Random Political Thoughts

queens?

I think it’s because they are all women. Trump Jr. and Musk and a bunch of other right wing loony toons have been blaming the introduction of pilots who are not white men for decreasing airline safety. (The white men is literally Jr’s phrasing, Musk at least went for DEI, which he “misspelled” DIE)

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She ended up clarifying:

I don’t understand “Go off queens”… that’s kind of weird.

I do know that it’s quite rare to get an all female crew or, to a lesser extent, an all black crew. In particular there are very few female captains at major airlines. They exist, but few & far between. A friend of mine is a female captain (actually she just switched airlines to avoid commuting, but at the time of this story she was a female captain at her airline). She was wearing her pilot uniform (which is different from the flight attendant uniform) wanting to use her flight benefits to board a particular flight that was sold out. The gate agent, who was holding Friend’s airline badge that was clearly marked “PILOT”, explained that it was a completely full flight.

Bummer… is the cockpit jumpseat open? (This is the least comfortable seat on the airplane, but … it’s a seat on the airplane and if it’s not being used by the FAA then pilots may use it.)

Uh, yes, it’s open, but flight attendants can’t sit in the cockpit jumpseat.

OK, but pilots can sit there, right?

Right… are you asking on behalf of a pilot?

Yes

Oh, I thought you were asking for yourself.

I am. :woman_facepalming: :woman_pilot:

Southwest caved to the pressure and deleted their offensive tweet.

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I suppose I’d feel marginally safer with an all-female crew, but I’ve never felt in danger from a flight crew either.

I assumed this was somewhat related to the Black women there and Elon Musk calling graduates of HBCUs low-intelligence and bad pilots. I know it’s not a great connection but even with the clarification above, I’m unclear what the point is?

It’s hard to follow thinking so far gone that you have to know the mistaken sexist or racist foundations before then stretching to whatever point is being made.

Is it just “hurr durr women bad and stupid”? Interesting take from a woman, but okay.

Edited to change link to non-paywall site:

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Oh geez… ignoring Elon’s obvious racism, the two black women are flight attendants. The two women with the ties and epaulets are the pilots and they’re both white. (The blonde is the captain and the brunette is the first officer.)

FTR, I think black pilots are just dandy, and black women pilots - though quite the rare unicorn - are fantastic too. Just that… there are none in the picture.

Out of curiosity I looked up the average SAT scores for the 3 schools, and a SAT → IQ mapping that I randomly found on the internet.

Hampton U: 1059 → 113
Delaware State: 910 → 102
Elizabeth City State: 960 → 106

So… isn’t an IQ of 100 like normal or average or something? All 3 schools are above that.

And yeah, I know it’s not great science to compare SAT to IQ in the first place, but even when you do it doesn’t support the guy’s assertion about the IQ of the students at these schools.

I guess it shouldn’t surprise anyone that the obvious racist is lying.

Oops, I guess that’s a day late, but still…

GA is advancing legislation to ban ranked choice voting. Note GA does not currently have ranked choice voting.

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What an idiotic headline and more idiotic sub headline. Was “water is wet” already taken?

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There’s a “second that emotion” joke there, but I’d have to explain the entire backstory to get to it and we’ve all got more interesting things to do this weekend.

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That’s highly presumptuous.

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:face_with_raised_eyebrow: So “person who sex-offends” instead of “sex offender”?

It’s not clear to me why this shouldn’t on its face be cross-listed in the “news wtf” thread. Isn’t the recidivism rate super high for such folks? I get the ideal of wanting prison to be rehabilitive, but I’m not convinced in the case of sex offenses.

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can’t read the article, but there are various levels of sex offender.

A 19 yo having sex with a 16 yo could be listed as a sex offender in some states
Even some date rape situations, I wouldn’t necessarily feel the person might be a repeat offender

The lists are pretty unforgiving, not sure of the specific situation here

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Article text pasted in and detailsed:

Summary

Democrats in the Washington state legislature have introduced a bill that would replace the term “sex offender” in an apparent attempt to avoid defining a sex offender by their crime.

House Bill 2177, if passed, would change the name of the Sex Offender Policy Board, or SOPB, to the Sex Offense Policy Board. The bill also adds a convicted sex offender to the board, as proponents argue the offender’s “lived experiences” are “invaluable.”

“One representative with lived experience with incarceration for a sex offense appointed by the chair of the sex offense policy board and approved by a majority vote of the board’s voting membership” would serve on the board, the bill states.

Board membership is not restricted to Level One sex offenders, who are least likely to recommit a sex offense, but rather, the bill allows Level Three, the most dangerous felons, to serve on the board, KTTH radio host Jason Rantz reported. The sex offender will serve alongside victims of sex crimes, who would be another new addition to the board.

The SOPB was created in 2008 to “promote a coordinated and integrated response to sex offender management and create an entity to respond to issues that arise, such as integrating state and federal laws in a way that enhances the state’s interest in protecting the community with an emphasis on public safety,” according to its website.

State Rep. Tarra Simmons, a Democrat sponsoring the bill, called for a sex offender to serve on the board alongside sex offense victims and their advocates. Simmons served time for three felony convictions for possession of controlled substances and retail theft in 2011.

“I think that we all do better when we have a diverse legislature. That’s why I’m here,” Simmons said at a House Community Safety, Justice, and Reentry hearing. “And I’m proud to be here. I think I bring some lived experience that was missing from here. And while some people may have a stigma for people who have committed a sex offense, I think they have invaluable information to share that can really guide this board.”

SOPB chair Brad Meryhew spoke at the hearing in support of the proposal, saying he believes it brings to the board “that sort of reality check that we always need in public policy.”

“And I welcome the opportunity to have those voices at the table and to do everything I can to facilitate their active participation in our process,” he said.

Republican state Rep. Dan Griffey opposes the measure and questioned why the board would “advocate” for a sex offender.

During public testimony at the hearing, SOPB coordinator Whitney Hunt defended the legislation by arguing that the proposed change moves forward a “person-first” approach.

“This bill incorporates recommendations the board has previously indicated its support for regarding the use of person-first language,” she said. “This change aligns with best practices and research, and encompasses all the individuals involved and impacted by the sex offense management system, including victims.”

The apparent effort by Washington state Democrats to destigmatize sex offenders comes after other attempts to release them from prison.

In 2021, Democrats passed legislation to more easily distribute conditionally-released sexually violent predators across the state, including encouraging the predators to pursue a Less Restrictive Alternative, an outpatient treatment program in a community setting. State Sen. Christine Rolfes, a Democrat who sponsored the bill, said at the time that it is, in part, about letting “people who are potentially dangerous, but not necessarily dangerous, back into communities where they can live safely and with their constitutional liberties protected.”

In 2022, the SOPB recommended the state end a rule prohibiting Less Restrictive Alternatives from being placed within 500 feet of a childcare facility. The board argued that “there is no particular increase in risk associated with proximity to the location where individuals who have committed sexual offenses are housed.”

Some states tag you as a sex offender for some odd things. IIRC public urination or streaking can get you tagged as a sex offender in some states.

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Throw on that depending on the nature of the crime, someone can land on the sex offender registry forever and the prohibitions on where one can live that go with that, and there’s a number of times where the punishment is way worse than the crime.

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While this can happen, I’ve read that in actuality that’s pretty unlikely and usually happens when you intentionally urinate in front of a playground of children or something similar.

Also, that many real sex offenders use this exact excuse as the “bullshit” that got them on the list.