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Sunday, June 11, 2023

More Legal Troubles for Former President Trump

 

11 June 2023
New York, NY, USA


New York Public Library


photo attributionBy ajay_suresh - New York Public Library- Main Branch, CC BY 2.0

New charges are slated to be filed against Donald J. Trump by late this afternoon, sources say. Authorities allege that former President Trump has in his possession two books from the New York Public Library which were stamped as being borrowed in June of 1989 and were never returned. 

With late fees at the time at .50 cents per day per book, the current overdue fee owed by Mr. Trump equals roughly $12,410. However, the library's revenues committee may decide to levy additional amounts to that total, based on late fee increases that have gone into effect since 1989.

In addition, the committee has the option, since the books have been gone for such an extended period, to consider them stolen. In this case, Mr. Trump would still owe the late fees, and additionally be charged with theft of municipal property, which carries a sentence of up to four years in prison.

Although one of the two titles is reportedly "The Art of the Deal", by Trump himself, this does not negate his obligation to return the book within the two week loan period. As the volume is the property of the New York Public Library, his authorship of said volume does not affect his culpability.

The other book is said to be entitled "How to Commit Multiple Felonies and Get Away With It", by H.R. Clinton.

A warrant is reportedly being sought to search Mar-A-Lago for more library books that have not been returned.

With regard to last week's story outlining accusations against Mr. Trump allegedly having removed mattress tags in 1974, a whistle blower has since come forward to say that he witnessed Trump removing such tags as early as 1970. Authorities now suspect Trump may indeed be a serial mattress tag remover, placing him in further legal jeopardy.

The former president's attorneys had no immediate response to the allegations.


Kat

Monday, March 6, 2023

Should Trans Women Compete in Women's Sports?

Wikimedia
Mauricio V. Genta, CC BY-SA 4.0 

Should trans women be allowed to compete with biological women in sporting events? That is, should men be allowed to compete in women's sports? When you put it that way, it sounds rather silly, doesn't it? Of course it does. It is silly. The very idea that a person born a biological male should be allowed to compete against biological females because he has chosen to live as a female as an adult is absolutely preposterous. Anyone who disagrees that it is preposterous is either supremely ignorant or so ideologically twisted, they no longer have access to their own common sense. 

The argument that men should be allowed to compete with women in sporting events seems to stem from some absurd assertion that trans women are women. No, they are not. Trans women are men who have decided to live as women. That is a legitimate decision for those who genuinely feel that their happiness and fulfillment as a person is best promoted by transitioning from their birth sex to the opposite sex. Their friends, family and society as a whole should support trans people, since all of us should be supported in pursuing our own happiness, so long as our pursuit does not negatively affect others. 

And that's where the conflict emerges. 

Not to disillusion those who claim that trans women are women, but every cell in the human body carries the genetic code of the person's birth sex. If a man commits a crime, for example, and leaves DNA evidence behind, say a drop of blood, that DNA can be analyzed in order to obtain a DNA profile for that criminal. One of the things that can be discerned is whether the person who shed the blood drop was male or female. That evidence remains in that man's every cell for the rest of his life, regardless of how much hormone therapy he has or how many surgeries he undergoes. 

jenaragon94, CC BY 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons
Wikimedia
jenaragon94, CC BY 2.0 

Gender dysphoria is a real diagnosis, and it is a painful one for those who suffer from it. It is also a rare diagnosis. It is rare for a male or a female to genuinely and persistently feel that he or she is actually the opposite sex. Many trans people today, therefore, are choosing to transition for reasons other than true gender dysphoria. It seems to be a fad, a social trend and at times a political statement. This doesn't diminish the trans person's right to support and respect, provided he or she is at least 18 years of age, the age of legal adulthood in the United States. (childhood gender dysphoria is for another blog entry!)

Certainly, changing one's sex is a major life decision and not to be taken lightly. As with all major life decisions, there are pros and cons to be considered. There will always be advantages and disadvantages to making such a profound change in one's life. One of the disadvantages to becoming a trans woman is that you cannot compete with biological women in sporting events. It is not fair. 

Since trans women are not actually women, they retain the physical differences they were born with, even after hormone therapy and surgery to alter genitals. Men have a greater lung capacity, larger and longer muscle structures, larger hearts, greater endurance capacity, larger and stronger bones, to name just some of their physical advantages. To allow them to compete against women is blatantly and unequivocally unfair. There is simply no question about it. 

Virginia Tehan (mother of Karyn Marshall), CC BY-SA 2.5 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.5>, via Wikimedia Commons
Wikimedia
Virginia Tehan (mother of Karyn Marshall), CC BY-SA 2.5 

Those who promote trans women in competition with biological women are demonstrating their stupidity as well as their disregard for the rights of female athletes. Women's sport will be ruined if trans men continue to be allowed in women's competitions. Already, female swimming and track and field athletes have experienced the injustice of biological men, with all their physical advantages, winning championships by wide margins that the women athletes cannot hope to equal. Most recently, trans women have been allowed to compete in weight lifting! How insanely absurd is that? 

Let's be real. Trans women are not women. They are men who are choosing to live as women. There is a reason why men's and women's sports are separate. It is because their physiological differences cause a disparity in their ability to perform in their sport. It is not fair for biological men to compete in women's sports. Period, end of story.

Kat