News & links & rotten finks

You might remember that in 2020, after cops killed yet another black man for nothing, there were protests.

CRANKY
OLD FART

#423  [archive]
MAY 20, 2024

Daniel Perry was angry — not about the killing, but about the protests. He wrote on social media, several times, that he wanted to shoot Black Lives Matter protesters. Then he drove his car into the crowd at a Black Lives Matter protest.

One of the protesters, Garrett Foster, approached Perry's vehicle while carrying an AK-47, which is legal in Texas, ridiculously. Perry was also armed, because it's Texas and he's a bigot, and as promised, he shot Foster dead.

Is that murder, or self-defense? A jury said it was murder, but on Thursday, Texas Gov Greg Abbott pardoned Perry like he was a burp.

There's nothing to say except the obvious: If Perry had been a black man who threatened to shoot White Lives Matter protesters, and then did exactly what he said he'd do, he'd be in prison with no chance of parole or pardon. Or more likely, he'd fry.

Another Texas wingnut, Courtney Gore, believed the standard-issue Republican BS that public education has been "hijacked by Leftists looking to indoctrinate our kids into the 'progressive' way of thinking," so she ran for the school board in her town of Granbury TX, and won.

Pause to ponder what a horrible place that town must be, if that's a candidate's winning platform.

But then the dangedest thing happened. Once elected, Gore went through the district's entire curriculum, and found that…   

… the pervasive indoctrination she had railed against simply did not exist. Children were not being sexualized, and she could find no examples of critical race theory, an advanced academic concept that examines systemic racism. She'd examined curriculum related to social-emotional learning, which has come under attack by Christian conservatives who say it encourages children to question gender roles and prioritizes feelings over biblical teachings. Instead, Gore found the materials taught children "how to be a good friend, a good human." ...

She said so publicly — it's reading, writing, and arithmetic, not grooming and pinko indoctrination — and for this she's now despised by the people who'd backed her campaign.

Elsewhere, Republicans are trying to force men to use the women's room and women to use the men's room, because equal rights for trans people is "kooky."

I've usually thought of Japan as a progressive, even futuristic nation, but apparently it's a hotbed of anti-LGBTQ prejudice.

Based on a Japanese lesbian couple's reasonable fear of persecution in their home country, they've been granted refugee status in Canada, and to this I say, Rock on, Canada, and fuck off, Japan.

Officer Kevin Dave is the Seattle cop who drove at triple the speed limit without sirens or emergency, killing a woman in a crosswalk. He wasn't disciplined, suspended, or fired, but he was issued a traffic citation and fine, which remains unpaid and past-due


Florida Governor Ronald DeSantis has signed "Don't Say Climate Change" legislation into law, making it illegal to reference climate change in state law. It's largely symbolic and doesn't matter much, except, of course, for scoring political points in the state that'll be first to sink

The Speaker of the House says the American system of justice is corrupt, and obviously it is — but he's saying the 'corruption' is to prosecute Donald Trump.

These people don’t give a moist fart about freedom, justice, any of their other random hatreds, or America.

⚡ LINKS FOR THINKS ⚡ 

True story behind the kid who went 1940s viral for his week at the cinemas in San Francisco 

The perception paradox: Men who hate feminists think feminists hate men

The forgotten history of the world's first trans clinic

Again, shut the fuck up. [VIDEO]

♫♬ MUSIC YOU SHOULD HEAR ♫

    The Big Rock Candy Mountain
by Burl Ives
 

    Jesus Was Way Cool
by King Missile

    Never Coming Home
by Pat the Bunny
 

    Stupid's Song
by Utah Phillips
 

    The Whole Fucking Thing Is Coming Down
by Punk Patriot
 

⚰️  DEAD PEOPLE  ⚰️

Raheem Coe
forgotten man 

Dabney Coleman
grumpy actor 

Bill Friday
hockey referee 

Barbra Fuller
actress, Tarnished

Frank Ifield
singer, "I Remember You" 

Alice Munro
short stories 

Bruce Nordstrom
rich bastard 

Don Perlin
cartoonist 

David Sanborn
sax man 

unknown
forgotten man

5/20/2024   

Cranky Old Fart is annoyed and complains and very occasionally offers a kindness, along with anything off the internet that's made me smile or snarl. All opinions fresh from my ass. Top illustration by Jeff Meyer. Click any image to enlarge. Comments & conversations invited. 

Tip 'o the hat to the AVA, BoingBoing, Breakfast at Ralf's, Chuff, Dirty Blonde Mind, It Seemed Like a Good Idea at the Time, Lemmy.world, Looking for My Perfect Sandwich, Miss Miriam's Mirror, Mr Souza's Happy Place, Voenix Rising, and anywhere else I've stolen links, illustrations, or inspiration.

Special thanks to Linden Arden, Becky Jo, Wynn Bruce, Joey Jo Jo emeritus, Jeff Meyer, John the Basket, Dave S, Name Withheld, and always extra special thanks to my lovely late Stephanie, who gave me 21 years and proved that the world isn't always shitty.

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