From Common Dreams:
Dems Spark Alarm with Call for National ID Card
“A plan by Senate Democratic leaders to reform the nation’s immigration laws ran into strong opposition from civil liberties defenders before lawmakers even unveiled it Thursday.
Democratic leaders have proposed requiring every worker in the nation to carry a national identification card with biometric information, such as a fingerprint, within the next six years, according to a draft of the measure.
(snip)
The national ID program would be titled the Believe System, an acronym for Biometric Enrollment, Locally stored Information and Electronic Verification of Employment.
It would require all workers across the nation to carry a card with a digital encryption key that would have to match work authorization databases.”
This sets my paranoia off something fierce. If this is what Democrats do when in power then I’m going to start identifying as an Independent.
—
From Amnesty International:
Widespread abuse of migrants in Mexico is ‘human rights crisis’
“The Mexican authorities must act to halt the continuing abuse of migrants who are preyed on by criminal gangs while public officials turn a blind eye or even play an active part in kidnappings, rapes and murders, Amnesty International said in a new report released on Tuesday.
Invisible Victims: Migrants on the Move in Mexico, documents the alarming levels of abuse faced by the tens of thousands of Central American irregular migrants that every year attempt to reach the US by crossing Mexico.”
Oh this was a sad report. But it shows how immigration is a complex and layered issue. A good read.
—
From Michael Moore:
Michael Moore to Broadcast Kent State Truth Tribunal for 1970 Campus Shootings of War Protesters
“On May 1-4, 2010 filmmaker Michael Moore will livecast the hearings of the Kent State Truth Tribunal, streaming in real time the accounts of participants, witnesses and family members of the 1970 Kent State shootings that left four students dead and nine injured. The livecast is the first real-time broadcast of a truth-seeking initiative of this kind and will air on www.MichaelMoore.com from 10am-7pm daily eastern.
The Kent State Truth Tribunal was convened by family members of students killed at Kent State in order to record and honor the stories of those directly affected by the shootings. The Ohio National Guard who opened fire on the protesters has never publicized the findings of its investigation of command responsibility for the shootings. And there has never been a public inquiry to hear, record and preserve the stories of those directly impacted by what happened on May 4th, 1979 at Kent State.”
Excellent idea. Many people nowadays don’t know about Kent State. But it was such a tragic event and a perfect demonstration of the increasing police state.
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From Tim Wise’s Facebook page:
Imagine: Protest, Insurgency and the Workings of White Privilege
“Let’s play a game, shall we? The name of the game is called “Imagine.” The way it’s played is simple: we’ll envision recent happenings in the news, but then change them up a bit. Instead of envisioning white people as the main actors in the scenes we’ll conjure—the ones who are driving the action—we’ll envision black folks or other people of color instead. The object of the game is to imagine the public reaction to the events or incidents, if the main actors were of color, rather than white. Whoever gains the most insight into the workings of race in America, at the end of the game, wins.
So let’s begin.
Imagine that hundreds of black protesters were to descend upon Washington DC and Northern Virginia, just a few miles from the Capitol and White House, armed with AK-47s, assorted handguns, and ammunition. And imagine that some of these protesters–the black protesters–spoke of the need for political revolution, and possibly even armed conflict in the event that laws they didn’t like were enforced by the government. Would these protesters–these black protesters with guns–be seen as brave defenders of the Second Amendment, or would they be viewed by most whites as a danger to the republic? What if they were Arab-Americans? Because, after all, that’s what happened recently when white gun enthusiasts descended upon the nation’s capital, arms in hand, and verbally announced their readiness to make war on the country’s political leaders if the need arose.”
This is a pretty good essay. I can’t find a non-Facebook version so you have to log in to read it.
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This one isn’t breaking news but I just learned about this.
From Lilith Fund:
“What is The Lilith Fund Vision?
We envision a society in which equal access to abortion is guaranteed for all women, regardless of economic situation. The Lilith Fund believes in reproductive equity. The right to choose an abortion is meaningless without access to abortion services. Restrictions on abortion access and funding are discriminatory because they especially burden low-income women. We oppose all efforts to restrict abortion rights and are committed to fighting for access to abortion for all women.
What Does The Lilith Fund Do?
The Lilith Fund assists Texas women in exercising their fundamental right to abortion by removing barriers to access. Lilith provides:
Direct financial assistance and counseling to empower women seeking to terminate an unwanted pregnancy
Education and outreach within the community about reproductive rights
What a great organization. If only there were one in every state.
Posted by Vixen as News at 10:05 PM CDT
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From this gallery. There’s more action in the gallery but I chose this picture because of the eye make-up. As a girl I tried wearing blue eyeshadow but it never looked this cool.
Posted by Vixen as Musings at 8:33 PM CDT
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When talking to friends about the Food, Inc. movie I kept hearing it compared to Soylent Green.
Mr. Radical and I recently rejoined Netflix so I decided to watch it. Now I had heard of the movie before and knew the spoiler. Still though-whoa. That was a freaking scary movie. Which may sound silly I know. There wasn’t too much violence or gore. But the creepy factor totally freaked me out. Afterward, I poured myself a stiff drink which isn’t normal for me.
When I imagine the world gone to rot what I envision closely resembles the movie version-overpopulation, crowded urban areas, people covered in dirt because there’s no water, riots and food/water shortages.
The opening montage was brilliant. Black and white pictures of pleasant farm life is followed by populated city scenes with tons of cars and factories. Then pictures of social unrest and more pollution follow until the dystopian nightmare is complete.
The riot scene was surprisingly intense. Large dump trucks drive into the crowd and scoop the protesters up and haul them away. Typing that sounds cheesy but watching it the scene worked in the movie. Another disturbing scene was when the main character Thorn presents his roommate Sol with real food. Sol cries and asks “How did we come to this?” I had a similar thought after watching Food, Inc.
There was a surprising sex worker angle in the film. Central to the plot is a elite apartment building. Each apartment comes furnished. There’s also a special piece of furniture-a young, beautiful woman who is a live in prostitute. They’re called furniture girls.
One of the furniture girls Shirl has a party and invites the other ladies over to the apartment. There was something so timeless about that scene-sex workers getting together to talk about work and to just hang out with understanding souls.
This Brick Threw Glass review notes “After seeming this film I could see why this films star Charlton Heston was such a big spokesperson the NRA National Rifle Association, he probably thought that this was a possible future and wanted to be well armed.” I was thinking the same thing while watching the movie!
The film is from 1973 so their version of the future looks quaint at times. But the storyline is powerful and still sends a powerful message. If you haven’t seen the movie I recommend it!
Posted by Vixen as Musings, Sex Workers at 1:23 PM CDT
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From Blag Hag:
In the name of science, I offer my boobs
“Sedighi claims that not dressing modestly causes earthquakes. If so, we should be able to test this claim scientifically. You all remember the homeopathy overdose?
Time for a Boobquake.
On Monday, April 26th, I will wear the most cleavage-showing shirt I own. Yes, the one usually reserved for a night on the town. I encourage other female skeptics to join me and embrace the supposed supernatural power of their breasts. Or short shorts, if that’s your preferred form of immodesty. With the power of our scandalous bodies combined, we should surely produce an earthquake. If not, I’m sure Sedighi can come up with a rational explanation for why the ground didn’t rumble. And if we really get through to him, maybe it’ll be one involving plate tectonics.”
Blag Hag got a ton of coverage and gave a blog update on the matter.
A quick clarification about Boobquake
“Holy crap.
So what started as a joke and somewhat sarcastic reply to the ludicrous notion that women’s immodesty causes earthquakes has now exploded. Seriously, internet, you scare and amaze me sometimes. The Facebook event already has almost 14,000 attendees (and 60,000 invited) in just over 24 hours. The wall is getting comments so quickly that I had to disable Facebook email notifications because my inbox was getting flooded. The twitter stream for #boobquake is updating so quickly that I can’t keep up. To top that off, I just got interviewed by the largest newspaper in Canada and some radio station in Ireland wants to interview me.
Because I made a boob joke.”
This is fun. Did you participate? Sedighi and Pat Robertson should team up.
Posted by Vixen as Musings at 9:27 PM CDT
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From the NYC Sex Blogger Calendar:
Going National in 2011!
“Many of you, after seeing our fabulous calendar or coming to our kick-ass launch party, expressed an interest in being a model. We heard you and we want to give you the opportunity to be even more involved. So for 2011, we’re going NATIONAL!
(snip)
First, you email us one or more professional quality photo that represents what sexual freedom means to you or how you express your sexual freedom. The photo is to be 12 x 12 (this is SQUARE, people, be sure to let the photographer know this in advance of shooting, most photos are rectangular, so the photographer has to look with a different eye in order to shoot for square artwork). The format will be CMYK, 12 x 12 full bleed, 300 DPIx 12 full bleed image. If you’d like to discuss concepts before working with a photographer, please email me at [email protected]
Along with your photo, please send a short bio and a short (or long, if you’re feeling particularly verbose on the topic) post talking about how your photo represents your sexual freedom. We would like all entrants to be able to attend our launch party on November 5, 201o in NYC, this is one reason we’re giving you all so much notice, so that plans can be hatched and funds reserved. You’ll be required to post a button on your site that links to the calendar blog and once chosen, we’ll provide a special button for models.”
The submission deadline is May 1st.
Posted by Vixen as Activism, Sex Workers at 11:28 PM CDT
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One of my clients likes to remind me of his age every call. “What do you think about fucking a man old enough to be your father?” he often asks me. In honor of that I’ll call him Old Man for this story.
We’re about twenty five years apart in age. I always downplay the age difference and assure him that I prefer older men. OM’s difficulty with accepting his age makes me wonder about myself. How will I react when I’m his age? Will I accept it and age gracefully or will I try to deny it? I like to think I’ll do the former but who can say?
OM loves to give himself an enema while we talk. He describes the whole process-the type of bag, the temperature of the water, the type of nozzle he’s using. He’ll lube up the nozzle and fuck himself with it before opening the valve. I’ll ooh and ahh while he does this. OM will then ask for permission to release the water. As the bag empties into him OM often whimpers. That’s my cue to become stern.
I order him to take all of the enema. “You’ll be caned for every drop of water left in the bag.” Sure it doesn’t quite make sense but it sounds good. OM takes several breaks to stroke his cock.
During these breaks he reminds me of his age. “How does it feel to give an enema to an old man?” he’ll ask. He wants reassurance throughout the call. I tell him younger men can’t take enemas like he can. He likes me to tell him that younger men aren’t as submissive as him. “Older men are so much better to dominate,” I’ll purr.
Most of the time he’s happy with these comments. Sometimes though he’s moody and tries to argue the point. That’s when I bring in my imaginary, eternally nineteen year old, freshman in college friend. She has a fetish for older men and would love to dominate OM with me.
The bag eventually empties into him. After taking all of the water, OM tries to hold it in as long as possible. In the fantasy he has to lick my pussy and make me cum before I give permission for him to release the enema. I give fake moans and then he’s off to the bathroom.
Most enema callers put me on hold when they go to the bathroom to release the water. Not OM. He likes me to hear him expel it. He’ll even hold the phone down to the bowl so I can hear it better. The first time he did this it made me gag. Thank goodness for mute buttons! Now I’m used to his routine and merely turn down my headset so I can barely hear him.
Why does he like me to hear him shit? I have no idea. I murmur words of encouragement during the process. Usually OM jerks off on the toilet. He likes to time his orgasm with expelling the enema. This is pretty common for the fetish I find.
After cumming he again comments on his age. “Not too bad for an old man huh,” he’ll say. I always assure him that he did well.
Posted by Vixen as PSO Confessions at 11:53 PM CDT
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“I’ve been cutting back on the wine…which has a direct affect on my phone calls.”
Cum Guzzler
I was thinking the same thing.
Posted by Vixen as Quote Book at 8:56 PM CDT
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From The Advocate:
DADT Protesters Arrested at White House Fence
“In a second round of civil disobedience at the White House organized by the grassroots group GetEQUAL, six LGBT service members were arrested after handcuffing themselves to the perimeter fence Tuesday afternoon to protest “don’t ask, don’t tell.”
The protesters included Lt. Dan Choi and Capt. Jim Pietrangelo II, who handcuffed themselves, in uniform, to the same fence last month. Pietrangelo was discharged from the military under the gay ban, while Choi’s discharge is pending.
(snip)
A U.S. Park Police spokesman told The Advocate that the six were arrested after three verbal warnings and were taken into custody.”
The image of these men and women is so powerful. They look so strong and defiant chained to that fence. If Obama doesn’t get DADT repealed in his first term I think it’s going to hurt his re-election campaign.
—
From Scanner:
At Last: The Ashley Alexandra Dupre Playboy Photos
“It’s the spread you’ve been waiting for ever since you heard about the Love Gov scandal. Hell, we’ve been Googling them constantly all week… and finally hit the jackpot just now.”
Dupre looks great in the photos. I say you go girl! I’d pose for Playboy if they asked.
—
From The Sexist:
“Denim Day” Counts All the Ways We Excuse Sexual Assault
“Today is Denim Day, an annual event dedicated to raising awareness about all forms of sexual violence. I love Denim Day’s “No Excuses” campaign [PDF], which illustrates a dozen ways that people manage to excuse sexual assault, blame victims, and ignore that the crimes even happen. The effectiveness of the campaign lies in its relentlessness—it details exactly how we excuse rapes against girlfriends, wives, women who drink, men, prisoners, the elderly, flirts, military personnel, sex workers, women who wear “sexy” clothing, and the disabled.”
I hadn’t heard of this campaign before. I’m very glad to see the group included sex workers.
—
Reader Michael sent me this next story.
From Gawker TV:
Sexual Milestones of Old Hollywood
“The debate over how and when sex should appear in films is a prominent contemporary issue. Concerns about common decency and sexual objectification, exploitation, and stereotyping fuel an important discussion on the cinematic depiction of sexuality in today’s society.
But, as much as the discussion about sex in film seems, to us, to be a particularly modern one — surely the explicitness of cinematic sexual imagery newly peaks each year? — the truth is that concern over sex in the cinemas has existed since the dawn of the moving image. People began taping sexual acts almost as soon as technology allowed and objections to cinematic sex followed virtually immediately.”
I love sex history. This was an informative article. Most of the films listed were new to me. Thanks Michael for sending me the link.
—
From Feministe:
Clay and Harold: A Couple Forcibly Separated By Sonoma County
“Recently making the rounds is a breathtakingly tragic story of an elderly gay couple that Sonoma County, California allegedly forcibly separated into different nursing homes, before possessing and selling off their property.
(snip)
This story instantly reminds me of one that I blogged about last year, regarding Janice Langbehn and Lisa Marie Pond. As Lisa died, her partner of 17 years, Janice, was not allowed to see her in the hospital. Neither were their three children. While the abuse of Clay and Harold extended well beyond visitation rights, this core part of the story is tragically not unheard of. There are certainly many other couples who had their rights similarly violated but did not make the news.
Last week, President Obama issued a directive requiring hospitals to allow visitation rights to patients’ same-sex partners, as well as to other designated visitors. This action was apparently inspired by Janice and Lisa’s story, and Janice’s persistent activism. Obama even called Janice and apologized to her for what she endured. It’s a noble and necessary action, and one that I certainly hope will be enforced effectively.”
Obama hasn’t repealed DADT but I am glad to see him taking action on this issue. But it’s sad that hospitals have to be forced to honor same-sex partners’ wishes and treat them with respect. This directive is a good start but we have to have a cultural shift as well.
Posted by Vixen as Sex History, News at 11:12 PM CDT
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From this gallery. This is my favorite type of porn-natural nudity in beautiful nature.
Posted by Vixen as Sexy Sensations at 12:27 PM CDT
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The transformation of the Tea Party is a curious matter. I remember when it had a more alternative/third party vibe.
A couple of years ago some liberal friends emailed me about a local Tea Party event. Mr. Radical and I had been to protests before with this couple. For some reason we couldn’t make the event. But I remember afterward said couple emailed me pictures. They were really jazzed about the day and thought it was an exciting new movement. The pictures showed smiling people with question the government and end the war type protest signs. Our friends thought a viable third party was being born.
Next I heard about the Tea Party was via snarky reporters thinly veiling sexual jokes over tea bagging. This inspired me to write a Fetish Fridays post on the subject.
Over time the Tea Party got…well it got pretty fucked up. Gone were the independent voters, the Constitutionalists, the make politicians accountable types. Suddenly it seemed the Tea Party had morphed into bunch of uneducated, racist assholes. What the hell happened?!
I started researching and kept coming across the work hijack. Indeed, it does seem that the Tea Party has been infiltrated.
From the CA Independent Voter Network:
Tea Party Co-Founder Blasts Mainstream GOP Imitators
“In 2007, the modern tea party movement took shape, in a vastly different form than it now presents itself. Spurred by an impending recession, a government overrun by deception and corruption, and an unprecedented expansion of government under eight years of “conservative” leadership, the first modern day tea partiers had positive causes of action: honesty, respect for the rule of law, and protection of the rights of the smallest minority; the individual.
(snip)
Then, in mid-February of 2009, Rick Santelli gave a now infamous rant on CNBC, calling for a modern day “tea party” in July. Immediately, my business partner and I set up on online tea party website. Within days, we received tens of thousands of e-mails and passionate pleas for government accountability. Our vision was to change the political debate focused on general divisions to one centered on specific solutions. We asked our supporters to question party-line politicians and demand that our leaders take a more independent and reasoned stance on the issues facing our country.
(snip)
At some point, reality began piercing my passion. The tea party boat started becoming a wagon of whiners. Propelled by the moving mouths on TV and the talking heads of such ironically named organizations such as the “American Family Association” (one must agree that for an admitted adulterer with three ex-wives heading the AFA is ironic, right?), the movement lost its focus. No longer were tea partiers upset with the bipartisan corruption in Washington D.C., they are mad at the socialists communists Hitler-like Democrats. No longer did Constitutionalism mean respecting the rule of law, it meant Obama is not really our president. A movement founded on the principles of independent analysis, it has become a yelling fest for punch-drunk cynics armed with incoherent talking points.”
—
From the Raw Story:
Tea Party activists bitter about GOP ‘hijacking’ movement
“Revelations about the connections between a Republican lobbying firm with a long history of astroturfing and one of the two main factions of “Tea Party” protesters are raising fresh concerns that the GOP has successfully hijacked the right-wing Tea Party movement.
A Libertarian political consultant interviewed by MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow agrees that in many places the tea partiers’ struggle against being coopted is already “a lost cause.”
(snip)
As Raw Story reported last month, the firm’s apparent goal is to channel populist Tea Party discontent into Republican electoral victories in 2010 and 2012.”
—
From Newsmax:
Tea Party Patriots Say GOP’s Steele ‘Hijacking’ Movement
“In a sharp break with the Republican Party, tea party activists tell Newsmax they have launched a Web site accusing Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele of trying to “hijack” the grassroots-conservative movement for his own political purposes.
(snip)
Robin Stublen, another leading activist, called Steele’s move “a back door attempt by the RNC to put their “stamp” on the movement that welcomes all conservatives regardless of political party.”
(snip)”We’ll be sending a message to GOP leaders, and specifically to Michael Steele, that we don’t appreciate him trying to hijack our movement,” Wilkinson says.
In part, the confusion over whether Tuesday’s event represented an official tea-party activity reflects the decentralized nature of the tea-party movement itself. In recent months the tea party groups have struggled to formulate a unified message and control their branding, given the movement’s apparently lack of centralized control.”
—
The website mentioned above is Save Our Movement. The main page has a Declaration of Tea Party Independence. There were parts I agreed and disagreed with. I’d like to see a viable third party even if I don’t agree with them. It would give our current system a much needed shaking up.
Bottom line-I’d rather engage in political debate with that kind of Tea Party. The GOP/Sarah Palin hijacked version just redresses old politics and squelches a third party. Can the original Tea Party pull back to it’s roots? Time will tell. And so will the next elections.
Posted by Vixen as News at 11:18 PM CDT
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From Richard Dawkins’ site:
Nate Phelps ‘Returns to Topeka’ Event
“RDFRS is proud to co-sponsor Nate Phelps’ upcoming event in Topeka, Kansas. Nate is the estranged son of “God Hates Fags” Pastor Fred Phelps, and he is now returning to his hometown, which he hasn’t been to in many years. Nate will tell his story of growing up in the family that founded the infamous Westboro Baptist Church, which he left at midnight on his 18th birthday.
The Richard Dawkins Foundation will be filming the event as part of an upcoming documentary about Nate’s story of religious abuse, how he survived, and his mission to fix the laws that protect the perpetrators.
The event is FREE TO THE PUBLIC, so we encourage everyone in the area to attend if possible. This is also the first time one of the Phelps children has spoken out publicly against the church in their hometown.”
—
Phelps is incredibly brave to go back to his hometown and talk about his abusive childhood. While it’s wonderful to have the hypocrisy of the WBC exposed on their home turf, I hope Phelps gets some personal healing from the visit as well.
I blogged about Nate Phelps here. You can read his blog here.
Posted by Vixen as News at 10:56 PM CDT
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Found via Bust:
It’s Official: Batwoman Ongoing Series
“In the coming months, Batwoman will settle into more permanent digs of her own — namely, an ongoing series both written and drawn by Williams.
(snip)
After her debut in the pages of 52, Batwoman became one of the most widely-discussed heroes of the modern era, due to her new role in the Batman family of characters and because of her role as one of the first openly-gay characters in the DC Universe. She’s both a hero and an icon.
—
This is good news. Last I read about this incarnation of Batwoman she wasn’t going to be a lesbian. I think this twist could give a whole of dimension to the superhero icon. I blogged about this here and here.
Posted by Vixen as News at 10:10 PM CDT
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From the $pread blog:
Call For Submissions: Race, Racism and the Sex Industry/Sex Trades
“For our summer issue, $pread is proud to host a guest editorial collective of US-based sex workers and allies of color. The issue will explore race and racism within the sex industry/sex trades in the United States. How do you feel your racial identity affects your experience in the sex industry/sex trades or in sex worker rights movements? We are seeking articles from people of color of all backgrounds, including people identifying as part of immigrant communities.
Features pitches (a short 250-word write-up of your idea for an article of 2000-3000 words) should be sent to [email protected], with the heading labeled by the section in which your piece might fit. Also listed below are some ideas for the regularly featured columns in $pread; if you would like to submit content for any of these, please send us a short pitch with details. Our deadline for pitches is April 15 at the latest, so please send your paragraph-length pitch in ASAP. The content deadline for full articles will be May 10, 2010.”
See more details at the post link above.
Posted by Vixen as Activism, Sex Workers at 11:44 PM CDT
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“I hope you enjoy my money.”
-new client
I say a prayer of gratitude to my clients every day.
Posted by Vixen as Quote Book at 11:47 AM CDT
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