election evening
I’m about to leave work a little early so I can vote. This morning, I walked past a polling place (not mine) and the line was around the block. People were chatting with each other and cheerful. I hope they’re still in such a good mood tonight. According to CNN.com’s election coverage, Indiana, Georgia, West Virginia and Kentucky have gone to Bush, and Vermont has gone to Kerry. Unsurprising. Four years ago, I was blasé enough about Dubya’s upcoming reign of ignorance that I wrote Al Gore’s concession haiku: Bush, you cocksucker. I could have had it all, bitch. In four years, fear me. My haiku today is a little different: Four more years of what? Deception, terror, and greed? No thanks. Bye, Dubya. Here’s hoping. See...
Read Moredeclare yourself
I tend to avoid using this journal to express my political views, mainly because I don’t think this is the best format for reasonable discussions about complex subjects. I’ve seen way too many threads devolve into meaningless blather, which does more harm than good. I will, however, express one very strong opinion on the subject. Vote. Apathy is a luxury, not a right, especially in these troubling times. It is your responsibility as an American citizen to participate in this most fundamental act. Instead of justifying why you will or will not be voting, spend that time and energy educating yourself on the upcoming...
Read Morepolitilinks
Okay, I don’t usually use this outlet for political expression, but I have to share some links with you all today. Actually, I wrote this on Sunday but just now have the chance to post it. RNCWatch is doing a fine job of covering the RNC from the protester’s perspective. But do you know there’s also A31, RNCnotwelcome.org, and Counter Convention, just to name my favorites? There’s also truthout’s coverage. I’m a big fan of truthout. Are we all tired of Michael Moore yet? No? Then read this letter to Bush called “Deserter’s Delight”. The MSG sent me a link to GeorgeWBush.org today and it’s cracking me up. And then there’s “Page 3 – Model Propaganda: The Sun, The Girls, The...
Read Morewriting about writing about politics
I was going to write a semi-indignant response to the Guardian article entitled “Is blog a masculine noun?” But Peter already said what I have to say about writing about politics. Okay, maybe he didn’t say everything I have to say … A few months ago, I started up a weblog with a political bent, after purchasing a new domain name and signing up for a trial of TypePad. I posted maybe three times and only showed it to the MSG, who is incredibly well-informed politically and my personal reference book on current events. He thought it was pretty cool; I didn’t. Why didn’t I? It lacked passion. I am passionate about the smaller things in the world, the simpler ones. This is not to say I’m apathetic, because I’m not....
Read MoreAir America Radio
I know I’m a little late to do this, but thank goodness for Air America Radio. Unfortunately, it’s a RealAudio stream, so I can’t listen to it with iTunes. For users of Mac OS X 10.1.5 or higher, try Air America Receiver 1.0. You will need RealOne Player, too. To celebrate Air America hitting the airwaves, I sent the following email: Dear Air America: First of all, let me just say that I am already a devoted Air America Radio listener, having spent way too much time in the wee hours of this morning attempting to wrangle the Real Audio Player into submission. Anything that involves that much effort ensures my lifelong devotion, if only out of sheer stubbornness. But the programming is good, too. Secondly, I wanted to call your attention to...
Read MoreHouse of Shh
From the anarchist librarians list this morning, an article in the Guardian about “Bush, the Saudi billionaire and the Islamists: the story a British firm is afraid to publish”: A book investigating links between rich Saudis and US politicians has been suppressed by the giant publishing firm Random House because, it says, of growing “libel tourism” by wealthy foreigners, and exorbitant legal “success fees”. Libel lawyers are stifling free speech, the deputy chairman of Random House, Simon Master, said yesterday. The UK publication of House of Bush, House of Saud, by the American writer Craig Unger, has been cancelled because Secker and Warburg, a Random House subsidiary, says it can no longer afford such risks…. [read...
Read Moreremind us
I woke up to NPR stating that Condoleezza Rice will testify publicly and under oath after all. And then someone posted this poignant Flash movie to the muck, and I realized it doesn’t matter what Ms. Rice says, under oath or not under oath, in private or in public. Too much damage has already been done, and there are people in power who blatantly lie to us while most Americans sit passively and do nothing to change the regime. I still look forward to November, but now I’m just nauseated whenever I think about the presidential election. There’s always that possibility that we won’t re-defeat Bush, and then what? Time to move to Europe? Bah. Happy...
Read Morethree from mefi
I know someone who’s going to enjoy these three links from MetaFilter very, very much … theyrule.net: “They Rule is a website that allows you to create maps of the interlocking directories of the top 100 companies in the US in 2001. The data is static, so it is fast becoming out of date, as companies merge and disappear and directors shift boards. A second version of They Rule is planned, and has been started. No completion date is set, though it will hopefully appear sometime mid 2004.” Political Friendster: “Political Friendster is a parody of the social network Friendster. It allows a visualization of the connections between players in the political game.” Registering allows you to add new people to the database. ...
Read Morerequired reading in washington
From Ex-Aide’s Book Corners Market in Capital Buzz: WASHINGTON, March 25 — On the first day, the hottest new book in town sold out in an hour at Politics and Prose and sales clerks turned away dozens of disappointed buyers. On the second day, the store called three national book wholesalers, which announced they did not have a single copy left. That was when Barbara Meade knew that Richard A. Clarke, the author of “Against All Enemies: Inside America’s War on Terror,” was the genuine article, an unexpected literary phenomenon whose account of counterterrorism failures within the Bush administration has been flying off the shelves this week. “It’s reached a point now where if you’re going to be in the loop in...
Read MoreTen Commandments Judge Removed From Bench
God, I’m glad I no longer live there. “MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) – Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore was removed from office Thursday for refusing to obey a federal court order to move his Ten Commandments monument from the rotunda of the state courthouse. “The state Court of the Judiciary unanimously imposed the harshest penalty possible after a one-day trial in which Moore said his refusal was a moral and lawful acknowledgment of God. Prosecutors said Moore’s defiance, left unchecked, would harm the judicial system. “Moore, a champion of religious conservatives, had been suspended since August but was allowed to collect his $170,000 annual salary. He was halfway through his six-year term.” [read...
Read MoreHello What
Nestcam
Serious Stuff
Thank you for reading. You can support this site in the following ways:
Hosted by Bluehost. Powered by WordPress, MarsEdit, Dropbox, unflappable optimism, and builder's tea.
Disclaimer: The opinions expressed herein are solely mine and not of any employer or organization.
The original content on this website is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License. When in doubt, ask.
Wheaton's Law applies here.