Wednesday Morning Male Beauty

Obama to Leno: "I Have No Patience' for the Persecution of Gay People in Russia"

On the Jay Leno show, Barack Obama said nice words about his opposition to what is happening to gays in Russia.  However, as is always the case with Obama, the question is whether those nice words will translate into concrete actions.  I for one, will not be holding my breath.  After all, we still have no ENDA like executive order protecting federal employees and those working for government contractors.  Towleroad looks at the Leno-Obama exchange:

President Obama appeared on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno last night and offered a broad interview on a number of current topics, one of which was the current situation with Russia. After a discussion of the Edward Snowden NSA case, Leno expressed his dismay at Russia's anti-gay laws, and wondered why it isn't a bigger story?

Leno:

"This seems like Germany - let's round up the Jews, let's round up the gays, let's round up the...it starts with that. You round up people you don't like. Why isn't more of the world outraged at this?"

Obama:

"I've been very clear that when it comes to universal rights, when it comes to people's basic freedoms, that whether you are discriminating on the basis of race, religion, gender, or sexual orientation, you are violating the basic morality that should transcend every country, and I have no patience for countries that try to treat gays or lesbians or transgender persons in ways that intimidate them or are harmful to them.”

Obama then brought up the situations he encountered on his recent trip to Africa:

"What's happening in Russia is not unique. When I traveled to Africa there were some countries that are doing a lot of good things for their people, who we're working with and helping on development issues but in some cases have persecuted gays and lesbians and it makes for some uncomfortable press conferences sometimes but one of the things that I think is very important for me to speak out on is making sure that people are treated fairly and justly because that's what we stand for and I believe that's not a preset that's not just unique to America but should apply everywhere."

Again, the question is whether these correct words lead to action or remain merely words.  Mr. Obama, are you listening?

A Hard Landing for the Middle Class

The Republican Party is working hard to bring a return of the so-called Gilded Age  - a time when the robber barons made countless millions while most people struggled to survive.  The time period was reflected in that days main modes of travel: private railroad cars for the wealthy and fabulous accommodations on transatlantic liners while the rest of us - certainly my father's parents emigrating from Austria-Hungry prior to WWI and my mother's Irish grandmother - were relegated to steerage.  Nowadays, we are seeing the vast gulf in travel accommodations reflected in air travel where first class and business class amenities are expanding while coach class - today's equivalent of steerage - is getting ever more cramped and no frills.  A column in the Washington Post looks at the trend as we move into the GOP's new Gilded Age.  Here are excerpts:

It’s August, and Americans by the millions are cramming themselves into coach-class seats as they embark on their summer vacations. Those able to learn from adversity might ponder this: Airline seating may be the best concrete expression of what’s happened to the economy in recent decades.

Airlines are sparing no expense these days to enlarge, upgrade and increase the price of their first-class and business-class seating. As the space and dollars devoted to the front of the planes increase, something else has to be diminished, and, as multitudes of travelers can attest, it’s the experience of flying coach. The joys of air travel — once common to all who flew — have been redistributed upward and are now reserved for the well-heeled few.

The new business-class seats that Lufthansa is installing convert to quasi-beds that are 6 feet 6 inches long and two feet wide, the New York Times’ Jad Mouawad reports. The price for working, eating, drinking and sleeping on this commodious couch, round-trip from Kennedy airport to Frankfurt and back, is a cool $5,000.

Lufthansa is hardly alone. Delta, United and American have all announced plans to upgrade their business-class seats for cross-country and transcontinental flights. Then there’s Emirates, which now sells first-class suites — complete with a shower — that go for a tidy $19,000 on the New York-Dubai route.

At the other end of the economic spectrum, low-cost airlines that re-create the thrill of traveling in steerage are thriving, too. The new business model, apparently, is to shrink the seats, charge extra for everything and offer nothing for free that might be construed as an amenity. That’s certainly the credo of Spirit Airlines, which charges its benumbed passengers a fee for their carry-on bags, $3 for water and $10 for printing out boarding passes and whose seats don’t recline. Spirit boasts one of the highest profit margins in the industry . . . . It also ranks dead last in customer satisfaction — indeed, in last year’s Consumer Reports survey, it had one of the lowest overall customer satisfaction scores of any company in any industry that the magazine had ever surveyed.

But people fly Spirit Airlines because the fares are what they can afford.

The upgrading of business and the downgrading of coach present a fairly faithful mirror of what’s happening in the larger economy: the disappearance of the middle class. As University of California-Berkeley economist Emmanuel Saez has documented, between 2009 and 2011, the incomes of the wealthiest 1 percent of American families grew by 11.2 percent while those of the remaining 99 percent shrunk by 0.4 percent. Median household income has declined every year since 2008. Profits, meanwhile, have risen to their highest share of the nation’s economy since World War II, while wages have sunk to their lowest share.

Airplanes, like stagnating economies, are finite, and if one class takes up more space or commands more resources, the other class gets less.The U.S. economy has not stagnated over the past four decades, but so much of its wealth has been claimed by the very top that most Americans have experienced it as a zero-sum game in which they’ve lost ground. As tax rules favored the wealthy, as employees lost the power to bargain for their wages, as globalization reduced the incomes of millions of workers, the rich grew richer at everyone else’s expense.

The Tea Party’s Path to Irrelevance

One of the things most notable about today's Republican Party is the embrace by the party base of ignorance, bigotry, and racism, the later being openly displayed by the push for voter ID laws to disenfranchise blacks and opposition to immigration reform which is openly anti-Hispanic.  Fueling this trend is the Tea Party and white supremacist Christofascists like The Family Foundation here in Virginia.  While the Tea Party/Christofascist overlap is not complete, some 85% of the Tea Party crowd describes itself as conservative Christian.  Both groups are fighting a rear guard battle against modernity and demographic changes that are irreversible.  It's a case of long term political suicide.  The only question is how long before these bigotry filled Neanderthals drag the GOP to irrelevance.  I would argue, not soon enough.  An op-ed column in the New York Times looks at the lessons the GOP ought to learn from history.  And by history, I mean real history, not Christofascist revisionist history.  Here are some column highlights:

THE Tea Party has a new crusade: preventing illegal immigrants from gaining citizenship, which they say is giving amnesty to lawbreakers. Judson Phillips, the founder of Tea Party Nation, recently told Politico that his members were “more upset about the amnesty bill than they were about Obamacare.”

They’re so upset, in fact, that Republican supporters of immigration reform, like Senators Marco Rubio of Florida and Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, have become marked men in their party, while House Republicans have followed the Tea Party lead by refusing to even consider the Senate’s bipartisan reform plan. 

Tea Partyers often style themselves as disciples of Thomas Jefferson, the high apostle of limited government. But by taking the ramparts against immigration, the movement is following a trajectory that looks less like the glorious arc of Jefferson’s Republican Party than the suicidal path of Jefferson’s great rivals, the long-forgotten Federalists, who also refused to accept the inexorable changes of American demography.

The Federalists began as the faction that supported the new Constitution, . . . .   Culturally, however, they were identified with the ancient stock of New England and the mid-Atlantic . . .

The Federalists held together for the first few decades, but in 1803 the Louisiana Purchase — Jefferson’s great coup — drove a wedge between the party’s ideology and its demography. The national party was suddenly faced with a nation that looked very different from what it knew: in a stroke, a vast new territory would be opened for colonization, creating new economic and political interests, slavery among them. 

“The people of the East can not reconcile their habits, views and interests with those of the South and West,” declared Thomas Pickering, a leading Massachusetts Federalist.

Fearing that Irish, English and German newcomers would vote for the Jeffersonian Republicans, they [the Federalists] argued — unsuccessfully — for excluding immigrants from voting or holding office, and pushed to extend the period of naturalization from 5 to 14 years. Leading Federalists even plotted to “establish a separate government in New England,” 

Finally, in the fall of 1814, the Federalists convened the Hartford Convention to vote on whether to stay in or out of the Union. By then even the hotheads realized how little support they had, and the movement collapsed. And the Federalists, now scorned as an anti-national party, collapsed as well. 

Today’s Republicans are not likely to disappear completely, like the Federalists did. But Republican leaders like Mr. Rubio and Mr. Graham understand that a party that seeks to defy demography, relying on white resentment toward a rising tide of nonwhite newcomers, dooms itself to permanent minority status. 

The problem is that the Tea Party is not a party, and its members are quite prepared to ride their hobbyhorse into a dead end. And many Republicans, at least in the House, seem fully prepared to join them there, and may end up dragging the rest of the party with them. 

The example of those early days shows that American political parties once knew how to adapt to a changing reality. It is a lesson many seem to have forgotten. 

I doubt that the Tea Party/Christofascists will learn from history.  Why? First because they don't know accurate history.  Second, because they are too wrapped up in the own supposed exceptionalism and ignorance to see the handwriting on the wall. When I see a vehicle locally that has a Tea Party license plate - Virginia allows all kinds of plates to generate money - I cannot help but think, why not put a bumper sticker on ones car that reads "I'm a cretin."

 

More Tuesday Male Beauty

Victim of Anti-Gay Torture in Russia Reportedly Has Died

Things are becoming increasingly dangerous for LGBT individuals in Russia as uncontrolled violence against gays continues to increase.   Worse yet, police and government authorities are doing nothing to stop the violence or to punish those behind the violence, including Neo-Nazi groups.  Now, yet another life has seeming been lost to homophobic violence.   The victim is pictured in the image above surrounded by his torturers.    It is all part of a move towards fascism that is being aided and abetted by the Russian Orthodox Church.  Blogger friend  and fellow Bilerico Project contributor Patricia Nell Warren describes it well, including the role of the Russian Orthodox Church which promoted anti-Jewish pogroms under the Tzars:

The ultraconservative Russian Orthodox Church is reoccupying Russia, and Putin supports their "moral" policies. So gays are not the only ones being persecuted. Women's rights are ending, as are the freedom-of-thought rights of anyone who isn't a Russian Orthodox believer. In a word, Russia is moving towards fascism on all fronts.

Here are highlights from a post derived from a gay rights activist in Russia who is undergoing threats himself:

According to the human right activist, Dr. Valentin Degtyarev, MD, who closely monitors infamous Neo Nazi group "Occupy Pedofilyaj", the Uzbek victim shown on this photo tragically died as a result of numerous tortures.  No arrests have been made and no charges were pressed. Putin's law enforcement seems to fully condone these actions.  Moreover, Dr. Degtyarev's numerous written complains to the authorities only resulted in his own persecution and threats directed at him and his 72 years old mother.  In the official correspondence from the local District Attorney office and Governor's office it was explained that Russian authorities do not see any wrongdoings in the video clips or photographs posted by Neo Nazi group "Occupy Pedofilyaj." Actually, the authorities referred to this group as one of the  "civil movements fighting the sins of the society."  

Dr. Degtyarev is routinely approached and offended on the street, receives numerous threats via mail, phone, SMS and email. He is not alone in his fight though.

Another brave activist dared to stand-up to this gang. His name is Artem Gorodilov. This LGBT rights activist was kidnapped in the middle of the night and brought to the local cemetery in Kamensk-Uralsky city (Sverdlovsk district). He was tortured and bullied there for being gay, spreading "gay propaganda" on the Internet and complaining about this hate group to the authorities. Eventually this Nazi group dismantled a huge wooden cross from one of the graves nearby and made Mr. Gorodilov to run with it for his life while being chased by their car. This incident caught attention of the local branch of the Russian Orthodox church who thought that the Nazi group displayed a disrespect to the Holy Cross and offended feelings of their believers thus the church representatives complained to the police. As a result, these Nazi group was brought by the police for questioning and immediately released.

Here is a full video of the horrific night at the cemetery. Mr. Gorodilov was brought to the grave of another victim of this Neo Nazi group that was driven to the suicide by them. One of the perpetrators was glad to point out this fact on the video:

 This is what the International Olympic Committee is condoning if it doesn't move the 2014 Games from Russia.  Its disgusting and frightening.

The Chorus to Move the 2014 Winter Games is Growing

As past posts and the one scheduled to publish after this one have tried to make clear, what is happening in Russia with the persecution of gays is frighteningly similar to what was done to the Jews by the Nazis  with horrifying results.  It is also similar to what was done by the Russian Monarchy at the goading of, you guessed, the Russian Orthodox Church which has an ugly history of bigotry and hatred to those of differing beliefs.  From the get go, I have said that the International Olympic Committee needs to move the games.  Others are joining the refrain, including George Takei who wrote the following post:

The International Olympic Committee’s fundamental principles include an unequivocal statement: “The practice of sport is a human right. Every individual must have the possibility of practising sport, without discrimination of any kind and in the Olympic spirit, which requires mutual understanding with a spirit of friendship, solidarity and fair play.” In specific response to the Russian law, the IOC, in a recent interview, doubled down: “[We] would like to reiterate our long commitment to not discriminate against those taking part in the Olympic Games. The IOC is an open organization and athletes of all orientations will be welcome at the Games.” It appears Russia isn’t listening, and indeed now has raised the stakes by threatening arrests.

There have been urgent calls for boycotts of the Olympics and of Russian exports like vodka. These are understandable: It just doesn’t seem right to see any of our dollars flowing to that nation. But a boycott of the games would punish athletes who have trained for years to participate, and a boycott of Russian vodka isn’t going to effect the kind of change needed. Besides, with Russia’s confirmation that it will enforce its law, our LGBT athletes are in real danger, and their safety must be paramount.

Many believe that such a call to move the Olympics out of Russia goes too far. Would this be their opinion if the law instead called for the arrest of any Jews, Roman Catholics or Muslims should they display any sign of their religion, such as a wearing a yamaka or praying while facing Mecca? Discrimination in any form is a blight upon the Winter Games, and it must not be tolerated.

NBC and the corporate sponsors of the Olympics should be paying close attention, too, and should get behind the “Move the Olympics” movement now, while there is still time to do so. If the Winter Olympics proceed in Sochi, Russia, all of the goodwill they have spent millions to build will evaporate in noisy protests, boycotts, and terrible publicity. I personally will be beating this particular drum loudly, as will many other LGBT actors, activists and allies. Trust me, if you are a corporate brand, you do not want to be associated with the Sochi Olympics.

Nations are not judged merely on their might, but also by how they treat their most vulnerable. Russia’s cynical and deplorable actions against the LGBT community have given license to hate groups within its borders to act with violence and impunity against a group, based solely on whom they were born to love. It now seeks to spread that hate abroad through its tainted Olympics. 

If Russia hopes to stand with the International Community, it must accept and adopt international principles of equality and non-discrimination. There is a petition gathering strength demanding the Olympics be relocated to Vancouver, which played host in 2010. All of the facilities are still in good condition, so this would likely be the easiest of possible alternatives. If you agree, and I hope you do, please take a few moments to sign the petition here. With enough support, maybe the IOC and the sponsors will realize that this is a disaster in the making, and the best course is to move immediately and decisively to relocate the Winter Games of 2014.

I hope readers join with me in signing the petition to move the Winter Games from Russia.   

Educational Levels and Denomination - Biblical Literalism or Low IQ: Which Came First?

I've looked at this issue before, but it is worth keeping in mind that educational level and belief in Bible inerrancy are inversely related.  The lower the level of education, the higher the belief in the Bible as the inerrant word of God by denomination as shown in the chart above.   By extension, this means that arguably, the fundamentalist base of the GOP holds similarly low levels of education.  Here are highlights from Discover Magazine:

As I observed the “truth” which I had extracted out of the data is rather banal; I doubt it surprised anyone that a “fundamentalist” attitude toward religious scripture tends to be associated with low cognitive ability. The correlation here is probably not one of simple causality in either direction. It seems the most plausible model is one which notes that various denominations tend to have particular socioeconomic profiles which shape a general cultural outlook. In the American South this was made most explicit, with a rank order of status from Episcopalians, to Presbyterians, to Methodists, to Baptists, and finally on down to marginal sectarians.

What I think is going on is simply what we might term the Wisdom of the Crowds; people conform to the social and religious group which they identify with. Biblical literalism flourishes because most people trust pastors and parents who preach it. Similarly, a more metaphorical reading flourishes because authorities in other denominations reject fundamentalism.

Mainline Protestant denominations and Roman Catholicism has relatively high educational standards for its clergy and theological professionals. At the other end of the spectrum many evangelical Protestant sects have no such requirement. The Assemblies of God is a good example of this phenomenon, in this sect higher educational experience can even be perceived as corrupting.

Tuesday Morning Male Beauty

The new U. S. Created Al-Qaeda Menace

As countless media outlets are reporting, the U.S. is closing embassies and consulates around parts of the world and has issued travel alerts for Americans traveling abroad.  Yes, Al Qaeda is a vile organization and yes, it did launch the 9-11 attacks on America.  And Al Qaeda represents religious based hate and extremism at its worse.  Yet throughout the latest dire warnings what is missing is any recognition that America's fool's errands in Iraq and Afghanistan have made the problem of Al Qaeda worse in the long run.  What better recruiting materials could one ask for than unpunished atrocities committed by American troops even as the Obama administration has sought to vigorously prosecute those like Bradley Manning who have exposed some of the foul deeds done ostensibly in America's name.  A column in the Washington Post looks at the situation.  Here are highlights:

If the new, decentralized al-Qaeda is such a threat that 19 U.S. embassies, consulates and other diplomatic posts have to be shuttered for a week, we have a decade of wrongheaded U.S. policy to blame.

The Arab Spring contributed by creating power vacuums for militant anti-Western jihadists to exploit. But myopic decision-making in Washington clearly played a huge role — and while I hope we’re getting smarter, I have my doubts.

President Obama’s decision to order the closure of U.S. outposts in much of the Muslim world drew rare bipartisan support on Capitol Hill . . . 

It’s hard to argue with prudent caution. At the same time, though, it’s hard to understand just how worried we should be. Osama bin Laden lies in a watery grave. His organization, once based in Afghanistan, is decimated. Regularly we hear news of someone described as an al-Qaeda lieutenant being blasted to his reward by a drone-fired missile. There is a disconnect between these successes and the need to close so many U.S. facilities — while issuing a general warning to travelers — in fear of another attack.

The truth is that U.S. foreign policy helped to create the decentralized al-Qaeda, a branch of which is believed to be trying to launch some kind of strike.

The most fateful choice, and the biggest strategic error, was the decision to invade Iraq. George W. Bush’s epic misadventure diverted resources and attention from the war in Afghanistan, giving a reprieve to the Taliban. The Iraq war also provided new focal points for jihadist grievance — Abu Ghraib, for example — and gave new oxygen to the simmering intra-Muslim conflict between Sunni and Shiite.

Obama has waged what amounts to a campaign of targeted assassination, decimating the ranks of the various al-Qaeda branches. This strategy has the obvious merit of not putting American lives at risk. But the inevitable collateral damage — deaths of civilians, destruction of infrastructure — helps recruit new al-Qaeda conscripts.

My argument with Obama’s policies is not that the president has tried too hard to end the “war on terror,” as hawks allege. It’s that he hasn’t tried hard enough to leave behind the “war” metaphor as ill-suited to a struggle that is fundamentally ideological.

We should think in terms of engagement, not intervention. We should spend more money projecting “soft power” and less projecting military force. We should recognize that the rest of the world will not necessarily shape itself to fit our wishes. And our goal should be to have fewer anti-American terrorists in the world, not more.