What In Trans Hell Is Going On In Washington DC?

Since July, a rash of armed attacks has broken out in our nation's capital, with the third shooting of a transgender person taking place this morning at 2AM, resulting in serious injuries and a hospitalization for the victim.  From the Washington Post:

Police are investigating the shooting of a transgender person early Monday morning in Southeast D.C. 

The shooting took place just before 2 a.m. in the 2300 block of Savannah Street SE, police said. The attack appears to be non-fatal; the victim was conscious when transported to the hospital.

This appears to be the only information released thus far about the victim, with neither the name of the individual nor his or her gender stated in any articles I've seen.

This could perhaps signify a disturbing trend in DC for violence against trans residents of the District, with two shootings, one fatal and one not, popping up just 11 days and 1 block apart from each other in July:

On July 20, 23-year-old Myles Mclean was shot about 4:30 a.m. in the 6110 block of Dix Street. Police said two men approached Mclean and one asked a question. Then, before waiting for an answer, one of the men pulled out a semiautomatic handgun and opened fire. Mclean, who was also known by friends as Lashay, was killed. 

On July 31, at about 2:45 a.m., a man approached a transgender person in the same neighborhood, asked for change and pulled a semiautomatic handgun without waiting for a response.

Please note that Myles Mclean was Lashay's birth name, which clearly indicates the Post needs to revise their policy in reporting on trans issues.  Regardless, police and LGBT residents are wondering if these attacks are related, with another story of anti-trans violence surfacing in an August incident where an off-duty police officer assaulted and fired on transwomen:

In addition, an off-duty D.C. Metropolitan Police Department officer has been arrested for an Aug. 29 incident in which he got into an argument with a group that included two trans woman. He later stood on the hood of the group’s car and fired multiple times through the windshiled. One man in the car — said to be the brother of one of the trans women — was injured in the attack. 

The officer, 20-year veteran Kenneth Furr, is alleged to have been drunk at the time of the attack, and trans advocates who spoke to the victims said the argument started when Furr propositioned one of the trans women and then got angry when she turned him down.

While the officer's misconduct appears to be unrelated to the other attacks on trans people in DC, now is certainly a scary time to be trans in the District.  Be safe, friends, especially after dark.

OneAngryCultist: There's Wizardry Afoot

Since Ian Awesome is out of town for a few days, your very own OneAngryCultist has been left to the business of posting the news that OneAngryQueer usually would.




According to The Guardian:

Close allies of Iran's president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, have been accused of using supernatural powers to further his policies amid an increasingly bitter power struggle between him and the country's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.Several people said to be close to the president and his chief of staff, Esfandiar Rahim Mashaei, have been arrested in recent days and charged with being ‘magicians’ and invoking djinns (spirits). Ayandeh, an Iranian news website, described one of the arrested men, Abbas Ghaffari, as ‘a man with special skills in metaphysics and connections with the unknown worlds’.

If this is true, then it appears that the US might be losing the magical arms race.

Pastor Terry Jones Planning Armed Rally at America's Largest Mosque

Terry Jones, the guy even the KKK thinks is dangerous, announced a rally at the Islamic Center of America in a suburb of Detroit, which is our nation's largest mosque.  Not only is he planning on demonstrating in the heavily Muslim Dearborn area, he's planning on doing so armed.

Of course, some people have seen that it might not exactly be a good plan and have filed legal action to try and stop it.

"Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy said the threat of violence was too great to allow Terry Jones to hold the planned gathering on Friday near the Islamic Center of America -- the largest U.S. mosque -- in the heavily Muslim Detroit suburb of Dearborn.

"A hearing on Worthy's bid to block Jones and his supporters from holding the rally at the mosque will be held on Thursday in a Dearborn court. The petition is dated April 15.

"Prosecutors argue that the planned gathering by Jones could incite a riot, citing hundreds of email death threats against the preacher.

"Officials have asked the court to order Jones to hold his gathering away from the mosque in one of the four 'free speech zones' designated by the city of Dearborn for public demonstrations."

This is a disaster waiting to happen.  Guns are a great idea, Terry!  Because nobody ever gets violent over religion!

[TheRawStory]

Gun Control is BAD! Unless it's to Protect Congresspeople. Then it's GOOD!

Representative Peter King (R-NY) is the first Republican to break with his party's platform and has introduced legislation restricting firearms within 1000 feet of offices where Congresspeople work.

Gubba gubba!

"'It is imperative that we do all that we can to give law enforcement the tools they need to ensure the safety of New Yorkers and prevent an attack before it happens,' said King, who is chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, during a press conference in New York."

He has long been one of the lone voices on the right for additional gun control measures and it's doubtful any gun control measures will pass in the Republican majority House, so it probably won't go anywhere.

I kinda laugh at the measure.  I mean, that would be like me suggesting legislation preventing people from bringing guns within 1000 feet of... my house.  Only my house.  Everywhere else it's okay.  But it's important that everybody agree that I am so important I have to be protected.  Uh, more protected than YOU.

[thePolitico]