Courtesy of Driftglass
I do believe I feel a Hallelujah coming on.
Ambition this shall tempt to rise, And moody Madness laughing wild Amid severest woe. -from Thomas Gray's "Ode on a Distant Prospect of Eton College"
7/31/2005
7/30/2005
This is me avoiding household chores
The Chemist answered these questions on his blog, questions posed by Somewaterytart, and he said anyone could go ahead and do them on their blog, and I have to wash my kitchen floor, so I'm going to sit here and answer these questions instead.
1a. What year did you first start using e-mail (on a daily basis)?
1994, I think. I was most definitely using e-mail in 1995
1b. What year did you first start using a cell phone?
1995, I think. Then I stopped using it in 1998, and didn't get another one until 2001
1c. What is the ring-tone on your cell phone?
Ring tone 2 from the ring tones that were programmed into the phone when I got it.
2. From where you are answering this, can you see out a window? If so, what do you see?
It's dark, so I can't really see anything, but if it were daytime, I would see the garage, the two dead cars that continue to take up space in our driveway, antagonizing our neighbors, and the trees that border our yard from our neighbors yards.
3a. What one physical characteristic would you change about yourself?
I wouldn't have a deformed hip, or I would have a longer neck.
3b. What one personality trait would you change about yourself?
I wish I were less lazy, but entropy and I, we are constant companions.
3c. Thing you like about yourself the most?
My sense of humor, mostly because it allows me to appreciate all kinds of humor except for The Three Stooges and winger humor, because neither of them are funny.
4a. Favorite spectator sport?
hurling and hockey
4b. Favorite team and/or player in that sport?
Galway and the now defunct Hartford Whalers
4c. Professional sports team and/or player you would most enjoy seeing crushed in defeat?
Yankees
5a. Favorite bumper sticker saying?
I like any anti-Bush stickers I see, and stickers that are meaningful to me personally, but probably make no sense to the person behind me on the road, like Can't Stop the Signal or Proud Member of the Reality Based Community. But the only bumper sticker on any of the cars we own is on our dead white Saturn, and it says "May the Force Be With You"
5b. Bumper sticker saying that really pisses you off?
W04, Bush 04, Bush/Cheney, and DOMA bumperstickers raise my blood pressure.
6a. Do you believe in astrology?
no
6b. Do you believe in extra-sensory perception of any kind?
I have actually experienced some sort of extra-sensory perception. The other day, for some reason, the phrase "smells of onions" was wandering randomly through my brain, and that night on The Daily Show, Jon Stewart said that very phrase.
Also, when I was 16, I went to arts camp, and after 1 full day, I told everyone who lived on my floor (Foss 5 1/2 at Wesleyan University) what their houses/yards looked like, and I was nearly 100% accurate. To be perfectly honest, though, I really just made assumptions based on what towns they lived in and how rich I perceived them to be. IOW, it wasn't really ESP, it was really an educated guess.
And, of course, I was almost 100% accurate in determining the etymology and meaning of the word "wev", so maybe I'm psychic after all.
6c. Do you believe in ghosts?
No
6d. Do you believe in God?
Sometimes I wish there were a God, but I can't really make the leap of faith to actually believing in him/her.
6e. If you answered "No" to 6a, 6b, and 6c, and "Yes" to 6d, please explain.
n/a
7a. Favorite movie ever?
Raising Arizona
7b. Funniest movie ever?
Same, although I would also throw in the Monty Python movies, and the Rome section of the movie Night On Earth
7c. Scariest movie ever?
Bob Roberts, because it's all so real now.
7d. Worst movie you've ever watched in its entirety?
I have actually watched Barbie Rapunzel, Barbie Swan Lake *and* Barbie The Princess and the Pauper. But the worst has to be 9 and a Half Weeks.
8. If you were appointed Supreme Dictator of the United States for a day, what one thing would you outlaw? (Note: None of this "I'm not that type of person" crap. Indulge yourself.)
Ownership of media outlets by publicly traded companies - media should be accountable to their readers/viewers, not the stockholders of the energy company that owns the newspaper.
9. Are you happy?
Mostly
10a. How many foreign languages are you fluent in?
None. I know a little Spanish, less French, lots of Italian musical phrases, and loads of religious Latin.
10b. How many computer languages are you fluent in?
I don't even understand the question, that's how few.
11a. What was your major when you entered college?
Theater - Directing
11b. And what was it when you graduated?
I'm still in college, but my major is music education now.
11c. And what would it be if you could do it all over again?
Music education
11d. And if you were to go back to school now strictly for pleasure/self-improvement?
Creative writing
12a. What one thing about George Bush do you loathe more than anything else?
I can't decide between his inability to speak English after graduating from a school like Yale, or that fucking smirk.
12b. Member of the Bush Administration you actually think is evil (as opposed to merely stupid, incompetent, wrong-headed or short-sighted)?
Cheney
13. Do you "share" music with your friends, and if so do you feel guilty about it?
I share my love of certain artists with my friends, and I let people borrow my CDs, but that's all the sharing I do. I'm an idiot when it comes to online music sharing.
14. Favorite comic strip?
Bloom County and Life In Hell are my two old favorites. Of current strips, I like The Boondocks
15a. Do you consider yourself romantic?
sometimes
15b. Have you found your One True Love?
I don't believe in such a thing. I think there are many people on this planet that I could love and who could love me back, and I happen to be lucky enough to have found one of them when I was 17 years old, and we've been together since then.
15c. Do you use cute nicknames for each other?
No
15d. If so, what are... No, scratch that.
16. Ever owned an "exotic" pet, and if so what was it?
Are goats considered exotic? I've had chickens, ducks, geese, turtles, snakes, goldfish, cats, dogs, a lamb named Sean and a goat named Caligula.
17. Physically-grueling activities: Love 'em or hate 'em?
Love 'em, but can't do 'em because of my bum hip.
18. Have you ever gotten a Letter to the Editor published? If so, what was it about?
Yes, I have - once in The Hartford Courant, about the biased media coverage of the situation in Northern Ireland - this was when Reagan was president, and he was very supportive of Margaret Thatcher's Northern Ireland policy, and the coverage of how Catholics were living in NI at the time was non-existant, we only heard about the IRA and the Protestants.
In May of this year I had a LTE published in the New York Times - this was when Newsweek retracted their story about prisoner abuse. I suggested that since Newsweek retracted the story because of the unreliable source, that Bush should have to retract his war.
19. Would you say you're competitive?
Very.
20. As a percentage, how much of what you've achieved in life would you say is due to "dumb luck" (e.g. where you were born, who your parents were, random chance, connections you've made with people, etc.) versus hard work, careful planning, and determination? Please round to the nearest 10th percentile.
90% - but I wouldn't say all of that dumb luck was good luck. I was born in the US, which means I'm better off than nearly everyone else in the world, but I was born to an abusive alcoholic parent, which sucked, and I was raised by parents who really hindered me when I tried to better myself.
21. What actor/actress would you want to play you in the Movie of Your Life?
Kate Winslet
22. Favorite philosopher?
I don't have one
23a. What is the most enjoyable job you've ever had?
Even though it means I have to go to church every Sunday, I love getting paid to sing.
23b. Putting aside talent, training, compensation, and any other practical consideration, what job would you most like to have?
critically acclaimed short story author
23c. OK, now taking all the practical stuff back into account, what job do you wish you could have?
music teacher
23d. If you won Powerball, would you continue to work any kind of regular job?
My powerball plan, which would go into affect if I ever won Powerball (which is unlikely since I have never bought a Powerball ticket) is to quit my current job, go back to school full-time, and get a job I like out of it.
24. Biggest phobia?
I cannot make myself jump into the water. I can dive in, but I can't go feet first.
25a. How often do you worry about death?
I used to never worry about it, but sometimes when I can't sleep, I worry that I won't be around to meet my grandchildren.
25b. What's the closest you've ever come to dying?
I almost drowned when I was 4. I wonder if that has anything to do with my answer to 24?
25c. If you could be immortal, would you want to be? (Note: If you answered "Yes" to 15b, assume that person could be immortal with you.)
No, but I would like to be around for a good long time.
26. What period in history would you most like to visit?
The future
27a. Do you think we'll ever achieve interstellar travel?
Yes
27b. If you could travel in space, even if it were "just" to a Moon base, e.g., would you go?
Hell yeah
28. Name someone of your own gender that you consider "hot". (Note: Answering this does not mean you're gay, although feeling intense discomfort about answering it might. Oh, and if you are gay, name someone of the opposite gender you consider "hot".)
Kate Winslet
29. Book(s) you've tried to read but just couldn't get through that you still plan to read?
Heart of Darkness
30a. Favorite alcholic beverage?
Girly drinks - toasted almond, margaritas, daquiris, etc.
30b. How often do you drink alcoholic beverages?
If you average it out over the course of my life, probably once every three years.
31a. Do you enjoy taking surveys?
Sometimes
31b. Are you pissed off that I said this was going to be 40 questions and, including sub-questions, we're already at, like, 52?
No, like most people, I can talk about myself all day long.
32. How many of the 50 states have you been to? (Note: For purposes of this question, "been to" can include driving through on the highway, but it cannot include airport stop-overs where you did not leave the airport.)
11 - Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Virginia, Florida, Nevada
33. Person you'd most like to have a beer with (excluding friends/family)?
At this very moment, my answer is Rob Corddry, I think he's damn sexy.
34. Person you'd most like to punch in the mouth?
Sean Hannity
35a. Describe your style of driving.
I vary between competitive (when I drive in the city), distracted (when I'm tooling around town - I like to look in people's houses as I drive by at night. It's really a wonder that I've never had an accident) and zen (when I'm driving on the highway, in traffic - I try to just chill and enjoy the music.
35b. If you could have any car in the world -- for daily use, not a "trophy" car -- what would it be?
a hybrid of some sort
36. Your Myers-Briggs personality type?
EMCJ? ICMJ? I don't remember what it was, and I'm not taking the test again.
37. Favorite color? Explain.
I don't have just one.
38. Favorite season/location combination?
Autumn in New England. Cold enough to wear a sweater, but not freezing. Beautiful leaves, Halloween, my birthday.
39. Do It Yourself or Hire A Professional?
I take option C, denial that something needs to be fixed. Which I guess ultimately results in hire a professional.
40. It's Friday afternoon, almost quittin' time. Can't wait to get home so you can _____.
go swimming.
1a. What year did you first start using e-mail (on a daily basis)?
1994, I think. I was most definitely using e-mail in 1995
1b. What year did you first start using a cell phone?
1995, I think. Then I stopped using it in 1998, and didn't get another one until 2001
1c. What is the ring-tone on your cell phone?
Ring tone 2 from the ring tones that were programmed into the phone when I got it.
2. From where you are answering this, can you see out a window? If so, what do you see?
It's dark, so I can't really see anything, but if it were daytime, I would see the garage, the two dead cars that continue to take up space in our driveway, antagonizing our neighbors, and the trees that border our yard from our neighbors yards.
3a. What one physical characteristic would you change about yourself?
I wouldn't have a deformed hip, or I would have a longer neck.
3b. What one personality trait would you change about yourself?
I wish I were less lazy, but entropy and I, we are constant companions.
3c. Thing you like about yourself the most?
My sense of humor, mostly because it allows me to appreciate all kinds of humor except for The Three Stooges and winger humor, because neither of them are funny.
4a. Favorite spectator sport?
hurling and hockey
4b. Favorite team and/or player in that sport?
Galway and the now defunct Hartford Whalers
4c. Professional sports team and/or player you would most enjoy seeing crushed in defeat?
Yankees
5a. Favorite bumper sticker saying?
I like any anti-Bush stickers I see, and stickers that are meaningful to me personally, but probably make no sense to the person behind me on the road, like Can't Stop the Signal or Proud Member of the Reality Based Community. But the only bumper sticker on any of the cars we own is on our dead white Saturn, and it says "May the Force Be With You"
5b. Bumper sticker saying that really pisses you off?
W04, Bush 04, Bush/Cheney, and DOMA bumperstickers raise my blood pressure.
6a. Do you believe in astrology?
no
6b. Do you believe in extra-sensory perception of any kind?
I have actually experienced some sort of extra-sensory perception. The other day, for some reason, the phrase "smells of onions" was wandering randomly through my brain, and that night on The Daily Show, Jon Stewart said that very phrase.
Also, when I was 16, I went to arts camp, and after 1 full day, I told everyone who lived on my floor (Foss 5 1/2 at Wesleyan University) what their houses/yards looked like, and I was nearly 100% accurate. To be perfectly honest, though, I really just made assumptions based on what towns they lived in and how rich I perceived them to be. IOW, it wasn't really ESP, it was really an educated guess.
And, of course, I was almost 100% accurate in determining the etymology and meaning of the word "wev", so maybe I'm psychic after all.
6c. Do you believe in ghosts?
No
6d. Do you believe in God?
Sometimes I wish there were a God, but I can't really make the leap of faith to actually believing in him/her.
6e. If you answered "No" to 6a, 6b, and 6c, and "Yes" to 6d, please explain.
n/a
7a. Favorite movie ever?
Raising Arizona
7b. Funniest movie ever?
Same, although I would also throw in the Monty Python movies, and the Rome section of the movie Night On Earth
7c. Scariest movie ever?
Bob Roberts, because it's all so real now.
7d. Worst movie you've ever watched in its entirety?
I have actually watched Barbie Rapunzel, Barbie Swan Lake *and* Barbie The Princess and the Pauper. But the worst has to be 9 and a Half Weeks.
8. If you were appointed Supreme Dictator of the United States for a day, what one thing would you outlaw? (Note: None of this "I'm not that type of person" crap. Indulge yourself.)
Ownership of media outlets by publicly traded companies - media should be accountable to their readers/viewers, not the stockholders of the energy company that owns the newspaper.
9. Are you happy?
Mostly
10a. How many foreign languages are you fluent in?
None. I know a little Spanish, less French, lots of Italian musical phrases, and loads of religious Latin.
10b. How many computer languages are you fluent in?
I don't even understand the question, that's how few.
11a. What was your major when you entered college?
Theater - Directing
11b. And what was it when you graduated?
I'm still in college, but my major is music education now.
11c. And what would it be if you could do it all over again?
Music education
11d. And if you were to go back to school now strictly for pleasure/self-improvement?
Creative writing
12a. What one thing about George Bush do you loathe more than anything else?
I can't decide between his inability to speak English after graduating from a school like Yale, or that fucking smirk.
12b. Member of the Bush Administration you actually think is evil (as opposed to merely stupid, incompetent, wrong-headed or short-sighted)?
Cheney
13. Do you "share" music with your friends, and if so do you feel guilty about it?
I share my love of certain artists with my friends, and I let people borrow my CDs, but that's all the sharing I do. I'm an idiot when it comes to online music sharing.
14. Favorite comic strip?
Bloom County and Life In Hell are my two old favorites. Of current strips, I like The Boondocks
15a. Do you consider yourself romantic?
sometimes
15b. Have you found your One True Love?
I don't believe in such a thing. I think there are many people on this planet that I could love and who could love me back, and I happen to be lucky enough to have found one of them when I was 17 years old, and we've been together since then.
15c. Do you use cute nicknames for each other?
No
15d. If so, what are... No, scratch that.
16. Ever owned an "exotic" pet, and if so what was it?
Are goats considered exotic? I've had chickens, ducks, geese, turtles, snakes, goldfish, cats, dogs, a lamb named Sean and a goat named Caligula.
17. Physically-grueling activities: Love 'em or hate 'em?
Love 'em, but can't do 'em because of my bum hip.
18. Have you ever gotten a Letter to the Editor published? If so, what was it about?
Yes, I have - once in The Hartford Courant, about the biased media coverage of the situation in Northern Ireland - this was when Reagan was president, and he was very supportive of Margaret Thatcher's Northern Ireland policy, and the coverage of how Catholics were living in NI at the time was non-existant, we only heard about the IRA and the Protestants.
In May of this year I had a LTE published in the New York Times - this was when Newsweek retracted their story about prisoner abuse. I suggested that since Newsweek retracted the story because of the unreliable source, that Bush should have to retract his war.
19. Would you say you're competitive?
Very.
20. As a percentage, how much of what you've achieved in life would you say is due to "dumb luck" (e.g. where you were born, who your parents were, random chance, connections you've made with people, etc.) versus hard work, careful planning, and determination? Please round to the nearest 10th percentile.
90% - but I wouldn't say all of that dumb luck was good luck. I was born in the US, which means I'm better off than nearly everyone else in the world, but I was born to an abusive alcoholic parent, which sucked, and I was raised by parents who really hindered me when I tried to better myself.
21. What actor/actress would you want to play you in the Movie of Your Life?
Kate Winslet
22. Favorite philosopher?
I don't have one
23a. What is the most enjoyable job you've ever had?
Even though it means I have to go to church every Sunday, I love getting paid to sing.
23b. Putting aside talent, training, compensation, and any other practical consideration, what job would you most like to have?
critically acclaimed short story author
23c. OK, now taking all the practical stuff back into account, what job do you wish you could have?
music teacher
23d. If you won Powerball, would you continue to work any kind of regular job?
My powerball plan, which would go into affect if I ever won Powerball (which is unlikely since I have never bought a Powerball ticket) is to quit my current job, go back to school full-time, and get a job I like out of it.
24. Biggest phobia?
I cannot make myself jump into the water. I can dive in, but I can't go feet first.
25a. How often do you worry about death?
I used to never worry about it, but sometimes when I can't sleep, I worry that I won't be around to meet my grandchildren.
25b. What's the closest you've ever come to dying?
I almost drowned when I was 4. I wonder if that has anything to do with my answer to 24?
25c. If you could be immortal, would you want to be? (Note: If you answered "Yes" to 15b, assume that person could be immortal with you.)
No, but I would like to be around for a good long time.
26. What period in history would you most like to visit?
The future
27a. Do you think we'll ever achieve interstellar travel?
Yes
27b. If you could travel in space, even if it were "just" to a Moon base, e.g., would you go?
Hell yeah
28. Name someone of your own gender that you consider "hot". (Note: Answering this does not mean you're gay, although feeling intense discomfort about answering it might. Oh, and if you are gay, name someone of the opposite gender you consider "hot".)
Kate Winslet
29. Book(s) you've tried to read but just couldn't get through that you still plan to read?
Heart of Darkness
30a. Favorite alcholic beverage?
Girly drinks - toasted almond, margaritas, daquiris, etc.
30b. How often do you drink alcoholic beverages?
If you average it out over the course of my life, probably once every three years.
31a. Do you enjoy taking surveys?
Sometimes
31b. Are you pissed off that I said this was going to be 40 questions and, including sub-questions, we're already at, like, 52?
No, like most people, I can talk about myself all day long.
32. How many of the 50 states have you been to? (Note: For purposes of this question, "been to" can include driving through on the highway, but it cannot include airport stop-overs where you did not leave the airport.)
11 - Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Virginia, Florida, Nevada
33. Person you'd most like to have a beer with (excluding friends/family)?
At this very moment, my answer is Rob Corddry, I think he's damn sexy.
34. Person you'd most like to punch in the mouth?
Sean Hannity
35a. Describe your style of driving.
I vary between competitive (when I drive in the city), distracted (when I'm tooling around town - I like to look in people's houses as I drive by at night. It's really a wonder that I've never had an accident) and zen (when I'm driving on the highway, in traffic - I try to just chill and enjoy the music.
35b. If you could have any car in the world -- for daily use, not a "trophy" car -- what would it be?
a hybrid of some sort
36. Your Myers-Briggs personality type?
EMCJ? ICMJ? I don't remember what it was, and I'm not taking the test again.
37. Favorite color? Explain.
I don't have just one.
38. Favorite season/location combination?
Autumn in New England. Cold enough to wear a sweater, but not freezing. Beautiful leaves, Halloween, my birthday.
39. Do It Yourself or Hire A Professional?
I take option C, denial that something needs to be fixed. Which I guess ultimately results in hire a professional.
40. It's Friday afternoon, almost quittin' time. Can't wait to get home so you can _____.
go swimming.
7/29/2005
Reminder: Firefly Friday
If you happen to be home and not busy at 6pm EST tonight, why not check out Firefly on the Sci-Fi channel.
Tonight they are airing the pilot episode Serenity in its entirety, starting at 6pm.
If you like what you see, buy the DVD! And get excited for the movie, opening September 30.
And you can even buy the comic! (I got the Jayne cover yesterday, I'm still looking for Mal and Inara.)
Tonight they are airing the pilot episode Serenity in its entirety, starting at 6pm.
If you like what you see, buy the DVD! And get excited for the movie, opening September 30.
And you can even buy the comic! (I got the Jayne cover yesterday, I'm still looking for Mal and Inara.)
Save CBGB's
My big sister Tree alerted me to this story, about the possible end of the venerable music establishment.
I've never been inside the joint myself*, but it's where Tree got her first taste of freedom. And, more universally speaking, where many great bands have played - bands like The Ramones, The Talking Heads, 80's CT favorite Miracle Legion, among many others.
I know that there are a lot of things we liberals are asked to do everyday - write our representives in Congress, call our Senators to tell them how we think they should vote, and of course there are more pressing issues right now, like Latonyia Figueroa, but please take a moment to see if you can write a quick letter to Mayor Bloomie, to get him to exert some political pressure to keep CBGB's alive.
*My close to CBGBs experience occurred in 1987. I was on a field trip to NYC with the chorus and drama club, to see Big River (with the awesome John Goodman as Huck's Pappy). Before we went to see the show, we were supposed to go to South Street Seaport, but the drama club director packed me and my best friend B into a cab and took us to Greenwich Village instead. I bought a really nice skirt just down the block a smidge from CBGBs, from a woman who was selling stuff on the street. I think I paid $3 for the skirt, which was a black and silver gypsy type skirt.
I've never been inside the joint myself*, but it's where Tree got her first taste of freedom. And, more universally speaking, where many great bands have played - bands like The Ramones, The Talking Heads, 80's CT favorite Miracle Legion, among many others.
I know that there are a lot of things we liberals are asked to do everyday - write our representives in Congress, call our Senators to tell them how we think they should vote, and of course there are more pressing issues right now, like Latonyia Figueroa, but please take a moment to see if you can write a quick letter to Mayor Bloomie, to get him to exert some political pressure to keep CBGB's alive.
*My close to CBGBs experience occurred in 1987. I was on a field trip to NYC with the chorus and drama club, to see Big River (with the awesome John Goodman as Huck's Pappy). Before we went to see the show, we were supposed to go to South Street Seaport, but the drama club director packed me and my best friend B into a cab and took us to Greenwich Village instead. I bought a really nice skirt just down the block a smidge from CBGBs, from a woman who was selling stuff on the street. I think I paid $3 for the skirt, which was a black and silver gypsy type skirt.
Digby on the DLC
Someone should give Digby a job with the Democratic Party. He is too sharp to just be posting his opinions on a blog.
Start by scrolling down to the entry called Fighting Liberals, and work your way up. Lots of good stuff.
Start by scrolling down to the entry called Fighting Liberals, and work your way up. Lots of good stuff.
7/28/2005
Our goodwill ambassador
I got an e-mail from my friend who is hosting Sio. My friend works at University College London, which is also Sio's first choice for college, so my friend took Sio on a tour today.
According to the e-mail, Sio charmed her way into the Head of the Chemistry department's office for a meeting, and everyone adored her, as is usual.
We call her our goodwill ambassador for a reason - she makes us look like the best parents in the world.
According to the e-mail, Sio charmed her way into the Head of the Chemistry department's office for a meeting, and everyone adored her, as is usual.
We call her our goodwill ambassador for a reason - she makes us look like the best parents in the world.
7/27/2005
No swimming tonight
My eldest has arrived safely at my friend's London home, and of course, my friend has already put in a bid to adopt Sio.
Meanwhile, there's a lovely afternoon thunderstorm ruining my daily excercise program here in CT. After a hot and muggy drive home from work, I was looking forward to getting 500 meters in tonight, but the weather had other plans. I used to love thunderstorms before I learned how to swim.
Meanwhile, there's a lovely afternoon thunderstorm ruining my daily excercise program here in CT. After a hot and muggy drive home from work, I was looking forward to getting 500 meters in tonight, but the weather had other plans. I used to love thunderstorms before I learned how to swim.
7/26/2005
Things I saw at the pool tonight
* A little girl, maybe about 4, who could do the crawl stroke like Michael Phelps
* My former swimming teacher and his girlfriend snuggling** before they did their laps (**that's not a euphemism)
* A large Muslim family - looked like a grandmother and grandfather and their children and their children's children. The grandmother went into the pool in her hijab, and the grandfather was singing to the grandchildren while they splashed around. I don't know what he was singing, but it was making the kids giggle like crazy.
* A little brat mouthing off to her mother, and then taking a sip of soda and spitting it out on the sidewalk. The mother wasn't around so I told the girl that was disgusting and sent her to get some water to wash it up.
* A little boy doing made up karate moves - he was about 3 and he was in his own little world, totally without self-consciousness
* My former swimming teacher and his girlfriend snuggling** before they did their laps (**that's not a euphemism)
* A large Muslim family - looked like a grandmother and grandfather and their children and their children's children. The grandmother went into the pool in her hijab, and the grandfather was singing to the grandchildren while they splashed around. I don't know what he was singing, but it was making the kids giggle like crazy.
* A little brat mouthing off to her mother, and then taking a sip of soda and spitting it out on the sidewalk. The mother wasn't around so I told the girl that was disgusting and sent her to get some water to wash it up.
* A little boy doing made up karate moves - he was about 3 and he was in his own little world, totally without self-consciousness
Will Marshall, DLC dunce
Will Marshall thinks his fellow Democrats are unpatriotic, apparently because we aren't sufficiently jingoistic for his taste.
I don't know where to begin in pointing out the many places he is wrong. From saying that "Michael Moore Democrats" reject the very idea of fighting terrorism to complaining that we should just ignore that torture behind the curtain, the whole essay is chock full of GOP talking points and stereotypes.
I've mentioned it before, but I wanted to reiterate my preferred analogy for the discussion of my patriotism. As a parent, I am my child's biggest cheerleader, and my kids make me feel prouder than a peacock. I have a knee-jerk defensive reaction when someone tries to hurt them. But that does not stop me from correcting them when they go astray. That's the kind of patriot I am. Our country has gone massively astray - we've become bullies capable of ruthless cruelty, and as is usually the case with bullies, our actions come from fear.
GOP style patriotism is, to stretch analogy, more like the parent who says their child would *never* lie, *never* cheat, *never* be mean to the other kids. They show up for a disciplinary hearing with a lawyer to make sure their little Jimmy or Jenny doesn't have anything negative on their permanent record, even if they did punch that boy or smoke those cigarettes in the bathroom.
I am a white coastal liberal (although if you call me elite I might have to kick you in the shins and show you my bank balance), but I'm pretty sure parents in the heartland are no different than parents on the coasts - for the most part, we correct our kids when they misbehave, and try to set them back on the right path. And we really don't care for those parents who refuse to see that their children aren't perfect and need guidance - they make our jobs more difficult by not doing right by their kids.
As always, Digby's response is essential reading.
I don't know where to begin in pointing out the many places he is wrong. From saying that "Michael Moore Democrats" reject the very idea of fighting terrorism to complaining that we should just ignore that torture behind the curtain, the whole essay is chock full of GOP talking points and stereotypes.
I've mentioned it before, but I wanted to reiterate my preferred analogy for the discussion of my patriotism. As a parent, I am my child's biggest cheerleader, and my kids make me feel prouder than a peacock. I have a knee-jerk defensive reaction when someone tries to hurt them. But that does not stop me from correcting them when they go astray. That's the kind of patriot I am. Our country has gone massively astray - we've become bullies capable of ruthless cruelty, and as is usually the case with bullies, our actions come from fear.
GOP style patriotism is, to stretch analogy, more like the parent who says their child would *never* lie, *never* cheat, *never* be mean to the other kids. They show up for a disciplinary hearing with a lawyer to make sure their little Jimmy or Jenny doesn't have anything negative on their permanent record, even if they did punch that boy or smoke those cigarettes in the bathroom.
I am a white coastal liberal (although if you call me elite I might have to kick you in the shins and show you my bank balance), but I'm pretty sure parents in the heartland are no different than parents on the coasts - for the most part, we correct our kids when they misbehave, and try to set them back on the right path. And we really don't care for those parents who refuse to see that their children aren't perfect and need guidance - they make our jobs more difficult by not doing right by their kids.
As always, Digby's response is essential reading.
I hope Jon washed his hands
Santorum was on The Daily Show last night. I could see why he was the GOP's boy, because he didn't stray off his message for a moment - virtues, character, in the book, read my book, buy the book.
But what a dolt he is! I always knew he had a tendency to say stupid things, but there is really nothing going on in that brain. He doesn't even understand the words he's saying. He is so fixated on his belief about the ideal family that he just ignores the reality that there ain't no such thing.
One of the dribbles of Santorum that came out of his mouth last night was that the government should legislate ideals. I wonder if he gave a second thought to any other governments that try/ied to legislate ideals?
But what a dolt he is! I always knew he had a tendency to say stupid things, but there is really nothing going on in that brain. He doesn't even understand the words he's saying. He is so fixated on his belief about the ideal family that he just ignores the reality that there ain't no such thing.
One of the dribbles of Santorum that came out of his mouth last night was that the government should legislate ideals. I wonder if he gave a second thought to any other governments that try/ied to legislate ideals?
7/25/2005
Insanity
This story has been posted at various blogs: Justin Logan and Matt Yglesias, among others, have already documented the insanity.
Philip Giraldi wrote the following in the most recent edition of The
American Conservative magazine (not available online):
I just wanted to highlight this sentence:
Now, I support making plans for how we would respond to another
terrorist attack, but they are planning to start a war with nuclear
weapons involved if we are attacked again, and once again, they
won't be going after the person/people who actually attacked us but
a place that has good targets. (Rumsfeld famously wanted to go to
Iraq because Afghanistan didn't have any good targets.)
This administration is utterly insane.
Philip Giraldi wrote the following in the most recent edition of The
American Conservative magazine (not available online):
The Pentagon, acting under instructions from Vice President Dick
Cheney's office, has tasked the United States Strategic Command
(STRATCOM) with drawing up a contingency plan to be employed in
response to another 9/11-type terrorist attack on the United
States. The plan includes a large-scale air assault on Iran
employing both conventional and tactical nuclear weapons. Within
Iran there are more than 450 major strategic targets, including
numerous suspected nuclear-weapons-program development sites. Many
of the targets are hardened or are deep underground and could not be
taken out by conventional weapons, hence the nuclear option. As in
the case of Iraq, the response is not conditional on Iran actually
being involved in the act of terrorism directed against the United
States. Several senior Air Force officers involved in the planning
are reportedly appalled at the implications of what they are doing--
that Iran is being set up for an unprovoked nuclear attack--but no
one is prepared to damage his career by posing any objections.
I just wanted to highlight this sentence:
As in the case of Iraq, the response is not conditional on Iran
actually being involved in the act of terrorism directed against the
United States.
Now, I support making plans for how we would respond to another
terrorist attack, but they are planning to start a war with nuclear
weapons involved if we are attacked again, and once again, they
won't be going after the person/people who actually attacked us but
a place that has good targets. (Rumsfeld famously wanted to go to
Iraq because Afghanistan didn't have any good targets.)
This administration is utterly insane.
7/22/2005
The Mean Girls administration
But the intelligence and facts were being fixed around the policy.
In February of 2003, Joe Wilson went to Niger to verify information about a suspected link between Africa and Iraq - specifically, an agreement that Niger would provide uranium yellowcake to Iraq.
In his New York Times op-ed, Mr. Wilson tells that after meeting with various officians and people associated with the uranium business, he determined that no such transaction had ever taken place. Anyone wishing to purchase uranium would have had to go through a complicated process involving a consortium of nations. In addition, the U.S. Ambassador to Niger stated that she thought she had already debunked the Memorandum of Agreement that prompted Mr. Wilson's visit.
Mr. Wilson reporting his findings to the CIA when he returned from Niger.
The White House was instructed by the CIA that the links between Niger and Iraq were dubious. More than once. Nevertheless, in January of 2003, President Bush includes sixteen words in his State of the Union speech: "The British government has learned that Saddam Hussein recently sought significant quantities of uranium from Africa."
But the intelligence and facts were being fixed around the policy.
By March of 2003, the documents that indicated the sale of uranium yellowcake were proven to be forgeries. Nevertheless, Bush took us to war against Iraq.
Mr. Wilson's op-ed was published on July 6, 2003. Within a week of the publication of Mr. Wilson's Op-ed, his wife Valerie Plame was outed as a covert CIA agent.
Tomorrow is the 3 year anniversary of the meeting at Downing Street that was recounted in the Downing Street Memo. Three years since Matthew Rycroft took minutes at a meeting between the U.S. and the U.K. to discuss Iraq.
But the intelligence and facts were being fixed around the policy.
It's not difficult to use common sense to put some pieces together. Prior to his Niger trip, Mr. Wilson was told that the Vice President's office was interested in finding out about the uraniaum. Mr. Wilson made his report. Despite Mr. Wilson's finding, and despite the U.N. inspectors reports that there were no WMDs, Bush took our military and sent them to war in Iraq.
Mr. Wilson came forward to tell how he thought the Bush administration was using debunked information when building his case for war. Based on Mr. Wilson's report, the White House knew that the "sixteen words" Bush used in the SOTU address was a lie.
What does the Bush administration do when someone crosses them? Ask Richard Clarke. Ask Paul O'Neill. They are the Mean Girls administration, sliming and smearing all who oppose them. They outed a covert CIA agent, an action that clearly hurts our national security, to get back at someone who was telling the truth about them.
They hurt our national security for political expediency. They lie to get a war. They must be stopped.
7/21/2005
7/20/2005
new to blogroll
I've just added Burb Rocking to the blogroll. It's not political, (yet), but it's a group blog my older sister started, and I'm a contributor, so I have to blogroll it. Plus, there are pictures, which I like but use sparingly myself (as you may have noticed).
John Roberts
Information on the nominee.
If he gets on the court, which is likely, we shouldn't be surprised
to see not just an end to legal abortion in the U.S., but an end to
legal contraception* and affirmative action. Bad news for American women and American minorities
*If Roberts is in the mold of Scalia and Thomas, who Bush calls
his "ideal", he does not believe the Constitution grants any right to
privacy, although what does Article IX do but say that the people have rights that are not enumerated within the Constitution. Since it is likely that Roberts is an "ideal" Bush jurist, he should be questioned strongly about not just his judicial decisions, which are limited as he's only been on the bench for two years, but whether he agrees with the expressed judicial opinions of Scalia and Thomas.
UPDATE: I took out some erroneous information. 20.9% of American women have abortions. That's still pretty significant, and you probably know someone who has had one. (If not, hi, nice to meet you, I had an abortion. There, now you know someone.) The Alan Guttmacher Institute is a fanstastic resource for information on reproductive issues, and that's where I got my updated information. Thanks to John Howard for making me take a second look at the numbers.
If he gets on the court, which is likely, we shouldn't be surprised
to see not just an end to legal abortion in the U.S., but an end to
legal contraception* and affirmative action. Bad news for American women and American minorities
*If Roberts is in the mold of Scalia and Thomas, who Bush calls
his "ideal", he does not believe the Constitution grants any right to
privacy, although what does Article IX do but say that the people have rights that are not enumerated within the Constitution. Since it is likely that Roberts is an "ideal" Bush jurist, he should be questioned strongly about not just his judicial decisions, which are limited as he's only been on the bench for two years, but whether he agrees with the expressed judicial opinions of Scalia and Thomas.
UPDATE: I took out some erroneous information. 20.9% of American women have abortions. That's still pretty significant, and you probably know someone who has had one. (If not, hi, nice to meet you, I had an abortion. There, now you know someone.) The Alan Guttmacher Institute is a fanstastic resource for information on reproductive issues, and that's where I got my updated information. Thanks to John Howard for making me take a second look at the numbers.
7/19/2005
The nominee
Edith Clement Brown is the nominee for the opening on the Supreme Court. She doesn't seem to have rendered any opinions on many controversial subjects, which I suspect is why she was chosen.
I don't like her. She's a Republican, she's a Bush supporter, and a member of the Federalist Society. I don't trust people who support George Bush. IMO, if you support George Bush, that's evidence of a problem with your judgement.
ETA: maybe she's not the nominee...yet...but the rumor mill is swirling.
I don't like her. She's a Republican, she's a Bush supporter, and a member of the Federalist Society. I don't trust people who support George Bush. IMO, if you support George Bush, that's evidence of a problem with your judgement.
ETA: maybe she's not the nominee...yet...but the rumor mill is swirling.
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