Quantcast
Channel: Jon's Blog
Viewing all 2931 articles
Browse latest View live

Nebraska Man Charged with Robbery in Coralville, IA // Threatened Victim with Knife Over Cigarette

$
0
0
A Nebraska man was staying at the Heartland Inn in nearby Coralville, IA, when he got arrested and charged last night with First Degree Robbery. 27-year-old Duop Tut now faces 25 years in prison after threatening another man with a knife -- after the victim declined to give him a cigarette:
Officers were called to the Heartland Inn in Coralville about 7:30 Sunday night on a report of a person attacking someone else with a knife. The victim pointed out 48-year-old Duop Tut of Grand Island, Nebraska, as the person who attacked him. According to the victim, Tut had pulled out a knife and thrust it at him after the victim refused to give Tut a cigarette. Tut then pulled out the knife in front of the officer, asking the victim if he was scared of it.
According to press reports, Tut smelled of alcohol and admitted to being drunk to the police.

Tut faces charges of First Degree Robbery and Public Intoxication. He is currently at the Johnson County Jail in Iowa City.

Pat Robertson: Seemingly Approving of Civil Unions for Same-Sex Couples!

$
0
0
You know that the culture war has been won when Pat Robertson comes out in favor of civil unions for same-sex couples!

It all went down on CBN's "The 700 Club" this morning when co-host Terry Meeuwsen asked him the following question during the program's Bring It On segment: "With the law now changed allowing homosexual unions, as a Christian, would I be partaking in the world view of marriage rather than God’s, by getting a marriage license? I don’t believe the government should be involved in marriage to begin with because it’s a ceremony of holy vows between a man and a woman before God.– Rodney"

This is Pat's response:
Pat Robertson: You know, in a sense you are absolutely right. Marriage is a sacrament of the Church. It is a sacrament. It is not something that the Supreme Court should be legislating about marriage. Civil unions, by all means! Don’t over-spiritualize this stuff. You get certain benefits to being married and so you go down and you get a license. It’s like you’re driving a car and so, “I don’t want to drive because the system is evil.” Well, you gotta get a license to drive the car. So don’t worry about it!
First of all, same-sex couples have been legally marrying in corners of this country for over a decade. Longer, if you count Vermont's civil unions. Much longer, if you count people like myself who had commitment ceremonies long before we had the option of marriage. The only thing that the Supreme Court did this summer with Obergefell v. Hodges was to make it so that equal marriage rights spread throughout the country instead of the crazy patchwork pattern of marriage equality states.

Still, I'm amazed that Pat Robertson was accepting of the notion of civil unions. That is HUGE!

You can watch the entire segment here.

Nurses vs. Feeders vs. Vampires in Pix-C Web Comics'"Knightingales!"

$
0
0
I wrote back in April about the Knightingales. They are a pair of nurses originally featured in various romance stories published by Charlton Comics. Nurses Betsy Crane and Cynthia Doyle now appear KNIGHTINGALES, a serialized strip published weekly online by Pix-C Web Comics.

Instead of cheesy romance stories, KNIGHTINGALES places our two heroines right in the middle of a post-apocalyptic version of New York City. It is 1966 and the city is virtually abandoned -- surrendered to cannibalistic creatures known as Feeders! It was unclear back when the strip started what exactly the Feeders are. But we have since learned that they are twisted forms of vampires. Nurses Crane and Doyle have remained in the city, vowing to nurse their community back to health -- or die trying!

KNIGHTINGALES started out with Betsy and Cynthia roaming the city streets looking for human survivors -- and failing at that. They did run across a familiar face though. It was one of Nurse Crane's former lovers. His name is Dr. Frank Casey. And he's now a Feeder! Stupidly, Betsy reaches out to Frank. And the Feeder, of course, attacks her!

Cynthia is there to destroy Dr. Casey, but the damage has already been done. Nurse Betsy Crane has been bitten by a Feeder and that rarely turns out well! The two women seek shelter in the city's sewers -- but not before Betsy makes Cynthia promise to kill her before she becomes a Feeder!

The two women were protected by an unanticipated sewer-dweller with all sorts of familiar names: Lucifer! Incubus! Abaddon! But his most famous name? It's Dracula!


I can only assume that Dracula has a thing for pretty nurses. Otherwise, I still haven't figured out why he saved these two women while ignoring thousands before them. In fact, we learn at one point in this strip that Dracula is the originator of this Feeder infestation! It started with a couple of bums and soon spread to every level of society!

Dracula ends up feeding on Nurse Betsy Crane with the intention of preventing her transformation into a Feeder -- instead ensuring that she will become something a bit more attractive, though probably a bit more deadly! And she's not happy about it!

Personally, I think it might be safer for Nurse Cynthia Doyle to give Nurse Crane some time and privacy to adjust to her new transformation!

I cannot help wondering the difference between what Nurse Crane has become versus the numerous Feeders that plague this city? Why did Dracula save her and Nurse Doyle? And what other horrors do the Knightingales face in this scary new world?

Fortunately, I am a patron of Pix-C Web Comics. That gives me access to KNIGHTINGALES, as well as great stories featuring a variety of characters such as The Face, Spookman, Sadistik, Ms. Molecule, Molly the Model, N.E.O., Yang, and several others! Those who become patrons (for as little as $1 per month) gain access to several weekly online comic strips. The more you pledge, the more perks you qualify for. I've been contributing $30 per month towards this venture. I encourage to you to become a patron too!

As always,  KNIGHTINGALES is written by Roger McKenzie & drawn by Dærick Gröss Sr.

Halloween Comes to Riverdale! // Five Reasons to Enjoy WORLD OF ARCHIE COMICS DOUBLE DIGEST #52!

$
0
0
Halloween is just around the corner, which means that fans of Archie Comics' various comic book digests get to look forward to a month or so Halloween-themed short stories! I've heard Jonathan from Riverdale Podcast comment on more than one occasion that he LOVES Archie Comics' Christmas stories. I'm all about Halloween!

The first Halloween story of 2015 debuts this week in WORLD OF ARCHIE COMICS DOUBLE DIGEST #52! It's a short story titled "Scary, Scary Dooo!" featuring scripting by Alex Simmons, pencils by Pat & Tim Kennedy, inks by Jim Amash, letters by Jack Morelli, and colors by Digikore Studios.

Here are five things that I enjoyed about "Scary, Scary Dooo!":

1. Archie Or Scooby??: This is obviously -- at least visually -- an homage to the Scooby-Gang. We have the handsome hero. We have the pretty blonde. We have the smart-yet-unattractive girl. We have the goofy guy who can't stop eating. And we have the dog. And I love it! I've always been a fan of Scooby-Doo. The more reminders of his greatness, the better!


2. Get Ready to Par-Tay!: Archie and the Gang were invited to a costume party in downtown Riverdale by Veronica, via evite. However, the scene of the party is pretty weird. It's filled with food -- and tons of dolls and manequins. Interestingly, there are doll versions of Jughead at this party. We even find an Archie and a Super Duck doll later on in the story. But no people. What's up with that??


3. How Many Licensed Properties Can We Mimic??: Very quickly, the lights click off. They click back on and our heroes find themselves surrounded by all sorts of walking dolls! And none of them look friendly!! But check them out! Not only do we have generic creatures, like the Frankenstein Monster. But we also have the Simpsons and Spongebob Squarepants and Spock and Batman! Or killer dolls that look vaguely similar to those guys!


4. Cue the Chase Music!: If this was a cartoon, this would be when the Davie Jones music starts up! Or would it be the Archies, in this situation?? Will our heroes survive?


5. Cue the Villain!: We finally discover the composer of this creepy chase! It turns out that it was a massive prank -- aimed at making fools of Archie and this Gang! Who do you suppose is behind this elaborate ruse? I promise you! Archie ain't at all happy!


Ultimately, there are two pranksters in this piece! You will need to grab your copy of WORLD OF ARCHIE COMICS DOUBLE DIGEST #52 -- complete with great classic reprints featuring Archie, Fred Andrews, Ginger Snapp, Reggie, and Bats! -- to find out the identity of our trickster.. as well as the trickster's trickster!

Oxford, IA, Man Arrested // Left Home Without Pants!

$
0
0
Johnson County police were investigating reports of a fatal dog fight in Oxford, IA. The owner of the surviving dog was identified, which led to a very strange interaction:
Deputies say Bell showed multiple signs of intoxication and had a strong odor of ingested alcohol. At some point, he went into his apartment to retrieve a dog leash and when he returned, officers say he was naked from the waist down.
It's not clear from news reports why this man removed his pants when he went to get the dog lease.

This 59-year-old man was arrested and charged with Public Intoxication. He's lucky he wasn't charged with Indecent Exposure -- not to mention anything related to the killed dog.

Techrat?? // Six Great Things About JEM AND THE HOLOGRAMS #7!

$
0
0
JEM AND THE HOLOGRAMS #7 just got published yesterday. I'm not terribly excited about the new artist. It's not that I hate the new artist. I just really liked Sophie Campbell's work on this book. The new artwork appears flat in comparison. Otherwise, this was a solid read and lots of fun.

Our last issue wrapped up the "Misfits VS!" battle between the Misfits and the Holograms. The Holograms got disqualified from the contest after getting into a huge food fight. It hardly seemed fair after the Misfit's assistant, Clash, nearly killed Aja following an act of sabotage! But Jem and the Holograms got the last laugh. They ruined a Misfits concert and cemented their reputation as the new "It Band" through great music and outrageous holographic special effects!

Issue #7 is a transitional issue. Jerrica Benton (secretly AKA Jem) has a million tasks to attend to now that everyone wants a small piece of the Holograms' music and success! The Misfits are fuming after the launch of their new album got ruined by the Holograms' successful attention-grab. Meanwhile, Kimber and Stormer both mourn the death of their secret romance! Great stuff!

Here are six great things about JEM AND THE HOLOGRAMS #7!

1. Synergy Is An Awesome Webmaster!: I really love this version of Synergy. Too often, the cartoon version of Synergy was a passive member of the Holograms. She usually sat around waiting for Jem and the Holograms to request simple holographic tricks. This comic book version is much, much bigger! Not only does she transform Jerrica into Jem and provide holographic light shows for the Holograms' performances. She also does cool stuff like instantly purchase domain names for the Holograms' new website and designs web layouts!


2. Mom?: I do have a confession to make: I don't like the visual design for the comic book version of Synergy. She's got this superhero-dominatrix look happening, which doesn't really impress me. I much prefer that aspect of the cartoon version of Synergy. That said, it appears that Synergy's appearance was patterned after the girls' deceased mother. Which is sweet. But it also means that Mama Benton had H-U-G-E(!!) hair!


3. Meet Eric Raymond!: 5X5 Entertainment was not impressed with the Misfits' recent antics -- nor are they happy that the Holograms have gone viral at the expense of the Misfits. 5X5's top execs have saddled the Mifits with a manager and his name is Eric Raymond! Check out the cartoon sometime and you will quickly realize that Eric is no good! He looks like a white knight, but he really a rogue. And he seems to have it out for the Holograms. I can't wait to discover the origin of this particular grudge!


4. Rio's "Misfits" Article Gets Published: When we originally met Jerrica's love interest, Rio, he was immersing himself with the Misfits in preparation for a writing assignment on that band. He hated them and they (mostly Pizzazz) hated him. But he really likes their music. And he wrote about that. Which didn't impress Jerrica...


5. Rio's Writing What??: Speaking of bad timing (Was I??), Rio shows up just after Jerrica discovered his "Misfits" article. Did I mention that she wasn't impressed?? Not only does Rio have to figure out how to dig himself out of this hole, but he also needs to figure out how to get Jerrica to permit Rio to write a tell-all piece on Jem herself!


6 Techrat!!!: Lastly, we were treated to another familiar face from the 1980s "Jem and the Holograms" cartoon: Techrat! Techrat is this techno-wizard who loves using technology to cause trouble. He's also a bit of a social misfit. Eric Raymond's first managerial task with the Misfits is to hire Techrat to hack into the Holograms' computers and dig up their dirt! I'm not sure how easy that will be considering that the Holograms' have a living computer in charge of everything, but I'm pretty sure that Techrat might be the one to give Synergy a real challenge!


Once again, pick up JEM AND THE HOLOGRAMS! It's a great comic book filled with all sorts of great characters! I've noticed that several of my Archie friends have begun reading this book, which is pretty neat!

"Viral! Part One" was written by Kelly Thompson, with art by Emma Vieceli, colors by M. Victoria Robado, and letters by Tom B. Long.

Kim Davis: I Received Accommodations Allowing My Clerks to Process Marriage Liences Without My Name or County Office on Them -- But I'm Still Appealing!

$
0
0
Kim Davis returned to work this week and promised to continuing refusing to issue marriage licenses to her constituents, which is one of the job duties performed by county clerks in the state of Kentucky. But she also said that she would not interfere with deputy clerks who processed marriage licenses, which she hasn't. And she apparently modified the license template, which doesn't appear to upset anyone else. Her Liberty Counsel attorney told everybody that they were happy with these newest developments and that these accommodations were exactly what Kim Davis has been asking for since this whole culture war battle began. Case closed, right?

Wrong. Liberty Counsel continues to file challenge after challenge in federal court, attempting to overturn earlier decisions that require the Rowan County Clerk office to issue marriage licenses -- which, once again, is one of the long-standing functions of that office.

The latest appeal that just got smacked down by the courts responded to Davis' stupid argument that she was only required to issue marriage licenses to people who sued her or her county office. CBN New reported on this earlier today:
Kentucky County Clerk Kim Davis has lost another appeal. The Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals said she has to grant marriage licenses to all couples, not just those who filed a lawsuit against her. Those couples received their marriage licenses while Davis was in jail for refusing to obey a judge's order to do so. 

Meanwhile, hundreds of Christians cheered Davis' husband at a rally for Constitution Day in Nashville, TN. Rafael Cruz, father of Republican Senator and presidential candidate Ted Cruz, was also there. Cruz, who is a pastor, said "the Devil overplayed his hand when the Supreme Court legalized gay marriage.
Here's another way of looking at this. Kim Davis and Liberty Counsel want the courts to agree to an argument that would eventually result in Kim Davis and the Rowan County Clerk office to be dragged into court over and over and over by disgruntled tax-payers who just want to file their paperwork, plop down their $35 fee, and leave with their license.

I won't even go into this never-ending battle to rip apart thousands of existing same-sex marriages.

You can watch the entire clip here.

Anti-Gay Christian Fired After Employer Told Him to Stop Proselytizing to Lesbian Co-Workers // Now He Has a GoFundMe Page

$
0
0
There's an annoying crowdfund circulating today that benefits a guy who got recently after he repeatedly proselytized lesbian co-workers with material from Ray Comfort's annoying anti-gay movie, "Audacity." I haven't seen "Audacity," but I've listened to an interview about the film with Ray Comfort. It was enough to know that I never want to watch "Audacity." Comfort's marketing campaign essentially seems to be about convincing gay people that he's not being "hateful" when he tells us that we're going to Hell.

According to the GoFundMe account, this guy got fired after repeatedly prostelytizing to his co-workers even after his employer told him to knock it off:
Chris Routson was fired from his job as a steel worker after sharing his faith. He and his wife, Bekah, along with their two children are now without income. Chris shared Ray Comforts new movie “Audacity” during a Facebook chat with a lesbian co-worker. He did this from his own home and while off the clock. He was called into the office the following day and was given a warning to stop communicating with that individual. A few days later he was lovingly sharing his personal testimony, along with the gospel with another lesbian co-worker. She complained to management and Chris was sent home. A few days later Chris was called into his manager’s office where he was told he was being fired. They denied his unemployment and offered no severance pay. The company also imediately cut off health insurance and payflex card. Chris’ desire was to lovingly and gracefully share his faith. He didn’t single out homosexuality but said that all people need to repent and put their trust in Jesus. He never intended to make anybody feel uncomfortable and had no idea that he was putting his job (of 14 years) at risk.
One might argue that he might have realized that he was putting his job at risk after repeatedly proselytizing to co-workers, even after being told to stop. It's also possible that there is more to his story than what he's stated on his GoFundMe page.

He's managed to raise about $2,715, as of this writing. Also while writing this post, he just purged his GoFundMe page of comments -- most of which were unimpressed with his situation. But he did just post a number to a "turn or burn" phone service that wants you to know that God's Judgment is just around the corner and that you're heading to Hell.

Who Is Nature Girl??

$
0
0
I was checking out some old Charlton Comics stories that had been placed online. There is this great Charlton Comics character named Nature Boy, who's a bit of a cross between Superman, Captain Marvel, and Captain Planet. 

Nature Boy was lost at sea when he was a baby. The Greek Gods took pity on him and saved his life. Plus, they each gave him aspects of their powers. For example, Neptune gave the boy control over water. He also gained control over wind, fire, earth, love, the skies, electricity, and ice. Some of the Gods that gave him power (like Friga) sound vaguely familiar. Others (like Gusto) seem to be made-up. Either way, Nature Boy is a powerhouse who used his powers back in the 1950s to fight crime.

But this isn't about Nature Boy. This blog is about Nature Girl. Nature Girl is a jungle-based superhero from 1957 who had one adventure back in NATURE BOY #5. We don't know her real name. We don't know her full range of powers. We don't know her connection to Nature Boy or if she shares a similar origin. But we do know that she likes elephants!


She has a pet elephant named Bonga whom she loves very much. However, she keeps Bonga chained to a tree in the middle of the jungle. I'm sure that's handy for keeping track of your elephants, but it also makes them easy-pickings for passing poachers. Which is the subject of today's story.

Bonga is being threatened by a poacher named Lazlo. Lazlo hates elephants, but enjoys shooting them. Fortunately, Nature Girl is nearby and uses her power over plants to get hurled towards her pet and its poacher:


Nature Girl tells Lazlo to leave Bonga alone, but he doesn't care. He just wants to shoot Bonga.

Fortunately, Nature Girl also has control over gravity and uses that power to rip Lazlo's rifle from his hands and then threatens to shoot him dead. Sort of.


Lazlo runs away. Bonga's life is saved and he's free to be leashed to a tree for yet another day!

Seriously, I kind of like Nature Girl. She has the potential to be something big. We have a template here, but nothing else. Somebody could do something really great with her origin, with the rest of her powers, and with her mission. And somebody could unleash poor Bonga!

Maybe that somebody could be me...

R.I.P. Ms. Lion (07/26/02-09/20/15)

$
0
0
Ms. Lion died this morning.

She had been suffering from weird fainting spells recently. We took her to the veterinarian clinic twice this week to see what was wrong with her, but everything was inconclusive. It didn't appear to be heart problems. We're thinking that it was something in her head, but we're not sure. Basically, we were encouraging her to take it easy as her spells always occurred when she was exerting herself.

She had her final spell this morning while on her morning walk. It was quick. Maybe five minutes before she passed away.

Normal blog activity will take a break today.

Ms. Lion (07/26/02-09/20/15)

Jack Larson (AKA Jimmy Olson from "Adventures of Superman") Dies at Age 87

$
0
0
Jack Larson -- best known as Superman's Pal Jimmy Olson back in the 1950s -- just passed away at the age of 87:
Jack Larson, forever typecast as the overeager cub reporter Jimmy Olsen on the 1950s television series Adventures of Superman, has died. He was 87. 

Larson, who later produced several films written and/or directed by his longtime companion, the late Oscar nominee James Bridges, died Sunday at his home in Brentwood, The New York Times reported. Further details of his death were not immediately available. 

In 1951, Larson signed up to play the hapless Olsen for $250 an episode on Adventures of Superman, the first TV show to feature the Man of Steel from the comics. At the time, he wanted to go to New York to tackle Broadway and didn’t think the series — then one of the few to be filmed, not done live — would amount to anything.
Larson was talked into the job by his agent, who argued that the job would make for easy money and would never amount to anything. Instead, it was an instant hit and Larson was contractually forbidden from doing much of anything else for the next six seasons. After the show ended, Larson found himself forever typecast as Jimmy Olson and rarely did any more acting work.


As noted above, Jack Larson was a longtime companion to James Bridges. They met in 1957 and remained together as a couple until Bridges' death to cancer in June 1993.

Ted Nugent: I'm a Gay Vegetarian Pirate!

$
0
0
Ted Nugent put this on Twitter this weekend:


This whole President-Obama-is-a-Muslim meme never fails to crack me up. Largely because his longtime membership with Trinity United Church of Christ and his connection to Rev. Jeremiah Wright was used so much against him before he became president.

Jennifer Lien (AKA Kes of "Star Trek: Voyager") Arrested // Charged with Two Counts of Indecent Exposure

$
0
0
Jennifer Lien as "Kes"
I was just reading about Jennifer Lien, who played the character Kes on the first three seasons of "Star Trek: Voyager" back in the mid-90s. Her character was one of my favorite characters in that series and I was disappointed when the actress left the program.

Lien was arrested earlier this month and charged with two counts of exposing herself to a child under the age of 13:
Neighbor Carey Smith says Lien recently walked by her home and commented on how the children were being cared for while two were crying.  “Started saying vulgar things. I mean really vulgar things, I told her to mind her own business and keep on walking,” said Smith. That’s when things got even stranger. “All of a sudden, here come the shirt up. She started flashing and, ‘Woo hoo,’ and I said, ‘And what respect is that for kids?’ There was none. And then she turned around and dropped her pants,” said Smith. Parents, worried things might escalate, then called 911... 
At the time, Lien denied to police that she exposed herself, but officers issued a detainer summons, charging her with indecent exposure. When Roane County deputies visited Lien’s house, her front door was open. After knocking on the door, she yelled at deputies to come in. Deputies said Lien was naked on her couch, covered by a blanket. She told the deputies she was expecting them. Then dispatch told the deputies that Lien had an active warrant from the Harriman City Police Department. When they told her about the warrant, she said they needed to leave her alone, saying she “wasn’t going any (expletive) where.” The two deputies repeatedly asked Lien to put on clothes, eventually calling for a female deputy. They said Lien told them she would have all of them shot and killed. Eventually, deputies said the put Lien in handcuffs, putting a shirt and pants from the jail on her. They said she refused to walk to the patrol car and they had to carry her to the car, before driving to the Roane County Detention Center. Lien’s bond was set at $2,500. 
Lien (September 2015)
The 41-year-old former actress was arrested for domestic assault on June 4, 2012. More recently on April 17, 2015, Lien was arrested and charged with evading arrest, resisting arrest, reckless endangerment and aggravated assault in relation to a speeding offense.

Kim Davis: I Have Gay Friends! // Plus: The ACLU Files Complaint About Davis Altering Kentucky's Marriage License Forms

$
0
0
Kim Davis just won't go away. Late last week, an attorney representing one of her deputy clerks issued a statement expressing concerns that the modified marriage licenses that are now being issued by the Rowan County Clerk office are invalid and an attempt to circumvent federal law.

Now we learn today that the ACLU has filed a new complaint in federal court alleging the same concerns:
Kim Davis could be heading to court again, this time for altering same-sex marriage licenses. After spending five days in jail for refusing to issue them altogether, the Kentucky clerk is back to work but is giving altered licenses. Instead of having her name, the documents say they were issued under the authority of the federal court. Attorneys for four couples are questioning the validity of those changes asking a federal judge to order Davis’ office to re-issue the licenses.
And then this morning, viewers of ABC's "Good Morning America" were subjected to multiple segments in which Kim Davis was interviewed about her refusal to do her job. I watched one of those segments. It went on way too long.

On the one hand, Kim Davis says that she cannot have her name on the marriage licenses because it's a violation of her religious beliefs to have her name attached to a processed same-sex marriage license. On the other hand, she criticized this one gay man who was happy to finally have a marriage license. After all, she reasoned, it's pretty sad when your happiness is influenced by one single sheet of paper.

Oh... And Kim Davis wants the world to know that she has gay friends. She asserted that she has gay friends and that they agree to disagree on this subject. And she has apparently turned away her gay friends when they came to her office seeking marriage licenses. Of course, the obvious follow-up that we never see if where the interviewer asks for names and then schedules interviews with those alleged friends.

Layoffs at Archie Comics??

$
0
0
Here is some concerning information about recent layoffs at Archie Comics:
The Beat has learned that last week Archie Comics laid off five employees from their 30 person staff. Archie did not respond to enquiries.
This isn't necessarily doom and gloom for the company, but it's a fairly large chunk of their employees.

It's Not a Requirement for Christians to Annoy Gay People with Copies of "Audacity"

$
0
0
Remember this guy? He's the guy who repeatedly pushed an anti-gay movie called "Audacity" on lesbian co-workers and eventually got fired after they complained and after his boss had told him to leave them alone. He set up a GoFundMe account to support his family and it's presently raised nearly $5800, as of this writing.

I have not contributed towards his account and I have not left any messages on his GoFundMe page. But I somehow got on an email update list and this guy updates his page. A lot. Sometimes, he's just thanking people for contributing. Sometimes, he's giving updates on his job search. But other times, he's posting material about how he should be allowed to share his faith on the job.

Which most people don't have a problem with. But Chris Routson's faith isn't "Audacity." His faith isn't an anti-gay film that tells gay people that we're going to Hell if we don't change. His faith is Christianity. They aren't the same thing. Chris Routson wasn't fire for being a Christian. He was fired for annoying his co-worker's and (by extension) disobeying his employer when his co-worker's complained about his unwanted behaviors.

Chris recently shared a video on his GoFundMe page that talked about how gay marriage has made it so that those who disagree with it are now being fired and that's one of the reasons that it's bad. Here's a few holes with that argument:

Chris Routson wasn't fired for disagreeing with gay marriage. He was fired for repeatedly proselytizing to his gay co-workers with an anti-gay movie. This could have happened a year ago and still resulted in the same results (especially since Ohio is an "at will" employment state). Others, who arguably have their employment threatened over gay marriage are people like Kim Davis or other municipal employees whose jobs are to serve the entire community with processing their marriage licenses. But most of the people who've lost employment opportunities haven't lost them because of gay marriage but because of rude behavior towards gay people.

On the other hand, I can find a whole long list of LGBT people, family members, and our supporters who have lost jobs because of getting married or for liking a gay-friendly Facebook post or for attending the wedding of a gay relative. Was Chris Routson fighting for the rights of these individuals when anti-gay employers purged these folks of their employment. Absolutely not.

Here's the deal. It sucks that Chris Routson lost his job. Most LGBT people have had a co-worker or someone similar annoy us with anti-gay tracts or videos. Most of the time we ignore them or tell the people to knock it off. Sometimes someone complains and on a handful of occasions, someone like Chris Routson loses his job.

But Chris Routson could have used better judgment. After getting warned by his boss about annoying the one lesbian co-worker with a copy of "Audacity," he could have waited more than a few days before annoying another lesbian co-worker with the same old routine. But he pushed things and he eventually got hurt for it.

In the meantime, he's received more through GoFundMe over the past 15 days than he would have earned at his old job and he supposedly has some potential new job opportunities. So my sympathy towards him has a limit. But hopefully he will remember what happened at his old job once he eventually finds new employment and not repeat the same mistake.

Meet Kim Davis' Gay Friend // Plus: Kim Davis Joins the GOP

$
0
0
Earlier this week, I vented quite a bit (mostly on Twitter) about Kim Davis' claim that she has a gay friend and that this gay friend supports her. Well, color me surprised but some gay guy who claims to be Kim Davis' gay friend has come forward -- except that she has gravely disappointed him:
Dallas Black of Morehead, Kentucky, called The Daily Beast after the anti-gay marriage clerk said in an interview on Good Morning America that she had gay friends. 

Black said he’s known Davis his whole life—her first husband is even a distant cousin of his—but said he and Davis became close after she helped him with paperwork at the Rowan County clerk’s office after his mother died. While he said Davis wasn’t someone he “would get lunch with,” she would give him advice. Black even had her home phone number. 

“Even after this all started, I went in a few days later and we spoke,” he said. “We talked about how each other were feeling, and how we’re gonna be friends even after all this.” 

Now he said he doesn’t recognize her. 

“I really don’t know who Kim is at the moment. I really want to believe that the kind, sweet person who was there when my mom passed away is still there,” he said. “I was friends with Kim in the past, but I don’t know this woman I’ve been seeing.” 

Black said he was surprised just how hard she’s fought against gays getting married. 

“I somewhat feel like she is taking this to an extreme, because she didn’t become a Christian until four years ago,” Black said of the “media fiasco” she created...
But if she came to him for support, Black says he would be there for her just like she was there for him in his time of need. “Morehead is like a big family, a big community,” he said. 

She wouldn’t be on his wedding guest list, though—he’d keep it small, to close friends, and ones who support same-sex marriage wholeheartedly.
Meanwhile, Kim Davis has left the Democratic Party and joined the GOP. It seems that she no longer finds a place with the Democrats for government workers who want to avoid doing their job and serving their constituents:
A county clerk in Kentucky who was briefly jailed for refusing to issue marriage licenses to gay couples said on Friday that she and her family have switched to the Republican Party because the Democrats no longer represented them. 

Rowan County Clerk Kim Davis, 50, who has said her beliefs as an Apostolic Christian prevent her from issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples, said they had changed parties last week. She was a long-time Democrat in eastern Kentucky. 

"My husband and I had talked about it for quite a while and we came to the conclusion that the Democratic Party left us a long time ago, so why were we hanging on?" she told Reuters in an interview at a hotel in Washington, where she has traveled to be feted at a Family Research Council event later on Friday.
Meanwhile, Kim Davis will be winning an award this weekend at the Value Voters Summit.

"The Many Loves of Archie Andrews" Kicks Off in BETTY & VERONICA HALLOWEEN ANNUAL #237 // Here Are Four Things to Like About It!

$
0
0
Archie Comics just kicked off an ambitious 10-part series of short stories throughout the company's various comic book digests. It's called "The Many Loves of Archie Andrews: So Many Girls, So Little Time" and each new story features a different girl in Archie's life!

Part One of "The Many Loves of Archie Andrews" begins in BETTY AND VERONICA HALLOWEEN ANNUAL #237. It features scripts & pencils by Dan Parent, inks by Bob Smith, letters by Jack Morelli, and colors by Digikore Studios.

Here is the gist: Archie wins Teen Vague's annual "Best Boyfriend of the Year" contest and is scheduled to be awarded his prize on Buzz-TV!

Here are four reasons to enjoy BETTY AND VERONICA HALLOWEEN ANNUAL #237:

1. Which Girlfriend Nominated Him?: Leave it to Archie Andrews to get nominated into a "Best Boyfriend of the Year" contest by eight separate girls! Not only we eight different girls nominate him, but they are all aware of the others girls in his life! How typically Archie!


2. What Do They See In Him? Seriously.: I've asked this myself a while back. What is it about Archie Andrews that enables him to collect girl after girl after girl? I still haven't figure out the answer. The girls say that he's honest and not underhanded. That still doesn't excuse his doggy-dog ways! Then again, the competition is guys like Reggie, Jughead, Moose, and Prankenstein -- so maybe that answers that question right there!


3. Seriously. Which Girlfriend Nominated Him?: You absolutely knew that Betty Cooper and Veronica Lodge would be part of this crowd. That's a no-brainer. It's their book, after all!


4. That's Only Two. Who Are The Other Six?: Here is the rest of the "Best Boyfriend" bunch. Some of these are obvious. Some of these are sad. Two of them are questionable...

*Cheryl Blossom! Anything that Veronica and Betty want, Cheryl wants more. It's no surprise that she made it onto this cast of characters. Her bad attitude and curvy appeal has been turning Archie's head for decades!

*Valerie Smith! Ditto with Valerie. She and Archie have been a pretty hot couple over the past 3-4 years. Sometimes I think he prefers Val over B&V! I'm not shocked to see this Pussycat in this storyline.

*Ginger Lopez! I know that Archie and Ginger have dated a few times in the past, but how sad is it that Ginger still considers Archie to be "Best Boyfriend" material? Have they even spoken recently?? No wonder she finally gave up on guys over in AFTERLIFE WITH ARCHIE!

*Sabrina Spellman! Have they ever dated? I'm seriously confused by this addition!!

*Amisha Mehta! She was introduced a couple years ago in the "Archie's World Tour" storyline. I'm really glad to see Amisha again! She moved to Riverdale in ARCHIE #653 and hasn't been seen since. I've long held hopes of an Archie-->Valerie-->Amisha love triangle that would eventually supplant the Archie-->Betty-->Veronica love triangle. Sadly, that's not happened. Yet!

And finally...

*Noelle Claus??!? Who the heck is Noelle Claus?? I've been told that she's appeared before, but she's new to me! I'm assuming that her story will take place sometime during the Christmas months!


As noted above, subsequent stories will feature romantic misadventures starring Archie and each of the above girls, which should be lots of fun!

"Survivors" 40th Anniversary: Episode 22 ("The Chosen")

$
0
0
This is the twenty-second in a series of blog posts dedicated to the 40th anniversary of BBC's "Survivors" television series. "Survivors"followed a core group of characters who managed to survived a devastating viral outbreak -- one which managed to kill off somewhere between 95-99% of humanity. Society has crumbled and now those who remain must relearn the old way if they have any hope of surviving much longer.

Today's episode featured Charles and Pet as they traveled home from a supply source for Whitecross' salt. They took shelter in a random barn and ended up meeting up with a pair of ragtag travelers named Kim and Nancy. Kim has a serious limp and Nancy is mute. Both of them obviously shell-shocked. It seems that they were living in a town before being chased off. Nancy shut down after her baby got eaten by rats. Now they just wander the countryside scavenging for food and shelter.


Charles and Pet allow the two to stay the night with them. However, both become violently ill during the night. It seems like they contracted some sort of food poisoning. They load the pair into a wagon and go to a nearby settlement for assistance.


They receive a severe greeting -- a rifle and a stern warning that they should move on. Pet offers to barter their salt for access to the community's quarantine center. Unfortunately, we discover that
Kim and Nancy had been eaten grain laced with some sort of poison. Nancy dies on her own. Kim is euthanized by one of the guards.

But Charles and Pet get a warm shower and a meal, so they're content to hang around for a while! In fact, Charles ends up spending time with one of the community's leaders, a sub-commander named Joy Dunn. She tells Charles that they live in some form of kibbutz. There are no individuals families. Instead, they follow a supreme leader named Max Kershaw and practices a strict for a natural selection and eugenics. Additionally, they are against trading with communities such as Whitecross.


It's only because of Charles' salt that they allow him to speak with the community's ruling Council. Against Pet's better judgment, Charles insists on speaking with the community's leadership in order to get them involved with his trade federation.

Max Kershaw & His Ruling Council
He finds a community that is fanatically devoted to Max Kershaw and his belief that they are God's chosen community. The old ways led to slopping breeding, which led to intellectual inferiority. Charles and the people of Whitecross represent the old failed ways. They are the new way.

Charles demands the opportunity to share his views of mutual cooperation, love, and compassion to the rest of the community. They initially agree, but then Dunn convinces Kershaw that Charles cannot be allowed to speak. She tells him that she is among the people more than he is. They are unhappy with the community's strict rules and discipline. Allowing someone like Charles to speak to them will only break apart the community.

Kershaw sneaks into Charles' and Pet's quarters that night and instructs them to sneak out. Dunn later arrives and tells them that they will be executed if they leave. She encourages them to stay and for Charles to shares his views. Charles agrees.

Did I mention that Dunn knows how to play people like a fiddle? The meeting starts out well, but Charles doesn't really know what's he's got himself into.


This was his lead. "I think you're too extreme and also that you're dangerous!" This is when Dunn begins summarizing his beliefs that eugenics and euthanasia is wrong. He doesn't even seem to be aware that he's allowing himself to get drawn into Dunn's rhetorical trap!


After criticizing the essentials of their community after spending one day with them, Charles then has his chief goal (i.e., inter-community collaboration) criticized.


And here is where Charles really messed up in this episode. He entered into dialogue completing criticizing the building blocks of their community. Instead of accepting the reality of their "group family" system of community, he railed against it. He could have spent time focusing on their need for salt and medical care and used that as a tool for inter-community cooperation. Over time, they could have established a relationship of understanding and possibly have influenced them to become less devoted to their group family structure. They could have gradually encouraged the community to become less militant when it came to security and discipline.

But it's all or nothing when it comes to Charles Vaughan!

Because of his approach, he allowed Kershaw to use Charles' act of charity -- bringing the dying Kim and Nancy to the settlement -- against them. He could have introduced a deadly illness to the chosen, after all! Was this part of a plot to disrupt and overthrow the community? How do you defend yourself against such accusations when you are criticizing and trying to overthrow the building blocks of the community?

Fortunately for Charles and Pet, Dunn wasn't after them. She was after Kershaw. She began deftly turning the rhetorical screws against Kershaw. She was able to reveal and prove incidents of corruption and extreme leadership, including accusations that he planned to kill Charles and Pet for simply disagreeing with their policies -- even though this had been suggested by Dunn herself!

She ended up assuming control with the support of their community. Kershaw was discredited. And Charles and Pet were allowed to head back to Whitecross unmolested -- after abandoning their salt!

I actually enjoyed this episode. I always enjoy seeing how the various settlements regroup and govern. But Charles comes off as a bit of a dunce in this episode. His desire to prove himself correct in a debate about political structures really overwhelmed the practical goal of his own community (i.e., trade and defense relations). I understand that "Survivors" the TV show is about fleshing out these debates, but it's hard not to shout at Charles sometimes!

Next week's episode returns us to Whitecross. It's called "Parasites" and it features a familiar face to all of you old school "Doctor Who" fans!

"Honey Boo Boo" House to be Demolished?

$
0
0
Remember this house? It's "Honey Boo Boo Estates," where Alana "Honey Boo Boo" Thompson lived with her family. It was featured on TLC's now-canceled "Here Comes Honey Boo Boo." The family has since moved away for greener pastures -- as well as someplace that doesn't have train tracks outside the backdoor!

I wrote back in June that the house's owners were trying to sell the house for $45,000. But it doesn't appear that people want to pay that much money for that house. Plus, it seems that you're only buying the house and not the land, which is reportedly owned by the railroad company.

I heard last night that they might be tearing down the house! Lee "Uncle Poodle" Thompson is trying to confirm the details, but it makes sense. The house needs work and it's right next to train tracks. If nobody want to purchase it, maybe there can be better uses for the land.


I will keep my eye on this story. It will be interesting if the house ends up getting demolished.
Viewing all 2931 articles
Browse latest View live


<script src="https://jsc.adskeeper.com/r/s/rssing.com.1596347.js" async> </script>