Applied Bioethics…

Shutterstock. [The Right-minded people at College Fix couldn't bother with a credit.]

Shutterstock. [The right-minded people at College Fix couldn’t bother with a credit.]

Christian style. Oklahoma Wesleyan University is launching an applied bioethics certificate program this July that will train students in pro-life activism and pregnancy center management.

Equip yourself to answer pro-choice arguments compellingly and winsomely in any setting. Recognizing that an abstract approach to bioethics is insufficient, Oklahoma Wesleyan University is proud to be one of the few universities in the nation committed to equipping the next generation of life-affirming apologists, politicians, and pregnancy center executives.

“Applied Bioethics at OKWU is the most important pro-life training you will ever receive…I went from the frustration of finding myself flat-footed in conversations about abortion to being thoroughly equipped to winsomely answer arguments in ways that are life changing. Don’t pass up this opportunity to take your ministry to the next level and begin making abortion unthinkable in your community.” – Jody Ward (Project Manager, Women’s Care Center, Baltimore, MD)

Nationally recognized pro-life organizations are partnering with Oklahoma Wesleyan University to offer certifications in pro-life training and ministry essentials.

My emphasis there. Winsomely? I take this to mean they’re trying for a folksy Huckabee type of approach and argumentation. Perhaps they think they can simply charm people into a rabid anti-life position.

From the Right-Minded College Fix:

OKWU is also studying the “feasibility” of expanding the program into a full-blown bachelor’s degree that prepares students for “vocational work in pro-life apologetics, political consulting, or for an executive role” in pregnancy help centers and medical clinics, according to the program website.

I think someone doesn’t understand how quote marks work. I know that’s on the petty side, but it’s bothersome. Why is feasibility in scare quotes? Moving past that, this is on the seriously depressing side. Fake clinics already proliferate the landscape, and there are plenty of professional liars staffing them already. More are not needed, winsome or no.

While OKWU says applied-bioethics credits earned by students will be transferable, it’s still working out the details because the program is “in the very early stages,” England told The College Fix.

It ran a pilot session last summer after “a group of highly-respected pro-life voices put the curriculum together and began looking for a university to take the idea and run with it,” she added.

One of those voices was Scott Klusendorf, founder and president of the Life Training Institute. If Christian students want to simply keep their faith through college but not make a larger cultural impact, “then we are in trouble,” Klusendorf told The Fix in a phone interview. Students “need to be able to make a case for the pro-life view in one minute or less if necessary,” he said: “There is no major out there anywhere that is teaching people to do this.” Klusendorf teaches an ethics and abortion course that examines “the toughest critics of the pro-life view, the academic critics,” and equips students to answer their objections, he said.

If you can cope with it, there’s a 45 minute video of Klusendorf giving one of his talks in the UK at the site, along with Sribd documents describing the Ethics of Abortion online class. Apparently, Mr. Klusendorf can’t limit his arguments to one minute.

Atheists are cowards and the police ignore the law.

Christian street preachers clash with authorities (YouTube/Buddy Fisher)

Christian street preachers clash with authorities (YouTube/Buddy Fisher)

Naturally, Christians showed up at the Reason Rally to do some preaching. It takes time to get to the clash between the U.S. Park officers and the preachers (around the 9:00 minute mark), so I listened to a fair amount of the standard nonsense, mostly about hell, but there was one interesting bit. The preacher (who is, I assume, Buddy Fisher) is carrying on about us decadent atheists, how we love our sin, our drunkenness, our sex outside marriage, our…muff diving. The preacher seemed to realize that he may have skittered off the rails a bit with that one, and quickly moved to a different tack. Back to more of the same old, if we’re just a bag of chemicals, there’s no love, yada, yada, yada, some odd stuff about Hemingway being an authentic atheist because he killed himself, and before long, the park cops show up. They are quiet, and polite, and explain that the preachers have a choice of two different locations to where they can move. Oh no. No, no, no. Preacher whips out this paper, and explains this court case, and that they have The Heckler’s Veto! You can’t make us move! Magic Court Papers! (I think the court case was Bible Believers v. Wayne County.) They keep arguing, the video ends.

Oh look, here comes the continuation! A description on the second video reads: ”Part 2 of unlawfully being removed from the Reason Rally 2016 in Washington DC. Officers Burnett and White unlawfully remove Christians from an event that is free and open to the public being held by a group of atheists with a non-exclusive permit. Their permit allows them to set up the stage, amplifiers, etc, but does not give them the authority to remove us from public property. Atheists are cowards and the police ignore the law.”

Via The Blaze.

Oh lord.

Scott Adams. Wikipedia Commons.

Scott Adams. Wikipedia Commons.

I’m, uh, short on words here. I’m sure Mr. Adams feels he is relevant, and other people must feel that way too, but relevant to political discourse? I was unaware that he mattered when it came to politics. Except as a voter, of course. I don’t know if this clever, assholism, or possibly a mental issue of some sort.

…“This past week we saw Clinton pair the idea of President Trump with nuclear disaster, racism, Hitler, the Holocaust, and whatever else makes you tremble in fear,” Adams wrote on his personal blog.

Adams, who last week said he realized Donald Trump was no “crazy clown” but was actually a master of persuasion, said Clinton’s new line of attack would personally, specifically and certainly imperil him in a racist eruption against white people.

“The only downside I can see to the new approach is that it is likely to trigger a race war in the United States,” Adams said. “And I would be a top-ten assassination target in that scenario because once you define Trump as Hitler, you also give citizens moral permission to kill him. And obviously it would be okay to kill anyone who actively supports a genocidal dictator, including anyone who wrote about his persuasion skills in positive terms.”

[…]

“So I’ve decided to endorse Hillary Clinton for President, for my personal safety,” Adams said. “Trump supporters don’t have any bad feelings about patriotic Americans such as myself, so I’ll be safe from that crowd. But Clinton supporters have convinced me – and here I am being 100% serious – that my safety is at risk if I am seen as supportive of Trump. So I’m taking the safe way out and endorsing Hillary Clinton for president.”

Via Raw Story.

Eeeeeee, Bloody Good Goodies!

A wonderful box of delights from Marcus Ranum has been picked up. Handmade soap (more importantly, bloody soap!), handmade cream, handmade incense, which I’m burning now – it’s intoxicating, everything beautifully wrapped with tags. Going by my experience, pestering Marcus for delicious and fun things is seriously worth it. Thank you so very much, Marcus!

BloodyGood

BloodyGood1

Indiginerds Unite!

Indigicon

Join us this fall in Albuquerque, New Mexico at the National Hispanic Cultural Center for the very first Indigenous Comic Con!  Featuring Indigenous creators, illustrators, writers, designers, actors, and producers from the worlds of comic books, games, sci-fi, fantasy, film, tv, and graphic novels. The Indigenous Comic Con seeks to highlight the amazing work that brings understanding about the Indigenous experience to the world of popular culture!  The action begins Friday afternoon and continues through Sunday evening!

 Everyone is welcome!

You can buy tickets now.

Red Wolf creator, Award-Winning Native American Comic Artist & Designer from the Port Gamble S'Klallam Tribe, Jeffrey Veregge will be one of many special guests at this year's Indigenous Comic Con.

Red Wolf creator, Award-Winning Native American Comic Artist & Designer from the Port Gamble S’Klallam Tribe, Jeffrey Veregge will be one of many special guests at this year’s Indigenous Comic Con.

With a growing number of Native people making comics and designing videogames as a way to revitalize their languages, one great way to break down stereotypes is a Native-centered event. The inaugural Indigenous Comic Con on November 18-20 in Albuquerque, New Mexico, hopes to do just that.

“There are a lot of Indigenerds out there,” said Indigenous Comic Con artistic director and Laguna Pueblo member, Dr. Lee Francis IV. “We joke about that word, but the idea that Native People, Indigenous People, get to participate in pop culture…We wanted to create a space of celebration and say ‘Hey. We are in these spaces.’ A lot of wonderful creators are doing some incredible work in these areas. It’s time to celebrate that.”

After a year of planning and a joint sponsorship between Francis’s Native Realities Publishing and A Tribe Called Geek, the organizers selected the November 18-20 date and the site of the comic con at Albuquerque’s National Hispanic Cultural Center, 1701 4th St. S.W. Francis said the NHCC has the facility requirements as well as a long history with hosting Native poetry and other indigenous workshops.

At press time, the keynote panelists scheduled are Jeffrey Veregge (Port Gamble S’Klallam), the artist for Marvel Comics’ Red Wolf, and Arigon Starr (Kickapoo), the creator of Super Indian Comics. Other events include an exhibition hall, live music and cosplay contests.

In the FAQ section of their website, there is a disclaimer about the cosplay and costumes that states “no Tontos or other Indigenous stereotypes.” Although this Comic Con will be fun, the panels will not shy away from serious subjects such as stereotypes, marginalization and the issue of Natives being “historicized.”

[…]

“Our approach is to be very positive,” Francis said. “We’re looking for positive images. We’re vetting the folks that we want to come in. We’re not going to be bringing in folks that were in a random Indian movie. We want folks who are going to be thoughtful about the portrayals, whether they’re a comic book creator, an actor, someone doing games or science fiction. Being very thoughtful about the work that they’re putting into the world because of all these stereotypes and historicizations. The sheer number of folks we’re trying to get on panels and the conversations that we want to spark, I think, are going to address those negative representations of Indigenous people in pop culture.”

ICTMN has the full story.

Look Past Pink And Blue Campaign.

sub-buzz-30717-1464990409-1

New York City Commission on Human Rights

“Use the restroom consistent with who you are,” say the ads, sponsored by the New York City Commission on Human Rights. They will appear in subway cars, bus shelters, phone booths, newspapers, and more. The ads will also run in ethnic newspapers in Spanish, Korean, Chinese, Russian, and Bengali.

“In NYC, it’s the law,” the ads say. “No questions asked.”

The campaign, which will cost $265,000, comes after transgender people filed complaints with the city about being barred from restrooms and facing other types of discrimination in places of public accommodation.

Seth Hoy, spokesperson for the Commission on Human Rights, told BuzzFeed News in a statement that the agency “has investigated such cases in the past and continues to receive and investigate complaints where individuals are harassed or denied entry to restrooms because of their actual or perceived gender identity.”

That sort of discrimination is illegal in New York City.

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New York City Commission on Human Rights

In December, the commission released enforcement guidance on gender identity protections under the city’s 2002 nondiscrimination law, making clear that transgender people are entitled to access restrooms consistent with their gender.

Mayor Bill de Blasio followed up in March with an executive order directing agencies to provide access to single­-sex facilities without requiring people to show identification or other documents that verify their gender.

The ads feature trans New Yorkers, including Alisha King and Charles Solidum.

“Bathroom discrimination is a regular occurrence for the transgender community,” King said in a statement. “So much so that many of us avoid even using public restrooms to begin with. I sincerely hope these ads help people understand that transgender people are just people just like you. We just want to use the restroom safely and be treated with respect.”

Via Buzzfeed.

Mourning Contraception.

wisconsinprolife

Griswold Vigils to Be Hosted Around the State!
Every year pro-lifers throughout Wisconsin mark the anniversary of the June 7, 1965 Griswold v. Connecticut U.S. Supreme Court decision with prayer vigils at local birth control centers. The landmark Griswold decision paved the way for abortion on demand in America by legalizing contraception and defining the so-called “right to privacy” upon which the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision was based.

[…]

In an email to members yesterday, the anti-abortion group Pro-Life Wisconsin announced the latest round of its annual “prayer vigils at local birth control centers” marking the anniversary of the Supreme Court’s decision in Griswold v. Connecticut, which struck down laws banning married women from accessing birth control.

Pro-Life Wisconsin, which advocates for a fetal “personhood” amendment in the state that would ban abortion with no exceptions, boasts that in contrast to the state’s National Right to Life Committee affiliate, it “opposes all forms of artificial birth control.”

I cannot express the depth of my disgust for these people, and those with similar views. It’s not enough to try and remove every person’s right to bodily autonomy, no. You want to make sure that people are slaves to their reproductive systems. Nosiness isn’t a virtue, and these people take it to despicable lengths. For the life of me, I cannot figure out how my personal reproductive choices could possibly matter to people I don’t know, and will never know. What kind of an evil person do you have to be, to take enjoyment and satisfaction from the thought that you might be able to shut down bodily autonomy rights? You folks are a fucktonne nastier than the bloodthirsty, psychopathic god you worship, who, by the way, didn’t really have a problem with abortion.

While looking at their announcement for vigils mourning contraception, I noticed an ad for a coffee company, Lifeboat Coffee, where there’s a donation to your favourite group of evil, anti-life assholes every time you purchase coffee.

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1. All human life is sacred, beautiful and deserving of protection from natural conception to natural death. No exceptions & no compromise.

2. Our coffees must be ethically sourced, sustainable and of superior quality and taste.

3. We’ll give 10% of every purchase back to YOUR favorite life-affirming charity. 

HOW WE STARTED

Our founder and President, John Lillis, (known affectionately as: The Skipper), is married and he and his wife have been blessed with seven children. He is, in fact, a proto-survivor of America’s abortion-holocaust, being born and abandoned (left for adoption), in San Francisco at the end of August of 1967, some five-months after the California legislature passed the Therapeutic Abortion Act!  This is personal.

Personal. Right. I’d dearly like to to make Mind Your Own Fucking Business a commandment. One of the items you can purchase from the anti-life coffee store is an incredibly tacky little doll, fully kitsched out, so you can spiritually adopt an unborn child. Yep.

This is a great opportunity to Spiritually Adopt an unborn child who is at-risk for abortion!  Along with your gorgeous ornament, you’ll receive an Adoption Certificate where you can Name and Pray for this little-one!  What an experience! Add to that this hand-designed ornament is made by legendary doll maker Yolonda Bello and is featured here exclusively!  This pro-life ornament stands 8″ tall and is wrapped with a vine over a brass stand with the baby swaddled in cotton inside the glass ornament!  Proudly display your Spiritual Adoption Certificate and it makes a great conversation piece!

Yes, what an experience! What. The. Fuck.

PreciousBabyOrnament

certificate
The certificate of adoption reads: On this day______, I___________ do spiritually adopt and name this child___________ I will pray and intercede for this child. And I will be ever mindful of how great a gift life is and how precious this child.

Well. That should take care of the problem of all those medical decisions being made (that are none of your business), right? After all, your god is mighty and all that stuff, so you get everyone to buy adopt a dolly, and pray. Everything is settled!

Via Right Wing Watch.

Day to Night.

STEPHEN WILKES Pont de la Tournelle, Paris (from the series Day to Night), 2013.

STEPHEN WILKES
Pont de la Tournelle, Paris (from the series Day to Night), 2013.

Stephen Wilkes blends photographs taken over the course of a day, so there’s day and evening in a single photo. Fascinating and beautiful work, showing at the Robert Klein Gallery in Boston until August 20th, 2016.

Day to Night, Wilkes’ most defining project, began in 2009. These epic cityscapes and landscapes, portrayed from a fixed camera angle for up to 30 hours capture fleeting moments of humanity as light passes in front of his lens over the course of full day.

Day to Night has been featured on CBS Sunday Morning as well as dozens of other prominent media outlets and, with a grant from the National Geographic Society, was recently extended to include America’s National Parks in celebration of their centennial anniversary.

STEPHEN WILKES Central Park Snow, New York City (from the series Day to Night), 2010.

STEPHEN WILKES
Central Park Snow, New York City (from the series Day to Night), 2010.

You can see more of this stunning series here.