Oh Alabama chief justice Roy Moore.
How we love to hate you and your bigoted views on gay people. And apparently we’re not alone.
You see, Roy Moore has twice run for governor (2006 and 2010) and failed both times.
He also failed as a Presidential candidate in 2012 (yep he actually tried to be President).
He is best known however as a national laughingstock that has brought some pretty bad shame to the Yellowhammer state due to his fundamentalist views and intransigence on matters of basic human rights.
But he also seems to be entrenched as chief justice until he is forced out due to his age in 2018.
Until that great day however, you have RoyMooreForGovernor.com.
Created by a guy named Justin Gandy from Russellville, the site brutally mocks Moore for his backward beliefs on gay rights.
Here’s a taste from the site’s homepage, which is posing as a real campaign site for the judge:
“My name is Roy Moore, and I’m committed to making gay people go away because they are icky and Jesus doesn’t love them. Like you, I want to play an active role in making gay people’s lives as miserable as our own. I will work at the community, state and country level to make Alabama a safer, better place to raise our children, run a business, and forge a future filled with unlimited promise that is free from the tyranny of Clay Aiken and Sam Smith. I don’t care how angelic Sam Smith’s voice is I’m not listening to it!”
It also includes an “endorsements” page that is quite nice indeed.
Oh yes please.
Moore could run for governor again in 2018 when his term as chief justice ends, but if he does he’ll have to get creative about his choice for website URL since Gandy owns the domain until 2019.
RISE NEWS has tried reaching out to Gandy and we’ll update this story when we speak to him.
RISE NEWS is a grassroots journalism news organization that is working to change the way young people become informed and engaged in public affairs. You can write for us.
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No Internet, Miley Cyrus Is Not Dead
Miley Cyrus seems to be the latest victim of a celebrity death hoax that is making the Internet lose its mind.
The 22 year old singer’s fake death was the subject of a viral Internet post by a fake news website called Action News 3.
The site (which we won’t link to) is not an actual news organization and seems to be run by a shell company in Arizona that also runs other shady website including the now defunct mugshotsworld.com.
Read More: No Internet, Casey Anthony Is Not Dead
The site sure made it sound convincing though:
“Miley Cyrus’ lifeless body was found by her entourage in a bathtub at her Hollywood home on Wednesday, authorities revealed. Los Angeles investigators are trying to determine the cause of death,” the fake news site claimed. “Officials refused to comment on reports that the famed actress/singer drowned from a prescription pill overdose. They have, however, made it clear that there were no signs of foul play.”
The site used fake quotes from a LA police officer and even gave a very specific time of death- 2:17 PM PST. (Do you really think you wouldn’t have heard of Miley’s death by now if it were true?)
Cover Photo Credit: Screenshot
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This Guy On Craigslist Really Wants You To Come And Get His Haunted Bed
Sometimes you just got to get rid of your bed because it is haunted and trying to scare you to death.
At least that’s what one Craigslist user in Mentone, AL is claiming.
The unidentified person posted a listing in the “free stuff” section of the Birmingham Craigslist under the title of “Free (paranormal) bed”.
It only gets better from there.
The scary bed in question. Photo Credit: Craigslist user upload.
Here is the full listing:
“I’m giving away this bed to whoever wants to come pick it up. My home is over 200 years old and is believed to have originally had a servants’ wing, located to the right angle of my home which later converted to slave quarters. The structure still standing is said to have been housing for the slaves on the property. This bed still remains inside the original structure. I do not know the history of this bed but it has not been removed from the quarters. It moves and shakes violently on its own. There have been sounds of cries and singing from the actual bed. It often shifts positions and there is a strange uneasy feeling when I try to move it. I just want it off my property for good”
Yeah we are with you on that.
THE BED ACTUALLY EMITS SOUNDS OF CRIES AND SINGING!
I can barely handle it if my memory foam is slightly forgetful from the night before. This shit would put me over the edge.
Read More: This “Funny Map” Of Tuscaloosa According To An Alabama Student Is Hilarious And Sort Of Spot On
Mentone is a small town of just over 300 people in the far northeastern corner of the state. It sits on the popular tourist trap known as Lookout Mountain. So I guess we won’t be going there anytime soon.
But if you do actually decide to take this person up on their offer, then please let us know how it goes for you. Or don’t. That’s cool too.
RISE NEWS is a grassroots journalism news organization that is working to change the way young people become informed and engaged in public affairs. You can write for us.
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Does An Invitation To A Frat Formal Require You To Have Sex With The Guy?
I have this ring on my right middle finger.
It’s a peace sign that I originally wore on my left ring finger – you know, the finger associated with marriage.
2008 me was convinced that if Nick Jonas, the man I was destined to marry, was going to refrain from being intimate until marriage, so would I.
I held on to the notion that I would remain abstinent until marriage until I was 16.
I had my first real love, and suddenly my opinion of waiting until marriage seemed out of step with reality.
My feelings towards sex radically changed once I realized the importance of another level of intimacy in becoming closer to another individual, and while some choose not to have sex, I didn’t.
In my eyes, God (you betcha I believe in a higher power) created the body to enjoy his other creations, including sex.
Cool.
I am a 20-year-old woman who has openly expressed on the internet that she is sexually active and takes pride in her ability to make the choice to be.
Is it just me or does it feel like I had a Carrie Bradshaw moment? You know what I mean, when she was typing away on her laptop in Sex and the City?
Carrie Bradshaw typing away. Photo Credit: AlexHerrera/ Flickr (CC By 2.0)
Psh, why do I even need to have a Carrie Bradshaw moment?
Well, level with me here because I’m not about to tell you about my sexual escapades.
I value the sanctity of physical intimacy, and I would never share details of an experience with a partner to another individual.
Instead, I think it is important for someone to be frank about sex in college because:
It
Is
An
Issue.
I am unable to trace back to where Western college culture changed so that the major aspect of social development was linked to sex.
Maybe it happened when women (rightly) claimed the entitlements back to their bodies; or maybe it happened when the media could openly sexualize relationships.
Whenever it happened, there was a dynamic shift in our understanding and appreciation of sex.
For the most part, the conversation surrounding sex is treated as much like the methods used to study for a test.
While I think it is truly wonderful that we can have open discussions about intimacy, there seems to be a series of unspoken rules about sex on college campuses in the United States, which I didn’t know about.
Have you ever heard the expression: “High school is all about how long can they date before they hook up? But college…college is all about how long can they hook up before they date?”
It is the most accurate depiction of college hook up culture.
Like I want to paint it on a canvas or get it printed on a flyer because it holds that much power over interpersonal relationships in college.
Don’t worry; Monogamy happens still.
I can tell you from personal experience, I am still struggling with my last heart-break.
But the purpose of this piece is not to talk about monogamy.
Rather, I want to bring to attention the issue that everyone is entitled to believe what they do and should be free from pressure to participate in something they find unsettling.
The results of these beliefs may not always host positive outcomes, but nonetheless the individuals will deal with the consequences as they are presented.
There is some beauty in being in a world where there is an understanding that you can sleep with whomever you want.
What is not remotely beautiful is the expectation that everyone participates in this hook up culture.
Allow me to offer a specific example.
If you, my dear reader, are not involved in Greek life, like the American high school homecoming and prom, fraternities and sororities host semi-formals and formals dances.
While sororities are expected to host their events within the city limits of their university, fraternities will go out-of-town for both events.
At least he has a cat. Photo Credit: T U R K A I R O/ Flickr (CC By 2.0)
Just as sorority women can invite individuals involved and not involved in Greek life, fraternity men may do the same.
The fact that they go out-of-town means they must spend a decent amount of money to secure the hotel room and the nice dinner venue.
Their dates usually will make them a cooler or flask or craft something else catered to the taste of the gentleman.
Basically, the fraternity and its guests are all in for a weekend of all kinds of fun in a city, taking a pseudo-vacation.
Sounds great, right?!
Well, formal season is almost over, but if I hear anything else about fraternity men looking for dates, I will let you know.
There is one catch, though, the frat boy will probably be expecting you to have sex with him or at the very least fool around until he is satisfied.
Yeah, I would be a little taken aback too.
This party is so lit right now bro. Photo Credit: Pedro Ribeiro Simões/ Flickr (CC By 2.0)
By no means are all fraternity men expecting this, and I have been fortunate enough to be asked on formals by men that identified with their gender assigned at birth that I was either seeing or very good friends with.
There was no expectation from me to do anything I was not comfortable with.
However, I have had approximately seven girlfriends come and speak to me about how uncomfortable they felt around their date because he seemed to hold this expectation that she would participate in the hook up culture.
Let me be perfectly clear:
It does not matter your gender identity, sexuality or combination of the two spectra.
If you invite an individual on some event, whether it be out of college or while you are in school, you do not have a right to expect something in return for the invitation.
I find it appalling and a reflection of the manipulative nature of our modern culture that the definition has evolved from something that used to mean to request someone’s presence at to a word that offers an incentive or opens the door to the likelihood of an opportunity.
Surprise!
This beautifully masked article has been another approach to aid those who still do not understand the concept of consent the entire time!
While I may choose to be free with my body, I still reserve the right to say no and be uninhibited by the expectation that I will use the pleasure intimacy can create to essentially repay a fraternity member with his choice to bring a date on a pricey event.
Don’t be afraid to go stag!
Or just don’t go!
Or better yet, take someone you may actually like!
So, while there is a definite beauty in an individual’s ability to choose to sleep with as many people as they want, whether they are being safe about it or not (which for the sake of everyone else I hope they are being), not everyone has to participate in this culture shift, especially when they are invited out to an event, like a date or a weekend getaway.
If you are interested in reading more about the hookup culture of today, I highly suggest listening to the Hidden Brain podcast from NPR published on February 14.
RISE NEWS is a grassroots journalism news organization that is working to change the way young people become informed and engaged in the world. You can write for us.
Cover Photo Credit: Angie Chung
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