Going Down in Flames," we want it to be known that, while we certainly appreciate the attempt, and even the passion and zeal that went into the project, we cannot in good conscience recommend purchasing it at this time. In fact, that same passion and zeal probably went into the writing of this review, which only leaves us to wonder exactly who the reviewer is and why they feel the need to bash one of the few contemporary R&B albums of which we are proud to be so fond. Not recommended. Comments Popular posts from this blog Hate, intolerance, and cruelty are the most valued currencies in the new America. browniesforboobs, an anonymous Internet forum dedicated to the free expression of hatred for women (and seemingly, only women) has more than two thousand registered members—all eager to share their misogynistic views, complete with Photoshopped images of women. (Warning: Graphic content.) The forum, which has been around since at least February 2009, was recently thrust into the media spotlight when Gawker outed its existence. As io9 reports, Gawker received an email from the administrator of browniesforboobs who threatened legal action against the blog. While the members of browniesforboobs may have a First Amendment right to express their hatred for women, they have no right to have that expression protected from public ridicule, as it was in this case. And while Gawker gleefully points out the flaws and extreme nature of many of the forum’s posts, the fact is that people are taking their ideas seriously. It is precisely this sort of intolerance and misogyny… More than being “on strike” from the legal system after beating up my ex-girlfriend (which was an incredibly stupid thing to do), I’ve found that I’ve actually been placed on a sex offender list. Yes, that’s right, if you are a regular reader of this blog you already know that I’ve been accused of sexual assault twice in the past, including once by a woman I was dating at the time. I was found “not guilty” in both instances (this blog is largely dedicated to showing that there was a failure in the system that caused me to be wrongfully charged), and that is the only thing that got me “off the sex offender list”. I wasn’t actually considered a sex offender, and was never required to register, but I still had my name and personal information added to the official list of sex offenders, with no public notice or discussion. This week, the ACLU released a report on the number of people arrested under the terrorism banner since September 11, 2001. The total number of arrests during that time? 196. If you know me at all, you probably know I have a lot of opinions about terrorism. Hell, it is even a central thesis of my first book “T he Terrorists Among Us.” But my views have a perspective, and even though I would really like to keep a civil tongue on this issue, I am just so bloody sick of shoddy journalism by “professionals” that perpetuate fear, distrust, and ignorance of all things Islamic. It is easy to make fun of the idiots on Fox News and talk radio who promote the idea that there is this great Islamic conspiracy lurking in our midst, but the fact of the matter is that they are merely pandering to their ditto-heads, and, because of this, they are being listened to by many who would otherwise never say a single negative word about Islam. I think it is incredibly important to call out stupidity and ignorance when you see it, and while I am a staunch advocate of free speech and even free thought, there is a line that can and should be crossed by those of us who would like to engage in rational debate with those we disagree with. Unfortunately, I think there are a lot of people, both on the left and the right who have not made that distinction. This article by Alyssa Rosenberg in Think Progress is a great example of what I’m talking about… A newly declassified report on the FBI’s own flawed sting operation against the ISIL-linked terrorist organization provides new evidence that should prompt the DOJ to seek a full-blown investigation into how U.S. officials handled the terror investigation into “20th hijacker,” Minnesota native Mohammed al-Moayad. The FBI’s controversial sting operation against alleged “20th hijacker” Mohammed al-Moayad took a major turn last month when an unclassified report revealed that he was not as clueless about the FBI’s undercover tactics as many government officials originally suggested. Al-Moayad actually seemed to realize that he was being investigated and manipulated by the FBI and may even have been playing FBI officials to get a green card. Although The Daily Beast‘s article about the DOJ report focuses on an anti-Muslim angle, it also provides more information about the overall effectiveness of the FBI’s terrorism sting against al-Moayad. Of course, with an agency as large as the FBI, it is not uncommon for bureaucratic red tape to hamper investigations, but the FBI was able to find ways to get around the red tape. For example, while al-Moayad said he did not think of shooting people on an airplane at first, he also was adamant that he did not want to kill a cop. Al-Moayad was also unable to travel to Yemen (the “training” ground for several terrorist attacks, including the underwear bomber and so-called “underpants bomber”) due to his legal immigration status, which allowed the FBI to move forward with the investigation. In other words, al-Moayad was very willing to do what the FBI wanted, but b… I would love to say that this is a first for me, but the truth is I’ve been a fan of Joe Biden since his first campaign. I remember meeting him and talking to him when he was a U.S. Senator. I didn’t think he was a very impressive candidate, especially compared to that other guy from Arkansas that he was running against (what’s his name again?). Well, fast forward to 2008 and my opinion of him has only changed for the better. During the Obama-Biden Administration, there has been no voice more consistent or resolute against the War on Terror than Joe Biden. Whether he was opposing the surge in Afghanistan, warning against the Iran nuclear deal, chastising the NSA or accusing Israel of acting like Nazis, Biden has been a passionate voice against Republican foreign policy. There are those who say it’s bad to hold a public office and use it as a pulpit. Well, Biden is that politician. But unlike most politicians that play the church/state game, he is usually right. He knows foreign policy like the back of his hand, and he doesn’t back down from anyone who disagrees with him, including the president. As we saw during the Iran deal, Biden disagreed with Obama, so he went public, as is his right as a politician. A presidential candidate can have all the foreign policy chops he wants, but if he… I have a lot of things to write about. Unfortunately, I also have a lot of things to get done today. So, I thought I’d do a quick re-cap of some news items for this morning. The first is a report in Politico about a woman who was harassed and assaulted by anti-abortion activists as she was praying on the sidewalk. This happened in Tennessee, which is always a bad sign because the good people of Tennessee love themselves some stupid laws that restrict the access to abortion in the state. They have a ban on abortion after 20 weeks gestation (without exception for rape or incest) and a ban on abortions in private health clinics (which only covers abortions up until the 12th week of pregnancy, so no abortions are illegal after that, at least for now). But yesterday, a 24 year old anti-abortion activist named Matt Trewhella was sentenced to six months in jail for breaking the law and harassing and assaulting Stephanie Gutierrez, a woman who was praying on the sidewalk near the state capitol in Nashville while participating in an annual pro-choice, silent protest of the state’s abortion restrictions. …