidate in Virginia was caught deleting "rabidly anti-abortion" positions on her campaign website, including calling the procedure "wicked," to falsely moderate her image: 100%
Americans polled by Ipsos in 2017 and this month, respectively, who believe climate change is primarily caused by human activity: 51%, 55%
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Puppy Pic of the Day: Adopted by a guardian of the galaxy…
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CHEERS to a second bite at the winner's circle. Finally—the Maricopa County, Arizona "audit" of the 2020 election results is over, and here's a Trump critic who sums it up all neat and tidy-like:
The final report shows that incumbent Donald Trump committed grand larceny after it was revealed that challenger (and winner) Joe Biden was robbed of several hundred votes, which were retroactively returned to the current president. So my profound thanks go out to the Cyber Ninjas for stopping the steal. And also: now that Trump has heard about the unfavorable results, may God have mercy on their bamboo fiber-infused souls.
ACH DU SIEBRHIMMEL GOTTERUNTERDAMMERANGENKEITELSMITTLE VERVORHEICHT ENSEICHTEN to filling a rather large pair of lederhosen. Speaking of ballots, elections were held in Germany over the weekend to choose Angela Merkel's successor, and as of this morning the winner is…
Embedded Content
Needless to say, the Cyber Ninjas have been booked on the earliest possible flight.
CHEERS to the Founding Rabble Rouser. Happy birthday to scrappy Samuel Adams—second cousin to fellow hothead John—born 299 years ago today. His message in a nutshell: "Tyranny bad! Freedom good!"
And bonus points for this: “Beer and chocolate are two pleasures that should be enjoyed and savored." Pay your respects here. Then toast him with...I dunno, how about an ice-cold Sam Adams? (Or as he likes to say: "Slide me down a Mini Me.")
CHEERS to bad news. And by that I mean the good news kind of bad news, which it apparently is for some of the dingleberries who occupied the White House circa 2017-2021, and their allies. It would appear that the bipartisan House January 6 committee isn’t messing around, and the villains are having a dickens of a time protecting themselves from the discovery of their dark deeds. In no particular order:
It’s gonna be an interesting October.
CHEERS to the new kid on America's block. 232 years ago this week, in 1789, Thomas Jefferson was appointed America’s first Secretary of State. Actual transcript of Day One:
History. Gives ya chills.
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Ten years ago in C&J: September 27, 2011
CHEERS and JEERS to mexed missages. Well, this is a few thousand years late: Saudi Arabia says it'll soon let women vote and run for office. But, as the entire world press corps has been quick to point out, driving will remain illegal. So, to sum up: if you're a Saudi woman you'll be able to help take your country to new heights of national unity and achievement, but you still won't be able to take your kid to soccer practice.
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And just one more…
CHEERS to Brian and Stewie’s fantastic voyage. If science had been taught like this where I went to school, I might have paid attention. This won’t sway any anti-vaxxers, but it’s fun for the rest of us, anyway:
YouTube Video
And on that note...
Have a tolerable Monday. Floor's open...What are you cheering and jeering about today?
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As long as there have been books, there have been dumbasses trying to ban them, and American dumbasses are among the most obnoxious, Jesus-freaked, and delicate-fee-fee’d in the civilized world. Even with the pandemic, there were 156 cases of attempted book banning in 2020 (nearly 13,000 attempts over the last 39 years), which is why an important group has designated this Banned Books Week:
Continued...
Banned Books Week brings together the entire book community—librarians, booksellers, publishers, journalists, teachers, and readers of all types—in shared support of the freedom to seek and to express ideas, even those some consider unorthodox or unpopular.
Banned Books Week 2021 will be held September 26– October 2.
The theme of this year’s event proclaims “Books Unite Us, Censorship Divides Us.”
By focusing on efforts across the country to remove or restrict access to books, Banned Books Week draws national attention to the harms of censorship.
The top 5 banned books last year were (cue the sound of conservative Christians grinding their teeth): George by Alex Gino; Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You by Ibram X. Kendi and Jason Reynolds; All American Boys by Jason Reynolds and Brendan Kiely; Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson; and The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie. Kudos to you all, you’re definitely worth reading.
See the various events scheduled for this week here. The closest I ever came to banning a book from our house was the time I almost tossed an Ann Coulter screed in the trash. How it got here in the first place is still a mystery, but we held on to it. Great doorstop.
And now, our feature presentation...
-
Cheers and Jeers for Monday, September 27, 2021
Note: Sorry, no note today because I'm too busy. Wait a minute…I think that sentence qualifies as a note, thus fulfilling my contractual obligation and staving off your class-action lawsuit. Ha ha, sucks to be you.
-
By the Numbers:
#39 completes another trip around the sun Friday.
Days 'til Jimmy Carter's 97th birthday: 4
Days 'til Boss's Day: Who Cares?
Percent of Americans surveyed by Pew Research who identify as Democrats and Republicans, respectively: 51%, 42%
Percent of Americans polled by Fox News who believe abortion should be legal, a record high: 65%
Percent of Virginians polled by PPP who believe abortion should be legal, which Democratic gubernatorial candidate Terry McAuliffe agrees with but his red-hatted cult challenger does not: 79%
Percent chance that the red-hatted cultist Lt. Governor candidate in Virginia was caught deleting "rabidly anti-abortion" positions on her campaign website, including calling the procedure "wicked," to falsely moderate her image: 100%
Americans polled by Ipsos in 2017 and this month, respectively, who believe climate change is primarily caused by human activity: 51%, 55%
-
Puppy Pic of the Day: Adopted by a guardian of the galaxy…
-
CHEERS to a second bite at the winner's circle. Finally—the Maricopa County, Arizona "audit" of the 2020 election results is over, and here's a Trump critic who sums it up all neat and tidy-like:
The final report shows that incumbent Donald Trump committed grand larceny after it was revealed that challenger (and winner) Joe Biden was robbed of several hundred votes, which were retroactively returned to the current president. So my profound thanks go out to the Cyber Ninjas for stopping the steal. And also: now that Trump has heard about the unfavorable results, may God have mercy on their bamboo fiber-infused souls.
ACH DU SIEBRHIMMEL GOTTERUNTERDAMMERANGENKEITELSMITTLE VERVORHEICHT ENSEICHTEN to filling a rather large pair of lederhosen. Speaking of ballots, elections were held in Germany over the weekend to choose Angela Merkel's successor, and as of this morning the winner is…
Embedded Content
Needless to say, the Cyber Ninjas have been booked on the earliest possible flight.
CHEERS to the Founding Rabble Rouser. Happy birthday to scrappy Samuel Adams—second cousin to fellow hothead John—born 299 years ago today. His message in a nutshell: "Tyranny bad! Freedom good!"
Adams’s contributions to the independence movement were many and varied.
Ironic fact: Adams failed as a brewer.
During the 1760s and 1770s he frequently wrote polemical articles for the Boston newspapers, and he recruited talented younger men—Josiah Quincy, Joseph Warren, and his second cousin John Adams, among others—into the Patriot cause.
It was Samuel Adams who conceived of the Boston Committee of Correspondence and took a leading role in its formation and operations from 1772 through 1774. He was among those who planned and coordinated Boston’s resistance to the Tea Act, which climaxed in the famous Tea Party, and he later worked for the creation of the Continental Congress, helping propel it into supporting Massachusetts in the crisis.
And bonus points for this: “Beer and chocolate are two pleasures that should be enjoyed and savored." Pay your respects here. Then toast him with...I dunno, how about an ice-cold Sam Adams? (Or as he likes to say: "Slide me down a Mini Me.")
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BRIEF SANITY BREAK
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END BRIEF SANITY BREAK
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CHEERS to bad news. And by that I mean the good news kind of bad news, which it apparently is for some of the dingleberries who occupied the White House circa 2017-2021, and their allies. It would appear that the bipartisan House January 6 committee isn’t messing around, and the villains are having a dickens of a time protecting themselves from the discovery of their dark deeds. In no particular order:
» Politico: Lawyers for multiple riot defendants who have already pleaded guilty say they have received communications from the panel in recent days requesting their clients’ cooperation. … Some of those accused of storming the Capitol have since renounced earlier claims that the election was stolen and have pinned their actions on Trump, suggesting they were duped into descending on D.C. and believed they were carrying out his wishes.
Look at all that hugging and kissing.
» CNN: President Joe Biden generally does not expect to assert executive privilege to shield Trump-era records from being seen by a congressional committee investigating the January 6 insurrection attempt, the White House said on Friday. "We take this matter incredibly seriously," White House press secretary Jen Psaki said in a Friday press briefing. "The President has already concluded that it would not be appropriate to assert executive privilege."
» NPR: [The] committee has issued subpoenas to four former Trump administration officials, including former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows and strategist Steve Bannon. Subpoenas were also issued Thursday evening to Dan Scavino, a former Trump White House deputy chief of staff for communications, and Kashyap Patel, who was chief of staff to then-acting Defense Secretary Christopher Miller.
It’s gonna be an interesting October.
CHEERS to the new kid on America's block. 232 years ago this week, in 1789, Thomas Jefferson was appointed America’s first Secretary of State. Actual transcript of Day One:
History. Gives ya chills.
-
Ten years ago in C&J: September 27, 2011
CHEERS and JEERS to mexed missages. Well, this is a few thousand years late: Saudi Arabia says it'll soon let women vote and run for office. But, as the entire world press corps has been quick to point out, driving will remain illegal. So, to sum up: if you're a Saudi woman you'll be able to help take your country to new heights of national unity and achievement, but you still won't be able to take your kid to soccer practice.
-
And just one more…
CHEERS to Brian and Stewie’s fantastic voyage. If science had been taught like this where I went to school, I might have paid attention. This won’t sway any anti-vaxxers, but it’s fun for the rest of us, anyway:
YouTube Video
-
And on that note...
Have a tolerable Monday. Floor's open...What are you cheering and jeering about today?
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