Friday, March 30, 2012

Rick Santorum Calls Obama A "Government N*gga" - It Never Stops

I can't believe it. When it rains it seems to pour.

Santorum was speaking at a rally in Janesville, Wisconsin, still locked in the ferocious nomination battle with Mitt Romney and still desperate to become the true conservative standard-bearer of the Republican party.
"We know the candidate Barack Obama, what he was like – the anti-war government nig …" he seems to say, then suddenly stopping, and changing tack to add: "America was a source for division around the world, that what we were doing was wrong."

 It seem incredible and yet enough wiggle room that people can believe it didn't happen. Did Rick Santorum really refer to the first Black President of the United States by such an ugly and racist word? As a black man raised in the United States, I can't say I'd be surprised - not shock but a more of an attitude of having my own suspicions proved correct.  Personally, I think that most of President Obama's critics and political opponents frequently refer to him this way in private.

People are divided on whether or not its true or not. I admit that I don't know Santorum's heart and I can't read his mind, but I don't see how this is not a Freudian slip.



I’ve watched this video 14.5 times.  I’ve meditated on it, prayed over it, laid hands on it, and sent it to my mama.   I had to take a moment to thank God that Rick Santorum, in his conservative brilliance, has finally released videotaped evidence of the kind of smoking gun that many millions of us can use to prove that he is every bit as racist as we’ve always known him to be. -  Dr Boyce Watkins Source


Not everyone agrees, but sees other possibility.

It is hard to think of exactly what word Santorum was about to use. What word beginning with "nig-" comes naturally after government? It has been suggested he was trying to say "-nik", as in peacenik or beatnik. That is possible. Or perhaps, it was some non-specific verbal tic: a random vowel-consonent flub. - Paul Harris Source

Okay. I don't buy it. But Okay. Here is the offending part of the speech.





Here are three articles on this.
Rick Santorum: another slip of the tongue but was it the 'N-word'?
Did Rick Santorum almost say the n-word during speech?
Rick Santorum Calls Obama A "Government N*gga" | News One

Intelligence of Tweeters [Pic]

Intelligence of Tweeters [Pic]

Disgrasian: Where The Killing Of A Fictional Black Child Exposes How We Feel About The Killing Of A Real Black Child | K Tempest Tumbles

I recently posted a short blog article that basically argues that the killing of Trayvon Martin and the controversy of black characters in the movie/book series Hunger Games are both parts of the same poisonous tree of American racism. How little things really change. I came across a very insightful article on Tumblr in which an article discusses how society feels about the killing of fictional black youths correlate to how it feels about killing real people. I think the point is true.

What I’ve been stewing over for the last few weeks is exactly that, that there’s a sickening bottom line in this country, and it is simply that certain people’s lives are valued less than others. I don’t know how we continue on as a society knowing this. Because a society where mothers of black boys have to worry that when their children run out for candy, they might never come back–that society is broken. A society where the Muslim mother of five children could be beaten to death in her own bed where her killer left a note that reads “go back to your country, you terrorist” is a society that demands to be fixed. Every piece of legislation that criminalizes a person’s skin color–whether with regard to immigration or homeland security or law enforcement–needs to be challenged. Every cultural message that says one race is “less than” another needs to be checked. Is it a movie we’re watching about a dystopia that doesn’t give a shit about its disenfranchised or are we living it? The line for me has become increasingly blurred.

 I should point out that this point really isn't new. For years there has been discussion of how black characters in movies and television have been treated as fodder. Y'know the trope: The token black guy always dies by the end of the movie. I can think of very few example where black supporting characters (male or female) does not get killed.  We all know that stories have more resonance when a character you care about dies, but why is seemingly always the black friend of the white main character? It's become cliche. You know the black guy/girls screen time is numbered the moment they are introduced. Perhaps this has carried through to real life in how some people think about black people. I was horrified to hear that people card less about one of the characters in Hunger Games when they realized she was a black girl. Sad. Really sad.

Disgrasian: Where The Killing Of A Fictional Black Child Exposes How We Feel About The Killing Of A Real Black Child | K Tempest Tumbles

Watch The Snob Discuss the Trayvon Martin Case on BBC World "Have Your Say" - The Snob Blog - Danielle Belton's The Black Snob

I have found that Danielle Belton's blog really useful for news and insightful commentary. She has been posting some articles on the Trayvon Martin case and she recently appeared on a BBC show discussing the case.




Watch The Snob Discuss the Trayvon Martin Case on BBC World "Have Your Say" - The Snob Blog - Danielle Belton's The Black Snob

Thursday, March 29, 2012

Webcomic Reimagines Shooting Victim Trayvon Martin As Spider-Man

I just read a real good summary of the Trayvon Martin case.

One of the most ridiculous details from the tragic shooting of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin is that his George Zimmerman – who shot Martin in what he claims was self-defense — felt threatened because Martin was wearing a hoodie. The youth didn’t appear to have a weapon or to be acting in a threatening manner, and yet Zimmerman racially profiled him all the same.

A recent web comic strip spotlight how silly it is to judge a person by solely their outward appearance. We all do it, unfortunately. Maybe Trayvon Martin might still be alive had Zimmerman not done that.


Tor.com noticed this strip from webcomic Let’s Be Friends Again, which draws on half-black, half-Latino Spider-Man Miles Morales to drive home the point that you never know what kind of person is beneath a hoodie.
And it could very well be that more often the stranger is a good guy instead of a threat.



Webcomic Reimagines Shooting Victim Trayvon Martin As Spider-Man

Calvinistic Cartoons: The Rest of the Story

Calvinistic Cartoons: The Rest of the Story

A History of Western Typefaces [infographic] | Daily Infographic



A History of Western Typefaces [infographic] | Daily Infographic

Wednesday, March 28, 2012

What Physics Students Do [Pic]

 I'm dating myself but when I was a university physics student, I couldn't just "Google" anything. We "yahooed"

What Physics Students Do [Pic]

Desposyni: The Mighty Mathematician You’ve Never Heard Of

I had never heard of Amalie Noether but it turns out that we all owe her.

She invented a theorem that united with magisterial concision two conceptual pillars of physics: symmetry in nature and the universal laws of conservation. Some consider Noether’s theorem, as it is now called, as important as Einstein’s theory of relativity; it undergirds much of today’s vanguard research in physics, including the hunt for the almighty Higgs boson. 

I really liked this article. Really important information. 

Desposyni: The Mighty Mathematician You’ve Never Heard Of

Tuesday, March 27, 2012

I'm Sexy And I Know It

I think You may have noticed a meme going around" Parodies of the song "I'm Sexy, And I Know it" Some of the are hilarious. Here are a couple that just are real funny! Fill in the Blank


I'm Pregnant, And I know It

I'm Nerdy and I know It

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Racism Is Still Here In 2012

I find it amazing that there still so much racism in 2012. In the past week it's like a blanket has been pulled back and we can see how ugly some people's hearts truly are.

1. This past weekend I heard about the murder of Trayvon Martin. The young man was only seventeen years-old and he was murdered for wearing a hoodie killed because he was dressed in a way that made him seem suspicious to George Zimmerman. To make it worse there are people trying to excuse Zimmerman by finding something Trayvon did that lead to him being shot.







2. I also heard about a black man and a black woman killed in Chicago by cop and there does not seem to be any good reason for this.
3. I admit I have not yet seen "Hunger Games" or read the books, but apparently some people who were fans of the series have made shocking and racist remarks against a young black kids that was cast as one of their beloved characters. I guess these people have really bad reading comprehension skill because the characters were described as black in the books. These idiots claim that this revelation has detracted from their enjoyment of the franchise. Here is a picture of one of the young people being insulted for no other reason than the color of her skin.
'Hunger Games' Cast Subjected to Racist Attacks in Shocking Tweets

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This Elephant Works A Smartphone Better than Most of Us





The Daily WTF: This Elephant Is Scarily Good At Using A Smartphone

Saturday, March 24, 2012

Answering Muslims: Islamic Bookstore Sells out of Violently Misogynistic "A Gift for the Muslim Couple"

David Wood posted an article about a book describing how Muslim marriages should run.  He not on;y points out a passage from the Qur'an many Muslims use to tell them that they should beat their wives and wives should allow themselves to be beaten. I realize some people might read this and not follow the link so here is the Qur'anic passage:

Qur'an 4:34—Men are in charge of women, because Allah hath made the one of them to excel the other, and because they spend of their property (for the support of women). So good women are the obedient, guarding in secret that which Allah hath guarded. As for those from whom ye fear rebellion, admonish them and banish them to beds apart, and scourge them. Then if they obey you, seek not a way against them. Lo! Allah is ever High, Exalted, Great.

The book the article that David writes about attempts to explain how would someone live this out:

Page 45 contains the rights of the husband, which include his wife’s inability to leave “his house without his permission,” and that his wife must “fulfil his desires” and “not allow herself to be untidy ... but should beautify herself for him ... ”

In terms of physical punishment, the book advises that a husband may scold her, “beat by hand or stick,” withhold money from her or “pull (her) by the ears,” but should “refrain from beating her excessively.”

Yup, Marital bliss alright. The truth is that not all Muslims would agree with that. But like David Wood observeed:

I hate to break this to everyone, but if Tarek Fatah rejects what this book says about beating women, he's not a "moderate" Muslim. He's not a Muslim at all, because he accepts Western values as a higher source of morality than the Qur'an.

Answering Muslims: Islamic Bookstore Sells out of Violently Misogynistic "A Gift for the Muslim Couple"

ID.Plus: Insight into Fundamentalist Atheism

Dr Peter S Williams posted the following video on his blog and I agree that it does show one of the ugly sides of fundamentalism: refusal of discussion. Religious people are not the only ones guilty of doing this. It is unfortunate that people can be so busy throwing accusation at people that they don't see their own blindness. I also found it interesting that many the atheist running the so-called "Reason Rally" only want to interact with the caricature of Christianity embodied by the Westboro Baptist Church. It's like they don't want to reason - just pontificate.




ID.Plus: Insight into Fundamentalist Atheism

Common Runner Injuries [infographic] | Daily Infographic

[via]

Common Runner Injuries [infographic] | Daily Infographic

Beggars All: Reformation And Apologetics: Why do some Bibles omit portions of Daniel and Esther? Akin Says: Luther

James Swan has posted a really great response to Jimmy Akin who was answering the question of why most Protestant Bibles don't have the longer versions of Daniel and Esther. Swan also explodes the myth that Martin Luther tried to get rid of those parts of Daniel and Esther. This is a great article. The video being responded to is below.





Beggars All: Reformation And Apologetics: Why do some Bibles omit portions of Daniel and Esther? Akin Says: Luther

Friday, March 23, 2012

Internal Evidence for the Gospels by Timothy McGrew Audio and Video - Apologetics 315

Here is the third part in Dr Timothy McGrew's series of lectures in which he explains some of the evidence we have for accepting the validity of the Gospels. In this lecture, he focuses on "undesigned coincidences". They are times when the one Gospel gives details that another Gospel omits. There are several examples and none of them can be explained by one author copying another. The series just keeps getting better and better. Can't wait for part 4.




Internal Evidence for the Gospels by Timothy McGrew Audio and Video - Apologetics 315

Thursday, March 22, 2012

Doomsday Predictions Debunked [infographic]

Personally, I believe the Bible tells us the right way it will all end.

Doomsday Predictions Debunked [infographic]

External Evidence for the Gospels by Timothy McGrew Audio and Video - Apologetics 315

Here is a really good lecture that Dr Timothy McGrew gave last month relying on historical evidences from non Christian witnesses and culture and history to show consistently accurate the Biblical Gospels and Acts are. Of course, it does not prove that they are true by themselves but it is good evidence that they are true. If the Bible authors had gotten so many easily checked things wrong, it would be enough to throw them out as true. I'be got to ask why doesn't the fact that they get these things right not evidence that the books are true? It truly is a sad, double-minded, and inconsistent methodology for determining if something is true.



External Evidence for the Gospels by Timothy McGrew Audio and Video - Apologetics 315