Random Politics & Religion #14

Its not the media, people are really upset that Priebus is being considered, and is likely going to be the pick to be chief of staff. His whole campaign promise was to "drain the swamp," and Priebus is the polar opposite of that.
Also among candidates are as I lamented earlier, Newt Gingrich, career politician and sexual predator, Rudy Giulani, career politican, Chris Christie (although Bridgegate is coming back and biting him), career politician. The only outsider name I have heard is Ben Carson getting some token position.
He ran on a "platform" of upending Washington and so far all he has done is backed off his promises.

Uncertainty ripples through the adult entertainment industry—even after a monumental triumph. Victorious in their defeat of Prop 60, which would have required condom use statewide and financially incentivized California citizens to sue anyone involved in the creation or distribution of a XXX scene without visible latex, Donald Trump’s ascension to power may signal bigger issues for the adult industry—especially if the GOP follows through with their party platform.

Despite the new president-elect’s obvious familiarity with porn stars, the Republican Party platform has branded pornography a “public health crisis” and a “public menace” that has ruined millions of lives. Adult agent Tee Reel of Ideal Image Management notes that sex workers have only recently begun to emerge as individuals, gaining momentum with social campaigns that offer the public an understanding of their humanity and workplace validity. He’s now concerned about the future of censorship and regulations in the industry with Trump at the helm.

“I deal with models who are fighting battles on a consistent basis, whether it’s vicious cyberbullying or threats they feel they have no legal defense against or nationalized banks that cancel their accounts based solely on their line of work,” says Tee Reel. “ There was hope that we’d elect a president who would spearhead and support legislation to change this… but Trump is a man who has isolated millions of people based on race, gender, religion, and economics.”

Nina Hartley sums up Trump’s win in one word: disaster. The legendary adult actress calls it a huge setback to social progress and says it’s the “worst thing I can think of since the Depression.” Her hope is that civil service will prevail. “Trump may be president, but we still have the Constitution.”

Those constitutional protections are sometimes all that stands between a pornographic artist and jail time. Selling and creating porn isn’t as simple as filming sex—it also means complying with the law. In April 2008, under the Bush administration, iconic pornographer John Stagliano, head of Evil Angel, faced an obscenity charge—the first porn obscenity charge to hit Washington D.C.’s U.S. District Court in over 20 years. Stagliano was acquitted in four days due to insufficient evidence two years later under Obama, but the message came in loud and clear.


“There are limits to what [Trump] can do. We are not electing a dictator. I hope we somehow return to a constitutional government with the separation of powers between Congress and the judiciary,” says Stagliano. “My hope is that they will realize this guy’s crazy and we have to rein him in. Congress will realize we have to control this person properly, and we just might move in that direction.”

A prominent figure in the adult industry since the second Bush administration, Vice President of the Adult Performers Actors Guild (APAG) Alana Evans says her biggest fear is seeing a Republican administration target the adult industry again. “A Republican administration goes after porn based on their public morals, but we all know what they’re doing behind closed doors,” she says. “They watch porn, they buy porn, and half of them that rally as anti-gay are gay.” Evans also speculates about how the industry and the new administration can find common ground and support. “Free porn is the biggest contributor to what makes it readily available, so if that’s where the Republicans go they will find a lot of industry support because we also want free porn gone,” says Evans. “It’s killed our industry.”

In the past, Trump has come across as more accepting of the LGBTQ community than his constituents, supporting Caitlyn Jenner while expressing happiness for the marriage of Elton John and his partner. Unfortunately his vice presidential pick, Mike Pence, has been consistently known for his anti-LGBTQ beliefs—fighting to reallocate AIDS funds towards conversion therapy, signing into law Indiana’s Religious Freedom Bill that allowed businesses to discriminate against LGBTQ people on the basis of religion, and referring to himself as a “born again, evangelical Catholic.” Pence is also known for sponsoring and supporting extreme legislation regarding women’s health, so some feel Pence might be the devil on Trump’s shoulder pulling him further to the right.

Indiana native and adult actress Sydney Leathers is all too familiar with Pence’s anti-women legislation. “It disgusts me that someone who clearly has no respect for women is now in such a powerful position. It’s even scarier that Pence will be vice president,” says Leathers. “To think that we have to continue fighting for our reproductive rights is disheartening.”

Excitement over the defeat of Prop 60 has been overshadowed by the election of Trump-Pence, with many in the adult industry worrying that the victory may be meaningless in the coming years. Porn star Ela Darling fears for her friends and people she doesn’t know. “Trump is a symptom of a greater problem. He’s also like the tingling in your arm that indicates you’re having a heart attack,” says Darling. “A lot of bad choices led up to this. I have a sad confidence that trans rights will regress in this new presidency. I am afraid marriage equality will be overturned. Trump will appoint Supreme Court justices that will stay with us for decades, haunting our country long after he’s gone. I’d rather have lost Prop 60 than be where we are right now, and I spent the last year working on that!”

Venus Lux, a porn star who confesses to being “part-Republican,” admits the situation is complicated and hesitates to jump on either party’s bandwagon. Worried about Trump’s true ability to lead—fearing he’s more puppet than master—Venus feels particularly vulnerable. “As a sex worker, as a woman of color, as a transgender, I don’t have as many options as another person,” says Lux. “There’s so much misogyny already when it comes to women but its double for trans women. Can I survive as a transgender woman of color who is also a sex worker, and how much harder is it going to be now?”

Porn Stars Fear Life Under President Trump and VP Pence

So? If you go by everything that's being said right now, I would be surprised if the sun rises tomorrow, because Trump is going to melt it with his super lasers coming out of his hair.

If it weren't for Pence I don't think they would be worried King.

Then don't *** assassinate Trump.

Now that I'm thinking about it, Pence could be Trump's assassination-proof pick. I mean, Obama had his Biden, it would make sense that the one person the liberals hate the most other than Trump could keep them from killing Trump.

If memory serves, Trump tried to get out of taking Pence as a running mate at one point.

Then don't *** assassinate Trump.

Now that I'm thinking about it, Pence could be Trump's assassination-proof pick. I mean, Obama had his Biden, it would make sense that the one person the liberals hate the most other than Trump could keep them from killing Trump.

But the liberals don't own guns.

Woke this morning to the news that New Zealand was hit with a 7.4 quake and a tsunami. :(

WELLINGTON (Reuters) - An earthquake with a magnitude of 7.4 struck central New Zealand just after midnight, the U.S. Geological Survey said, generating a tsunami that hit the northeast coast of the South Island.

New Zealand's Ministry of Civil Defence and Emergency Management warned of the risk of destructive waves along the country's entire east coast and urged residents in low-lying areas to evacuate and seek higher ground.

Anna Kaiser, a seismologist at GNS Science said a tidal signal or surge of up to one metre (3 feet) had been recorded in North Canterbury region of the South Island.

"That's reasonably significant so people should take this seriously," she told Radio New Zealand.

The quake was centered 91 km (57 miles) north-northeast of Christchurch, the biggest city on New Zealand's South Island. A 6.3 quake there in February 2011 killed 185 people and caused widespread damage.

The tremor, which was measured by New Zealand's Geonet at magnitude 6.6, was felt throughout most of New Zealand. Civil Defence said it was too early to *** the damage or whether there had been any injuries or deaths.

"The whole house rolled like a serpent and some things smashed, the power went out," a woman who gave her name as Elizabeth told Radio New Zealand from her home in Takaka, near the top of the South Island.

Chris Hill, a fire officer in Cheviot, a coastal town near the quake's epicentre, said officials had gone door to door evacuating residents.

"Everyone seems OK here," he told RNZ. "There's a lot of debris in houses, but at this stage it doesn't look like anything too bad has happened."

Residents in Wellington said glass had fallen from buildings into the streets and hotels and apartment buildings had been evacuated.
RNZ said the Wellington City Council had received multiple reports of significant damage.

A series of aftershocks were recorded around the country, some as strong as 6.1 magnitude.

But the liberals don't own guns.

After Donald Trump’s smashing electoral victory earlier this week, a familiar liberal phenomenon was given new life: the “I-don’t-feel-safe” meme.

Many people were moved to feel “unsafe” as Trump claimed the presidency over Hillary Clinton. One woman, an immigrant from the United Kingdom, said: “I don’t feel safe here anymore.” At Northwestern University, according to the school’s newspaper, “Muslim students feel unsafe.” One high school student in Seattle said, “We feel unsafe with our futures.” At Upworthy, a self-identified “*** black woman” explained “how you can help [her] feel safe in Trump’s America.”

Now, on the one hand, this is all sort of silly. “Feeling unsafe” has become a time-honored tradition in modern America, all the more so under Trump. Indeed, earlier this year at Emory University it only took the word “Trump” written in chalk for students to feel “unsafe.” But this is all kind of goofy. There is no real indication—yet, anyway—that “Trump’s America” will be a less-safe country for anyone.

On the other hand, it’s somewhat understandable: Trump has courted racists throughout his brief political career, he has been inexcusably rude and depraved towards women both now and in the past, and he has invigorated a small but vocal faction of “alt-right” bigot maniacs. So we can sympathize with people who think a Trump presidency might be at least theoretically dangerous for certain demographics.

With that in mind, here is a suggestion for anyone who feels newly “unsafe” in the United States of America: buy some guns and train yourself well how to use them.

Seriously—do it. There are few better ways to protect yourself against violence, terrorism, and oppression than firearms. Ida B. Wells knew it, as did Frederick Douglass—two Americans who had more than enough reason to feel “unsafe” throughout their lives.

It’s an Acquired Skill

The good news is that, in America, your gun rights have never been more widespread and more accessible. Barring some states that make it difficult to buy a gun, it is easy enough to acquire a good firearm for your own personal protection.

Of course, you should absolutely learn how to use a gun before arming yourself with one. But there’s good news there, too: you can find a gun safety course just about everywhere. The National Rifle Association—the nation’s oldest civil rights group and an absolutely dogged defender of your right to keep and bear arms—has countless resources to help you find a safety course near you.

Once you’ve familiarized yourself well with the basics of gun safety, you should buy a gun. If you’re unsure of which gun you want to buy, you can check out the innumerable gun ranges around the country. Most of these ranges will let you rent the weapon of your choice and test it out as much as you want. The staff at these ranges will usually be happy to give you tips on how to improve your accuracy and your basic firearm handling skills.

Next, Get a Concealed-Carry License

Once you’ve become proficient at handling firearms (and you’ve committed yourself to a good training regimen to keep your skills sharp), you can apply for a concealed-carry license. Thanks to the relentless efforts of state-level Republican Party officials, it has never been easier to get your concealed-carry permit: every state has a concealed-carry law on the books, and the vast majority of them are “shall-issue,” meaning the state cannot prohibit you from acquiring your license unless you are forbidden by law from having one.

Many historically persecuted minority groups have found gun ownership to be a wonderful way to provide for their security. In the wake of the Orlando terrorist attacks this year, gay Americans began heavily patronizing gun stores. If certain groups or demographics feel “unsafe” in the United States now that Trump will be president in January, they are free (and encouraged) to follow the lead of their LGBTQ fellow citizens.

One of the reasons America is great is that, even now, we recognize that the citizen is sovereign, and that he or she retains certain inalienable rights that government has no authority to take away. One of those rights is self-defense—and any American who is genuinely concerned about his or her safety can avail himself or herself of that right very easily.

This is a troubling time for America. But we are still the greatest country on earth. And we should not neglect the Second Amendment, a constitutional provision that, for more than two centuries, has helped keep it that way.