Rush Limbaugh calls Sandra Fluke a prostitute

Rush Limbaugh once again proves to the slightly more sane of us that he is still a raving idiot.  I'm sure for most of you reading, this is far from a revelation.  But there are times when someone says something so horribly wrong and offensive that they must be called out on it.

It is all the more important to bring this quote under scrutiny as it very clearly states what many of the religious 'right' and their puppets in the GOP have been stating as of late.  If this has been done by someone else, I would probably consider it a great sardonic remark against such idiocy.  But instead it shows that Poe's Law is alive and well. 

In a comment in reference to Sandra Fluke's being refused the chance to speak before a congressional committee on contraception, Rush stated:

"What does it say about the college co-ed Susan Fluke [sic] who goes before a congressional committee and essentially says that she must be paid to have sex -- what does that make her? It makes her a slut, right? It makes her a prostitute."

When I first read this line, I was unsure of exactly how to react.  I was torn in equal directions of being disgusted, furious, and trying my best not to laugh.

I was disgusted because this is purest form of the current Republican view on women's rights.  It is everything they have been striving for against about half of the human population under the guise of 'morality'.  When the rhetoric is removed, this is what is left.  The view that if any woman dares to want to take control of her own body and what could happen to them if they dare to speak out.  After all, to such individuals they are nothing more than dirty, filthy whores.

I was furious because I know that Rush Limbaugh is not some crazy living in a box somewhere talking about how his underwear is blessed by Jesus (that would be closer to Mitt Romney, now wouldn't it).  He is listened to by many and there will be quite a few who will believe his blatantly offensive and painful inaccurate remark.  And his remark will be used by others to continue to perpetuate the mistreatment and oppression of millions.


I nearly died laughing because the statement and its sentiment are so utterly disconnected from reality.  In my head, I could see Rush hiding under his bed in terror because the evil feminists might come for him in his sleep.


This is the mentality the rational of this country are up against.  It is equal parts vile bigotry and pant staining lunacy.  In a world where the secrets of the universe are being unveiled through massive particle accelerators and we combat diseases through our understanding of evolution, the sentiments such as those espoused by Rush Limbaugh and his ilk should have no place other than the scrawling found on a bathroom wall.  But, unfortunately, this kind of hatred is alive and well.  It threatens all we have and will work for. 


It must be raged against, it must be demonstrated against and it must even be lampooned.  There may always be those who vomit forth such bile as Rush Limbaugh has spewed here, but we can make such individuals so utterly non-relevant that laughter and/or pity become the only appropriate responses.

Discovery of the chib(3p) particle

The Large Hadron Collide (LHC) has proved its value once again.  This time by confirming the existence of an up till now hypothetical particle.  Known as the Chib(3p) particle, it is a boson, the same class of particle the Higgs is in.  Bosons are any particle with an integral spin (0, 1, 2, etc).  The existence of Chib had been expected for quite a while, but the energies required to detect it had yet to be attained.  However thanks to the LHC, teams of physicists working with the ATLAS (A Toroidal LHC ApparatuS ) detector were able to do just this.

Unlike the Higgs Boson, the chip particle is not an Elementary Boson, but composed out of other particles, namely a pairing of a Bottom and an antiBottom quark.  Sometimes still refereed to as the Beauty quark (it all depends on where the team you are working with hails from), interactions between this kind of pairing had been beyond the abilities of particle accelerators until now.

For a little more explanation into what this means, let me first explain what a meson is.  A meson is a pairing of a quark and an anti-quark.  While quarks are technically fermions (particles that have fractional spins, such as 1/2, 2/3, etc) and have a mass, when a quark and its anti-quark join up, their spins combine to form an integral spin (1/2 + 1/2 = 1), making them actually a Boson.  As I said, this puts them in a different class from elementery Bosons such as the photon, W and Z Bosons, gluon, and potentially the Higgs and Graviton.  Instead, they are called Composite Bosons, due to their being constructed of multiple parts.  This allows them to have mass and, because of this, does not allow them to have a trait shared by Elementary Bosons such as the ability for multiple to be in the same place at the same time.  Known as the Pauli Exclusion Principle, particles with mass cannot exist in the same place at the same time.  But Bosons do have an effect on the Pauli Exclusion principle, being that, for a short range, particles are attracted to one another if they are of the right type.

To elucidate this, think of a simple atom, say Helium.  A neutral atom of Helium is made of two protons, two neutrons (though this varies in isotopes) and two electrons.  Each Proton is composed of a series of Quarks, namely two Down and an Up Quark (while a Neutron is made up of one Down and two Up Quarks).  These are held together by the exchange of the Elementary Bosons called Gluons, which mediate the Strong Nuclear Force.  At very close distances, the interaction of these Quarks through their Gluons emit short lived Mesons, which, as we said, are Composite Bosons, usually made of an Up and an antiDown Quark (or vice versa) that radiates away and quickly decays.  But before it can decay, it extends the Strong Nuclear Force (mediated by the Gluons) to the nucleaus and holds the protons and neutrons together despite being of the same charge and wanting to be apart (remeber how like charges such as with a magnet repel?).  This is what I was meaning as the short range of the Pauli Exclusion principle where Fermions (in this case, the protons) can be held together.  The Composite Bosons (if you wish to know, the up and antidown pair is known as a Pion) keep them together, elaborating upon the Strong Nuclear Force.

Now that this is in place, we can understand what the Chib particle really is.  It is a Composite Meson that is made up of, and in turn, holds together a Bottom and and antiBottom pair.  Through this process, many ordinary bits of matter get much of their mass.  Their mass is an effect of the Strong Nuclear Force emiting these Mesons and holding things together.  The Higgs field is still needed to determin what that mass will be, but it cannot do it without the Strong Force. 

While this new particle is very short lived, it shows that the underlying physics that we have developed is still displayed in nature which is good news for researchers looking for this Higgs Boson.  It doesn't mean the Higgs does exist, it just means that there is a bit more evidence to suggests that it does based on what we have observed.

Osama bin Laden is dead

While the news of this has probably spread worldwide by now, it wouldn't be fitting to not mention this event. An American force struck a compound in Pakistan and have killed Osama bin Laden. He was found in a compound in a sub-urban area approximately 35 miles from Islamabad. During the strike, no American forces were harmed despite one of the helicopters used in the strike having mechanical problems and having to be crash landed. Shortly after the media was informed of bin Laden's death, President Obama gave a speech to confirm the event.

Sarah Palin...and this all I have to say

Sarah Palin. Do I really need to say much more? The name itself invokes facepalms worldwide. She is like Dan Quayle and George W. Bush were at one point (except more lonely Republicans masturbate to Palin...I hope). The fact that she gains any media attention other then from her copious fails is a testament to the idiocy of the masses. People make drinking games out of speeches made by Sarah Palin just to be able to tolerate the idiocy.

Once again this zenith of media stupidity has given us reason to question the functionality of her gray matter. Appearing on that cesspool of conservative television, Fox News, Palin yet again proves that she has the attention span of a meth addicted rodent.

Thankfully Cenk Uygur of The Young Turks is here to make this experience just a bit more tolerable. His mocking of the situation is the only reason anyone should be able to sit through the source video clip without pounding their head into the nearest hard object to relieve the pain.

Hugo Chavez is slightly misinformed about Mars...

Hugo Chavez has been known to be a bit of a nut case. Every so often he comes out and says something that makes the sane members of our species utter a collective "WTF?". This time he may have outdone himself with the crazy. During a speech for World Water Day he stated:

"I have always said, heard, that it would not be strange that there had been civilization on Mars, but maybe capitalism arrived there, imperialism arrived and finished off the planet."

...blink...

...What? Did he stumble across a copy of Percivil Lowell's Mars and Its Canals and think "There couldn't possibly have been any credible research done on Mars since the 18th century"?

Or perhaps he is just another one of those morons who think science is just about taking wild guesses at things and passing it off as knowledge. Whatever the reason, this quote of his deserves to be kept for posterity, just so people will know what kind of moron he really is.

Oklahoma values cells over individuals.

Once again proving how idiotic members of my state government are, the Oklahoma house passed a bill that would ban embryonic stem cell research. The bill passed 86-8. House Bill 1442 would make it a misdemeanor to conduct research on embryonic stem cells.

The bill’s author, Republican Representative George Faught, stated that:

“We value life here in Oklahoma, while we in no way dispute the fact that the ability to treat or heal suffering persons is a great good, we also recognize that not all methods of achieving a desired good are morally or legally justifiable."

For anyone with even a hint of understanding of embryonic stem cell research it is obvious that Representative Faught's statement is ludicrous. Such research is done on cells that would be either kept on ice indefinitely or would be destroyed. How exactly is this a crime? If so, would destroying such stem cells be a crime as well? What is one to do with all the left-overs? What about all the pregnancies that are aborted naturally? Wait, I forget, that was Utah's idea.

Another Republican, Representative Mike Reynolds stated that:

“We want to defend unborn children at every opportunity.”

As usual, they only care about cells, but once they are independent beings than they are on their own. When such research has already led to amazing advances in medical science and promises much more to come, how can anyone ethically oppose such research? How can anyone think that non-differentiated cells have priority over those who would be saved by harmless experimentation?

Of course the answer comes from these people's outdated and error filled holy book. Or does it?

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References:
NewsOK

Outside forces take action in Libya, Gadhafi still insane.

After a surprisingly short deliberation, Western forces with the backing of the Arab League, have begun an assault against Gadhafi's forces in Libya. While it has taken far too long for such an intervention, it is finally occurring with the backing of multiple countries.

Canada, one of the more open supporters of the Libyan Freedom Fighters, began sending forces to enforce a no-fly zone before Prime Minister Stephen Harper reached the international summit. This way forces would be in position to strike the moment the go ahead was given. The Canadian Prime Minister stated:

"One either believes in freedom or one just says one believes in freedom. The Libyan people have shown by their sacrifice that they believe in it. Assisting them is a moral obligation upon those of us who profess this great ideal."

This statement perfectly sums up why action is necessary against Gadhafi's regime. His view is backed up by multiple countries from around the world. While support is not unanimous, it is rare for it ever to be.

Gadhafi, in his typical crazy nature, has his own take on the defense of civilians and the will of the people. He called the international outcry and show of force:

"Simply a colonial crusader aggression that may ignite another large-scale crusader war."

He furthers his crazy by stating:

"Involvement of international forces will subject the Mediterranean and North African region to danger and put civilians at risk."

Wait...so it is ok that he slaughters 'his' people, but if anyone dares step in then they are 'putting civilians at risk'? Well what should one expect from someone so bloody insane that his rantings were described perfectly in this cartoon by twitter user @Ghadeer1991

With French forces making the first air strikes quickly followed by bombardment by joint US and UK naval forces, this madman is guaranteed to be stopped. One can only hope that the bloodshed will be minimal, but unfortunately, with such a crazed dictator, that is far from certain.

11 year old girl blamed for being gang raped in Texas

There are times when I read something and I am simply left seething in rage. When I have to remind myself that things like vigilante justice are wrong and, based on its very nature, will always get out of control. And this is coming from someone who disdains violence.

Last November in Cleveland, Texas an 11 year old girl was gang raped. Currently there have been 18 arrests. The girl was offered a ride and was then taken to an abandoned trailer where she was assaulted by the accused rapists, age 17-26. They took photos and recorded the event on their phones and began distributing it. Eventually copies made it to the girl's school where a student brought it to the attention of a teacher who approached authorities.

The event has brought out the sexist undertones of parts of the community where people began siding with the rapists stating that the girl was dressed indecently.

"She dressed older than her age, wearing makeup and fashions more appropriate to a woman in her 20s."

So are these disgusting people trying to say that had she been 20 then being raped by nearly twenty men would be perfectly fine? While many, including some family members of the accused rapists are speaking out against the crime and the misogyny that has been unveiled because of it, still many cling to their horrid beliefs.

The event, and the reprehensible view that many in the town have taken has been brought to national attention after Florida state Representative Kathleen Passidomo, while speaking in favor of a House bill to mandate school dress codes stated:

"There was an article about an 11 year old girl who was gang raped in Texas by 18 young men because she was dressed like a 21-year-old prostitute, and her parents let her attend school like that. And I think it’s incumbent upon us to create some areas where students can be safe in school and show up in proper attire so what happened in Texas doesn’t happen to our students."

This is vile. I am familiar with people blaming the victim before but it is still something that makes me so angry that I cannot believe such people should be allowed in office, around children or even in society as a whole. It shows an utter lack of empathy that borders on sociopathy. This girl has had her childhood ruined by the callous acts of these men and now she is being blamed for it? And for what? Not covering herself up properly? How is this any different then in fundamentalist Islamic countries that require a woman to cover herself lest she 'tempt' men to rape her?

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References:
New York Times
Examiner.com