RETURNING GUEST AUTHOR: COVID-19 Opportunity - A Call to Action

A month ago, in March, I posted about how one possibly good thing to be happening during this whole coronavirus pandemic is the fact that elective surgeries in the United States are being postponed if not canceled in order to preserve equipment such as masks, avoid patient infection, and ensure adequate medical personnel for responding to COVID-19 patients. I posted about how some new parents have been surprised to find that their providers currently aren’t performing circumcisions.

Well, just today, a fellow intactivist, Jason F., posted on his Facebook wall the window of opportunity that this pandemic presents to intactivists; the pandemic has resulted in massive budget shortfalls, and now states are looking to cut expenses.

I've posted content by this fellow intactivist before, regarding meatal stenosis. (That blog post can be accessed here.) I don't have time to sit down and write long, detailed blog posts anymore, so I'll merely copy and paste what he wrote here:

The following was copied and pasted from a status on the Facebook wall of Jason F. with his permission.

Forget the brief period when states said elective procedures should be put on hold.

The BIG news is the massive budget shortfalls facing almost every state due to CoViD-19 and related closures. Tax revenues are dramatically down and states are frantically looking in every corner of their budgets for where they can slash expenses.

Circumcision should be the first to go (from Medicaid) in the 35 states that still pay for it automatically at birth. It is outrageous that states would prioritize genital mutilation over other critical services; it’s outrageous we were ever paying for this with our tax dollars in the first place. Even in the 15 states that have dropped routine infant circumcision from Medicaid, doctors and nurses and administrators often find ways to do the surgery, code it fraudulently and get paid. Think about it: infant circumcision is such an essential business in the USA that medical professionals are willing to risk their careers, risk massive fines and possibly jail to ensure that every parent who asks for circumcision is served. Circumcision as identity.

If ever there was a year to strike, it’s 2020. Contact your state representatives and senators (especially those on the budget committee), contact your state Medicaid office or Department of Health, and make the case that penis chopping should be on the chopping block. New York, Illinois, Texas, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Ohio stand to save millions of dollars from doing like the rest of the civilized world + 15 American states in eliminating circumcision of healthy boys from public healthcare programs.

* * * * *

From NBC News today:

COVID-19 has led to dramatic decreases in revenue for state governments across the country — regardless of which party has its hand on the wheel. Many states are still crunching their numbers ahead of the next fiscal year, which begins in the summer for most. [Hint hint: budgeting season starts NOW.]

The lastest came on Tuesday afternoon when Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine, a Republican, announced that the past two months have led his state to miss its budget estimates by $776.9 million and that he is cutting $775 million in spending as a response. Those cuts, which include $210 million to Medicaid and $465 million in education spending, must be made within the next two months, he said. (Ohio is already $777 million short — if they keep paying for circumcision in the face of this, the should burn in hell. Mike DeWine should put a stop to it tomorrow.)

With the COVID-19 outbreak shutting down large swathes of the economy, all sorts of revenue sources for the states have dwindled significantly, including sales, income and other taxes.

In Maryland, state budget officials outlined a nearly $3 billion shortfall they're projecting in the final quarter of this fiscal year. Some other states in serious trouble: Oklahoma, Alaska, Arkansas, Wyoming and West Virginia.
(Original article can be accessed here.)

* * * * *

West Virginia and Ohio (along with Michigan, Kentucky and Indiana) have the highest infant circumcision rates in the country. Why are they still paying for it in the face of the biggest budget crises in a lifetime???

You heard the man. Get right to it!

Related Post:

GUEST AUTHOR: Meatal Stenosis

CORONAVIRUS: Elective Surgery Including Infant Circumcision Being Delayed

External Link:

NBC NEWS: Trump says only blue states have budget woes. He couldn't be more wrong.

New Educational Film On Circumcision Makes the Scene

My Facebook news feed tells me that a new educational film is joining the line-up of films that address the topic of male infant circumcision.

The very first film I ever encountered on the topic was Cut: The Film by Jewish filmmaker Eliyahu Ungar Sargon.

The second was the film American Circumcision by award-winning filmmaker Brendon Marotta.

But now, yet another, brand-new educational film on male infant circumcision has been released; The Circumcision Movie had been in the works and is finally available to view.

According to a Facebook user whom I've decided to keep anonymous for privacy, The Circumcision Movie is a very informational movie that is perfect for someone who is new to the topic of circumcision.

How does this new film compare to Brendon Marotta's American circumcision?

According to the Facebook user,  American Circumcision is a documentary about circumcision and many of it's broad implications of it. It is a 2-hour-long film that covers the intactivist movement, the influential people behind it, the rise of circumcision in America and the world, its position in science, medicine, culture, and more.

In contrast, The Circumcision Movie is much shorter, and focuses on parents and healthcare providers. It's more of a conversation with people who were considering it for their sons, along with the voices of doctors, regret parents, and people affected by it. It furthermore discusses religious perspectives, cultural, family and medical perspectives.

The film is available via the Your Whole Baby online shop, as well as the movie's website in both digital and DVD format.

Related Posts:

"American Circumcision" Wins Best Documentary Film Award at the Lone Star Film Festival

Circumcision Documentary Making Waves on Netflix, Twitter

External Link:

The Circumcision Movie - Official Website

American Circumcision - Official Website

Cut: The Film - Official Website

CORONAVIRUS: Elective Surgery Including Infant Circumcision Being Delayed

On my Facebook news feed, I'm seeing many posts to the effect of "What is something good you think is coming out of this coronavirus pandemic?"

That's rather tough to answer.

Who wants to talk about "the positives" when this virus is infecting and killing thousands?

But I must say that, from an intactivist's perspective, there is a bit of a silver lining, if but, perhaps, a short-lived one.

Something else that caught my eye on my Facebook news feed is news that elective surgeries in the United States are being postponed if not canceled in order to preserve equipment such as masks, avoid patient infection, and ensure adequate medical personnel for responding to COVID-19 patients. Some new parents have been surprised to find that their providers currently aren’t performing circumcisions. 

As I've mentioned before, recently I haven't had the time to pay the attention I'd like to give the intactivist movement, and thus write more thought-out articles, so, at least for a while, my posts are going to be short.

Other organizations and groups meant to disseminate information regarding anatomically correct male genitalia and correct care of male babies with unaltered genitals in a circumcising culture such as the United States, have sprung up, making the task of raising awareness and educating the masses less daunting.

Eventually I'd like to sit down and update my page of organizations.

One such organization I'm seeing more and more of on Facebook is a group called "Your Whole Baby."

I found out about this coronavirus development because somebody posted a link to an article on their blog. The links in my blog were taken from them, so I'd like to give credit to them by linking to that article, accessible right here.

Times are tough, but at the very least, I think that less baby boys having part of their penises needlessly, at least for now, is a good thing.

Perhaps more parents will use this opportunity to think about something they would normally wouldn't give a second thought to.

DETROIT: FGM Now Legal in US

I had been following the Detroit FGM court case (see related posts below), and it seems the case has finally reached it's conclusion:

According to The Detroit News, the most serious remaining charge against the doctor accused of FGM has been dropped, adding the final nail in the coffin for the federal ban on FGM of 2006.

I'm disappointed, but not surprised at the results.

I knew it would end like this.

Americans would rather sacrifice the rights of baby girls on the altar of "religious freedom" rather than bring that elephant in the room, the forced genital cutting of baby boys that happens 3,000 times a day, into question.

I'm not going to comment long like I usually do.

I'm just going to close with the statements and questions I usually ask:

In any other case, reaping profit from non-medical surgery, on healthy, non-consenting individuals already constitutes medical fraud.

Without medical or clinical indication, can doctors be performing non-medical surgery on healthy, non-consenting individuals?

Much less be eliciting any kind of "decision" from parents?

How far are doctors expected to comply with "parental decisions?"

The risks of male infant circumcision include infection, partial or full ablation, hemorrhage and even death.

(Exact statistics on either male or male infant circumcision are unknown because those who perform them do not collect or report them, and governments do not require them to because they want to avoid being seen as "infringers of religious freedom.")

How is any of this conscionable given that male infant circumcision is non-medical, non-therapeutic?

Rough times lie ahead, but I am confident in that the truth cannot be hidden long.

"Do nothing secretly; for Time sees and hears all things, and discloses all." ~Sophocles

Perhaps this decision being handed down during the current coronavirus scare was strategic; people are distracted by the current pandemic.

But it doesn't matter.

 "Truth suppress'd, whether by courts or crooks, will find an avenue to be told. During wartime it takes longer."--Sheila Steele

Related Posts:

DETROIT: Federal Ban on FGM Declared Unconstitutional

Politically Correct Research: When Science, Morals and Political Agendas Collide

DETROIT: Woman Doctor Faces Charges For FGM

COURTROOM SHOWDOWN: Religious Freedom on Trial

INTACTIVISTS: Why We Concern Ourselves

Circumcision is Child Abuse: A Picture Essay

The State of Affairs for Joseph4gi

Welp... it's been a month, and I'm still in Twitter jail.

Yes, I've still got my Twitter app on my iPhone, and I still check in from time to time to see if I'm still locked out.

No avail.

(The funny thing is, I keep getting messages from Twitter on my e-mail account, so I’m guessing my account survives somehow, somewhere.)

I was thinking to myself, I've still got this blog.

But then, I was also thinking, is it really necessary anymore?

Don't get me wrong, I want to keep it, I want it to go on until something phenomenal happens, like medical organizations finally having the guts to recognize male infant circumcision for the male infant mutilation that it is, but a lot of things have changed since my creation of this blog.

A lot more people have started speaking out.

A lot more organizations have been created.

Some very notable people have started talking openly about male infant circumcision and foreskin.

Very important films have been made regarding this topic.

Is this blog really necessary?

Do I still need to keep raising awareness?

It seems this issue has gone mainstream and now people are undeniably aware.

I'd like to sit back and do other things, now that this issue is out in the open and people are talking about it.

Twitter may have censored, cancelled me, but they can't censor or cancel all the other users talking about this issue, calling doctors and others out.

It used to be that I was on Twitter, Facebook, parenting forums, you name it, and parents would spew unmitigated bullshit.

I felt I had to be that internet warrior jumping in and posting all the links to all the relevant information so that people become aware of all the myths and lies being purported by male infant genital mutilation advocates.

That was like 10 years ago.

Now, it seems, I go to Facebook, Twitter, forums, YouTube comments etc., I see some mother openly brag about how "I'm going to have my son circumcised and no one is going to stop me," and I immediately start checking the comments, and a number of commenters have already got it.

All the talking points I felt needed to be brought up have already been brought up and some mothers and fathers are talking about how they wish they would have had all this information before.

More parents are coming out as "regret parents," and being commended for having seen the light.

I think we've come to the point where this blog is really no longer necessary.

There are organizations like Intact America, Intaction, Bay Area Intactivists and Bloodstained Men working to spread awareness.

Men are beginning to talk about this issue more through organizations like NORM and Men Do Complain.

Men on YouTube are beginning to talk more openly about being intact. (Examples here and here. Click!)

Organizations meant to give information to parents American doctors will not give them are increasing, including Whole Network, Dr. Momma/Peaceful Parenting, Your Whole Baby, and others.

Films have been made like Cut the Film and award-winning American Circumcision.

Influencers with huge followers, such as Joe Rogan are openly denouncing male infant genital mutilation.

Comedians such as Andrew Schulz are openly addressing American idiocy on intact male organs.

I dunno, I think the time has come for me to sit back, take a break and enjoy the ride.

Since I started this blog, I have made it a point to post in this blog at least once, but now, I think, from 2020, I'm going to start cutting back.

It looks like, I don't need to be as aggressive, as angry anymore.

More and more people are waking up, and how.

Still, if I have an epiphany or find information that needs to be shared, I'll post it on here, so this isn't me abandoning this blog, it's me saying, I think I need a break.

My time off of Twitter has actually given me time to start thinking about other things.

So maybe Twitter kicking me out is somehow a blessing in disguise.

I've actually been intending to write out all my thoughts on circumcision in either a book, or one by one on this blog.

How circumcision began in this country, and why it continues seems absolutely clear to me, you see.

But I can't sit down and think about these things if I'm constantly on Twitter, or if I feel constantly under pressure to come up with a blog post every month.

I'd like to take a hiatus and start compiling, editing, and weaving my thoughts into one work. I was thinking a book, but I'm no author.

This isn't a promise; I'm not an editor or a writer, and I understand writing a book is a huge undertaking.

This is just me expressing a desire that may or may not materialize.

Is this the end of Joseph4gi, the angry intactivist?

Time will tell.

Related Posts:

Twitter Censoring Joseph4GI

Circumcision Censorship at Twitter?

Twitter Censoring Joseph4GI

Well, I think it's finally happened.

Twitter has finally managed to kick me out for good.

I'd been locked out of my account before, but I've always managed to appeal to them to give it back.

In the bast, I had been locked out because others who wanted to shut me up reported me for responses they baited me into.

You know the type of people too.

Some pro-circ advocates are in the habit of posting inflammatory tweets about circumcision and intact men, and then reporting/blocking people respond.

It's a strategy.

A tactic they have.

I've seen them tweet about it too.

"Let's see how many foreskin crazies we can lure out."

If that's not instigation, I don't know what is.

At any rate, I had always been able to prove that others were posting instigating thoughts in order to "cancel" intactivist users.

For those still on Twitter, always take screen shots; you never know if you need to prove your innocence.

This one time some chick was posting about how all men should go get circumcised, how intact penises are smelly and ugly.

When I responded with "What would you think if I said all women should get circumcised? Because uncircumcised vaginas are ugly and smelly?", the same person reported me for "gender discrimination" or what not. I was shown my "offending Tweets." When I sent them screen shots and addresses of the instigating Tweets, they apologized, and I agreed to take down the "offending Tweets," and that they would ask the other party to take hers down.

This other time, another chick tried to get others to attack me. I forget the technical term... "aggressive following" or whatever. She retweeted something I posted encouraging others to attack me, which they did. And I didn't mind. I don't care. If people want me to destroy their idiotic excuses for circumcision arguments, I'll do it. I eat circumcision idiots for breakfast. I responded in turn, retweeting the Tweet where she was encouraging others to bombard my Tweets. The woman reports *me* for "aggressive following" or "bullying." I can't remember exactly what it was. I got banned, and again, I was able to show that it was the other person doing what she was accusing me of.

Long story short, I've always been able to appeal and come back. Appeal and come back.

But this time, I don't think I'm coming back from this one.

Actually, I suspect that some pro-circumcision Twitter administrators have had their eye on me for a while, and were looking for a way to kick me out.

I suspect that I was being shadow banned for a while, because it seemed I didn't get as many responses and likes as I used to for some time now.

I know what a sensitive topic circumcision is, and there are always people responding passionately, but recently, I hadn't been getting too many responses; just people already in the choir.

This time, I wasn't even kicked out for anything circumcision-related. I was kicked out of my account for a Tweet on a completely different topic; healthcare and gun control. Twitter said that my tweet was "encouraging violence or suicide." I used the words "In America, if you're sick and can't afford healthcare, you might as well shoot yourself." Completely figuratively, not even aimed at anyone in particular.

I have already tried appealing several times.

The first time, I got a reply, telling me that Twitter had received my appeal, that they'll be reviewing it and addressing me shortly. They did, and they told me "Our support team has determined that a violation did take place, and therefore we will not overturn our decision." Which is strange, because I never challenged that a violation did take place; I appealed telling them that I would remove the offending Tweet as soon as they reinstated my account.

Thinking the response to my appeal may have been automated, I tried appealing again. This time, no reply telling me they'd got my appeal.

I appealed again the next day. And the next. And the next.

What they want is a cell phone number from me; something I haven't been able to furnish since I was first kicked out. I don't have a cell phone number I can give them; I have a company phone, and I don't want to involve my employer in my intactivism.

I always thought it was rather sneaky that anyone, Hotmail, Gmail, Twitter or any social media outlet would want something as personal as a cell-phone number. I probably could just sacrifice my employer's phone number for me, but I also don't want Twitter tracking my every move.

So no.

When I try logging into Twitter, I'm asked for a cell number if I want to proceed further.

I'm not giving them that, so I think this is where my presence on Twitter ends.

Perhaps it's for the best that I move on from Twitter, as it's become a PC wasteland where you can't say anything "offensive."

Opposing circumcision, male infant circumcision in particular is seen by its advocates as "antisemitism," or "parent harassment" or "mommy-shaming."

It's only a matter of time before opposing circumcision will be called "misogyny" and/or "violent assault."

Whatever it takes to silence us.

Well whatever.

I think I've put enough of my thoughts out there on Twitter, enough to plant seeds and for others to take my thoughts, expand on them and spread the message.

For those on you staying behind, I wish you well.

Follow my blog as I try to post monthly.

Read past posts, and do use them as arsenal for any discussions that are allowed to happen.

I do have a feeling we're winning, though.

I've been following along in the latest developments and the usual suspects have fallen silent.

I'm seeing more and more groups on Twitter, Facebook and other social media aimed at educating parents to be.

I'm confident that we are approaching victory, and that sooner or later, all who ever advocated for this sick, disgusting form of child genital mutilation will be ashamed to admit ever having done so.

Related Posts:

Circumcision Censorship at Twitter?

The Benefits of Toe Removal

A parody of routine infant circumcision and its supposed "health benefits."

"Toe Jam" on a baby

Cleanliness
Toenails are a pain to keep clean. They accumulate dirt, and they take time to trim. If not properly washed, toe jam can develop between the toes and the foot will give off an unpleasant odor.

Toes Are Prone to Disease
The spaces between the toes are the perfect place to harbor bacteria that cause infection. Athlete's foot is such a problem in North America today that there is an entire industry based on foot hygiene products.

Athlete's Foot

The fungus that can and does grow underneath the toenails takes so long to get rid of. Fungal treatments like Lamisil and Lotrimin make a killing of money off of people with fungal problems.

Furthermore, toenails can become ingrown, requiring the need for surgery. Compound the hygiene and fungus products with the need for surgery, and having toes becomes very expensive, very fast.

Toenail Fungus

May Require Surgery Later On
When toenails become ingrown, they sometimes require medical intervention. I know quite a few guys that had to have part of their nail root killed because they had recurring ingrown toenails.

Ingrown Toenail

May Require Amputation in Adulthood
If your family has a history of diabetes, you may wish to consider removing your children's toes. If your child gets diabetes, s/he may develop a condition called "hammertoe," where poor blood circulation causes the toes to become necrotic, becoming a gangrene hazard, not only for the toes themselves, but for the rest of the foot. It is such a common incident, and there is a danger that the wound(s) may not heal correctly, causing the entire foot to be gangrenous. I know of a few cases where the wounds did not heal, and the gangrene kept spreading. The patients had to undergo surgery after surgery, until the gangrene had left them with a stump up to their thigh. Some patients simply died in recovery.

Hammertoe

Consider Your Child's Elderly Caretaker
Caretakers for the elderly already have to deal with so much. They have to feed and wash old people, and sometimes, if the men are intact, they have to (gulp) pull back the foreskin and rinse! On top of that, they have to take care of their patients' feet. This means washing them, clipping their toenails (that never stop growing) and making sure there is no gunk between the toes or fungus under the nail beds. It would make elderly caretakers' jobs SO much easier if their patients simply didn't have any toes.

Health Risk
Babies' toes pose a specific health risk for a very common condition known as "hair tourniquet." A parent's hair wraps around the baby's toe, quickly cutting off circulation. If the condition becomes severe, the baby must be taken to the ER and have the hair removed immediately. Occasionally, the toe is lost. Clearly, parents may see that cutting off a child's toes is in the child's best interest. If parents can demand a doctor circumcise their son, then it only follows that they should be able to demand a doctor remove their child's toes.

Hair Tourniquet

And, because a parent believes it is for the best, a physician has the duty to oblige. Why, if it's done as baby, s/he won't remember it!

If they use enough anesthesia, the child will not even feel the pain.

Having your toes removed as an adult is simply no fun.

Especially if diabetes runs in the family, physicians should advise parents to cut off their babies' toes. After all, they may need to have them removed later in life anyway.

My girlfriend's cousin's boyfriend's aunt's baby had to have a toe removed because of a hair tourniquet. If I ever have a baby, I'm surely going to have his toes removed.

In short, having toes is a HEALTH HAZARD! Cutting off a child's toes has health benefits. The AAP should recommend that all doctors advise parents that they remove their child's toes in infancy. It is simply better to remove a baby's toes when s/he is too young to remember and won't know what s/he is missing later in life. Parents and doctors that choose not to remove a child's toes are denying him/her of potential health benefits.

Closing Note
These rationale for toe removal sound humorous don't they? These are actual, serious arguments used by people who defend circumcision. Use them with anything else, and the absurdity becomes obvious.