BUCKNACKT'S SORDID TAWDRY BLOG We should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive & well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, chocolate, bier or wein in hand, body thoroughly used up, totally worn out and screaming "WHOO-HOO, WHAT A RIDE!!!!!!"
26 July 2021
25 July 2021
Megachurch pastor David Platt warns of a disinformation campaign and takeover attempt at his evangelical church 22JUL21
HEY people of McLean Bible Church, Jesus Christ is woke, Christianity teaches believers to be woke, Christians are supposed to be woke. If this and CRT ( which is NOT anti-Christian) offends you maybe you would be more comfortable as members of the kkk or qanon. From the Washington Post.....
Megachurch pastor David Platt warns of a disinformation campaign and takeover attempt at his evangelical church
McLean Bible — which is seen as a conservative evangelical congregation and once had more than 16,000 attendees — has long been an important church in Washington with four locations near the city. But threatening McLean now is a group that has spread all kinds of rumors, Platt said.
Platt said in his sermon that this group claimed, as members walked into the church, that new elders would lead the church “down the road of leaving the Gospel behind, leaving the Bible behind, embracing liberal theology and cultural Marxism, like the author of the ‘Communist Manifesto,’ that we would change our stance on abortion and sexuality, that we would allow Critical Race Theory and Black Lives Matter and defunding the police to drive our agenda as a church.”
Platt described these claims as “unquestionably untrue.”
The three new elders, who needed 75 percent of the vote, were voted in on Sunday with more than 80 percent of the vote and will join four existing elders. Congregants who want to become members of the church attend a class, are interviewed by elders or staff and are introduced to the congregation. On July 15, five members of the church filed a lawsuit claiming that the Sunday election violated the church’s constitution because the church did not allow a secret ballot.
Some of McLean’s members are nostalgic for the days of Lon Solomon, who led McLean for 37 years before handing the reins over to Platt in 2017. A July 8 letter from former church elder Mark Gottlieb described Platt as changing McLean into a “political, stripped-down version of what it used to be.”
Jeremiah Burke, who describes himself as the leader of more than 200 members who oppose current church leadership, including Platt, has been a member for 16 years and said he began raising questions about six months ago during a congregational meeting. His wife has been moderating the Facebook page called “Save McLean Bible Church” where members share articles that identify Platt and elders as “woke,” warning that McLean could go “woke” like other churches.
Burke, who has a financial adviser, said he noticed that while attendance had been down in 2020, giving had not gone down, and he wondered why. Burke believes that local Muslim leaders are looking for church buildings to buy and could have sights set on McLean’s property.
Burke, 36, is primarily focused on how the church has been giving money to the Southern Baptist Convention, even though it describes itself in its constitution as a nondenominational church. The SBC is “riddled” with controversy, Burke believes, with its sex abuse scandals and doctrinal disputes.
“McLean was one of the most influential churches in America. It had an incredible influence over the power players in D.C.,” he said. “We’re coming to try to take the church back. There’s no intention of us leaving the church. I think that’s what David’s scared of.”
Burke believes that Platt distracts from the issue of whether the church has ties to the SBC by bringing up other issues, such as its focus under Platt on racial justice. Under Platt’s predecessor, Solomon, the church began giving to the SBC in 2016, but it has recently suspended its contributions because of the confusion over whether the church could be considered Southern Baptist.
Under its FAQ page, the church also addresses whether it teaches critical race theory, an intellectual framework used to examine structural racism.
“CRT is a buzzword today, often used as an accusation (like “woke”) to label someone in the body of Christ in a way that cuts off any further discussion,” the church states. “We understand CRT to be a human (and therefore inherently flawed) effort towards understanding injustice.”
In an interview on Tuesday, Platt estimated that the church’s membership is more than 2,500, and several thousand people are attending services. Like many churches, attendance has taken a major hit during the pandemic, but it has been fully open with mask-optional services since May.
Platt said he believes the recent controversy has been a collision of several things, including racial tensions and political tensions.
In 2019, Platt was given a five-minute warning that former president Donald Trump would show up at McLean Bible and he would be asked to pray for him. Platt, who aims to be nonpartisan, wrote a letter to his congregation saying that he did not intend to endorse Trump or his policies, and some members took that to mean that he was apologizing for his prayer.
Then in the summer of 2020, Platt, led Christians in prayer as part of larger protests against racism and police brutality. Some in his congregation later took his involvement to mean that he supported the Black Lives Matter organization.
Platt said he doesn’t believe the controversy at his church is isolated, since he has been texting with several other pastors who have been through similar tensions.
“We are all walking through hard days,” Platt said. “The fundamental question is, how are we going to love God, one another, and the world around us in the middle of them?”
Platt, 43, has long been a popular evangelical preacher who wrote “Radical,” a best-selling book that called Christians to take their faith back from the American Dream and live more like Jesus. He was considered one of the youngest megachurch pastors in the country when he was appointed to the Church at Brook Hills in Birmingham, Ala., in 2006 at 27 years old.
Before he led McLean, Platt was president of the SBC’s International Mission Board. In his final address to the IMB, he criticized the “politics of the SBC” where he described “continual self-promotion” and “backroom deals.”
Correction: An earlier version of this piece stated that Platt was appointed to the Church Brook Hills when he was 28. He was 27.
How HBO Helped the Guy Hosting QAnon Dodge a Serious Accusation 8APR21
Filmmaker Cullen Hoback and Jim Watkins in Washington, D.C. on January 6.Courtesy of HBO
THESE people are disgusting, and it is no surprise they love and worship drumpf / trump. After all, birds of a feather.....This from Mother Jones.....
How HBO Helped the Guy Hosting QAnon Dodge a Serious Accusation
Jim Watkins has admitted to profiting off child porn web domains. Viewers wouldn’t know it.
Over the course of his new six episode HBO documentary, Into The Storm, filmmaker Cullen Hoback exhaustively details the intrigue and shadowy players involved in the QAnon conspiracy theory. As CNN’s Brian Lowry explains, “Hoback appears determined not to leave any stones unturned.”
The documentary is comprehensive and does flip a lot of stones. Hoback leverages sustained access to key players in the QAnon movement to tell a story about one of the most consequential disinformation operations of the Trump era. He does, however, pass on overturning one rather large stone: chief Q-enabler Jim Watkins’ history of running an internet company that has profited off child porn themes. The omission deprives HBO’s audience of key information on Watkins’ past, especially given his prominent role in movement seeking vengeance against a supposed cabal of elite liberal pedophiles.
QAnon is a conspiracy movement based on postings from an anonymous account that purports to be a national security insider with so-called Q-level clearance. The Q posts emerged on 4chan, a notorious online message board, before moving to 8chan, a web forum that Watkins controlled—and where users frequently posted child porn. (The most recent Q posts appeared on 8kun, a successor site also controlled by Watkins.) In the second episode of the documentary series, Hoback raises this point briefly, asking prominent Q adherents how they feel about 8chan’s sordid reputation and historic ties to child sexual abuse material. Each of them express deep discomfort with the site’s general fare. One, Liz Crokin, says she wasn’t aware about 8chan’s ties to child pornography, calling it “troublesome.”
At another point, Hoback asks Watkins about his long-running connections to pornography generally and how he feels about having been called “the king of porn.” Hoback also focuses on Ron Watkins, Jim’s son and a figure of his own right in Q world, and notes the younger Watkins’ interest in pornography and brothels. “If you’re thinking these guys seem to be into porn, like more than the normal amount, you would be right,” Hoback narrates over a shot capturing Ron loading a sexualized anime doll into a car and driving away, as pornography plays on a dashboard monitor. “But Ron takes it to another level.”
In August 2019, Wired reported that law enforcement officials in the Philippines, where Jim Watkins was based before his recent return to the US, were investigating the “alleged prevalence of child pornography” on 8chan. They quoted an official with the country’s National Bureau of Investigation: “If you are going to visit his site, he is actually trying to promote, or catering to, child pornography, and it is a serious offense here.”
On October 29, 2020, Mother Jones published an investigation revealing that Watkins’s web company had hosted scores of domains featuring child sex abuse material themes in the past. Here’s what we reported:
The domains’ names include terms such as “preteen,” “schoolgirl,” and “child” alongside graphic terms for genitalia and words like “rape” and “love.” It’s unclear what, if anything, is currently being served at the domains. However, an analysis of metadata collected years ago from one by archive.org shows dozens of filenames and links containing highly suggestive terms, including “xxxpreteen,” “children,” and sexual references to girls aged 12 to 15.
Hoback addresses this in the documentary but in a way that misrepresents our findings and minimizes the extent of Watkins’ involvement with these sites. He suggests the story was somehow undermined by subsequent reports. It hasn’t been.
Much of the narrative drive of Into The Storm is the battle between Fredrick Brennan, the original founder of 8chan, and both Watkins. They all once worked together, but Brennan has since disassociated himself from 8chan and the Watkins and established himself as one of their chief antagonists. Brennan’s allies include include Aubrey Cottle, a ringleader of Anonymous, the no-holds-barred “hactivist” group.
Hoback characterizes our investigation as the product of a smear campaign mounted by Brennan and Cottle that unfairly relied on a domain name that Jim Watkins says he set up some 16 years ago. And he suggests they manipulated Mother Jones into slamming Watkins by publishing unvetted material.
This is not true. Cottle did tip us off to this story—as we reported at the time—which prompted us to investigate these domains and their connections to Jim Watkins. This included contacting Watkins by telephone multiple times and asking him about the history of the domains and his hosting company. Though we didn’t know it at the time, Hoback filmed Watkins talking to us on speakerphone on one of these calls. Hoback’s documentary includes snippets of that 28-minute call and falsely implies the conversation was about a single domain: “00preteen.com.” In reality, we asked Watkins about a series of domain names that suggested child sexual abuse that his company registered over a several year period beginning in the late 1990s.
“Fred and Aubrey’s attacks made an initial splash,” Hoback narrates in the film, displaying a screenshot of our story‘s headline. “But once mainstream news sources investigated the claims, they found that the website in question had no actual child porn. It was only clickbait for pedophiles, which was gross but not illegal.”
This is an odd and inaccurate summation. In providing it, Hoback gives cover to Watkins by minimizing what his company did and mischaracterizing what Mother Jones reported.
Watkins hadn’t just hosted one child porn-themed domain. It was scores. Some had names that are even more disturbing than 00preteens.com. There’s also Hoback’s definitive claim that other journalists found there was no child porn content there. But no journalist has reported that, and there are many other domains in question. It’s unclear how many, if any, remain operational or what they once held.
As part of our investigation, we consulted a lawyer. Because the domain names suggested the presence of child abuse sexual material, we were limited in how far we could go in examining the websites or archives that might document them. (Anti-child pornography laws put anyone who accesses such material, for whatever reason, at legal risk.) Analysis of the metadata archived from one of the sites showed filenames and URLs with references to child pornography, suggesting there may have been child sex abuse material there. One unsigned account posted online by someone claiming to have visited an archive of one of these sites reported it contained material that was “probably illegal” and told anyone going there to “be prepared there is CP.”
For all these reasons, the Mother Jones article didn’t establish whether the sites Jim Watkins’ company hosted held child pornography. But Watkins himself confirmed his company had hosted these domains, though he claimed customers could have registered them and that they were removed as soon as the company became aware. He also offered multiple explanations of their purpose—that whoever established them did so because they might later sell them, or that they were set up to lure search traffic to other sites. He admitted that he did not vet clients or take action to determine if they used his service for nefarious or illegal activity, calling it “about the most un-American thing I can imagine.”
But there was no question or debate that Watkins was working to make money off of hosting scores of child porn-themed domains. As the article put it, “at a minimum…Watkins profited from domains with names explicitly related to pedophilia—the very thing that QAnon followers say that they’re motivated to end.”
When we contacted him, Hoback declined to answer detailed questions about his characterization of the Mother Jones story. But he insisted, “I’m giving zero cover to Jim…I think what Jim’s company did is gross and unethical, but there’s no evidence suggesting it was illegal.”
That may or not be true. But legal liability isn’t the only issue. There’s Watkins’ apparent hypocrisy and how it undermines his credibility as a leading player in a purportedly anti-pedophila crusade. Remember the Q believer who became uncomfortable when Hoback mentioned 8chan’s history with child porn. What would she and others who’ve fallen for the conspiracy think of Watkins’ history profiting from these domains, if it were clearly explained?
The Fruits and Vegetables Dogs Can (and Can’t) Eat 23JUL21
THIS is important for all dog lovers so please share with family, friends, coworkers. From Reader's Digest.....
The Fruits and Vegetables Dogs Can (and Can’t) Eat
We all know we should eat our fruits and veggies, but what's good for us isn't always good for our dogs.
Most of us are guilty of slipping our furry friends some people food now and then. And if your dog could stand to lose a few pounds or you just want to keep him healthy and spry, you may have even considered supplementing his diet with a little fruit or vegetables. Here’s the good news: There are plenty of human foods dogs can eat. And now for the bad news: There are also plenty of human foods that dogs can’t eat—and definitely shouldn’t. But just because it grows on a tree, bush, or vine doesn’t mean it’s good for your dog. So before you give in to those sweet puppy-dog eyes when your furry friend is begging for a taste of your meal, make sure you’re aware of what fruits and vegetables dogs can eat.
We asked veterinarians to share their expertise on which foods are safe for dogs and which could have adverse—and even deadly—side effects. For example, can dogs eat bananas? What about blueberries and grapes? We have the answers that will help you avoid an emergency and could also shed some light as to why your dog isn’t eating. (Hint: Something else could have made him lose his appetite!)
The fruits dogs can eat
A little fruit here and there is a sweet treat for your pup, and some fruits are actually beneficial to your dog’s diet. But moderation is the key because most fruits are high in sugar, says Shawna Garner, DVM, U.S. lead veterinarian at FirstVet, an on-demand video consultation platform. “The best way to make sure that dogs get the nutrition they need is to feed them a nutritionally complete, commercial pet food as the basis of their diet,” says Dr. Garner. “Any other food should be given as a small treat or topping to their meals. Roughly a tablespoon of fruit or vegetables per day should be enough for a medium-sized dog.”
That said, some caveats prevail. “Avoid giving fruits, with their high natural sugar content, to a diabetic dog,” says Lisa Weeth, DVM, head of the nutrition department at Metropolitan Animal Specialty Hospital. “These foods can interfere with their blood sugar regulation.”
As long as your dog doesn’t have a specific medical issue or food allergy, these are some of the fruits dogs can eat:
Apples: Apples of all varieties make good treats for dogs, Dr. Garner says, because they’re an excellent source of vitamin C, fiber, and calcium. “Make sure to cut them up and remove the core before serving,” she adds, “as apple seeds can cause dogs to have an upset stomach when eaten in large quantities.”
Bananas: Potassium-rich bananas are a safe treat for dogs, but they should be doled out in small portions due to their high sugar content. “They may cause your dog to gain weight if they eat too much,” notes Dr. Garner.
Blueberries: According to Dr. Garner, this antioxidant- and fiber-rich snack can help keep dogs in good shape. Blueberries are also among the possible cancer-fighting foods for dogs.
Cranberries: It turns out that cranberries have some of the same benefits for dogs as they do for humans. “Cranberry supplements are thought to reduce the adhesion of bacteria in the urogenital tract and possibly prevent urinary tract infections,” says Stacy Choczynski Johnson, DVM, the vet expert at Pumpkin Pet Insurance. While some dogs may not like the sour taste, tossing your pup a couple of fresh or dried cranberries is fine from a safety perspective.
Your dog can also say “bone appétit” (see what we did there?) to small amounts of strawberries, watermelon, pears, and pineapple. Dr. Weeth adds that frozen fruit juice cubes or apple sauce cups can be fun summertime treats for your pup, as long as they’re doled out in limited servings. Interested in making your own snacks for your dog? Check out these homemade dog treats your pet will love.
The vegetables dogs can eat
Most vegetables make a good treat for your pet, says Jamie Richardson, DVM, medical chief of staff at Small Door Veterinary in New York City. But if you’re giving table scraps, make sure the vegetables don’t include much in the way of butter, salt, or other seasonings, she says. And just like fruit, when it comes to vegetables, a little bit goes a long way in your dog’s diet, so there’s no need to overdo it. One important note: With any raw or crunchy vegetables, be sure to cut them up into small, bite-sized pieces to avoid the risk of choking.
Here are some vegetables dogs can eat in small portions:
Broccoli: Raw or steamed, bite-sized pieces of broccoli are a good source of vitamins A, C, and K, as well as beta-carotene, folate, and dietary fiber.
Carrots: Both raw or cooked carrots get a thumbs-up from vets. “Their natural sweetness makes them appealing to canines,” says Dr. Garner. “Plus, they contain high amounts of vitamin A, which helps to boost their immune system and keeps their skin and coat healthy.” Here’s another bonus: Unlike many other vegetables, carrots don’t tend to give dogs gas!
Cauliflower: Like broccoli, cruciferous cauliflower is full of vitamins and minerals, and it may help the aches and pains of older pets with arthritis. Speaking of cauliflower, it also made this list of the trending superfood veggies that could be the next kale (for humans, that is), so you may want to stock up!
Green beans: “With ample amounts of plant fiber, manganese, and vitamins C and K, plain green beans are great for dogs,” says Gary Richter, DVM, a veterinary health expert with Rover.com. Dr. Garner seconds that, noting that dogs can eat green beans cooked or raw. When frozen, she adds, they make a great treat on a warm summer day.
Pumpkin: Pumpkin’s high fiber content can be beneficial for dogs that have diarrhea or constipation, says Dr. Garner. “However,” she adds, “pumpkin should only be served to dogs cooked, without added spices or flavors, to avoid upsetting a dog’s stomach.”
Spinach: If your dog will eat it, spinach is a great source of vitamin K, magnesium, folate, manganese, omega-3 fatty acids, and zinc, says Oscar E. Chavez, BVetMed, Chief Medical Officer at Just Food for Dogs.
Sweet potatoes: Another great source of dietary fiber, sweet potatoes are high in vitamin B6, vitamin C, and beta-carotene. Sweet potatoes should be peeled and cooked—or you can pick up some dehydrated sweet potato dog chews. In case you were wondering, these are the best dog food brands that veterinarians feed their own pets.
Zucchini: “An excellent source of vitamin C, zucchini is also rich in beta-carotene and is a source of vitamin A, dietary fiber, potassium, folate, and niacin,” says Dr. Chavez.
What other veggies can dogs chow down on in moderation? Cucumbers, celery, peas, and Brussels sprouts.
The fruits dogs can’t eat
The fruits and vegetables that dogs can eat won’t do any harm and may even help their health. But the list of fruits and vegetables that dogs can’t eat is actually kind of scary—some of the items can make them quite ill and, if unaddressed, could even be deadly. Some are bite-sized, sweet fruits that you and your dog might view as treats, so be aware before you toss one to your faithful companion. The list of fruits to avoid includes:
Avocados: Yes, they’re a fruit, and no, your dog shouldn’t eat them. Avocados contain persin, a toxin that can cause vomiting and diarrhea. “It’s particularly concentrated in the skin of the avocado, although any part of the fruit is unsafe for dogs to eat,” says Dr. Garner. Avocados are also very high in fat, notes Dr. Richter, so in addition to their toxic capabilities, they can cause gastrointestinal upset if ingested in large amounts. In general, you should be on the lookout for these signs of dog illness in your seemingly healthy pet.
Cherries: The pit and skin of cherries contain small amounts of cyanide, says Dr. Garner. So if your dog gets ahold of a whole bowl of cherries, he can be poisoned. “If a dog eats a whole cherry, this may cause an upset stomach,” says Dr. Garner. “However, several cherries could lead to breathing difficulties and an unwanted emergency visit to the vet.”
Citrus: A section of orange or tangerine may be safe to feed your dog, but watch out for the rest of the fruit. “Other parts of the plant, including the leaves, stem, skin, and leaves are toxic,” says Dr. Garner. “If consumed, they can cause an upset stomach, and vomiting and diarrhea if consumed in large amounts.”
Dried fruit: With the exception of a couple of dried cranberries (see above), dried fruit is generally a no-no for dogs. While none has the toxicity of raisins, dried fruit is high in sugar, which makes it an unhealthy snack. “You’re better off choosing fresh fruit alternatives,” Dr. Garner says, “as long as they are safe for dogs to eat.”
Grapes and raisins: Dr. Richter says that grapes and raisins can cause kidney toxicity in some dogs. “The effect is not dose-dependent,” he adds, “so even a single grape or raisin can potentially be fatal.” While fatalities are rare, if you know your dog has eaten grapes or raisins, take him to the vet ASAP. Here’s how to tell if your dog has food poisoning.
Macadamia nuts: Nuts are generally not a good snack for dogs due to their high-fat content; plus, packaged nuts are often packed with salt. But macadamia nuts are particularly problematic because they can cause weakness, vomiting, and diarrhea in dogs. While these symptoms will usually resolve on their own, Dr. Garner says it’s still a good idea to call your veterinarian if your dog gets ahold of these nuts.
Tomatoes: Yep, they’re also a fruit! And like other fruits and vegetables in the nightshade family, tomatoes contain solanine, which, when ingested in large amounts, can cause GI distress and arrhythmia in dogs. The good news is that ripe tomatoes contain far less solanine than green ones, so a piece of ripe tomato is probably OK for your dog. But absolutely keep him away from green tomatoes and tomato leaves and stems, where solanine is concentrated.
The vegetables dogs can’t eat
When it comes to most vegetables, the biggest risk to your dog (and you) is that he’ll get an upset tummy, be gassy, or have diarrhea after ingesting them. But a few vegetables are especially toxic to dogs, though in most cases, they’d have to ingest them in large amounts to do any real damage. These include:
Onions: Foods from the onion family—including onions, garlic, leeks, and chives—should be avoided because they contain a toxin called N-propyl disulfide. “This can cause serious damage to canine red blood cells, meaning that the dog’s body will struggle to distribute oxygen properly,” says Dr. Garner. “It is never safe to give a dog onion or any other foods from the onion family.”
Dr. Richter concurs. “Onion toxicity is rare because most dogs wouldn’t eat enough onions to be a problem,” he says. “But theoretically, if someone had a large plate of cooked onions that got eaten by the dog, it could be a problem.” You should be on particularly high alert during holidays. For example, think of all the Thanksgiving foods that incorporate cooked onions and could pose a danger to your pet.
And Dr. Weeth adds a special note of caution: “A 50-pound dog sneaking a few licks of a sauce that includes garlic and onion are unlikely to cause any issues, but adding garlic to their diet as an additive or in a supplement over days to weeks can cause nausea or vomiting and result in anemia. If the anemia becomes severe enough and chronic enough, it can cause lethargy, weakness, pale gums, and collapse. There are many in the blogosphere who still tout unproven health ‘benefits’ for garlic while ignoring the very real negative health risks of this food. I would not recommend intentionally feeding anything in the garlic or onion family to dogs.”
Mushrooms: If you and your dog take a walk through the woods, or anywhere wild mushrooms might pop up, make sure he doesn’t chomp on one while he has his nose to the ground. “Store-bought shouldn’t be hazardous,” says Dr. Garner, “but it’s best to avoid mushrooms altogether when it comes to a dog’s diet.” Here are more shockingly common dog dangers in your own backyard.
Sources:
- Shawna Garner, DVM, U.S. lead veterinarian at FirstVet
- Lisa Weeth, DVM, head of the nutrition department at Metropolitan Animal Specialty Hospital
- Stacy Choczynski Johnson, the vet expert at Pumpkin Pet Insurance
- Jamie Richardson, DVM, medical chief of staff at Small Door Veterinary
- Gary Richter, DVM, a veterinary health expert with Rover
- Oscar E. Chavez, BVetMed, Chief Medical Officer at Just Food for Dogs
Can Dogs Eat Cat Food?
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