Funny, I kind of figured that the number one trigger for domestic abuse was patriarchal and archaic power structures that constantly demean and demonize women.
Followed by booze, probably.
The Wikipedia story is a huge letdown, and what exactly does it take to become a "hate group" if the Westboros or not already? Do you actually have to lynch someone?
@5 Like they said in the article, that can likely be attributed mostly to dumb people not knowing where their address bars are.
The sad thing is that Wikipedia is a grouping of the collective knowledge of the world...and apparently most people just want to read it to find out the happenings on the latest pop culture movie/book. It's a tad bit depressing.
@9: Well, if you look at the trend line and not just the current raw number, you should see that as bad news. Because support is dropping, and this graph was largely compiled before LaPierre's statements regarding Newtown.
Furthermore, if you look at the last time NRA favorability dropped below unfavorability, it was 1995, when the NRA was railing hard against the common sense and extremely weak AWB.
If you think about that graph, you should not see that news as good.
Wikipedia... Like @7 said, the wikipedia article just showcases how dull humans are.
Westboro baptist... I can't believe they haven't already been designated a hate group decades ago.
Women and domestic violence... Susan O'Leary, a clinical research psychologist at Stony Brook University in NY, has found some interesting evidence that women are often the initial aggressors in domestic violence but end up as the "victim" because they're more likely to suffer physical damage and report it. In other words, sometimes the women start the fights that get out of control.
@11 "the wikipedia article just showcases how dull humans are" Nah. It just showcases how dull the average human is. That average American't favorite food is probably cheese pizza. The average favorite ice cream flavor is probably vanilla. This doesn't even mean that most people are boring - 9 out of 10 might not have vanilla on their top 5 flavors, but the wide variety of answers balance each other out and you're left with the lowest common denominator.
@11,
Good points, although even though the lowest common denominator isn't necessarily a majority, it's still the largest minority. The modal response for "what's your favorite ice cream" is "vanilla." Not surprising I guess, but not really inspiring either. The largest minority of humans are unadventurous mouth breathers.
@ 13, the only people who think vanilla is a boring flavor are those who don't know what vanilla really tastes like. Most mass-produced foods bearing that description don't have real vanilla in them. And most things that do, don't have enough.
The Designate-Westboro/Phelps-As-A-Hate-Group petition is cruising right along. Signatures now exceed 290,000 and should hit 300K in an hour or two.
You know who should be really pissed at Westboro? Baptists. Talk about besmirching an entire denomination! (Pssst! Hey, Baptists: Satan is wearing a Phelps suit to undermine your religion and turn the nation away from God. Spreading hate instead of God's love, inciting hatred for the actual devout in return, spreading dissension and chaos. Do something about it.)
The tax-exempt status for those Westboro "people" needs to be revoked ASAFP.
A 47-member inbred lawyer family that exclusively spends its time touring the nation with dayglo hate signs, making asses of themselves at funerals for soldiers and others, does not a CHURCH make. Obvs.
@ 20, Baptists are divided into dozens of sub-denominations that don't answer to each other. Westboro, I believe, is entirely on its own. So I don't think there's much the other Baptists can do about them.
I'm not sure there's much they want to do, anyway - aside from WBC's noxious tactics, I don't think the majority of Baptists have any serious disagreements with WBC over homosexuality. And it's not like mainstream America (never mind mainstream Baptists) gave much of a fuck when they were only protesting funerals of murdered gays.
The Russian adoption ban has made a lot of political press for Putin, but really who cares? Apparently the rest of the world is caring for approximately half of Russia's orphaned or unwanted kids. Let Russia bear that cost. Perhaps childless couples in the U.S. should be less focused on wanting a kid with blue eyes and blond hair.
From an article on the subject:
Some 3,400 Russian children were adopted by foreign families in 2011, almost one-third of the children going to American homes.
Over the same period, the number of children adopted by Russian citizens was 7,416.
In the past two decades Americans have adopted more than 60,000 Russian children.
Followed by booze, probably.
The Wikipedia story is a huge letdown, and what exactly does it take to become a "hate group" if the Westboros or not already? Do you actually have to lynch someone?
Zomg.
The sad thing is that Wikipedia is a grouping of the collective knowledge of the world...and apparently most people just want to read it to find out the happenings on the latest pop culture movie/book. It's a tad bit depressing.
http://www.gallup.com/poll/159578/nra-fa…
Furthermore, if you look at the last time NRA favorability dropped below unfavorability, it was 1995, when the NRA was railing hard against the common sense and extremely weak AWB.
If you think about that graph, you should not see that news as good.
Westboro baptist... I can't believe they haven't already been designated a hate group decades ago.
Women and domestic violence... Susan O'Leary, a clinical research psychologist at Stony Brook University in NY, has found some interesting evidence that women are often the initial aggressors in domestic violence but end up as the "victim" because they're more likely to suffer physical damage and report it. In other words, sometimes the women start the fights that get out of control.
Good points, although even though the lowest common denominator isn't necessarily a majority, it's still the largest minority. The modal response for "what's your favorite ice cream" is "vanilla." Not surprising I guess, but not really inspiring either. The largest minority of humans are unadventurous mouth breathers.
You know who should be really pissed at Westboro? Baptists. Talk about besmirching an entire denomination! (Pssst! Hey, Baptists: Satan is wearing a Phelps suit to undermine your religion and turn the nation away from God. Spreading hate instead of God's love, inciting hatred for the actual devout in return, spreading dissension and chaos. Do something about it.)
A 47-member inbred lawyer family that exclusively spends its time touring the nation with dayglo hate signs, making asses of themselves at funerals for soldiers and others, does not a CHURCH make. Obvs.
Tax them muthafuckahs. BIG TIME
I'm not sure there's much they want to do, anyway - aside from WBC's noxious tactics, I don't think the majority of Baptists have any serious disagreements with WBC over homosexuality. And it's not like mainstream America (never mind mainstream Baptists) gave much of a fuck when they were only protesting funerals of murdered gays.
From an article on the subject:
Some 3,400 Russian children were adopted by foreign families in 2011, almost one-third of the children going to American homes.
Over the same period, the number of children adopted by Russian citizens was 7,416.
In the past two decades Americans have adopted more than 60,000 Russian children.
"The law is a reaction to the US Magnitsky Act, which blacklists Russian officials accused of rights abuses. " (BBC link)
The LA Times completely misses that angle, interestingly enough.