Various Direct Links

07 April 2012

FollowUp 2: Bully, the Movie

Some good news.  Bully has been re-rated to PG-13.  The complaints to the MPAA made a difference.
The documentary “Bully” has been officially retagged PG-13 by the Motion Picture Association of America. This shift from its initial R rating for language occurred after a drawn-out battle of wills among the studio, the trade association responsible for the voluntary ratings system, and vocal advocates of antibullying initiatives.
A compromise version, which cuts the number of "F-bombs," will be in theaters beginning April 13, when the film goes into national distribution.
The high power attorneys at the American Federation for Equal Rights were among those who helped forge a path to the change of ratings.
The Weinstein Company (TWC), aided by the guidance and consultation from attorneys David Boies and Ted Olson, announced today that the MPAA has lowered the R rating, given for some language, for BULLY to a PG-13 in time for the film's April 13th expansion to 55 markets. The scene that has been at the forefront of the battle with the MPAA, the intense scene in the film that shows teen Alex Libby being bullied and harassed on a bus, has been left fully intact and unedited. BULLY director Lee Hirsch felt editing the scene was not an option, and subsequently refused to do so, since it is too important to the truth and integrity behind the film. Also a victory is the exception the MPAA made by allowing the film to be released with the new rating before 90 days, which is the length of time their policy states a film must wait to be in theaters after a rating change to avoid confusion or inconvenience for moviegoers.
This decision by the MPAA is a huge victory for the parents, educators, lawmakers, and most importantly, children, everywhere who have been fighting for months for the appropriate PG-13 rating without cutting some of the most sensitive moments. Three uses of the 'F word' were removed from other scenes, which ultimately persuaded the MPAA to lower the rating. Hirsch made the documentary with the intent to give an uncensored, real-life portrayal of what 13 million children suffer through every year.
Thanks to Joe My God for the heads up.

23 March 2012:  Original Pedantic Political Ponderings post.

30 March 2012, FollowUp 1.

04 April 2012

Praise: Dr. Neil Martin on Brain Sexuality

One of the points of contention in discussing equality for the LGBTQ Community is whether we are "born that way".  Dr. Neil Martin is Chair of Neurosurgery at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center, and serves as Head of the Neurovascular Surgery Section.  Dr. Martin says that we are.

The story comes in about a Welch man, Kris Birch, who claimed that a stroke turned him gay.  The story was first reported on the BBC and I will admit that I thought this was absurd.  It seemed to me that Mr. Birch was probably already gay or bi and was using the stroke as an excuse to come out.  Well, I was probably wrong, as seen on this clip from The Doctors.

FollowUp 21: Wisconsin Republican Dirty Tricks



In American we believe economic independence is one and the same in the pursuit of happiness.
Um, no.  These are not the same at all.  The Stop the Recall folks are mixing ideals.
Freedom is only achieved when we fight for what we know is right.
In Wisconsin you'll find the fire of that American spirit in every one of us.
But in 2011, Wisconsin conservative leaders were attacked for standing for these very principles.
No.  If Governor Walker stood for those principles, then he would not have lied about ending collective bargaining as a technique to balance the budget that he unbalanced with huge tax cuts for businesses and the wealthiest citizens.
Greedy union bosses and liberals spent millions recalling Republican state senators.
It is not greed that led to the response to Republican attempts to destroy unions in the state that saw the rise of unions a century ago.  Collective bargaining is about safe working conditions, reasonable working hours, and fair compensation.  Unions can work with companies so that everyone benefits when they are not designated as an enemy.
Their goal was to deny economic independence for Wisconsin taxpayers.
Absurd.  There is zero truth to this assertion.
Democrat state senators fled to an Illinois resort to avoid fixing the problems in our state.
No.  The stunt was to draw attention to legislation that did not fix any state problems but crippled unions.  Ending collective bargaining does not enhance the state budget.
But one man refused to accept the status quo of failure.  That man is Scott Walker, Wisconsin's principled conservative governor.
Conservative?  Yes.  Principled?  No.  He claims that he ran on ending collective bargaining but said that he wanted to work with unions when he was running for office.  A principled man does not lie.
Scott Walker fought against union special interests and big government and for Wisconsin families and businesses.
Unions are not in a causal relationship with big government.  Mr. Walker says he is for small government, but favors big, intrusive government when it comes to women's healthcare.  He says he is for families, but only the wealthy are seeing benefits of the Walker agenda.
Yet, once against the recall is coming to Wisconsin.  Union bosses and liberal Democrats are going to tear the state apart.
No.  It was radical GOP legislation that has been tearing Wisconsin apart.  Unions and Democrats have been pushing for the status quo that Mr. Walker has been destroying.
Their goal is to recall and defeat Scott Walker and send a message to conservative leaders across the country they're next.
The first part of this is true.  The goal is to recall and defeat Scott Walker.  Then the goal will be to restore collective bargain and fair treatment of government employees.  The "send a message" bit is not a goal, but it does sound good.
All of us at the Wisconsin Recall Action Fund refuse to be intimidated.
Okay.  I believe them.
We know the union and liberal Democrats will do all they can to stop us.
Also true.
That's why we are ready to fight alongside you.  Join us today.  Stand up for conservative principles and democracy.  Save Governor Scott Walker.
Their principles, as evidenced by their attempts to suppress voting, are antithetical to democracy.

This ad is not likely to be the last that we see as Governor Walker clings to office for now.

16 November 2011, Original Pedantic Political Ponderings post.
30 November 2011, FollowUp 1.
4 December 2011, FollowUp 2.
11 December 2011, FollowUp 3.
14 December 2011, FollowUp 4.
15 December 2011, FollowUp 5.
30 December 2011, FollowUp 6.
13 January 2012, FollowUp 7.
17 January 2012, FollowUp 8.
25 January 2012, FollowUp 9.
2 February 2012, FollowUp 10.
9 February 2012, FollowUp 11.
12 February 2012, FollowUp 12.
18 February 2012, FollowUp 13.
22 February 2012, FollowUp 14.
6 March 2012, FollowUp 15.
12 March 2012, FollowUp 16.
16 March 2012, FollowUp 17.
30 March 2012, FollowUp 18.
31 March 2012, FollowUp 19.
3 April 2012, FollowUp 20.

11 April 2012, FollowUp 22.
14 April 2012, FollowUp 23.
17 April 2012, FollowUp 24.
21 April 2012, FollowUp 25.
29 April 2012, FollowUp 26.
2 May 2012, FollowUp 27.
6 May 2012, FollowUp 28.
10 May 2012, FollowUp 29.
13 May 2012, FollowUp 30.
23 May 2012, FollowUp 31.
24 May 2012, FollowUp 32.
30 May 2012, FollowUp 33.
2 June 2012, FollowUp 34.
4 June 2012, FollowUp 35.
5 June 2012, FollowUp 36.

03 April 2012

FollowUp 20: Wisconsin Republican Dirty Tricks

While federal law and Wisconsin law both prohibit buying votes, Mr. Mitt Romney and Mr. Paul Ryan probably did not violate the law today.  According to the latest articles, they did not require proof of voting or promises to vote in exchange for the sandwiches that they were giving away in Waukesha today.
Update, 2:30 p.m. Tuesday: The Democratic Party of Wisconsin is alleging that Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan committed election bribary by offering "subs-for-votes." Patch will have more updates about their accusations as soon as more information is available.
Original: Mitt Romney was handing out sub sandwiches to voters in Waukesha, courtesy of Cousins Subs, with Congressman Paul Ryan, R-Janesville, who has stuck by Romney’s side while he has been campaigning in Wisconsin. Romney handed voters turkey subs while Ryan handed them the ham sandwiches.
Later, the pair encouraged the crowd to get out and vote. They also took the chance to criticize President Barack Obama as Romney is the likely winner of the GOP nomination.
Several details are important or moderately interesting.  Waukesha is one of the three most Republican counties in Wisconsin (the other two being Brown and Washington Counties).  It is also one of the wealthiest counties in Wisconsin.  Handing out free subs there to encourage people to vote in the Republican primary is not very different from encouraging them to keep breathing.  It's a nice touch, but probably not necessary.

I will skip all of the obvious jokes about one being a ham and the other a turkey.  Too many and too obvious.

Channel 3000 notes that giving anything worth more than one dollar in exchange for voting is a violation of Wisconsin state law.  While the Democrats have, properly, filed a complaint, I doubt it will go far.  The description is that of handing out sandwiches without a commitment in exchange.  Nonetheless, this is the sort of activity that has the appearance of impropriety ... dirty tricks.

16 November 2011, Original Pedantic Political Ponderings post.
30 November 2011, FollowUp 1.
4 December 2011, FollowUp 2.
11 December 2011, FollowUp 3.
14 December 2011, FollowUp 4.
15 December 2011, FollowUp 5.
30 December 2011, FollowUp 6.
13 January 2012, FollowUp 7.
17 January 2012, FollowUp 8.
25 January 2012, FollowUp 9.
2 February 2012, FollowUp 10.
9 February 2012, FollowUp 11.
12 February 2012, FollowUp 12.
18 February 2012, FollowUp 13.
22 February 2012, FollowUp 14.
6 March 2012, FollowUp 15.
12 March 2012, FollowUp 16.
16 March 2012, FollowUp 17.
30 March 2012, FollowUp 18.
31 March 2012, FollowUp 19.

4 April 2012, FollowUp 21.
11 April 2012, FollowUp 22.
14 April 2012, FollowUp 23.
17 April 2012, FollowUp 24.
21 April 2012, FollowUp 25.
29 April 2012, FollowUp 26.
2 May 2012, FollowUp 27.
6 May 2012, FollowUp 28.
10 May 2012, FollowUp 29.
13 May 2012, FollowUp 30.
23 May 2012, FollowUp 31.
24 May 2012, FollowUp 32.
30 May 2012, FollowUp 33.
2 June 2012, FollowUp 34.
4 June 2012, FollowUp 35.
5 June 2012, FollowUp 36.

02 April 2012

FollowUp 7: Voting Rights



They say that a picture is worth a thousand words.  The words in this picture, a screenshot of the Wisconsin Government Accountability Board statement on the Voter I.D. Law, is stunning.  Tuesday 3 April 2012 is Primary Election Day in Wisconsin.  Monday night, the rules are far from certain.

3 October 2011, Original Pedantic Political Ponderings article.
14 October 2011, FollowUp 1.
22 October 2011, FollowUp 2.
6 November, FollowUp 3.
14 November 2011, FollowUp 4.
14 December 2011, FollowUp 5.
8 March 2012, FollowUp 6.

3 June 2012, FollowUp 8.

2 April 2012: Marriage News Watch



Links:  American Foundation for Equal Rights, Marriage News Watch.

23 January 2012: Marriage News Watch.
30 January 2012: Marriage News Watch.
6 February 2012: Marriage News Watch.
13 February 2012: Marriage News Watch.
20 February 2012: Marriage News Watch.
21 February 2012: Marriage News Watch Special Episode.
27 February 2012: Marriage News Watch.
12 March 2012:  Marriage News Watch.
19 March 2012: Marriage News Watch.
26 March 2012:  Marriage News Watch.

5 April 2012: Marriage News Watch, Surprise Advance.
16 April 2012: Marriage News Watch.
23 April 2012: Marriage News Watch.
30 April 2012: Marriage News Watch.
7 May 2012: Marriage News Watch.
10 May 2012: Marriage News Watch, 2012's Biggest Marriage Milestones So Far.
14 May 2012: Marriage News Watch.
21 May 2012: Marriage News Watch.
28 May 2012: Marriage News Watch.
4 June 2012: Marriage News Watch.
5 June 2012: Marriage News Watch, Prop 8 Rehearing Denied.
11 June 2012: Marriage News Watch.
18 June 2012: Marriage News Watch.
25 June 2012: Marriage News Watch.
2 July 2012: Marriage News Watch.
10 July 2012: Marriage News Watch.
16 July 2012: Marriage News Watch.