God's Gangs

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“…Elsewhere, Paul Morris has argued that if sovereignty does not lie easily or simply in legal norms but rather "in something more fluid than this conventional wisdom, something that is covert and only exposed during times of emergency, then we have excellent grounds for reconsidering sovereignty." 38 In the same vein, we see an overlapping exercise of control over sexual morality between national and international actors. In the minds of Ghanaian church leaders, once the nation as a state party to international human rights protocols does not have full control over its values on sexuality, then there are excellent grounds to reconsider Ghana's sovereignty, hence the need to invoke the sovereignty of God.…”

“…Insanity is a severe deficiency that negates legal accountability. 38 This hints at a very negative view of women. Elsewhere in al-Mughnī, Ibn Qudāmah describes the four qualities necessary for "complete" legal capacity.…”

“…It is ethically dismantling in its ambiguous claiming and disclaiming of agency and legitimacy in intention, process, and outcome. In the end, identity politics is a habituating and therefore regulating discourse, 37 which can become introspectively restricted, narcissist, 38 and given to moral absolutism. 39 Resisting identity politics does not mean to ignore the interpreter's social location or the situatedness of reading; as Stendahl reminds us, "Our vision is often more obstructed by what we think we know than by our lack of knowledge".…”

“…37 In order to address this historic gender bias, Nathan Reese notes that there is a growing cohort of female writers and creators challenging the gender stereotypes by producing counter narratives through new comics such as Wonder Woman, Bat Girl, Pretty Deadly, and She-Hulk. 38 In addition to the repositioning of women in comic books, by drawing on DC Comic's Midnighter, 39 Haynes states that comic books are taking a more positive position on sexuality with its positive take on the life of an active gay male." 40 Brian Mitchell Peters in an article entitled "Qu(e)erying Comic Book Culture and Representations of Sexuality in Wonder Woman," 41 claims that "comic books mark a pertinent role in the formation of ideology and the young," with its "crystallization of ideas both in surface and subtext."…”

Punishment, Religion, and the Shrinking Welfare State for the Very Poor in the United States, 1970–2010

“…As a result, in less population-dense areas, charities operate from "the basement of houses of worship" "on a wing and a prayer" (Edin and Shaefer 2015:101) and may seem, to locals, like the only option for helping the poor. Many local congregations provide volunteer labor and space for other nonprofit organizations seeking to meet the needs of the poor or address allied issues such as chemical dependency (e.g., Alcoholics Anonymous meetings) and reentry of former prisoners (Flores 2013). Thus, in geographic areas where churches are more prevalent and religious belonging is more concentrated, the appeal to faith-based aid will be salient to local constituents.…”