Author: Les

Retired from manufacturing management in 2012. Currently an active semi retired NASM Certified Personal Trainer. Exercise, philosophy, politics, government, science, and family occupies my non working and sleeping hours. Destroying the rancid acrimony that exists between conservatives and liberals, an acrimony destroying the very fabric of our society, is the ends to which this site dedicates itself.

Marine Corps’ Nude Photo Sharing Scandal…

Proving once again that some males are simply pigs and have no respect for the privacy of others.

The flipside of this is why in the hell would women in the military consent to being photographed naked?

Maybe they didn’t know they were being photographed?

Whatever the case we refer you back to ur first observation.

The scandal that prompted an investigation into hundreds of Marines who are accused of sharing naked photographs of their colleagues in a private Facebook group is much larger than has been reported, Business Insider has learned.

The practice of sharing such photos goes beyond the Marine Corps and one Facebook group. Hundreds of nude photos of female service members from every military branch have been posted to an image-sharing message board that dates back to at least May. A source informed Business Insider of the site’s existence on Tuesday.

The site, called AnonIB, has a dedicated board for military personnel that features dozens of threaded conversations among men, many of whom ask for “wins” — naked photographs — of specific female service members, often identifying the women by name or where they are stationed.

The revelation comes on the heels of an explosive story published earlier this week by the journalist Thomas Brennan. He reported on a Facebook group called Marines United, which was home to approximately 30,000 members who were sharing nude photos of colleagues along with personal information and even encouragement of sexual assault.

The report led the Marine Corps to open an investigation, spurred widespread outrage in the media and in Congress, and prompted sharp condemnation from the Corps’ top leaders. According to the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, investigators are considering felony charges that could carry a maximum penalty of up to seven years in prison.

An official familiar with the matter told Business Insider that the Marine commandant, Gen. Robert Neller, would brief members of the House Armed Services Committee next week on the scandal.

“We’re examining some of our policies to see if we can make them punitive in nature,” the official said, adding that the Corps was taking the issue very seriously.

Read more HERE.

Sex Scandal Shakes Catholic Church In Italy…

As The Roman Catholic Church continues to cling to celibacy for Priests the Church is again embroiled in scandal.

ROME (RNS) Lurid accusations of priests involved in sex orgies, porn videos and prostitution have emerged from several parishes in Italy recently, sending shock waves all the way to the Vatican and challenging the high standards that Pope Francis has demanded of clergy.

In the southern city of Naples, for example, a priest was recently suspended from the parish of Santa Maria degli Angeli over claims he held gay orgies and used internet sites to recruit potential partners whom he paid for sex.

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In the northern city of Padua, a 48-year-old priest, the Rev. Andrea Contin, is facing defrocking as well as judicial proceedings amid accusations he had up to 30 lovers, some of whom he took to a swingers’ resort in France.

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Since his election the pope has taken a tough line on ethical behavior in the church though he has also recognized the reality of human imperfection and personal flaws.

In recent weeks he has spoken out many times against “temptation,” and last week he told a gathering of clergy at the Basilica of St. John Lateran in Rome that faith could not progress without the challenge of temptation.

“Temptation is always present in our lives. Moreover, without temptation you cannot progress in faith,” he said.

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“The remedy for those who succumb to temptation is forgiveness and a fresh start,” Ivereigh told RNS. “The problem is when priests turn their backs on the people, lead hidden lives and end up justifying their conduct. That’s corruption.

“And it’s only possible in the priesthood because of clericalism. That’s why the pope is so intent on rooting it out.”

Maybe it is time for the Church to come to grips with the reality it is unwise to expect humans to act in ways that are, well, completely unnatural for humans.

One can commit their lives to accomplishing the works of Christ and the Church without denying one of life’s most basic and  necessary needs.

Something tells us that at base level this is about power. Like so many other things.

Full story HERE.

The Pope On Populism…

The Pope, in an obvious veiled swipe at Donald J. Trump warned that populism is evil.

INDEPENDENT – Pope Francis has warned in an interview with a German newspaper of the dangers of rising populism in western democracies.

The pope told Die Zeit on Thursday “populism is evil and ends badly as the past century showed.”

On this find ourselves in complete agreement with the Pope.

Senator Rand Paul Supports Stand Alone Bill Repealing The ACA…

On this Kentucky Senator  Rand Paul is just another libertarian dunderhead. Repeal without a replacement first makes about as much sense as jumping out of an airplane without a parachute.

Not that the republican establishment’s replacement plan is a good one mind you.

Rand Paul is not backing down.

Hours after President Donald Trump exhorted the Kentucky senator to get behind his Obamacare replacement plan, Paul reiterated his opposition in an interview with POLITICO.

“Republicans across the country are unified on repeal, not on replace,” Paul said Wednesday morning, after Trump singled him out in a tweet. The libertarian-leaning lawmaker insisted that Republicans should vote on stand-alone legislation to repeal the Democratic health care law and figure out later what would replace it. He said he told the president as much in a telephone conversation Monday.

“The compromise that I … have represented to him is to separate the bill into two separate bills,” Paul said.

Trump’s targeting of Paul was a gift for Republican leaders trying to shepherd their health care legislation through Congress… (MORE HERE)