Wawa on Walnut Street
OPRAH: other people’s racial attitudes hello ~ @HLMenckenBot God’s worst failure came when He sent His Son to rescue man from sin. It’s hard to imagine any scheme falling further from success. ~ November 9 cannot get here soon enough ~ Monica Lewinski taught him how to inhale ~ I have a problem with the custom of “unfriending” people because of a difference in opinions. ~ @ChArmistead Most authentic Philly moment of the #DNC2016, Apparently Sean Hannity showed up at the Wawa on Walnut Street, and was booed out of the store @ChArmistead Heard this on morning show this AM. Caller sounded legit, but you never know I guess. ~ Someone bought 10 chicken mcnuggets at the McDonalds at 4010 Peachtree Road. It was paid for with amex…1005. The consumer threw the empty mcnugget package, two opened containers of bbq sauce, and a few napkins away on Caldwell Road. ~ the difference between the catholic and protestant version of the lord’s prayer ~ Warren Harding drank, gambled and womanized. Maybe you can be a Warren Harding Republican. ~ If you ever do find it let me know ~ Thank you for this. I am connected to a *radical* community. I have known people who appear to be cis-males, but say they “identify as trans.” I find this to be puzzling. There is a lot of information about this that should be made more available. One problem I have is that some of these IAT (identify as trans) people are assholes.I am only marginally interested in their genitalia. I TOTALLY am not attracted to this person. However, this person says they IAT, without a word of explanation. Asking them what they mean by this is seen as rude, or trans phobic. This attitude seems more than a little bit arrogant. I suspect that transitioning is a process. Ben seems to be at a certain stage. It would be interesting to do a follow up interview in a few years, and see how Ben is progressing. You did not ask Ben what the preferred pronouns are. This is a basic cis-relating-to-genderqueer step. Fortunately, Ben has a short name, and so the use of pronouns is less appealing. G-d forbid you should use the wrong pronoun. If you ever have a run in with the pronoun police, you will nor forget it. ~ @docrocktex26 Wife. Mother. Daughter. Sister. Friend. Doctor. Christian. Longhorn. Liberal. Democrat. Activist. Scorpio. Recycler. Politics Junkie. Proverbial Firestarter. ~ this may be the best endorsment yet @natsecHeather worked for #HillaryClinton & says she is not an asshole ~ Apparently, the al-gore-rhythms agree. This is the “top story” 34 hours later. ~ #FakeIceCreamKnowledge ~ Sean Archilles ~ Stef’An Strawder ~ Man shot, killed in argument outside gas station ~ Bryce McCallum ~ Journey Jones ~ Gloria Starr-Armour ~ Antonio Gray ~ Robert Troy Phillips, Heather Phillips ~ Girl, 14, shot at party in DeKalb County; ~ Police: Homeowner shoots, kills break-in suspect ~ Man found shot to death behind daycare. ~ The False Promise of a ‘Conversation’ About Race ~ White fragility is real: 4 questions white people should ask themselves during discussions about race ~ Have a Problem With Black-Only Spaces? Get Over It ~ György Ligeti (1923-2006) ~ Hannity Smacks Down ‘Total Lie’ That He Was Booed at a Wawa ~ Someone bought 10 chicken mcnuggets at the McDonalds at 4010 Peachtree Road. It was paid for with amex…1005. The consumer threw the empty mcnugget package, two opened containers of bbq sauce, and a few napkins away on Caldwell Road. ~ Were any termites offended by the remarks? ~ Marilyn Mosby speaks out on Freddie Gray case decision ~ Trial of Van Driver in Freddie Gray Case Reveals Prosecutor Violations ~ 7 Actual Facts That Prove White Privilege Exists in America ~ Black Lives Matter Just Delivered Their 10 Point Manifesto, and This Is What They Want ~ Bryce McCallum ,Journey Jones, Gloria Starr-Armour ,Antonio Gray, These are four POC shot to death in the Atlanta area this week #saythenames Did #blackbrunchatl remember these four lives? ~ pictures from “The Special Collections and Archives, Georgia State University Library”. ~ selah
Hanky Panky
Pence is another Cheney, designed to be in charge, while Trump is the Bush/trojan horse, designated to win the election ~ Ryan O’Neil was a horrible casting decision. ~ d for dick @okmariIyn why send nudes when u can send me dogs??? ~ @dasvons @EricaJong It’s 2016. Our president is black. we should be better than screaming racist every time we see something we don’t like ~ did you spell Pterodactyl without spell check? ~ Account suspended This account has been suspended. Learn more about why Twitter suspends accounts, or return to your timeline. ~ Home Improvement Project Person In Excess ~ The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of, and should not be attributed to, Polygon as an organization. ~ is “vermin harborage” rodents in the kitchen or humans in the dining room? ~ Are you talking about Republicans,or BLM? I think you mean Republicans. The trouble is, a lot of those items apply to BLM as well. ~ Nothing says Summer Reading like one of my books ~ I can offer three more. A Health crisis for Hillary Clinton. Alienating white voters by screaming racist too often. Choosing an idiot as Vice President. An economic meltdown ~ @VeryShortStory Standing in front of you, I protected you from the gunman, but as the bullet approached, I saw it had your name on it, and stepped aside. ~ those who like to call out others do not like to be called out ~ I don’t know. Extra marital hanky panky did not hurt Bill Clinton or Jesse Jackson. Granted, they did not *play* as wildly as DJT. On the other hand, two-wrongs-make-a-right rhetoric is out of control for both liberals and conservatives, white and black, police and BLM, and any other competing identity groups that engage in questionable logic to make their point. ~ like thrift store, where you wade through mountains of garbage only to find a few gems ~ “My point here is, first, the Constitution is, according to its reading, an anti-slavery document; and, secondly, to dissolve the Union, as a means to abolish slavery, is about as wise as it would be to burn up this city, in order to get the thieves out of it. But again, we hear the motto, ‘no union with slave-holders;’ and I answer it, as the noble champion of liberty, N. P. Rogers, answered it with a more sensible motto, namely—’No union with slave-holding.’ I would unite with anybody to do right; and with nobody to do wrong.” Six years after he said this, the Union was dissolved. ” ~ The staged politi-drama between Hitlery and Orange Jesus compares to the struggle over slavery like …. ~ @The_Saunatarian ~ as anyone ever asked Hillary if she has had an abortion? ~ this post wins the overheated purple prose award for the next Warholian fifteen minutes ~ Do you know what your problem is? You enjoy telling other people what their problem is. ~ more overblown adjective abuse per square inch than anything this side of ~ 6 ways djt could win: 1-HRC health issues 2-economic meltdown 3- war 4- terror attack 5- electoral college misfire 6- hurricane season ~ You gave a monolog a few years ago, “Pink Taffeta.” You said that the people who once told you to stand up, and speak up, now tell you to sit down and be quiet. Maybe you should dig up that dress, and make a video of this post. ~ The man in Gassaway Tennessee said he was breathing, for sure … spell check suggestion for Gassaway is Passageway ~ observing the difference between there and their is not oppression ~ Can I get to touch your butt because of good intentions? ~ 1 @EWErickson at 615pm you said you had a quote that would offend liberals i listened to 15 minutes of news/traffic/commercials 2 @EWErickson 10 minutes of you talking and never did hear the quote i gave up when i arrived at dinner ~ Not only should you not plagiarize, you should show a source for your information. According to my English 102 teacher, this is a form of plagiarism. Saying “google it” does not work. ~ Milo is no angel I suspect this suspension is more for past performances – @gopackjo one tweet said to support lesdogg by seeing ghostbusters – i suspect is what this is really all about … movie promotion ~ How To Protect Your Watermelon Farm ~ @mbsycamore 1 in feb 1992 ga gov zell miller introduced bill clinton at a campaign rally afterwards, “zig zag zell” was talking to someone @mbsycamore 2 said clinton was sure to win ga primary someone said hypothetically what if he doesn’t win zig zag zell said hypothetical @mbsycamore 3 does not exist hypothetically if my uncle was a woman he would be my aunt. ~ Knowing the difference between there and their is not oppression. ~ Not everyone has the luxury.~ This whole escapade seems to be an orchestrated effort to promote a movie. @Lesdogg is probably hanging out with Milo at the hair salon now, laughing at how gullbile everybody is. ~ An 18-Hour Playlist of Readings by the Beats: Kerouac, Ginsberg & Even Bukowski Too ~ Leslie Jones Is Shining A Light On A Major Problem With Twitter ~ Misogynoir: where racism and sexism meet ~ grammar troll ~ Leslie Jones’ Twitter abuse is a deliberate campaign of hate ~ Twitter Just Permanently Suspended Conservative Writer Milo Yiannopoulos ~ @Lesdoggg ~ Milo Suspended Permanently by Twitter Minutes Before ‘Gays For Trump’ Party At RNC ~ Leslie Jones’ Tweets on Monday Night Were a Powerful Response to an Insane Torrent of Hate ~ Leslie Jones Defends Her ‘Ghostbusters’ Character After Racial Controversy Arises Over New Trailer ~ jones ~ 1937.” ~ ‘Ghostbusters’ star Leslie Jones flees social media after racist trolls repeatedly call her an ‘ape’ ~ any large social movement is going to bring out psychopaths ~ Milo Yiannopoulos Has Been Permanently Suspended from Twitter ~ video ~ Police Kill Too Many People—White and Black ~ Reducing police-involved shooting & “The List” ~ Passing for Politics ~ Atlanta mayor rejects demand to end Israel police training ~ Exposed: Years-long effort to blame Israel for U.S. police shootings of blacks ~ Brookhaven Police Department ~ “Deputy Chief Juan Grullon, Jr., ~ terror ~ “In Washington D.C. ~ Father: Son killed shielding teens from gunfire at house party ~ 15 things cops wish the public knew about policing ~ Two white women launch ‘White Nonsense Roundup’ to unburden people of color ~ milo gets down ~ The promotion of that movie ~ Library of Congress. ~ your white cisgender boyfriend can’t save you from the end of the world ~ Why Grammar Snobbery Has No Place in the Movement ~ pictures for this monday morning perversion excursion are from “The Special Collections and Archives, Georgia State University Library”. ~ selah ~
Grammar Oppression
An MF writer (Melissa A. Fabello) at Everyday Feminism chimes in today with Why Grammar Snobbery Has No Place in the Movement. She means a social justice movement, not a bowel movement. The two movements have a similar aroma.
With more and more people using written english, there are more grammar mistakes. Some people enjoy pointing these out. The EF post says that such behavior is elitist, privileged, and yes, racist. The distinction between written, and spoken, is not made.
“So, if a person wrote a Facebook comment that said “That their was an example of cissexism,” a prescriptive grammarian might comment back, “I think you mean ‘there,’” and a descriptive grammarian might respond, “You understood what they meant.” And while both schools are accepted forms of linguistic thought, it’s important to note that any time we create a hierarchy by positioning one thing as “better” than another, we’re being oppressive.” (“That there” sounds clumsy and ignorant, even using the correct “there.”)
“Ghanaian blogger Delalorm Semabia, in a conversation about the eradication of “the Queen’s English” in Ghana, explained, “The idea that intelligence is linked to English pronunciation is a legacy from colonial thinking.” And this is precisely where we need to start this conversation. As educated (and – okay – snarky) activists, we’re quick to respond to “According to the dictionary” arguments with “Who wrote the dictionary, though?” We understand that a reference guide created by a white supremacist, heteropatriarchal system does nothing but uphold that status quo. Similarly, we have to use that line of thinking when talking about the English language: Who created the rules? And who benefits from them? As per usual, what this comes down to is an issue of privilege (of course!). In fact, grammar snobbery comes down to an intersection of multiple privileges.
…You’ve probably never given much thought to this, aside perhaps from believing that you speak “correctly” and that everyone else who speaks a different type of English than you do speaks the language “wrong.” And perhaps you’ve noticed how often “those people” are people of color. And we (as a society) denounce any form of the language that isn’t “white” enough. Umm, that’s racist.”
English is a living, evolving language. Spoken english changes faster than written english. The written form, devoid of vocal inflection and facial expressions, is more dependent on rules of grammar to communicate.
As different people use english, they develop different ways of speaking. Many of the phrases that are common today began as slang in ethnic populations. As time goes on, these phrases become accepted as standard english. (Some see this use of “other culture’s expressions” as cultural appropriation. PG is neutral in that debate.)
The rules for written english are slower to change. At what point do we criticize the grammar of others? It can be a useful rhetorical tactic, along with -splaning what the person really meant. Or do we just accept that some people are not privileged enough to use good grammar? (There is a certain condescension in excusing the bad grammar of others because of their background. “Oh, they can’t help not knowing that, because they is a poor oppressed POC.”)
In the list of grammar nazi privileges, MF quotes Kurt Vonnegut. PG likes to research quotes, and found a reddit page about the passage. The full quote (MF only used one sentence.) “First rule: Do not use semicolons. They are transvestite hermaphrodites representing absolutely nothing. All they do is show you’ve been to college. And I realize some of you may be having trouble deciding whether I am kidding or not. So from now on I will tell you when I’m kidding.” And yes, Kurt Vonnegut does use semicolons in his work.
Pictures are from “The Special Collections and Archives, Georgia State University Library”. “Photographs taken at a horse show in Atlanta, Georgia, 1937.” UPDATE: There was an twitter exchange with the person who tweeted about the article: Knowing the difference between there and their is not oppression. ~ Not everyone has the luxury.
Monroe Drive or Boulevard
It is an Atlanta cliche. Boulevard turns into Monroe Drive because one was black, and the other white. The white people did not want to live on a street with the same name as the black neighborhood. You hear this all the time, with very little explanation. It is plausible. At one time, Ponce de Leon Avenue was a dividing line between the white, and black, neighborhoods. There are, however, a few questions about this name change business.
In the space between I-85 and Dekalb County, there are four streets that change names when they cross Ponce De Leon Avenue. These are Juniper/Courtland, Charles Allen/Parkway, Monroe/Boulevard, and Briarcliff/Moreland. Several streets cross Ponce without changing names, including Spring Street, Peachtree Street, Piedmont Avenue, and North Highland Avenue.
Four thoroughfares are affected by the Ponce rebranding. Juniper/Courtland is mostly commercial, at least south of Ponce. Briarcliff/Moreland is mostly white until you get to the railroad tracks south of Little Five Points. When Moreland Avenue goes under the MARTA line, the neighborhood is Reynoldstown….which was not named for Burt Reynolds.
Charles Allen/Parkway does change from white to black at Ponce. The street name then changes to Jackson Street, the original name, at Highland Avenue. Monroe/Boulevard also goes from white to black at Ponce. However, when you cross the railroad tracks, Boulevard goes through Cabbagetown, a white neighborhood. Boulevard residents change color several times before the road dead ends at the Federal Prison. Oakland Cemetery, and Zoo Atlanta, do not play a role in this drama.
If this litany of street names is boring, it is all right to skip over the text. The pictures today are from “The Special Collections and Archives, Georgia State University Library”.
Roads change names all over the metro area, for a variety of reasons. In the area between Ponce De Leon Avenue and I 20, there are roads that change at railroad tracks (North Highland/Highland, Krog/Estoria.) Others change at Highland Avenue (Parkway/Jackson, Glen Iris/Randolph) or Decatur Street (Hilliard/Grant, Bell/Hill.) Some of these changes are racially motivated, while others are not. Some make sense, while most do not.
No one seems to know when this Monroe/Boulevard thing happened. An 1892 “Bird’s eye view” shows Boulevard sailing off into the horizon, past a racetrack in today’s Piedmont Park. A 1911 map shows Boulevard starting near “L.P. Grant Park,” and sailing past Ponce up to Piedmont Park. A 1940 map shows Boulevard going past Park Drive, only to turn into Monroe Drive at Montgomery Ferry Road. Finally, a 1969 map of “Negro Residential Areas” shows Monroe Drive changing into Boulevard at Ponce De Leon Avenue, like it is today. Boulevard is a stand alone street name at all times.
If anyone knows about this name change business, please leave a comment. It would be interesting to know when these changes were made, and what government agency made them. Google has not been helpful, except for pointing the way to several map collections.
How To Live In Atlanta
Atlanta is composed mostly of one-way streets. The only way to get out of downtown Atlanta is to turn around and start over when you reach Greenville, South Carolina. All directions start with, ‘Go down Peachtree’ and include the phrase, ‘When you see the Waffle House’. ’Except in Mayretta , where all directions begin with, “Go to the Big Chicken”
Peachtree Street has no beginning and no end and is not to be confused with: Peachtree Circle, Peachtree Place, Peachtree Lane, Peachtree Road, Peachtree Terrace, Peachtree Avenue, Peachtree Battle Road, Peachtree Corners, New Peachtree, Old Peachtree, West Peachtree, or Peachtree Industrial Boulevard. Atlantans only know their way to work and their way home. If you ask anyone for directions, they will always send you down Peachtree.
Only a native of Atlanta can pronounce Ponce De Leon Avenue, so do not attempt the Spanish pronunciation. People will simply tilt their heads to the right and stare at you. The Atlanta pronunciation is ‘pawntz duh LEE-awn.’ There is a street named simply, ‘Boulevard.’It becomes Monroe Drive when you cross Ponce de Leon.
The 8 am rush hour is from 6:30 to 10:30 AM. The 5 pm rush hour is from 3:00 to 7:30 PM. Friday’s rush hour starts Thursday afternoon and lasts through 2 am Saturday. The falling of one raindrop causes all drivers to immediately forget all traffic rules. If a single snowflake falls, the city is paralyzed for three days. It’s on all the channels as a news flash every 15 minutes for a week. Overnight, all grocery stores will be sold out of milk, bread, bottled water, toilet paper, and beer.
I-285, the loop that encircles Atlanta, has a posted speed limit of 55 mph (but you have to maintain 80 mph just to keep from getting run over.) It is known as The Perimeter, and the Watermelon 500. In Atlanta you are either ITP (Inside the Perimeter) or OTP (Outside the Perimeter). ITP and OTP people are wary of each other. Don’t believe the directional markers on highways: I-285 is marked East and West but you may be going North or South. The locals identify the direction by referring to the ‘Inner Loop’ and the ‘Outer Loop. Some call the whole dern thing “The Fruit Loop.”
Possums sleep in the middle of the road with their feet in the air. There are 5,000 types of snakes and 4,998 live in Georgia. There are 10,000 types of spiders. All 10,000 live in Georgia, plus a couple no one has seen before. If it grows, it sticks. If it crawls, it bites. If you notice a vine trying to wrap itself around your leg, you have about 20 seconds to escape, before you are completely captured and covered with Kudzu. It’s not a shopping cart, it’s a buggy. ‘Fixinto’ is one word (I’m fixinto go to the store.) Sweet Tea is appropriate for all meals and you start drinking it when you’re 2 years old. ’Jeet?’ is actually a phrase meaning ‘Did you eat?’ ’Momma-nem’ means: How’s Mother and all of the other children and other members of the family doing.
This was written by someone else. Pictures for this entertainment are from “The Special Collections and Archives, Georgia State University Library”. A typical caption: “Member of the Georgia Press Association, during their 51st annual convention, in Adel, Georgia, September 15-18, 1937.”
#PiedmontParkHanging Part Two
Last week, an apparent suicide was found in Piedmont Park. Soon, the twitter people were in an uproar. Rumors were spreading at the speed of light. People said that it was a lynching, and that the KKK held a rally in the park the day before. Others said the klan was handing out flyers.
At first, the corporate media was quiet. WSB TV tweeted we do not report suicides. There are sound reasons for this. Copycat suicides… a depressed person deciding to take their life, after hearing about another person taking this step … is a problem. There is also the decent consideration of privacy. If a person is in such a bad way that they want to take their life, the corporate media should allow them a measure of peace. There are other stories to report.
The name of the young man has been released. Apparently, there were health issues, and a family that did not accept him. The medical examiner reports evidence indicating a suicide, with no sign of foul play. The FBI agrees with the APD… this was not a lynching.
One of the more striking rumors was that the park was a known meet-up spot for the infamous hate group. This referred to the KKK. Most Atlanta residents find the idea of KKK rallies in the park to be absurd. And yet, people swallowed these rumors without a shred of supporting evidence. If someone says so on twitter, then it must be true.
Maybe the young man can find peace now. It is a shame that his tragic death has become the center of a circus. The gossip mongers can find another tragedy to exploit. Pictures today are from “The Special Collections and Archives, Georgia State University Library”.
Olive Garden Banned Me
There are four kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, statistics, and history. ~ reality leaves a lot to the imagination ~ strong evidence for de-evolution is the popularity of @MattWalshBlog ~ @LizHackett You’re an adult. Stop hashtagging full sentences on Facebook. ~ @bitchywaiter Oh, no. It looks as if Olive Garden has banned me from their page… ~ Our legal system is not designed to bring out the truth. This is a misconception. It is people playing their roles in persueing what their best interests are ~ A gimmick to get your attention. Actually, GSV is a spinoff of the faeries. After the gatherings at Running Water ran their course, some people decided to have a “conference” at a facility with indoor plumbing. 26 years later, GSV is going strong. The “fall conference” is a bit pricier than faerie gatherings, and is more structured. Hence, the whimsical nickname, “Republican Faeries.” The local potlucks, by a legally separate group, are drug, alcohol, and admission charge free. (Faeries is now accepted as a real word by spell check.) ~ Note to the Russian hacker sending spam friend requests: Rebacca Ane Wthite is not a plausible name. ~ I think many artists are not nice people ~ Give poppers to the top and it is an anti rape agent. ~ If you are going to say something, please think first. Loud, ill informed rhetoric is part of the problem. ~ When are are manipulated into saying foolish things, you choose the side of the oppressor. ~ Stay connected and learn new ways to fight for social justice. ~ The body was found at 4:57 am. The park closes at 1 am. ~ The police said it was “consistent” with a suicide, and that it was under investigation. The body was found at 4:57 am. The park is closed at 1am, which would account for nobody seeing it. ~ You retweeted this:”Body of Black man found in Piedmont Park where the KKK were handing out flyers declared “suicide” When was the KKK passing out flyers? Were they wearing white sheets? What did the flyers say? Where did they stand? How many were there? I strongly suspect this is a lie.This is another twittter comment:”A MAN HAS BEEN LYNCHED IN A POPULAR KKK MEETUP AREA & THEY WANNA SAY IT WAS A SUICIDE?” I don’t believe any of this. With two police related killings in the last two days, passions are inflamed right now. Spreading nonsense like this post is going to make things worse. ~ Do you have any evidence that the KKK was handing out flyers in the park on wednesday? Bear in mind, this was a weekday, and there were severe thunderstorms in the area. Why are you spreading inflammatory rumors without any evidence? ~ does being an asshole include spreading outlandish rumors about KKK activity in Piedmont Park? ~ 11Alive does not typically report on suicides but given the public location and interest in the story, we made the decision to share what information we could find. ~ If you are manipulated into saying, or doing, foolish things, then you choose the side of the oppressor. ~ @AryehCW Extrajudicial ideological violence never redounds to the benefit of the perpetrators, yet stupid, violent men keeping trying. ~ I wrote a blog post yesterday. A man was found, hanging from a rope. Rumors started to spread about KKK activity in the area. Those who are familiar with Piedmont Park, in Atlanta GA, find rumors like this to be ridiculous. The fact that these rumors are readily believed by many is troubling. If you are going to say something, it should be the truth. It should make the situation better. The ego boost that many people get from inflaming passions is to be avoided. ~ “Maybe that famous person did not say it, but it sounds like something he would have said” ~ @EsotericCD I can’t emphasize enough how dumb it is for both sides to cherrypick each other’s fringe nutjobs for Bad Tweets. ~ Jesus is a source of misery in my life. I want nothing to do with him. ~ @WernerTwertzog Coffee should not include whipped cream or sweet syrups. It should be a black, bitter foretaste of what we must face before the day is over. ~ fascism comes from Latin fascis bundle/fashion comes from Anglo-French façun, ~ Extrajudicial ideological violence never redounds to the benefit of the perpetrators, yet stupid, violent men keeping trying. ~ No, it is STILL not OK to spend money at Chick-fil-A. Support of this hateful organization is whoring yourself out to the enemy for a piece of fucking chicken. If you do, you should be ashamed of yourself.It’s Boycott Time: Chick-fil-A Just Dropped A BOMBSHELL On ‘Black Lives Matter’ That Is Just…It’s not too often a large company like Chick-fil-A gets involved in a controversial topic, but they have thrown themselves right smack in the middle of the #Black Lives… ~ If you are going to try to influence people, first take the time to build trust and mutual respect. ~ #goddesssofat ~ @lyz_estrada EXCLUSIVE!!! Deray’s Mug Shot just released to the public #freederay ~ Class On Creative Reading – William S. Burroughs ~ Black Lives Matter Parade Protest Brings Sweeping Changes To Toronto Pride ~ More than 60 shot in Chicago over July 4th weekend @TraceyRemix These white cops are just brazen about it now. What a racist bloodbath that was. ~ Think Fully ~ If You’re Not Black, You’ll Never Be ‘Woke’ ~ Advice for White Folks in the Wake of the Police Murder of a Black Person ~ From white guilt to white responsibility ~ It’s My Job to Raise Children Who Are Not Only Not Racist But Actively Anti-Racist ~ 5 Reasons I Refuse to Call Myself An ‘Ally’ – And Why I Use ‘Turncoat’ Instead ~ Curriculum for White Americans to Educate Themselves on Race and Racism–from Ferguson to Charleston ~ 5 Facts That Will Absolutely Infuriate You About Police and Racist Violence ~ Witness says father of 3 was trying to stop fight when he was shot, killed ~ Decatur shooting victim was recently married, ordained, friends say ~ Witnesses say the Ku Klux Klan was spotted passing out flyers before the Piedmont Park hanging. ~ This is what white people can do to support #BlackLivesMatter ~ The Uncomfortable Reason Why it Came to This in Dallas Yesterday ~ After Dallas Shooting, There Will Be No Shucking and Jiving From Me ~ 4 Self-Care Resources for Days When the World is Terrible ~ four part rules ~ The linguistics of #BLM: Scalar Implicature and Social Controversy ~ Concrete Ways to Be an Actual Ally to Black People ~ Confirmed – Philando Castile Was an Armed Robbery Suspect – False Media Narrative Now Driving Cop Killings… ~ Police scanner audio ~ Police release report on man found hanging in Piedmont Park ~ Neil Gaiman’s 8 Rules of Writing ~ pictures today from “The Special Collections and Archives, Georgia State University Library”. ~ selah
#PiedmontParkHanging
The police report said that a body was found in Piedmont Park at 4:57 am, June 7, 2016. A black man, age 25-35, was hanging in a tree near the Charles Allen Drive entrance.”There were no discernible signs of a struggle or foul play. The scene was consistent with a suicide.” There would be an autopsy, and further investigation. A twitterstorm soon erupted.
@tattedpoc The KKK was in this spot yesterday & they want us to believe a black man hung himself on a tree #PiedmontParkHanging
@chamblee54 how do you know the KKK was on Charles Allen Drive yesterday?
@tattedpoc they had their lil racist rally or gathering there JUST yesterday
@chamblee54 do you have any evidence to support this claim? How many people were there? Were any counter protesters there? What park was it?
@tattedpoc @chamblee54 nigga how tf am I to know? Do you see my black ass attending KKK rallies to count the attendance?
The KKK story shifted to having klansmen in the park handing out flyers. This happened on Wednesday, a day with severe thunderstorms in the Atlanta area. No one seems to have a solid source for these reports. One person tweeted a flyer from Virginia, and claimed to have found it in their neighborhood. One twitter exchange got ridiculous. This is a heavily edited version, with most of the tweets left out. When you find yourself in a hole, you should stop digging.
@chamblee54 Where is the evidence of the KKK handing out flyers in Piedmont Park Wednesday?
@FCsportz eyewitness accounts. No pics or video have been released.
@FCsportz @DoritoDinker @chamblee54 @Flyswatter I’ve read multiple articles on the matter, Folks said they saw them. That’s called an “eyewitness”.
@chamblee54 Do you have a link to any of those articles?
@FCsportz they are all over the Internet, it’s a simple google search.
@chamblee54 In other words you do not have a link
@_Hey_Arthur_ lololol OMG! Dude is using Twitter as his source. This is too much
@FCsportz “Account: a report or description of an event or experience.”These can be real or fake
@FCsportz whether they are lying or not is not my problem.
Piedmont Park has an interesting niche in Atlanta life. Many simply call it “the park,” and assume you know what they mean. The park is synonymous with queer life. Piedmont Park is said to be air conditioned… there is a blower behind every bush. To hear that the Klan is *recruiting* in the park is poignant. The jokes will write themselves.
@hiraethwndrlst a man was LYNCHED in a popular KKK meeting ground and its ruled suicide with little investigation.
@DarrinPenn How are you going to rule a suicide when the man was found hanging from a tree in a popular KKK meeting place
@BlvckConscious The man whose death was ruled a “suicide” was found hanging from a tree in an area with a high influence of KKK members #PiedmontParkHanging
@alisonklemp Maybe the #piedmontparkhanging was a suicide. And maybe before he climbed the tree he lit a cross on fire, you know, to help him see better.
@GimmeeTitties If he wanted to commit suicide he wouldn’t have hung himself from a tree , he would’ve just reached for his ID #PiedmontParkHanging
@WiFiWisdom #PiedmontParkHanging I live on the same street as the park and its Klan Central.
Maybe the death of the young man was foul play. Maybe the klan was handing out flyers in the park, on a rainy Wednesday night. Stranger things have happened. What is interesting is how quickly, and easily, the rumors are believed. It is also problematic. Americans are having serious problems getting along with each other. When outlandish rumors are automatically believed, and those who doubt these rumors labelled racist, it just makes it that much tougher to work on the serious racial problems that do exist in our society.
Pictures are from “The Special Collections and Archives, Georgia State University Library”. The spell check suggestion for piedmontparkhanging is paperhanging. UPDATE: More information about the young man has been released. It is almost certainly a suicide.
Too Hot
It is too hot to do pride today. See you in October. ~ That which does not kill us makes us fatter ~ After line five, insert: A family I cannot leave ~ Doesn’t reason have an equally slutty brother named logic? ~ my heart on my sleeve a burning in my soul home i never leave mouth i cannot control ~ Not to mention the hysterical reaction when someone challenges a label like cis-. If you read my blog post, you will see that I acknowledge the need for this classification. But say that you don’t like the currently fashionable one, and see what happens. ~ One night I wandered into Roses Cantina, at 688 Spring Street. George Thorogood was playing. ~ @DailyRobbins I am writing about John Wayne Conner, who is awaiting execution Google search for JWC showed yacht by John Wayne in La Conner WA ~ WILL RAISE THE MINIMUM WAGE!!!!! ~ Preface to Leaves of Grass by Walt Whitman This is what you shall do: Love the earth and sun and the animals, despise riches, give alms to every one that asks, stand up for the stupid and crazy, devote your income and labor to others, hate tyrants, argue not concerning God, have patience and indulgence toward the people, take off your hat to nothing known or unknown or to any man or number of men, go freely with powerful uneducated persons and with the young and with the mothers of families, read these leaves in the open air every season of every year of your life, re-examine all you have been told at school or church or in any book, dismiss whatever insults your own soul; and your very flesh shall be a great poem and have the richest fluency not only in its words but in the silent lines of its lips and face and between the lashes of your eyes and in every motion and joint of your body. ~ Revealed: Jack Daniel was taught by minister’s slave how to distill signature whiskey ~ 8 Helpful Comebacks to Use When Someone Is Being Transphobic ~ 20 Powerful Quotes to Inspire Your Writing ~ Internet Argument Techniques ~ 9 reasons why “cis” isn’t working ~ The Reason Why This Is Correct ~ A Linguist Explains the Syntax of “Fuck” ~ Lisping – When /s/ and /z/ are hard to say ~ But When The Addicts Were Black, Nobody Cared ~ Why you think you’re right — even if you’re wrong ~ HeyJackass! Illustrating Chicago Values ~ the kid who asked too much, an interview with conner habib ~ THE DARK SIDE OF BUZZFEED ~ Not Everything Is a “Gospel” Issue – But Race Is! ~ Ten Signs of Intellectual Honesty ~ pictures today are from “The Special Collections and Archives, Georgia State University Library”. ~ selah
John Wayne Conner And James T. White
Georgia is fixin’ to poison 0000384035. Here is the what the Attorney General of Georgia has to say: “An execution date for John Wayne Conner has been set for July 14, 2016. Georgia Attorney General Sam Olens offers the following information in the case against John Wayne Conner for the 1982 murder of James T. White.
At the time of the murder, Conner lived with his girlfriend, Beverly Bates, in Milan. On the evening of January 9, 1982, they rode with friends, including the victim, J. T. White, to a party in Eastman. After spending the evening drinking and smoking marijuana, the group returned to Milan around midnight. J. T., described by one witness as “humble and satisfied” and by another as “mellow,” exited the vehicle with Conner and Ms. Bates at their house. Soon afterwards, Conner and J. T. left the house on foot, taking with them a nearly empty bottle of bourbon that Conner had purchased the night before. They walked to the home of Pete Dupree, woke him up, and asked him to take them to get more whiskey. He refused.
Then, according to Conner: “[M]e and J. T. left and went down the road. J. T. made the statement about he would like to go to bed with my girlfriend and so I got mad and we got into a fight and fought all the way over to the oak tree and I hit him with a quart bottle. He run over there to the fence trying to get through or across, I reckon, so I run over there and grabbed him and pulled him back and hit him again and he fell in the water and he grabbed my leg. I was down there at him right there in the ditch where he was at and he was swinging trying to get up or swinging at me to try to hit me one, and there was a stick right there at me, and I grabbed it and went to beating him with it.”
The next day, J. T.’s body was found in a drainage ditch near the Milan Elementary School. Injuries on his forehead bore the pattern of the sole of a tennis shoe. His nose was broken, both his cheekbones were fractured, his eyes were swollen, and his left ear was severely damaged. He had been hit so hard in the face with a blunt object that teeth, as well as portions of the bone to which they were attached, were broken away from his upper and lower jaws. Dr. Larry Howard, who conducted the autopsy, testified that the trauma to J. T.’s head and face caused brain damage and bleeding in and around the brain which extended into his lungs, causing him to drown in his own blood.
Beverly Bates had gone to bed when Conner and J. T. left. When Conner returned, he woke her up and told her that they had to leave; he had had a fight with J. T. and thought he was dead. Conner ripped off his shirt and threw it into the fire. He told Ms. Bates that he knew where a car was with its keys in it. The car was parked in front of the school. Before they left town, Conner told Ms. Bates that “he had to be sure,” and walked toward the ditch. She heard a thud. Conner returned, and said now he was sure, let’s go. They stopped to get gas in Eastman. Ms. Bates gave Conner $ 20 to buy gas with; in return, he gave her a bloody $ 5 bill. They were caught in Butts County.
The $ 5 bill, as well as a whiskey bottle and a tree limb found near the body, were subsequently analyzed and found to have blood on them that was consistent with that of the victim and inconsistent with that of Conner (understandable, since Conner suffered no injuries during the “fight”).”
The next part of this story is from Findlaw.
On January 26, 1982, while in the Telfair County Jail, Conner pounded a bullet into his chest until it exploded. As a result, he was admitted to Central State Hospital (“CSH”) in Milledgeville, Georgia. According to the records from that visit, Conner was “mute, uncooperative and appeared to be semicatatonic” upon admission. He showed “complete psychomotor retardation and [was] unable to answer any questions.” Conner was medicated and placed on “suicide precautions.” He later became cooperative and responsive.
By court order, Conner remained hospitalized at CSH until February 19, 1982, while the staff evaluated him for competency and insanity. ….. An IQ test administered while Conner was at CSH revealed a full-scale Weschler Adult Intelligence Score IQ score of 87, which placed Conner within the normal or average range of intelligence. On February 19, 1982, CSH issued a letter to the trial judge stating that Conner was competent to stand trial and could be held criminally responsible.
Conner’s father initially retained David Morgan to represent Conner in the underlying criminal case. About the same time, Dennis Mullis, a public defender, was appointed to represent Conner in an unrelated case. When it became clear that Conner’s father would not be able to pay Morgan’s fees through the pendency of the criminal case, Mullis was appointed to assist Morgan.
On April 30, 1982, Morgan filed a motion for funds to hire a defense expert to perform a mental examination because he was considering raising an insanity defense. This motion was heard on May 11, 1982. At that time, the court had the benefit of the February 19, 1982 CSH letter stating that Conner was competent to stand trial. Mullis stated that he could not determine if CSH had done anything wrong in its examination without an independent expert to assist him.
Nevertheless, the state trial court deferred ruling on the motion because the defense had not yet filed a motion to raise the insanity defense. At a later pre-trial hearing on June 21, 1982, Morgan withdrew from the case and Mullis became Conner’s sole counsel. At a hearing on June 30, 1982, Mullis announced that he would not be seeking to assert the insanity defense based upon his review of additional information private counsel had obtained from CSH. After that, Mullis did not file any other motion pertaining to Conner’s mental health nor did he request the appointment of an independent mental health examiner.
At his jury trial on July 12–14, 1982, Conner neither testified nor presented any evidence on his own behalf. During his guilt phase closing argument, the prosecutor said the following:
Ladies and gentleman, as prosecutor, as defense attorney, I have been involved in criminal law for seven years. As District Attorney of this circuit, I have prosecuted nine murder cases. I have never before sought the death penalty. I have seen several killings. I have been responsible for prosecuting several terrible killings. I have never before sought the death penalty. (This statement would later be considered improper conduct.)
Conner’s counsel objected. The trial court sustained the objection and gave the jury a curative instruction not to consider the penalty before deciding guilt or innocence.
After deliberating for fifty minutes, the jury found Conner guilty on all counts. Before the sentencing phase, the trial court granted defense counsel a brief recess for Mullis to confer with Conner. When the proceedings reconvened, the court asked Mullis if he planned to present any evidence in mitigation. Mullis responded:
Your Honor, I had planned on calling four witnesses—of course, the defendant, and his brother, and father, and his mother. After the verdict came in I talked to Mr. Conner in a room adjacent to the courtroom and he has informed me that he does not desire me to enter any evidence in mitigation. He does not desire to do that himself, he has told me. I have counsel[ed] him that my advice would be to do otherwise. My advice would be to put in some evidence to mitigate this. He has told me he does not desire to do that.
The following colloquy then took place between the court and Conner: THE COURT: Mr. Conner, do you understand your rights to present evidence? MR. CONNER: Yeah. THE COURT: And you have instructed your counsel and you are telling the Court now that you do not want to put anything in in evidence of mitigation? MR. CONNER: That’s right. THE COURT: All right, sir. That’s your privilege.
The prosecution and the defense then made their closing arguments without presenting any additional evidence. During his sentencing phase closing, the prosecutor once again expressed his personal belief, based upon his experience, that the death penalty was appropriate in Conner’s case… The jury returned a death sentence …
Conner filed his first writ of habeas corpus in state trial court on March 23, 1984. Evidentiary hearings were held on September 24, 1984, and February 11, 1985.
In the first evidentiary hearing, Mullis testified about his representation of Conner at trial. He explained that although raising an insanity defense crossed his mind, he found nothing to substantiate such a claim. When asked about the CSH records, Mullis admitted that he knew that Conner had some psychiatric problems and suffered from drug and alcohol abuse. He further admitted that in seeking the appointment of an independent mental health examiner, he did not reveal to the trial judge any of the information contained in the CSH records.
Mullis testified that while he was considering potential mitigation, he spoke with Conner’s parents and brother. They discussed Conner’s “upbringing” and “socioeconomic information.” Mullis stated that he learned that Conner had a deprived economic background and had not been raised “in the best of circumstances.” After Conner was convicted, Mullis spoke with Conner’s brother about testifying in mitigation. Also during this time, Mullis approached Conner’s girlfriend, Beverly Bates, who had testified against him at trial, about testifying in mitigation, but she refused. …
Mullis stated that his plan to present the testimony of Conner’s family members changed when Conner informed him after the entry of the guilty verdict that he did not want to present any mitigation evidence. Mullis explained that Conner said “something to the effect of letting [the jurors] do what they will.” Mullis testified that he explained the purpose of the evidence to Conner but that Conner did not seem to care about himself….
As for Conner’s relationship with his father, she explained that they were close but that Conner’s father beat him as a child and into his teens. Conner’s mother admitted that he had problems, describing him as a “very troubled young man” who drank alcohol and used drugs. She explained that Conner was always depressed and that he felt unloved. She also stated that Conner tried to commit suicide in 1981. … Conner’s father also described a second suicide attempt, in which Conner tried to kill himself by cutting ropes holding him in a tree while he was working with his father in a tree surgery business. Conner told his father that he was trying to have an accident so that he would fall and kill himself. …
Having determined that we must vacate the District Court’s judgment denying Conner’s petition and remand for further proceedings on the mental retardation claim, it is unnecessary for us to decide anything regarding the other two claims—the ineffective assistance of counsel at sentencing claim and the prosecutorial misconduct claim.
Murderpedia notes “The jury found the following statutory aggravating circumstance: “The offense of murder was outrageously and wantonly vile, horrible and inhuman in that it did involve depravity of mind and aggravated battery to the victim.” The evidence supports this finding. Appellant chased an unarmed, intoxicated victim (who failed to leave a mark on his assailant) from the road, across a drainage ditch and into a barbed wire fence; dragged him back to the drainage ditch; used a whiskey bottle, a heavy stick and his feet to beat and stomp the victim to death; and left him to die, lying in the water. The evidence shows that the defendant unnecessarily and wantonly inflicted serious physical abuse upon the victim prior to his death. The facts of this case distinguish it from those cases in which a finding of would not be appropriate.”
The fiswrapper sees the imposition of the death penalty differently. “Conner’s killing of White during the drunken brawl, while heinous, raises questions about whether the murder was proportionate when compared to others that landed men on death row. Some killed multiple victims. Some killed children. Some committed murder during an armed robbery or a sexual assault. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, during a two-year-long investigation of Georgia’s death penalty, found that prosecutors rarely sought the ultimate punishment for murders similar to White’s.”
This quote is from a news report. “The tour was for Federal Communications Commission member Ajit Pai, who had come to the prison to meet Corrections Commissioner Homer Bryson and talk about what the federal government could do to help combat the scourge of contraband cellphones. After their meeting, warden Bruce Chatman led a small group on a tour of the Georgia Diagnostic and Classification Prison in Jackson. … Upon entering the row, Chatman acknowledged some cellphones have been found on death-row inmates. “But it’s been a while,” he said proudly.”
While on the tour, the group met John Wayne Conner. “With a broad grin that displayed several missing teeth, John Wayne Conner introduced himself by saying his name was the same as the “little Terminator.” That would be John Connor, the character in the “Terminator” movies who will lead a human revolt against the machines that have taken over the world.
Conner, 59, announced he has been on death row for 33 years. As for his appeals, they’ve almost run out, he said. “I’m hanging in there. I’m still kicking. In here, that’s a good thing.”
When asked how he bides his time, Conner, with a child-like enthusiasm, reached down, lifted the corner of his mattress and pulled out about a half-dozen watercolor paintings. He proudly laid them across his bed for all to see. Most were vibrant landscapes, including one with a majestic waterfall. Conner said it takes about an hour to finish a painting.”
Pictures are from “The Special Collections and Archives, Georgia State University Library”. UPDATE: John Wayne Conner died at 12:30 am, July 15, 2016.
The Origin Of Barbie
PG found a copy of Snuff at a yard sale. The story was written by Chuck Palahniuk, pronounced paula nick. This book report may have spoilers.
The 197 pages recount an attempt to break a world record. Aging porn star Cassie Wright is trying to take on 600 men in one session. The plan is to die, in a blaze of gooey glory. The story is told by four characters: Mr. 72, Mr. 137, Mr. 600, and Sheila. Each of the four feels a connection to Miss Wright. It is a case of four wrongs making one Wright.
The story gets weirder and weirder. Mr. 72 is convinced that he is the son of Cassie Wright. Mr. 137 became an Okla-homo after being diddled by daddy. Mr. 600 is said to be Miss Wright’s baby daddy. Sheila, original name Zelda Zonk, was another possible Wright baby. After a while, the reader just plows ahead. When PG pays a dollar for a book, he wants his money shot money’s worth.
Snuff has a couple of gimmicks that are repeated to the point of no return. The talent is known by a variety of names, like pud puller, wiener wrangler, page paster, fist flogger, white washer, and sherbet shooter. The movies made by Cassie Wright all had satirical titles, like World Whore One, and The Asshole Jungle. It was funny the first twenty times.
Another gimmick Mr. Nick works us with is the “true fact.” Someone will throw out a chestnut, and say “true fact.” Many of them are Hollywood beauty secrets, like Lauren Becall, and Tallulah Bankhead, drinking eggshell tea. Here is an example.
“… Hitler … was disgusted by seeing his fellow soldiers visit French brothels. To keep the Aryan bloodlines pure,and prevent the spread of venereal disease, he commissioned an inflatable doll that Nazi troops could take into battle. Hitler himself designed the dolls to have blond hair and large breasts. The Allied firebombing of Dresden destroyed the factory … “
Mr. Google has more. “But in 1942 the project was halted when German soldiers refused to carry the dolls because of the potential embarrassment if they were captured by the enemy. Author Graeme Donald uncovered Hitler’s secretive “Borghild Project” while researching the history of Barbie, which was based on a postwar German sex doll.”
“I was actually researching the history of the Barbie doll that was based on a German sex doll of the 1950s. Ruth and Elliot Handler from America visited Germany in 1956 and saw the Lilli dolls that were sold in barbers’ shops and nightclubs – and were not for children Ruth didn’t realise this and bought one and realised later they were not toys. But Ruth and her husband used the doll as a foundation for what became Barbie.”
Pictures are from “The Special Collections and Archives, Georgia State University Library”.
Insanity
@RuPaul Insanity: Doing the same thing over and over again, and expecting different results~Einstein @chamblee54 @RuPaul Everything I have seen on the internet is a lie, but maybe this one is the truth
It is a favorite of English speaking rhetoric mongers. The “definition of insanity” is usually blamed on Albert Einstein. There never seems to be a source, or context. Another possibility is the literature of Alcoholics Anonymous.
DOI is one of those sayings that sound good, until you think about it. Thinking is not a problem for the pontificating masses who trot the phrase out at every opportunity. The fact that Bill and Hillary Clinton quote DOI should tell you something. America is about to elect a Clinton President, and is expecting different results.
Perhaps the best place to look is the comments. alberto-a-stone: The definition of ignorance is quoting the same thing over and over even though it is not factual. Dollarhide: the definition of insanity is quoting Einstein over and over and expecting to be thought to be clever each time Pictures are from “The Special Collections and Archives, Georgia State University Library”.
Chamblee54 
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