Shit That Pissed Me Off – 5/2

Concerned Citizen Calls the Cops on Someone Giving Away Banned Books

So to be clear: this was a private citizen who was distributing donated books to High School students after the school board voted to ban the title in schools (because SEX.)

The book wasn’t illegal to own and it certainly wasn’t illegal to distribute copies that had been bought and paid for.  It wasn’t even illegal to give the book to High School students.  Nor was parental consent required for High School students to own a copy of the book.

But somebody decided that the police had nothing better to do than question someone for handing out books.

If she’d been burning the books, police involvement wouldn’t have been required

Now here’s where I get snarky.  Do you think that same person would have thought to call the police if someone was handing out bibles in the park?  Even though the Bible has a lot more sex than the book that was banned?

That’s OK, though, because I’m not sure I want my kids reading the bible but if they do want to read it, I’d rather they got a copy for free.

“Smart” Gun is not Popular With People Who Like Guns

I thought the gun lobby loved all guns the same but I guess I was wrong.  They don’t like this one because the government might make them buy it and if there is anything pro-gun groups like less than being told what kinds of guns they can’t purchase, it is being told which kinds of guns they must purchase.

Not that anyone is telling them that in relation to these guns.  But they might!

Whatever the (stupid) problems with this gun, here’s the real problem:  we have a young woman who is trying to market the gun and she is getting threatening phone calls.

In a conversation with a pro-gun advocate, I was told that without a perpetrator (the threats are – as always – anonymous), we have no way of knowing if the threats aren’t actually coming from anti-gun advocates who are trying to make law abiding gun owners look bad.

Well yes, that could be what’s happening.  Wait.  No.  That doesn’t make any sense.

Pro-gun lobbyists are against this technology and therefore pro-gun advocates are by far the most likely source of threats.  So they should cut it out and do what the rest of us do when we don’t like a product.  Don’t buy the product.

Now watch: someone is going to read what I wrote here, completely ignore the part about another woman getting harassed for doing her job and tell me that the government will be making them buy these guns any day and I don’t know shit about the second amendment.

Mother is Locked in a Custody Dispute Because She Supports her Transgender Child

I have a few transgender friends and while it would be wrong of me to say I understand what they are going through, I understand that gender identity is not something as simple as looking at the equipment with which you were born.

What we have in this situation is a mother who recognizes her child’s trans identity and a father who does not.  I’m not a “mother is always right” kind of guy but the dad looks like a jackass.  He seems unable to accept his own child’s gender identity.

But if my daughter is a boy, I won’t be able to give her away!

What’s worse, he is going to shame that child in court and, if he somehow wins custody, he is going to shame that child until they are old enough to move out of his home.

Sounds like he’ll be a great dad!

Woman Who Killed a Teen Bicyclist is Suing His Family for Emotional Distress

Ever since she ran that kid down because she was speeding, she’s been an emotional wreck.  She can’t sleep.  She’s had to go through therapy.  It’s horrible.

And it’s all the dead kid’s fault for getting in her way and dying on her!  She needs his family to compensate her for her reckless driving!  She’s not blaming the victim, she is the victim!

What she is really trying to do is fight one lawsuit (by the family of the kid she killed) with her own counter claim.  If she manages to convince a judge that her suffering is worse than the family that lost their kid, I’ll be surprised.  If she manages to convince a judge that the family of her victim owes her money, I’ll be outraged.

I think it may come as a genuine shock to this lady but when you kill someone through your own negligence, you are supposed to experience emotional distress.

Minnesota Senate is Trying to Rename the Asian Carp

I’m a firm supporter of removing racial discrimination from our society as much as possible.  I also know that when it comes to racial discrimination, I’m not qualified to speak to what is offensive to anyone but myself.

I’ve read a lot about this proposal and the concern I have is identifying a species by the region of the world where it originates really seems reasonable.  If the invasive carp species is from South America, I don’t think we’d have an issue calling it South American carp.

Though a better name might be CARPZILLA!!!

Here’s what really pisses me off, though – they are changing the name to “Invasive Carp.”

That is about the lamest of all possible names!  Why not call it “Lotus Blossom Carp?” Or if you want something more evil sounding, call it “Darth Carp.”  Or “Carpdemort!”

Come on, Minnesota legislature!  If you are going to do this thing, do it right!

Radio Host Insists All Racists Are Atheists

He must have missed all the slavers who used the bible to justify their actions.  Or he assumes that they were just pretending to be Christians but they were actually atheists!

His justification, which he’s cheerfully defended, is that the bible clearly states that we are all created by god and, therefore, all equal.  If you believe differently, you clearly aren’t a Christian and are, therefore an atheist.  Because those are the only two options.

He goes on to say that not all atheists are racists.  But all racists are atheists.

If I’d been a debate geek in High School, I would have been falling all over myself to go against this guy.

Anti-Gay Group Claims Signs Supportive of Homosexual Clients Are Discriminatory

So after the State of Mississippi passed a law designed to help Christian businesses discriminate against homosexuals any time they want, some business have decided to put signs in their window saying they are happy  to serve openly homosexual clients.

Hate speech! HATE SPEEEEEEECH!

Christian groups feel their religious freedom is under attack by these businesses that are openly willing to make money from anyone!

So by telling homosexuals that their money is as good as anyone else’s, these businesses are discriminating against Christians? Or, at least, they are discriminating against Christians who have a problem with gay people being out of the closet where their existence must be acknowledged?

What kind of Bizarro World Christianity is this? Are Christians not permitted to patronize different businesses if they don’t like the idea that they might catch the gay when the cashier hands them their change?

Unless you get your money straight from the mint, folks, a gay person has touched your money.

Convention Attendee Asks For Her Money Back And Gets Publicly Shamed

Convention organizers everywhere – I have some really good advice for you!

If someone is unhappy with your convention for any reason and they ask for their money back, just give it to them.

If you are in such dire financial straits that you can’t afford to give one attendee her money back, you have more to worry about than this one person.

If you think that she is being unfair by asking you for her money back, be publicly gracious and keep your annoyance to yourself.

Because otherwise you will look like a dick.  The moment you decide to be belligerent to a customer online, you have lost.

Also, she was right and you were wrong.  Just refund her fucking money.

 Holy Fuck McDonalds! Are You Kidding Me With These “Girl” Spider-Man Toys?

So if a little girl likes Spider-Man, she’ll like him more if he’s dressed in pink?  Little girls play with dolls but apparently won’t play with action figures?

Way to enforce gender stereotypes, golden arches!

Also, way to waste money.  You could have spent less and produced the same toys for boys and girls.

And if you were going to produce pink Spider-Man toys, did you need to make them unspeakably lame?

Check out this Spider-Man swag, little ladies! You and Spidey can be besties!

I hate happy meal toys anyway.  They take up space in my house for no more than three to five days.  At that point, my kids abandon them (because they are boring) and I throw them away.

But when will people look at stuff like this and realize that they are making kids think they want things when they don’t?  Why do we presume a little girl would rather have a hair band than an Electro figure?  Shouldn’t we let the girls (and boys) make those decisions for themselves?

Donald Sterling has White America Clutching Their Pearls

Oh my god.  That Donald Sterling is such a racist, isn’t he?  As a white American I am shocked that an eighty year old billionaire could be racist!

As Kareem Abdul-Jabbar points out, we shouldn’t be shocked at all.  The guy has been a racist for a very long time.  He just got caught with his hand in the Ku Kux Kookie jar.

We white Americans are falling all over ourselves to be upset by his statements but the thing is, this kind of blatant racism isn’t the problem.  The problem is all sorts of people claiming our President isn’t an American or isn’t a Christian when they wouldn’t do that if our President was white.

The problem is Voter ID laws that are specifically designed to reduce the number of black people who vote.

The problem is movies and television shows with one black character and/or one Hispanic character. For “diversity.”

Racism is more of a problem than one rich white bigot. Sterling is still going to be rich, white and a bigot no matter how many different professional sports ban him.