I Had No Right

Bill Clinton on DADT: "This policy should be changed."

2009-08-15T15:16:00.000-07:00

Lowell over at Blue Virginia has an awesome post about a video of former President Bill Clinton speaking on the subject of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell." The vid in question:

Clinton makes an important point in his explanation of the difference between General Colin Powell's proposal of the policy and its practical implementation, going so far as to say that "nobody regrets how this was implemented more than I do."

His frustration with the policy, shared by many, is further illustrated by the example of 130 gay service members who were discharged immediately upon their return from the first Gulf War. He doesn't say explicitly, but the sentiment is there: Our military and political leadership used these people for their own strategic purposes, then spat them out into civilian life as soon as they were no longer useful. I know that part of joining the military means that an individual signs up to do the will of the military leadership, but that shouldn't mean being treated like a second-class citizen or simply a meatbag to achieve political ends.

In fairness, part of this is Clinton defending his own actions in allowed DADT to be activated. There's definitely a tinge of "it's not my fault, Congress wouldn't work with me so I couldn't make things happen the way I wanted them to. Blame Congress, not me." However, the fact that he will today stand and make himself counted among those opposed speaks volumes.

Lowell's own commentary on this seems a fitting tie-up to the subject:

[T]his policy needs to go. It's stupid, cruel, immoral, harmful, and completely without merit. I'm sorry, but if gays can serve in the Israeli and British militaries without "destroying morale" or whatever, there's no reason they can't serve in the United States of America. End of story.

And that's the way it is.

Lose your home? Move in to a shiny new tent city! With new legal goodness!

2009-08-11T20:06:00.000-07:00

Things are tough these days for everyone. It's no secret. And with foreclosure doubling up on layoffs and general economic strain, it is no secret that many who lose their homes are finding their ways to new ones -- often with other newly homeless, in de facto "tent cities" around the country.

Generally speaking, these ad hoc communities --which is essentially what they are-- are illegal and those who populate them are subject to arrest, citation, etc. However, the sheer magnitude of new homelessness is forcing a change in many attitudes on the subject. From The Wall Street Journal:

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Last summer, police responding to complaints about campfires under a highway overpass found dozens of homeless people living on public land along the Cumberland River.

Eviction notices went up -- and then were suspended by Nashville Mayor Karl Dean, a Democrat, who said housing for the homeless should be found first.

A year later, little has been found -- and Nashville, with help from local nonprofits, is now servicing a tent city, arranging for portable toilets, trash pickup, a mobile medical van and visits from social workers. Volunteers bring in firewood for the camp's 60 or so dwellers.
Nashville is one of several U.S. cities that these days are accommodating the homeless and their encampments, instead of dispersing them. With local shelters at capacity, "there is no place to put them," said Clifton Harris, director of Nashville's Metropolitan Homeless Commission, says of tent-city dwellers.

Now, I'm not suggesting that living in a tent city is something that should be recommended or endorsed by anyone, particularly anyone who has a home of their own. But it's refreshing and encouraging to see that some are finding the compassionate side of the story, instead of the old "bootstraps" party line.

Some are not so charitably minded, however:

Anticipating Tuesday's vote on the homeless proposal in Tampa [which would provide for an emergency tent city serving 200 homeless], hundreds of neighbors in a nearby 325-house subdivision have formed the "Stop Tent City" coalition. They are gathering petitions, passing out lawn signs and threatening lawsuits. Hal Hart, a paralegal and a neighbor who is part of the coalition, testified at the county meeting that a tent city would "devalue my home" and "devalue my community." He lives 300 feet from the proposed park.

God forbid that one's home be devalued in this climate. Wouldn't want you to get too close to those dirty, despicable homeless folks who you'd rather not have to see on your commute into work. I've lived in a subdivision presumably similar to the one described, and they're nice and quiet and clean. But when your brothers and sisters are losing their homes and forced to the indignity of homelessness, it seems crass and selfish to try and prevent them from receiving basic health and safety care.

The point is this: Do what you can to help others. And if you cannot do anything, be kind. It costs you nothing, and it makes the world a better place.

I'm a Kenyan and so are you!

2009-08-08T22:48:00.000-07:00

Fun fact: I was born in Kenya and am not a legal resident or citizen of the United States of America. The proof is right here, as evidenced by my birth certificate:

You can get your own genuine fake Kenyan birth certificate, just like our Fearless Leader "President" "Barack" "Obama" (if that is even his real name) at kenyanbirthcertificategenerator.com.

(Note: Some information has been falsified, for obvious safety reasons. But if you find a Katherine Schleisinger, please let me know.)

Nothing to be done: Sesame Street does Godot

2009-08-06T20:52:00.000-07:00

Seeing the link, I could not help but click.
Having clicked, I could not help but laugh.
Having laughed, I could not help but share.

In the great tradition of pop culture parody that is so much of what makes Sesame Street tolerable for adults, I give you... Waiting for Elmo:

...

...

...

Let's go.

Lady Justice

2009-08-06T20:17:00.000-07:00

Big day, everyone. And no, not just because Glenn Beck lost three advertisers due to his Obama-is-a-racist crazytalk (although that's a pretty good story in itself). I speak of something greater.

Associate Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor.

Today, in a 68-31 vote (Sen. Kennedy being the only absent, likely due to his illness), Judge Sotomayor was confirmed by the U.S. Senate to be the next member of the highest court in this land. From the Huffington Post:

Minutes before the vote, Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., the Judiciary Committee chairman, called it one for the ages. "Years from now ... we will remember this time when we crossed paths with the quintessentially American journey of Sonia Sotomayor."

Senators took the rare step of assembling at their desks for the vote, rising from their seats to call out "aye" or "nay." The longest-serving senator, 91-year-old Robert Byrd of West Virginia who has been in frail health following a long hospitalization, was brought in in a wheelchair to vote in Sotomayor's favor. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., suffering from brain cancer, was the only senator absent.
Sotomayor replaces retiring Justice David Souter, a liberal named by a Republican president, and she is not expected to alter the court's ideological split.

So, congratulations to Madame Justice. It's a good day to be an American.

Live long and prosper!

2009-07-28T23:48:00.001-07:00

It's been a long day, and I'm too tired to be witty, so here's your daily dose of Constitutional wisdom, courtesy Captain James T. Kirk:

Setting aside the obvious social commentary, wherein the feuding peoples of this particular planet are described as "Yangs" (Yankees) and "Coms" (Communists)... it's nice to hear the first words of the Constitution spoken, declared, proclaimed with such passion and furor.

'They must apply to everyone, or they mean nothing! Do you understand?"

Good deal. Go America. Engage.

Virgil Good-ole-boy-Goode not seeking re-election. Snowball fight in hell, anyone?

2009-07-27T21:28:00.000-07:00

Ladies and germs, it's a good day. Even for a Monday. Why, you ask?

Today, former Congressman Virgil Goode publicly declared that he would NOT be seeking a return to his former office, representing the illustrious 5th district of Virginia. From the Martinsville Bulletin:

“I have decided not to seek the Republican nomination for Congress in 2010,” Goode said in a prepared statement. “It is my sincere hope and expectation that Republicans will nominate a conservative who will oppose the record deficits and debt of the current administration, will support secure borders and oppose amnesty for illegals, will recognize and reduce the huge threat that terrorists pose for our country, will support pro-life issues, and will support the traditional definition of marriage of one man and one woman.”

Moving forward, rumor and suspicion is the name of the game. Will he, as some suggested, seek the nomination of the Constitution Party for the Presidency in 2012? Will he support the Republican nominee running against incumbent Tom Perriello next fall? Will he retire into private life for good and slowly fade into obscurity? (For the record, I'm voting for the last one) Only time will tell.

That being said, I'm a little disappointed to not have the opportunity to watch Perriello & team crush him a second time. However, the current Republican heir apparent, Bradley Rees, has been blogging and Tweeting up a storm all on his own, so it may be a good show without ol' Virgy.

Give 'em hell, Tom!

For Bonus Points: Watch this video from a July 3, 2009 Tea Party event for an extra dosing of crazytalk!

Goodbye to an old friend: Governor Sarah Palin

2009-07-26T17:20:00.000-07:00

"A glooming peace this morning with it brings;

The sun for sorrow will not show his head.

Go hence to have more talk of these sad things;

Some shall be pardoned and some punish-ed:..."

(W. Shakespeare, Romeo & Juliet, 5.3.316-319)

Today is a somber day. One of the great movers and shakers of the past year has stepped down from her perch. To that end, I want to say a gracious goodbye, and to express my genuine thanks for all that she has contributed to my life, and I am certain the lives of many others, during her too-brief tenure in national public life.

Goodbye, Alaska Governor Sarah Palin. And thank you.

Thank you for making the phrase "hockey mom" a punchline. For the record, all the hockey moms I know voted for Obama, but it was a nice try. Here's hoping that the NHL will return to ESPN someday soon.

Thank you for winking on national television, playing into the hands of the media you claim to hate, effectively turning your potential serious forward movement into a Saturday Night Live sketch.

Thank you for providing Tina Fey the opportunity to revive her career on SNL.

Thank you for describing your daughter's decision to carry to term her unexpected pregnancy for what it was -- a choice. Likewise for your own unexpected final pregnancy.

Thank you for bringing Alaska back into national consciousness, in all of its secessionist, politically corrupt, morally corrupt, frozen tundra glory. Northern Exposure and Mystery, Alaska really are so last decade.

On a similar tack, thank you for being the cunning counterpoint to Mike Gravel. Now if you could just explain Ted "series of tubes" Stevens...

Speaking as a feminist, I am, in all seriousness, grateful for her attempted portrayal of a with-it, powerful, successful female political operative. Women's progress is defined, among other ways, by the numbers of women who break the "glass ceiling" in whatever profession they pursue. The fact that she was often defined as a mother and wife before a governor did not go unnoticed, and I call it an insult that her clothing was given more commentary than her platform (That said, her "platform" seemed to mostly consist of calling Barack Obama a socialist/filthy community organizer/terrorist-pal-around-with-er and making the same joke over and over again...).

So thank you, Governor Palin, for providing progressive campaign workers and activists a chuckle with every press release. Thank you for performing as you did, giving me (and many of my compatriots) something to groan and curse and laugh at, ultimately knowing that the craziness flowing forth from you would do nothing but undercut your campaign in the coming days and weeks.

You'll be missed.

Love,
Katie

Arthur Miller would be proud.

2009-07-20T19:05:00.001-07:00

Coming out of retirement briefly, because this was too good to pass up (although it appears I'm already late to the party... no worries!):

That's right, folks. What we're looking at here is a genuine political cartoon featuring this blog's favorite freshman Congressman from the Commonwealth of Virginia, Rep. Tom Perriello (VA-05)!

I think it pretty well encapsulates the way his opponents have been attacking him -- as well as how they are in return perceived. With the possible exception of certain unnamed right-wing nut jobs who are currently attempting a run for his seat in 2010, many people, I feel, would agree that a lot of these criticisms of Perriello are more or less unfounded. Or, if they are founded in any way, it is largely a criticism of his party affiliation and not his individual politics.

Either way, a damn fine cartoon. Happy Monday, everyone!

"Rage, rage against the dying of the light..."

2009-06-07T21:01:00.000-07:00

Alright, brothers and sisters. The time has come.

My life is in tremendous flux at the moment. I simply don't have time to continue updating I Had No Right on as regular a basis as I'd like, and so I'm putting it on hiatus until further notice.

I'll continue to post from time to time, but a greater commitment than that is currently just not possible. For the time being, I direct you to the following awesome blogs and news sites that I love. I hope you'll love them, too:

Drew Curtis' FARK.com - a news aggregate from around the world, updating throughout the day and night. All the oddball, offbeat and often off-color news you can stand. Also, often the first to scoop big news stories -- impress your friends!

Huffington Post - the best damn news webzine out there, bar none. Aside from the standard politics/news stuff, the section on "Living" often has very intriguing, leaning towards zenlike, insights from its staff bloggers. (Avoid the celebrity blogs. Just trust me on this.)

FiveThirtyEight.com - nonpartisan political polling and stats for those who can't get enough dissection in the 24 hour cable news. Origin of the much-loved-amongst-campaign-staffers "BREAKING: Obama Campaign Staffers Trying to Win Election Instead of Get You Yard Signs" article from September.

Talking Points Memo - NPR-esque thoughtful analysis of news, world events, politics, etc. It's a good place for grown-up discussion, if that is what you seek.

Dem Bones - "Where Progressive Politics Dialogues with Religion and Spirituality". One of my favorite politics blogs, written by one smart cookie. Come for the articles, stay for the discussion in the comment field. (Bonus: An excellent tracker of the VA governor's race, for anyone interested)

Wonkette - DC gossip + news + snark. 'Nuff said.

I thank you for your readership and your comments. It's been a pleasure to write for you. I'll keep my Twitter account active until further notice, so if you feel the need to stalk, go right ahead. :-)

Best,
Katie

Title courtesy of Dylan Thomas. Full text of poem here.

Rachel Maddow nails it again: the anti-abortion movement in the US as domestic terrorism

2009-06-02T14:42:00.000-07:00

Jonathan Turley, Constitutional law professor at George Washington University, speaking on the Rachel Maddow show about the murder of Dr. George Tiller:

(I can't seem to make the embed work properly, so here's the link)
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22425001/vp/31053948#3105398

Comments encouraged.

MN Gov. Pawlenty says he's not seeking a third term. DFLers do a happy dance!

2009-06-02T14:09:00.001-07:00

Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty (R) posted a video today on his site announcing his intent not to seek another term as governor of the Land of Sky-Blue Waters. Watch:

Some people (such as Chris Cillizza) are suggesting that this is a sign he'll run for the White House in 2012. From The Fix:

Pawlenty did not directly address questions about whether he would run for president in 2012 but did note that he was "not ruling anything in or out" in regards a national bid.

Cillizza also addresses the question of how this will impact the Coleman/Franken Senate debacle. If the election is decided in our lifetimes, it will still have to be certified by the sitting governor, and Pawlenty has made it clear that he would not be in any hurry to certify a Senator Franken.

Pawlenty's decision to forgo a third term to focus on his national ambitions -- he won't say that's why he is retiring, but it is the most likely -- has a few immediate implications.

First, Pawlenty is under far less pressure to certify Democrat Al Franken as the winner in the Minnesota Senate race if the state Supreme Court rejects the election appeal of former Sen. Norm Coleman.

As we wrote a few weeks back:

Assuming he doesn't plan to run for reelection, Pawlenty can refuse to sign the election certificate for Franken -- if Coleman wants to take the legal fight federal -- and continue to raise his national profile by arguing (in his low key, inoffensive way) on a variety of televisions outlets that he is simply trying to ensure no legitimate votes are left uncounted, a GREAT issue for him in the eyes of GOP base voters.

So, if Coleman decides he wants to take the case to the federal level if he were to lose at the state court level, there's now a significantly higher likelihood that Pawlenty would be receptive to such a move.

So we shall see. There's no doubt about one thing, however: It's on, baby! Let's take Minnesota back, once and for all! If you're a Minnesota resident, here's the link you need to make your home state whole again.

Nevada to legalize domestic partnership. And once again, the fabric of our society remains intact.

2009-06-01T12:12:00.000-07:00

Good news from CNN today:

Nevada is legalizing domestic partnerships, with the state Assembly voting Sunday evening to override a veto by the governor, officials said. [...]

With the vote, Nevada will extend most of the rights given to married couples to couples in domestic partnerships, including those of the same sex.

So, for those keeping score at home, this now adds Nevada to the ever-expanding list of gay-friendly states, including Connecticut, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts and Vermont (beginning in September), with an honorable mention for the District of Columbia (which does not provide marriage licenses to same-sex couples, but will recognize other states').

As for California... I'm not mad, I'm just disappointed. But I'm sure you'll do better next time.

So, that's... a grand total of 7 out of 51 (including DC). It's a good start. Let's keep the ball rolling here.

For anyone living in the following states, write/call/visit your Congressperson/Senator/Assemblyperson/Governor/Mayor/whoever and do your part(and for anyone living in other states, you do your thing, too!):

Maryland: Attorney General Douglas F. Gansler is looking into whether the state can recognize same-sex marriages performed in other states, and his office plans to issue an opinion in the coming weeks. Most likely legalization in this case would mimic DC's approach, wherein out-of-state licenses would be recognized but not provided by the state itself. [Chicago Tribune]

New York: “New York State and New York City stand to benefit economically if marriage equality is passed in our state,” the city comptroller, William C. Thompson Jr., said Tuesday in a statement accompanying his report. “Legalizing marriage for same-sex couples is not only good for the couples, but also for our economy.” Same-sex marriage legislation is currently making its way through Albany. The State Assembly has already passed the bill, which would broaden the state’s definition of marriage to include gay and lesbian couples. But the legislation’s fate in the State Senate is in doubt. [New York Times]

Pennsylvania: State Sen. John Eichelberger, R-30, two weeks ago announced plans to introduce a bill amending the state Constitution to ban same-sex marriage. This week, state Sen. Daylin Leach, D-17, said he plans to introduce legislation offering “full and equal marriage rights” to same-sex couples. Same-sex marriage in Pennsylvania is banned by statute, which could be overturned by the legislature. Previous proposals to either outlaw it constitutionally or legalize it have fallen short. [Republican Herald]

Rhode Island: A Brown University poll released last week shows 60 percent of registered voters in the state would vote for a same-sex marriage state referendum if it was put to a vote. Only thirty-one percent of registered voters said they were opposed. Legislators could legalize gay marriage in the state if a bill now before the state House and Senate is approved. [EURweb]

R.I.P. Dr. George Tiller

2009-05-31T21:01:00.000-07:00

Tragedy strikes again. This time, in the form of a man of courage, taken down by an act of cowardice. A man who despite a career of threats and violence against him, never ceased his work in defense of a woman's right to choose.

Shortly after 10 a.m. this morning, Dr. George Tiller, a longtime proponent of reproductive rights who was at one time shot in both arms, was shot and killed on his way into church in Wichita, Kansas. The Wichita Eagle reports that police have one suspect in custody, Scott Roeder, who may be charged with murder and aggravated assault as early as tomorrow (Monday).

According to AP/Huffington Post, Attorney General Eric Holder has directed U.S. Marshals to protect women's clinics and their staff nationwide.

Dr. Tiller's family has issued a statement which can be read in full here. An excerpt:

"[...] George dedicated his life to providing women with high-quality heath care despite frequent threats and violence. We ask that he be remembered as a good husband, father and grandfather and a dedicated servant on behalf of the rights of women everywhere."

Amen.

NOM Redux: The Gayz r comig 2 NYC OMG!

2009-05-29T08:14:00.000-07:00

The National Organization for Marriage (NOM) is up to their old tricks again. Not content to strike fear into the hearts of god-fearing folk with imagery of a fabulous gay storm gathering on the heterosexual horizon, they've put out a shiny new ad, currently airing in New York.

Here's where I would post the actual ad, but since it seems un-embed-able, watch it here on NOM's page.

With the Foghorn Leghorn narrator and the semi-silly warning about teaching our kids that "boys can marry other boys" it is once again difficult to take them seriously.
Boys can marry other boys? As if it's such a travesty that we should be teaching our kids to respect people and their choices?

We finish off with the standard ominous warning that "the rights of people who believe marriage means a man and a woman will no longer matter" and "[w]e'll all have to accept gay marriage whether we like it or not!"

Jeez. These people.

[h/t to Joe My God/Death and Taxes/The Gay Blogosphere]

Nearly unknown guest columnist on conservative news site writes scathing satirical article about the evils of liberalism! Oh snap!

2009-05-27T20:33:00.000-07:00

I've never heard of Nancy Morgan before, but she might just be my new favorite conservative. In a guest column on MichNews.com ("Conservative News & Commentary"), entitled "I Want To Be A Liberal," she writes:

I want to be a liberal, because then everyone will like me. My family will start talking to me again, and chances are, my ex-husband will want to renew the marriage vows he broke when I started spouting conservative opinions.

I'd like to be a liberal because its ever so much easier to allow others to form my opinions for me instead of researching an issue myself. That always gets me in trouble, especially when the facts I discover diverge from the latest politically correct consensus.

I'd like to be a liberal because then I'd be rewarded for all my shortcomings and nothing would ever be my fault. I'd be an important cog in the wheel of social justice, and a cherished warrior in the current fight for equality.

If I were a liberal, I would be free to have sex whenever and with whomever I want - and be considered 'empowered' to boot. I could abort any inconvenience with nary a thought because my rights to my body trump the life I would have suctioned out of me.

She goes on from there. You can read the entire article here. Aside from being a stunning mis-analysis of why liberals are liberals (to start with, ask any Democrat living in a red state if they feel "popular" for their views), it almost reads like a self-parody.

I hope to hear more like this from her. I could use a good laugh every now and then, you know?

(And for the record, I'm a liberal, and I'm perfectly happy with that.)

Coming soon to a Barnes & Noble near you: False Witness: The Michele Bachmann Comic Book. For REAL!

2009-05-27T19:43:00.000-07:00

Liberals are accused of a lot of things. Most of which is ridiculous, and a small amount of which is true. However, never let it be said that we lack for creativity. I present now: False Witness: The Michele Bachmann Comic Book!! Based entirely on actual quotes Rep. Bachmann (R-Crazyland) has provided the public domain, Bill Prendergast and other good people at Dump Bachmann have outdone themselves again.

According to the website, it's currently at the printers and will soon be on the shelves of select Twin Cities booksellers, as well as available online at False Witness.

Awesome. Simply awesome. I, for one, can't wait to get mine.

[h/t DemBonesDrew]

An anchor baby by any other name...

2009-05-26T09:36:00.000-07:00

Representative Nathan Deal (R-GA) hates babies.

Well, not all babies. And maybe hate is too strong a word. But he certainly seems to hold a grudge against those freeloading little ankle biters. Especially the ones who want U.S. citizenship merely -get this!- by virtue of being born here!

Luckily for the good people of Georgia (and the rest of us, presumably) Rep. Deal has come out against "birthright citizenship," the right to citizenship granted to all born on U.S. soil as described in the 14th Amendment (originally designed to grant citizenship to freed slaves after the Civil War). From the HuffPost article:

Deal and his supporters say the 14th Amendment wording was never meant to automatically give citizenship to babies born to illegal immigrants.

"This is a sensible, overdue measure that closes a clause that was never meant to be a loophole," said Bob Dane, spokesman for the Federation for American Immigration Reform, which seeks tighter immigration restrictions.

Under Deal's proposal, babies born in the U.S. would automatically have citizenship only if at least one of their parents is a U.S. citizen or national, a legal permanent resident of the U.S., or actively serving in the U.S. military.

And a good thing, too. Otherwise we might have to continue the long-standing distinctly American tradition of welcoming newcomers to our shores and providing opportunity for those who want to seek a better life. A scary prospect, indeed.

Of course, there are some typical left-wing nutjobs who have some kind of a problem with denying citizenship to people who were born here. Quote:

Lisa Navarrete, vice president of the National Council of La Raza, a Hispanic advocacy group, said the proposed law wouldn't stem illegal immigration and would make the problem worse because not only would illegal immigrants be undocumented, their American-born children would be too.
"The worst part of it is you end up with potentially millions of children who are stateless, who were born here and have no ties to any other country, yet they're not considered citizens or part of the United States," she said.

That's the American dream, right? To build a new country where one can seek out a new and better life, and then once you get that better life, lock the doors to keep the riffraff out. Right? Right?

Yikes!

2009-05-25T21:20:00.001-07:00

Brothers and sisters, I suck.

So sorry, folks. I just got back from a long weekend and it's come to my attention that I've left you all to your own devices for nearly a week unabated. My bad.

We'll be back with your regularly scheduled snark very soon. Promise!

Love,
Katie

PS: In the meantime, make a fun sand art thing like this:

Fmr Archbishop on priest abuse: "I didn't know it was a crime"

2009-05-20T20:22:00.000-07:00

Former Milwaukee Archbishop Rembert Weakland has a memoir coming out soon in which he describes his uncertainty over how to deal with incidence of priest molestation of children under his domain. Apparently, the issue was whether or not it was actually illegal for priests to commit these actions.

"We all considered sexual abuse of minors as a moral evil, but had no understanding of its criminal nature," Weakland says in the book, "A Pilgrim in a Pilgrim Church," due out in June.

Weakland said he initially "accepted naively the common view that it was not necessary to worry about the effects on the youngsters: either they would not remember or they would 'grow out of it.' "

I beg your pardon. First of all, in what world is child sexual abuse NOT an automatic crime? Secondly, "they'll forget or grow out of it"? That's unbelievably rich. I can just imagine what kind of a pep talk that would be. "Oh, Tommy, I know it was upsetting, but just keep your chin up and it'll be a faint memory in no time." Right.

This is especially charming coming from an individual who retired, according to the article, "after it became known that he paid $450,000 in 1998 to a man who had accused him of date rape years earlier."

To be fair, the charges against Archbishop Weakland were ultimately dropped. However, it remains that he didn't know it was illegal to molest children, as if perhaps the trappings of the Church were some kind of absolution or excuse.

This just makes me sick to my stomach. I don't know what else to say.

Queers? In MY Armed Forces? It's more likely than you think

2009-05-20T08:55:00.000-07:00

The Huffington Post tells us a story:

Lieutenant Colonel Victor J. Fehrenbach, a fighter weapons systems officer, has been flying the F-15E Strike Eagle since 1998. He has flown numerous missions against Taliban and al-Qaida targets, including the longest combat mission in his squadron's history. On that infamous September 11, 2001, Lt. Col. Fehrenbach was handpicked to fly sorties above the nation's capital. Later he flew combat missions in Iraq and Afghanistan. He has received at least 30 awards and decorations including nine air medals, one of them for heroism, as well as campaign medals for Kosovo, Afghanistan, and Iraq. He is now a flight instructor in Idaho, where he has passed on his skills to more than 300 future Navy, Marine Corps, and Air Force weapons systems officers.

LTC Fehrenbach is about to be discharged. Because he's gay. I do not understand.

It seems to me that gays in the military, like gay marriage across the country, is an issue that is unnecessarily outrageous. Politicians doing the dance of re-election bet on the side of tradition instead of progress, and so instead of pushing forward programs of tolerance and understanding, we get $25 million down the drain in the form of a bonafide hero... all because he was born different?

Now, I'm not in the military. I have never served in uniform. It's possible that there's another side to this that I'm just not seeing, a viewpoint that isn't just "them queers might be turned on by their buddy, and who knows what could happen in a foxhole". If there's a more legitimate argument to be made here, I'd love to hear it.

It also bears mentioning that as a a bonafide "Obama girl" I am disappointed that "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" does not seem to be going anywhere. If this is really going to be my America and your America, gay and straight America, this is something that should be high on the list. Institutionalized intolerance is not a sign of progress, it is a sign of the old road. And at this point, we don't have time to waste repairing the old road -- we need a need road entirely.

LTC Fehrenbach went on the Rachel Maddow show to discuss his predicament. I encourage you to watch.

My Winona

2009-05-16T17:46:00.000-07:00

Apologies for the slowdown in posts. I'm in the middle of moving, so things are a bit hectic... anyhow.

I've been thinking a lot about Winona, Minnesota. I've lived here for five years now, and I'm leaving, probably for good, on Monday. In the last few months I've realized a couple things. First, I'm completely in love with this town and it's breaking my heart a little bit to leave. Second, my version of Winona is just that -- mine. And every person has their own Winona.

My Winona is a beautiful, frustrating, lush, stoic, friendly town full of character -- and characters. The music of my Winona belongs to Mason Jennings and Bob Dylan. "Empire Builder" meets "Highway 61 Revisited," and not just because the famous highway runs through town. The brick buildings reflect the post-industrial heaviness of the town. It's a town that has townies, college kids, and drifters. We even have our own town pirate (look up Winona and Steve the Pirate if you don't believe me).

It's a town of midwesterners who are working to get by. There are thrill seekers, hippies, blue-collar workers, entitled displaced suburbanites, and a few Republicans. When you walk through downtown, there's at least a 50/50 chance that the people you meet will meet your eye and give a general nod or smile as you pass one another. There are food pantries and volunteer programs. There's a thriving bar street and a determined local music scene. No one that you meet is exactly what meets the eye. In the last two weeks, I've met at least half a dozen new people who possess histories and interests and pursuits that further inform what Winona can be.

In the winter, Winona is a place of Minnesota Nice and Minnesota Ice. Get your car stuck in a snow drift, and there's a halfway decent chance that a stranger will stop to help you dig out. If you're late to work, you can say you got stuck behind a train and sometimes -sometimes- it's an excuse that will fly.

There's a saying that you know you're in the midwest if you're in a department store and someone approaches you to ask if you need help with something, and they don't even work there. Winona is this.

Every winter I remember why it is that I tire of Winona. The roads are never really plowed as well as they could be, and the alternate side parking helps me rack up a heroic number of parking tickets. It's cold and gray for a long, long time. Exhaustingly so. The cold is suffocating, and the impulse to leave is strong.

Winona is hopeful. It's a no-bullshit town. A lot of town shuts down around six on a Saturday. There are skater kids and graffiti artists. A farmers market where you can get weird little jerkys and semi-wilted flowers. A rusted oredock and defunct grain machinery that reminds one of what this town used to be. Barges and tugboats, and a levee you can watch them from at night, splitting a bottle of wine with a good friend or two.

This is my Winona. There are people who will tell you that they hate it here, that it's dull and small and they can't wait to get out. I understand the sentiment. But when I get up in the morning and drive across town, the magnificent bluffs on my left and the lusty, rushing Mississippi on my right, I can't help but wonder if this could be someone's little slice of heaven.

I'm leaving on Monday. And as I pack up to leave, I realize that I've only just gotten to know this town.

WH Drug Czar: "End the war on drugs"

2009-05-14T14:29:00.000-07:00

Gil Kerlikowske, freshly minted head of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, came out publicly against the so-called "War on Drugs" while speaking to the Wall Street Journal. Part of his statement described the general cultural fatigue over the phrasing of the program:

"Regardless of how you try to explain to people it's a 'war on drugs' or a 'war on a product,' people see a war as a war on them," he said. "We're not at war with people in this country."

Well said. Now, it does remain to be seen whether this signals an actual change in legislation and policy or, somewhat like the end of the "War on Terror", is simply a re-branding of the same previous policies.

From the WSJ article:

The Obama administration is likely to deal with drugs as a matter of public health rather than criminal justice alone, with treatment's role growing relative to incarceration, Mr. Kerlikowske said. [...]

The administration also said federal authorities would no longer raid medical-marijuana dispensaries in the 13 states where voters have made medical marijuana legal. Agents had previously done so under federal law, which doesn't provide for any exceptions to its marijuana prohibition.

During the presidential campaign, President Barack Obama also talked about ending the federal ban on funding for needle-exchange programs, which are used to stem the spread of HIV among intravenous-drug users.

It's no secret that I'm for legalization of marijuana and that I favor treatment over imprisonment. Frankly, at this point, I think it's ridiculous that it's even a question of legality. Our last president was a coke addict and a recovering alcoholic. Previous to him, we had a man who said he tried pot once but famously "did not inhale". Now we have a president who not only "inhaled frequently" but wrote about it in his memoir.

So, can we please start acting like adults about this? The two previous and current holder of the highest seat in our nation tried it. They seem to have turned out relatively fine (possible exception for Bush, natch). So can we please end our current Prohibition?

Mr. Kerlikowske said the issue was one of limited police resources, adding that he doesn't support efforts to legalize drugs. He also said he supports needle-exchange programs, calling them "part of a complete public-health model for dealing with addiction."

Well, it's a start.

Hell freezes over: Fmr. Governor Jesse Ventura as the voice of reason

2009-05-12T17:12:00.000-07:00

In 49 of the 50 United States that make up this nation, the name Jesse Ventura brings to mind pro-wrestling. Apart from the politically active, most people outside of Minnesota only vaguely recall Ventura as our illustrious former Governor.

In Minnesota we remember him first as our former governor. Second as a public embarrassment to the state. Distant third for his wrestling career.

Mostly, I think of him as a crazy person who got elected as a result of every single Minnesotan going to the polls and saying, "Hey Bob, Jesse Ventura's on the ballot! I'm gonna vote for him! Be hilarious!" Not hilarious.

Anyhow, I never thought the day would come when he would be the voice of reason. However, a recent appearance on Larry King seems to be changing that. Watch:

While for my money it is always great to see another voice come out against waterboarding, especially the voice of one who has personally undergone it and knows its effects, I am even further pleasantly surprised to see Ventura speaking publicly and with such passion about this.

Doesn't make him not crazy. But it helps, a little.

A love letter to Camp Eagle Ridge

2009-05-11T19:05:00.000-07:00

(Sitting tonight and watching the sun set over the Mississippi, I couldn't not write this. Having written it, I couldn't not share it.)

Tonight is one of those nights that make me miss camp.

The sun is going down slowly, and late. The streets are quiet, and if you let go of the hum of streetlights and the occasional car, you have birdsong.

There's a fire somewhere. I can smell it wafting vaguely on the breeze. I feel like I should be huddled around a campfire, sweatshirt and jeans, doused in bug spray. Listening to the story of the Indian brave and the bird in the hand. Warm fuzzies and cold pricklies and the way that the little embers fly up in the air and disappear forever into the sky.

I learned the starfish story at camp. Everything you do for the benefit of others... even if the big picture doesn't seem to change, it makes a difference to that one. And to that one. And to that one...

I remember seeing the silhouette of the trees, the lake behind, a carpet of diamonds above us. I remember feeling so incredibly insignificant as we stared up into the universe... and being strangely comforted by its expanse.

Camp hasn't started yet. Still too early in summer for that. But a few weeks from tonight, there will be little girls crying because they're homesick. Little boys (and bigger boys) getting rough and tumble and scratched up while tromping through the woods. Leaders being formed without even knowing it.

A month and three days from now, it'll be a Thursday in June. Someone will be paralyzed with sadness that tomorrow is their last day at camp. Sadness, and fear that the intimate friendships he or she has forged in the past five days will be threatened by distance.

I remember those feelings. I still have them. Daily I see reminders in my life of camp. When I peel an orange, I do my level best to get it off in one whole piece. When going for a hike in the woods, I make sure to have a hat and bug spray (although not long sleeves). The best relationship advice I ever got was from my counselor friend Mark, and it gives me hope and comfort to this day.

Tonight, I miss camp. But I am soothed by the knowledge that soon, kids will arrive at camp for the first time. It'll be scary for them, and lonely at first. But by the time they're twenty-three and feeling reflective, they'll still think back to those nights, huddled around a campfire, roasting marshmallows and singing songs. They'll think back to an overnight filled with bugs and the surprising quiet. They'll think back to the dance where that song came on that they'll never forget and someone asked them to dance. And they'll know that camp will never really leave their heart.

Love,
Katie Jo

More tragedy from Iraq

2009-05-11T14:00:00.000-07:00

Huffington Post, via CNN, the AP, Washington Post and others, are reporting on a U.S. soldier opening fire on and killing five of his fellow soldiers at a so-called "stress clinic" at Camp Liberty near Baghdad.

This makes me incredibly sad, and angry, and frustrated. Angry that it happened. Angry that they called it "friendly fire." As I understand it, friendly fire is an accident. This was something else. A tragedy, but not a stray bullet in a firefight. This was someone who was in a place intended as a haven for those seeking help shaking off the demons, who did not find what he needed. Human lives paid the price.

I'm angry that military depression and suicides are up at record highs, and that there seems to be no solution and no movement towards one. Mental illness and PTSD go unnoticed or ignored. I don't care how much training you have, if you get dropped in a war zone, you're going to come home different. We saw it with Vietnam, and somehow we still haven't learned our lesson.

I'm angry that CNN calls it "the single greatest loss of life in a single incident involving U.S. soldiers since a truck bomb last month took the lives of 5 American soldiers." The single greatest loss of life in a single incident... since last month. This alone seems disillusioning and infuriating.

From CNN:

Monday's attack marks the fifth incident in which a service member was killed by a fellow service member during Operation Iraqi Freedom, according to the U.S. military.
• In March 2003, Capt. Christopher Seifert and Maj. Gregory Stone were killed at Camp Pennsylvania, Kuwait, in a grenade attack by another soldier.
• Sgt. Joseph Tackett was fatally shot in June 2005 by a fellow soldier in Baghdad.
• Seaman Anamarie Camacho and Seaman Genesia Gresham were killed in a non-combat incident in Bahrain in October 2007.
• A 39-year-old soldier was charged with killing Staff Sgt. Darris Dawson and Sgt. Wesley Durbin in Tunnis, Iraq, in September.

So there you go. Grow up your boys and girls, throw them in a uniform, and throw them to the wolves. For my life, I cannot understand why we as a nation don't rise as one and demand that the people we send directly in harm's way, bearing our flag and our name, be treated like the gutsy and human people they are?

2010: The Year of the Bible?

2009-05-11T13:26:00.000-07:00

Jill Richardson over at DailyKos reports on the newest shenanigans from Re. Paul Broun (R-GA): Urging President Obama, via a House resolution, to declare next year as the Year of the Bible. Richardson peeked into Broun's previous work and found the following:

H.J.Res. 50: Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States relating to marriage. The text of the amendment isn't available online yet, but based on the list of sponsors I don't think it's an amendment for marriage equality.

H.Res. 386: Commending the University of Georgia Gymnastics Team for winning the 2009 NCAA National Championship. Very nice.

H.R. 227: Sanctity of Human Life Act Does that mean we should stop killing people in Iraq and Afghanistan? Or abolish the death penalty? Oh no, it's a bill to declare that human life begins at fertilization.

H.R. 1621: Pledge Language is English Declaration and Government Endorsement Act of 2009 This bill will withhold Federal funds from schools that permit or require the recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance or the national anthem in a language other than English.

Awesome. I, for one, look forward to the Year of the Bible. Hopefully it will bring more compassion, kindness and love for one's fellow man into focus, and drive out that ridiculous xenophobic crap that Bible-thumping Republicans tend to spew (Followed of course by cries of persecution when they're reminded of the first clause in the First Amendment of our Constitution, but that's another story).

Maybe Rep. Braun can sit down with A.J. Jacobs to see how we can get started on this. Goodness knows we've got a long way to go.

John Mellencamp and the power of suggestion

2009-05-04T21:13:00.000-07:00

I've had this tumbling around in my brain all day. Was listening to John Mellencamp's "Pink Houses" in the car and saw an old Ford cross at the light. Make of it what you will.

* * *

America is like a dirty old pickup truck that you inherited from your dad. He wasn't the first owner, but it's been in the family a while and you know you can rely on it.

Sometimes it'll stall, and shudder, and make noises that aren't wonderful. But most of the time, it runs, albeit with the occasional grinding of the gears.

It's got rust in some spots, but when you give it a wash, you can see the shining paint, sometimes in places you completely forgot it could shine.

This truck has more miles on it than you know what to do with. It's imperfect -- the rearview mirror tends to slide, and the sideviews leave you with a pretty big blind spot. But when you hit the gas, it'll roll on through. And when you hit the brake, it'll slow, and let you take a look around.

True to its age, this truck has had a lot of work. The stereo is new, and the upholstery definitely didn't come with the original. But the engine, with a few exceptions, is still original factory parts. And while you need to open the hood and take a look at it sometimes, there's a knocking or a bad smell, once you start poking around you can always find the problem. And it might take a while and a lot of elbow grease, but you can make the knocking go away, or at least quiet it for a while.

America is like a dirty old pickup truck. And despite the grime and the rust and the dents in the bumper, it just keeps humming along.

Alexis Patterson: Milwaukee's missing girl

2009-05-04T09:34:00.000-07:00

MSNBC has been flying off the rails today about the Caylee Anthony case, and I want to talk about this. Not about Caylee, or JonBenet or any other of the sad little white girls who disappeared and died with front-page headlines.

I want to talk about Alexis Patterson.

Alexis Patterson was six years old when she disappeared from her elementary school in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Leads were followed, suspects questioned, but the trail for all intensive purposes went cold.

Alexis disappeared in May 2002. Seven years ago. There are still billboards up in some parts of Milwaukee with her name and picture and a phone number for any information.

She's been missing for seven years. The investigation went as far as Baton Rouge, Louisiana, but turned up nothing.

Alexis's case is sad to me, and frustrating. I've seen her billboards up in town. She is beautiful. I've heard people talking about her in conversation. They are sympathetic. But I've never seen her face on the television. Nancy Grace doesn't know her name. No alarm was raised when she disappeared, and aside from involved law enforcement officials, I'd wager that no one outside of the Milwaukee area knows who she is.

So my question is this: Why? Why is the life, disappearance and death of Caylee Anthony more important and more worthy of coverage than Alexis Patterson? If all people in this country are created equal, then why isn't our news cycle filled to the brim with missing child cases? If we, the consumers, are genuinely interested in and concerned by child abduction, then no distinction should be made for race, gender, class, and so forth.

It is sad and frustrating, because I believe in the promise of America that all people are meant to be valued equally, and that when discrimination occurs or one person is valued above others, it is an individual failure and not a symptom of systematic prejudice. Call it naive, but to me that's the goal we're working towards. And so when a child like Caylee Anthony or Jon Benet Ramsey are given the spotlight, and Alexis Patterson is not, it is disappointing and painful.

Alexis was from a crappy part of Milwaukee. She is African-American. And because of those two things, her story has been buried.

Alexis Patterson, if she is still alive, turned 14 a month ago.

Hiatus

2009-05-02T14:07:00.001-07:00

Hey folks!

I am in the middle of final exams and preparation for graduation, and therefore am putting this blog on official hiatus for one week. I'll be around, so if you leave a comment or e-mail me, I will get it.

That's all. Love!

Katie

Michelle, my belle. You say words that don't go together well....

2009-04-30T16:08:00.000-07:00

Maybe we should just start a "Bachmannism of the Day." I don't know. At this rate, seems like a viable option.

Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN) continues to promote her own special brand of revisionist history. One wonders if (1) Rep. Bachmann has handlers or advisors and (2) if they are in fact rational humans, and not just voices in her head.

Talking Points Memo has the story:

On Monday night, our friends at Dump Bachmann reported, Bachmann took to the House floor and paid tribute to the economic policies of Calvin Coolidge and the "Roaring 20s" (the era that ended with a massive monetary contraction and the Great Depression). One particular line really does stand out, though -- saying Franklin Roosevelt turned a recession into a depression through the "Hoot-Smalley" tariffs. [...]
Here's what really happened: When Franklin Roosevelt took office, unemployment was already about 25%. And the tariff referred to here was actually the Smoot-Hawley bill, co-authored by Republicans Sen. Reed Smoot of Utah and Rep. Willis Hawley of Oregon, and signed into law by President Herbert Hoover.

Interestingly, this speech also happened on the same day as when Bachmann connected the 1970s swine flu outbreak to Democrat Jimmy Carter being president, even though it was actually Gerald Ford in office at the time.

If this keeps up, by the end of the week I predict that we'll learn from her that Senator Wellstone's death was the result of a murder-suicide with his wife, and Garrison Keillor is actually a Viet Cong sympathizer, a holdover from his time in the Red Army during the Russian Revolution. Yeesh.

Those wacky republicans are at it again!

2009-04-30T16:01:00.000-07:00

From NotLarrySabato, in case any fellow progressives out there (and anyone living in the Commonwealth in particular) forget why it is that we are progressives. Because we're not quite as ridiculous as these folks:

Tip: For extra fun, make it a drinking* game. Take a shot every time you hear an ethnic slur or other pejorative language. Good luck.

*Drinking in this case of course meaning milk, or juice. Nutrition is important.

Peg Lautenschlager, still kicking butt

2009-04-29T17:41:00.000-07:00

Former Wisconsin Attorney General Peg Lautenschlager is a phenomenal woman. I had the privilege of knowing her personally during my time working on the Obama campaign, and I can say without reservation that she had an incredible impact on me in that time, as a mentor and a leader in the community.

That said, Women United For Change - Wisconsin has a wonderful article about her life thus far and her involvement in the Mahala's Hope center, an recovery center in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin for young women.

“My life has constantly evolved and challenges, some deserved and some put upon me, forced me to grow.” Peg adds, “In retrospect, each challenge compels you to look at life differently in order to move forward. A life without challenges would be very boring."

Go, Peg, go!

Arlen, Arlen, what will we do with you?

2009-04-29T17:30:00.000-07:00

Okay, so it's finals, and I don't have time to really give this Arlen Specter fence-jump a decent analysis.

Instead, I send you over to Dem Bones, who has an excellent analysis of the event, as well as thoughts on possible fallout and the future of the Republican party. Enjoy.

Also: Today was my last day of classes, ever. Big day, everyone.

Michele Bachmann's revisionist history: now with extra swine flu!

2009-04-28T17:49:00.000-07:00

#1: Minnesota Hat Trick. Sweet. :-)

#2: Michele Bachmann is a bonafide crazy person. Her continuing charade in which she pretends to be an educated and reasonable person really just gets better, day by day. Wonkette points us to Glenn Thrush from Politico:

Bachmann, speaking on Pajamas TV, noted: "I find it interesting that it was back in the 1970s that the swine flu broke out then under another Democrat president Jimmy Carter. And I'm not blaming this on President Obama, I just think it's an interesting coincidence."

The 1976 swine flu scare happened on Gerald Ford's watch.

We checked Wikipedia.

Ford was a Republican.

Oh, Michele ma belle. When will you learn? You talk and talk, and you get sillier each time. Go away. Now, please.

UPDATE: Huffington Post has fun video goodness here.

The people have spoken! A poll says so!!!!!

2009-04-28T14:26:00.000-07:00

According to the Minneapolis Star-Tribune, "64 percent of those responding believe Coleman, the Republican, should accept the recount trial court's April 13 verdict that Democrat Franken won the race by 312 votes" and "[l]arge majorities of those polled said they would oppose any further appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court. "

Go home, Norm. For all our sakes.

UPDATE: Somebody on Fark called him "the Brett Favre of politics." Love it.

Did YOUR representative get arrested yesterday? Didn't think so.

2009-04-28T14:16:00.000-07:00

Okay, to be fair, Rep. Keith Ellison (D-MN) isn't actually my congressman. Down in the 1st District, we have the lovely Tim Walz. Nevertheless, as a Democrat and a resident of the Land of Sky-Blue Waters, I am proud of our 5th District Rep to the north.

Bob von Sternberg and Kevin Diaz, staff writers for the Minneapolis Star-Tribune, report:

Rep. Keith Ellison of Minnesota and [Reps. Jim McGovern, D-Mass.; John Lewis, D-Ga.; Donna Edwards, D-Md.; and Lynn Woolsey, D-Calif.; and three Darfur activist leaders] were arrested Monday in front of the Sudanese Embassy in Washington as they protested the expulsion of aid groups in Darfur. [...]

Ellison, experiencing his first civil disobedience arrest, acknowledged feeling some stress. "I felt my mouth run dry, and the cuffs digging into my skin," he said. "Quite frankly, I was calm on the outside, but I was slightly freaked out."

For much of his term, Rep. Ellison has generally avoided controversy, no doubt as a result of being branded "the Muslim in Congress" by the likes of Virgil Goode and his ilk upon his entrance into Congress in 2006. I am glad to see that Ellison is not content to be an effective but quiet member of Congress forever.

"How many news outlets had Darfur in any of their story lines this morning?" [Rick Jauert, Ellison's chief of staff] said. "There are 1.3 million lives that hang in the balance here, and nobody was doing a story on that until this happened."

Good on you, Congressman. Way to make Minnesota proud.

Side note to Virginia folk: I was this close to titling this "5th District Congressman gets arrested for protesting Darfur genocide." This close.

Hope, Change, and merchandise tie-ins: Obama-themed water!!

2009-04-28T14:10:00.001-07:00

Thirsty? Losing HOPE? Got some spare CHANGE? Well, do we have a treat for you!

Maine-based Mountain Desert Spring Water is now marketing H-2-Obama bottled water. Emblazoned with the 44th President's likeness and no doubt imbued with awesome Obama goodness, it is only the latest in a continuing line of Obama-themed weird merchandise (including an Obama bobble-head I saw in DC the day before Inauguration).

One would think that as the election ends, a new administration begins and Obama begins to come under fire, the market for Barack-based merchandise would more or less, you know... dry up.

Har har.

whiskey tango foxtrot

2009-04-27T20:26:00.000-07:00

Further proof that we as a human race are being tested. Global economic recession, Dick Cheney's repeated television appearances, swine flu, and now this:

Creed, described once by comedian David Cross as "the fourth worst band in the history of ever," is planning a reunion.

Oh man.

I don't really have a story here. Just... oh man.

Why?

Creepycool Presidents on parade!

2009-04-27T19:19:00.001-07:00

This is just too cool.

[h/t to NotLarrySabato]

Keira Knightley ad banned in UK

2009-04-27T18:22:00.000-07:00

Keira Knightley's PSA about the dangers of domestic violence, titled "The Cut," has been deemed too violent for UK audiences, says British news outlet The Independent. According to UK censors, some of its scenes, including a final scene in which she is violently kicked by her abusive boyfriend, are too violent and could presumably undue stress on viewers.

"It seems pathetic. It is really important to raise awareness about domestic violence, and TV gets into people's homes" said Sandra Horely, chief executive of Refuge, a charity that provides accommodation for women and children escaping from domestic violence.
"Many women who are victims of domestic violence are isolated by their partner, and in these situations TV is very helpful. It is also a great way to reach the public and raise awareness of the issue," said Ms Horely.

Women's Aid, the organization for whom the ad was produced, argue that it is appropriate in its level of realistic violence, and that a point was made to base the ad on anecdotal evidence from abused individuals. In other words, the violence that is so "offensive" is in fact real.

So, yes, it's offensively, disturbingly violent. This is the Brechtian point of the ad. To remind the viewership that (1) this happens in real life, not just in movies, and (2) if the viewer is a victim of this type of violence, he or she is not alone.

In my opinion (being neither an abused individual nor a citizen of the United Kingdom), there is no argument compelling enough to convince me that a well-produced and emotionally compelling PSA should be shelved for being too realistic. No such thing. I call it cowardice.

There's no excuse for intimate partner violence, and there's also no excuse for covering it up.

The ad in question - trigger warning:

What Would Ginsberg Do? Poems for Obama's first 100 days

2009-04-26T19:18:00.000-07:00

Poets Arielle Greenberg and Rachel Zucker have begun a project entitled Starting Today: Poems for the First 100 Days, to celebrate the early days of the Obama administration. According to the Huffington Post, they were inspired to action by Obama's choice of inaugural poet in Elizabeth Alexander:

[Arielle] Greenberg told the website Village Soup, "This administration knows what it's doing, about poetry even." The two featured Alexander's Inaugural poem "Praise Song for the Day" on day one of the new administration. They asked friends and colleagues to fill the other 99 days, giving them some simple guidelines: "to write poems that respond, however loosely, to the presidency, the nation, the government or the current political climate."

The link to the blog is here. I encourage anyone with the time to do so to take a few moments and read a few poems. Write a few poems. Consume something for the sake of your spirit.

In these trying times it's important to nourish one's soul. We can take care of ourselves, and we can take care of each other, but we can only do both when we act with loving mindfulness.

PSA

2009-04-24T14:48:00.000-07:00

Brothers and sisters, here's the deal.

I don't just write this blog for my own entertainment (okay, partially for my own entertainment, but still...). I want to hear what you good folks are thinking. It's been over a month since I got a comment, and some things just don't work right without a second voice. Example:

1: Who's on first?
2: ...

See? No dice. Or even this:

1: Knock, knock.
2: ...

Still nada. So here's the dealio.

I'm going be away from civilization for a couple days. Anybody who reads this during that time (or anytime, really!), please take a minute and leave me a note. Doesn't have to be long, or nice, or even totally coherent (i.e. "ur blog sux n u r stoopid" is welcome), but just tell me what you think. If you hate the blog, if you love the blog, if you've never read it before and have no idea what I'm talking about. Marriage and business proposals will be given consideration.

That's all!

Thank you, my lovelies!

Musical interlude

2009-04-23T22:42:00.000-07:00

I've been writing papers nonstop for what feels like a million hours. Here's a musical interlude for y'all. One of my favorite duets, Bob Dylan and Van Morrison, singing Morrison's tune "Crazy Love." Awesome.

Republican romance novel: The Terrorist Watch by Ronald Kessler

2009-04-23T20:26:00.001-07:00

In the course of my studies this semester, I have been introduced to a book I'd like you all to look at. It's called The Terrorist Watch: Inside the Desperate Race to Stop the Next Attack, by Ronald Kessler. It ostensibly discusses the current threat of terrorism against the United States, and provides a breakdown "behind the scenes" analysis of related government agencies (FBI, CIA, etc.), thus demonstrating how exactly we're keeping the enemy away from the gates.

To be completely fair, I have not read the book in its entirety, only the sections that my professor has given out as handouts. However, what I have read is frankly... hilarious. Some choice selections (best consumed if read aloud in a breathy film noir narrator voice):

[General Michael Hayden, then-CIA Director] is a warm, what-you-see-is-what-you-get kind of man, comfortable in his own skin. That skin has the healthy glow that comes from a regimen of running fifteen to twenty miles a week. The command and breadth of Hayden's knowledge is encyclopedic, and he relishes talking about intelligence matters, but not secrets.

When asked about matters that might be classified, he clams up and conveys closed body language--legs crossed and arms folded tightly across his chest. When troubled, he lowers his soft brown eyes and holds a hand to his balding head. He often makes a point by waving an empty water bottle.

Ah yes. The CIA director's soft brown eyes. Several pages later, now studying the inner workings of the FBI, we learn that John Miller was brought in as the FBI's assistant director for public affairs. That's wonderful. Then, right in between Miller's initial evaluation of Osama bin Laden and Miller's career plans, Kessler takes a lovely little detour through Miller's personal life:

In June 2002, when Miller was a 20/20 anchor, People magazine named Miller one of the country's top fifty bachelors. In the accompanying article, Miller admitted he was sick of being single.

"I've done all the things a guy wants to do," he said. "I always thought you would find the person; there would be angels and music and you would just know."

It goes on for several more paragraphs, including the fun fact that watch collector Miller "would show up at hundreds of crime scenes alternately wearing a Rolex, a Patek Philippe, or an Omega."

Finally, the coup de grace (emphasis mine):

[FBI Director Robert Mueller] conducts an interview in his shirtsleeves, a G-man white oxford cloth with a subdued Brooks Brothers tie. While he is handsome, with silvery hair that he smooths down thoughtfully as he speaks, what impresses most is his commanding presence. He has the demeanor of an FBI agent combined with a prosecutor, which he once was. [...]

There are dark circles under his heavy-lidded brown eyes. When he utters the words "nuclear device," he knits his brow and clenches his teeth. At one point when he is discussing the possibility of a nuclear threat from terrorists, an anxious thought lifts his left eyebrow like an arrow poised in flight.

That's right, folks. Now we've seen it all. The Republican Romance Novel: Awkwardly homoerotic, filled with unending praise and hero-worship for the Bush Administration and lots and lots of Dr. Strangelove references.

President Bartlet comes out for EFCA. Toby & Josh are there, too.

2009-04-23T17:13:00.000-07:00

Martin "Katie's favorite President/Latin-speaking father figure" Sheen, Bradley "from Wisconsin so he's cool by me" Whitford and Richard "my friend Andrew saw him at an airport" Schiff have come out in favor the Employee Free Choice Act. Like any good Democrat, I'm a fan of organized labor and the West Wing (not necessarily in that order). Enjoy:

[h/t to Anonymous Is A Woman]

Secret liberal goes undercover at Liberty University, joins clubs, attends classes, writes book. The Aristocrats!

2009-04-22T19:38:00.000-07:00

Kevin Roose, an undergraduate at Brown University, wanted to learn more about the conservative Christian way of life. So he did what any Ivy Leaguer would do: went undercover and enrolled for one semester at Liberty University.

"As a responsible American citizen, I couldn't just ignore the fact that there are a lot of Christian college students out there," said Roose, 21, now a Brown senior. "If I wanted my education to be well-rounded, I had to branch out and include these people that I just really had no exposure to." [...]
He lined up a publisher - Grand Central Publishing - and arrived at the Lynchburg campus prepared for "hostile ideologues who spent all their time plotting abortion clinic protests and sewing Hillary Clinton voodoo dolls."
Instead, he found that "not only are they not that, but they're rigorously normal."

He met students who use Bible class to score dates, apply to top law schools and fret about their futures, and who enjoy gossip, hip-hop and R-rated movies - albeit in a locked dorm room.

A roommate he depicts as aggressively anti-gay - all names are changed in the book - is an outcast on the hall, not a role model.

Yet, some students also grilled him about his relationship with Jesus and condemned non-believers to hell.

After a gunman at Virginia Tech killed 32 people in April 2007, a Liberty student said the deaths paled next to the millions of abortions worldwide - a comment Roose says infuriated him.

Dude. No kidding.

I must say, above and beyond the sheer guts it must have taken to go into "deep cover" like this, his ability to keep his mouth shut and not "out" himself to his classmates is truly incredible. The story even describes a budding relationship that he cut off in its prime, to protect his secret.

That said, the one time I found myself on the campus of Liberty University (one of several times I got lost in Lynchburg; apparently the city just wants to keep me there forever... and ever...) I found the atmosphere there indescribably... creepy.

Madame Secretary, you're my favorite.

2009-04-22T19:01:00.000-07:00

This is why Democrats are hot:

Bottom line: We took one approach for 8 years. It didn't work so great. Now we're trying something new, because we're in charge now and that's our prerogative. So I invite you in the spirit of bipartisanship, to suck it.

Oh, snap.

[h/t to Lowell at BlueVirginia]

Happy Earth Day!

2009-04-22T08:32:00.000-07:00

Brothers and sisters,

Happy Earth Day, everyone!

On the slim chance that it is not GORGEOUS wherever you are right now, here is a fun enviro-subversive goodie to watch: The Story of Stuff. I also highly recommend Fern Gully and the much-maligned Captain Planet and the Planeteers if you're staying in.

However, if it's nice outside, enjoy it! Have a wonderful day on this wonderful Earth! And if you feel so inclined, write your Senators and Congresspeople to tell them about this beautiful Earth, and how important you know it is to protect it!

Also, go find this book and read it to your children:

Have a WONDERFUL DAY! :-)

Love,
Katie

Russ Feingold: Prosecute those who allowed torture. Gloves off, game on.

2009-04-21T16:42:00.000-07:00

Let me start by saying this: I was raised in Wisconsin, and for as long as I can remember, Russ Feingold has been my Senator. And for as long as I can remember, I have been incredibly proud to be represented by him.

Today is another good day to be a Wisconsinite. For the last eight years, Sen. Feingold was one of the most vocal critics of United States involvement in torture practices, illegal detention and other actions that came as a result of 9/11 and other terrorism threats. Today he showed that he was NOT being a partisan hack, as some called him, but a man who stood up for justice, regardless of politics.

Sam Stein of the Huffington Post reports the following:

Senator Russ Feingold, one of the harshest critics of the Bush administration's national security policies, says he cannot bring himself to support President Obama's apparent decision not to investigate or prosecute illegalities from those years.
"Part of what troubles me are the lawyers -- we should see their law school degrees -- who consciously wrote these memos justifying and explaining full well those outrageous arguments," the Wisconsin Democrat said on Tuesday in reference to the Bush-era torture memos released last week.

According to the article, Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel and David Axelrod (of campaign fame) have stated that going after former Bush administration Blue Meanies could be tantamount to political suicide, so they won't.

Glad to see that Feingold isn't such a coward, and isn't afraid to hold the people accountable, and won't "just keep walking" as Peggy Noonan would suggest.

Cheeseheads, unite. We have a beautiful home state, and a damn good Senator to boot. Go team.

'Cause Freedom Ain't Free: The American Tea Party Anthem

2009-04-21T16:13:00.000-07:00

Matthew Yglesias of ThinkProgress brings us this gem, stating that he is "reliably informed" that this is not a parody and is, in fact, legit. Enjoy:

Good god, y'all. Yglesias states that is generally unaware of any accusations of racism as a response to criticism of our President. At any rate, this brings to mind "America, F*ck Yeah!" from Team America: World Police. Probably not the intended result, but there you go.

UPDATE: Virgil Goode event rescheduled

2009-04-21T15:30:00.000-07:00

Previously on this blog we mentioned a speech that ex-Congressman Virgil Goode (R-VA) was scheduled to give at Liberty University, entitled "The Creeping Influence of Islam on America." This event was canceled, but has now been rescheduled.

So, once again, Virginians: Go forth!

The info, found on the Virginian Federalist:

Date: April 27, 2009

Time: 7:30pm - 9:30pm

Place: Johnson Center Bistro - George Mason University - Fairfax Campus

Please see http://mason.yafva.org for more information.

As always, make sure to bring a video camera if you're able, and come ready to ask Virgil the questions he should be asked.

Also, anyone near University of North Carolina with a free Wednesday night tomorrow should go over and see him speak, sponsored by the right-wing group Youth for Western Civilization.

h/t to JohnCos

Columbine, ten years later

2009-04-20T14:46:00.001-07:00

Today is the 10th anniversary of the shootings at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado.

I struggle with something to say. It was the first public tragedy that I really remember, and the first time that I ever thought I would have to fear. I feel compelled to say something profound.

I was 13 years old, a few months away from the end of middle school. Looking forward to starting at Nicolet High School, the big shiny school down the road. Everything seemed fine. And then this. Confusion, followed by sadness, followed by fear. The realization that school, where our parents sent us to study and be with our friends, could be dangerous. That our classmates and friends could bring us to harm, or worse. For the first time, the world seemed genuinely frightening.

There were no changes the next day at school. Protocol at the high school was different: security cameras, backpack checks, metal detectors. The line was so long, school had to be delayed almost an hour to give everyone time to get in the building. The good it did seemed questionable. From what I was told, the presence of the metal detectors may have created fear and suspicion when there was otherwise little or none.

The impulse is strong to editorialize about the mistakes made in the following days and weeks: the ridiculous demonization of video games, the criticism of teenage fashion, the inevitable issue of gun laws. I suppose that by exploring these things, the pain of the actual event can be compartmentalized and analyzed into a corner. But that's not what this is about.

This time of year seems to breed violence. Virginia Tech shooting on the 16th. Oklahoma City bombing on the 19th. I wish there were an answer, a cure. Doesn't seem to be one.

What we can do is remember the event. Remember the sorrow we felt, for this tragedy and our own personal tragedies. Try to learn and grow from it. Bear in mind that we are responsible for our brothers and sisters, and their pain is ours as well. We can keep living, for ourselves and for those who cannot.

In Memoriam.
Cassie Bernall, age 17. Steve Curnow, age 14. Corey DePooter, age 17. Kelly Fleming, age 16. Matt Kechter, age 16. Daniel Mauser, age 15. Daniel Rohrbough, age 15. Rachel Scott, age 17. Isaiah Shoels, age 18. John Tomlin, age 16. Lauren Townsend, age 18. Kyle Velasquez, age 16. Dave Sanders, age 47.

MTV for the common good. Wait, what?

2009-04-19T10:18:00.000-07:00

Looks like everyone's getting on the feel-good train these days. Even MTV, long a favorite source of lowbrow T&A, questionable fashion choices, and role models for anyone looking to score with that sleazy fratboy down the hall, is looking to change their ways.

From the New York Times:

Meet MTV for the era of Obama. After years of celebrating wealth, celebrity and the vapid excesses of youth, MTV is trying to gloss its escapist entertainment with a veneer of positive social messages.
Last fall, after the financial crisis erupted but before the presidential election, MTV executives gathered in New York for meetings to discuss the direction of the network and whether programs like “The Hills,” which chronicles the lives of the young and rich in Los Angeles, and “My Super Sweet 16,” a weekly visit to over-the-top coming-out parties, had trapped MTV in a decadent age that was passing.

For anyone who has lacked the pleasure of "My Super Sweet 16," it's about a half-step above "The Simple Life" (which follows Paris Hilton and a friend around as they gawk and awkwardly giggle about the lives of the proletariat). "The Hills" is not much better.

One point of discussion at the meetings was whether shows about rich young girls were still relevant.
“It was very clear we were at one of those transformational moments, when this new generation of millennials were demanding a new MTV,” said Stephen Friedman, MTV’s general manager, using the term for those born between 1980 and 2000.
In the era that was passing, Mr. Friedman said, “the humor was more cynical, the idea of community seemed earnest and not cool. It’s the opposite now.”

This is genuinely encouraging. The fact that MTV recognizes its ability to influence a highly impressionable demographic, and are choosing to take some of the high road -despite the fact that it's a strategic business decision- shows that there are people up on top that don't want to progress to the point of "Ow, My Balls!"-type entertainment. Good on them.

In the meantime, could you at least show some music videos? Maybe once in a while?

I'm okay, you're okay, we're all okay: why we need Susan Boyle

2009-04-18T20:58:00.000-07:00

At this point, just about everyone in the English-speaking world with internet access has seen this video. In a real-life reworking of the ugly duckling cliche, the unlikely contestant wows audience (and Simon Cowell) by playing against type. Along with the e-frenzy over this admittedly moving and genuinely pure performance comes the commentary.

The Huffington Post's Mark Blankenship makes good points about why this clip has taken off (over 28 million YouTube hits so far), and why it came at just the right time.

Money quote:

[The appeal of the clip is] partially because Boyle herself seems so lovely, but it's also because this clip enacts a story that we want to be true. No matter how much we mock those we consider beneath us, it's much more satisfying to be reminded that everyone has dignity.

That's because when we laugh at someone for being a freak, we're laughing out of fear. We're laughing because we want to prove that we are not like that loser over there. If we can shame the people who don't belong, then we can prove that we do.

When we embrace an outsider, though, we're paving the way for our own acceptance in the future. Eventually, we'll all feel like outcasts, and none of us wants to be laughed at. The Susan Boyle Story suggests we won't be. Instead of fearing for our own eventual shame, we can count on society to hear what's beautiful in us. We can trust that if we just show our true selves, we will be embraced.

I think this is an important point to make: We need the vindication of Boyle's success as much as she needs it. That if we, the collective human audience, allow ourselves to be vulnerable, we may be rewarded and not humiliated.

Watching an older person---especially an older person who doesn't seem very hip---prove she still has time to emerge from her cocoon is exciting because it reminds us that we can still sort through our own problems. No matter how old we are, we're dealing with something, and it's refreshing to be told that that's okay.

We need these affirmations, particularly these days. As things seem bleak and jobs are disappearing day by day, it's good to know that there is still beauty left to discover. That we all may have hidden value. That we just need to hang in there, and keep on truckin'.

Roy Zimmerman: "Thanks for the Support"

2009-04-17T12:16:00.001-07:00

Found this guy Roy Zimmerman on YouTube today. This song in particular resonated:

Support our troops. Bring them home. Then get them quality health care and a top-tier education.

Iowa marriage clerks may refuse to license gay couples

2009-04-17T11:15:00.000-07:00

Now that the lovely state of Iowa has legalized same-sex marriage, the inevitable fallout has begun. According to the Des Moines Register, some county clerks have contemplated refusing to issue licenses to same-sex couples on the basis of religious objection. Quote:

“This is putting us in a very, very difficult position here,” Wayne County Recorder Angela Horton said Thursday in an interview. “But sometimes you have to put aside your personal beliefs, your religious beliefs, when you’re doing a job you’ve sworn under oath to provide.”

After hearing rumblings of discontent, a state official sent a strongly worded note to all recorders Thursday explaining why they should obey the Iowa Supreme Court ruling legalizing same-sex marriage when it takes effect April 27.

Victoria Hutton of the Iowa Department of Public Health informed recorders that the ruling has the force of law statewide: “All county recorders in the state of Iowa are required to comply with the Varnum decision … and to issue marriage licenses to same sex couples in the same manner as licenses issued to opposite gender applicants.”

Of course, Iowa Republican leadership wasted no time in coming to the defense of good, God-fearing heterosexuals everywhere:

Sen. David Hartsuch, R-Bettendorf, crafted a proposal Thursday that would allow recorders to opt out of same-sex marriage licenses. It would be similar to a “conscience clause” in the medical field that allows doctors to opt out of performing abortion, he said.

Hartsuch pointed out that the court ruling states: “Religious doctrine and views contrary to this principle of law are unaffected.”

According to the Senate Democratic Leader Mike Gronstal, this proposal is “blatantly unconstitutional.”

This raises the question: If part of your job involves performing a service or action that you deem antithetical to your faith or religion, do you have the right to refuse? Moreover, does your employer have the right to fire you for refusing?

For my money, if you have a job right now, be grateful. If you go into a job with the knowledge that you may be asked to perform duties you seem unsavory, you have three options. One, quit your job. Two, refuse to do these duties, and expect to be fired. Three, suck it up and do your job, taking counsel from your particular religious leader if you wish.

Anyone else have two cents to share?

whiskey tango foxtrot: GOP identity crisis!

2009-04-17T08:31:00.000-07:00

On yesterday's Good Morning America, the Huffington Post reports, Louisiana Governor Bobby "Kenneth the Page" Jindal publicly rebuked former VP Dick Cheney's comments that President Obama was making Americans "less safe." From the article:

"Democrat or Republican," Jindal responded, "we should all agree that our current President and our former President would obviously want to do everything they could to keep us safe. I don't think we should question President Obama's patriotism or his intentions."

"Let's give the new administration a chance. Let's not question their intentions, but let's have a real debate on their policies," Jindal added. "We should give the new administration a chance ... I don't think we should question Obama's patriotism. ... At the end of the day, I don't think we should be questioning the administration's intention, but I think it's good to have an honest debate."

Also, Steve Schmidt, a former McCain aide, will be making a speech to a gay Republican group (gay Republicans? who knew?) in support of the GOP adopting a pro-gay marriage platform. From CNN:

"There is a sound conservative argument to be made for same-sex marriage," Schmidt will say, according to speech excerpts obtained by CNN. "I believe conservatives, more than liberals, insist that rights come with responsibilities. No other exercise of one's liberty comes with greater responsibilities than marriage." [...]
On the policy front, Schmidt likens the fight for gay rights to civil rights and women's rights, and he admonishes conservatives who argue for the protection of the unborn as a God-given right, but against protections for same-sex couples.

Between the Tax Day Tea Party silliness and now Texas Governor Perry's comments that his home state should maybe think about seceding... is it looking to anyone else like the right is getting more and more desperate for press, and accidentally marginalizing themselves in the process? Almost as if they've realized they no longer have the majority opinion... and are pulling a massive U-turn to try and get a few back on board.

More to the point... when GWB got put into office, did we on the Left look this ridiculous? How embarassing.

In memoriam

2009-04-16T18:19:00.001-07:00

Summer is on its way here. As the skin of the earth wakes up and begins to bud and grow, I am brought memories of six months ago, and of a year ago.

A year ago, I was parsing a future in politics. Six months ago, I had just left Virginia. With it, I left a piece of my heart and a trove of memories.

I am thinking of the hills of Virginia tonight. Today is the second anniversary of a tragedy, the shooting at Virginia Tech that left too many dead and wounded. It is an adopted home for me, and I was far away, on my own campus in Minnesota on the day, but I feel compelled to share something. What I can offer are memories. What good it will do, I don't know. But nevertheless.

The blur of dense green leaf-thick foliage as it rushes past, forming a single streak. The air, heavy with humidity, the vague scent of sweat and farmland and diesel fuel lingering. The sun, crawling lazily towards the horizon, tinting the world in silvers and blues as it highlights the distant mountains.

The twinkle of stars and the heavy luminescence of the moon as you pull over on the side of a country road, headed home long past sunset, taking that much-needed deep breath. Taking a moment to take things in. The glow of a cell phone ringing, the only sound on a long, silent drive home, too late at night.

And as it dissolves behind you, into time and mystery and memory, as it begins to slip from your grasp and you begin to return to the everyday life of Thoreau's quiet desperation... know that you made a difference.

That once, perhaps just once, you made a small difference, to a few people.

And you may never be able to come home again, but the mountains will remain. The fog will remain. The trees and the birds and the Dan river. All will remain. And you may return, if only in your mind.

Virgil Goode, in his natural habitat

2009-04-15T22:37:00.000-07:00

Well, everyone else has done it, so here I go as well. Everyone's favorite love-to-hate-him ex-Congressman Virgil Goode (snatched from the Martinsville Bulletin):

I'm really not sure what's going on in this picture, but his onlookers seem strangely disillusioned. Or maybe that's just how Republicans look in Henry County. Hard to say.

I don't think it's a stretch to say that if you took this man out of his home turf and put him in Speakers' Corner in London's Hyde Park, he would likely be mistaken for a raving lunatic. Can't imagine why.

Also, is the woman on the left holding a picture of Mrs. Potts' evil twin (complete with Evil Chip?)? Dear god, now he's destroying precious childhood memories...

Guerilla journalism! Get to it, people!

2009-04-14T19:30:00.000-07:00

Brothers and sisters,

Tomorrow is Tax Day! And to celebrate our annual giving to our government, Fox News has graciously helped to organize various Tax Day Tea Parties all over the country.

Find your local one here. And then once you get there, take pictures and video of the crazy rioters (you know, the ones who frown so heavily on antiwar protests?). Interview anyone you can, find out what their personal reason is. For bonus points, ask what they think about burning those college books. You know, the ones with that evolution crap in them.

I, for one, have unavoidable plans for tomorrow and will be unable to attend. But anyone who does, please report back here (via comment, or e-mail and I'll post it) with whatever hi-jinks you find. While I would never endorse my readers misrepresenting themselves to get information, I've been told that calling yourself a freelance journalist can get you a lot of answers.

Remember, bring your cameras! I can't wait to see what you find!!

Love,
Katie

"I have here in my hand a list... of people I do not like!"

2009-04-14T07:37:00.000-07:00

There are enemies among us, friends. Worse than Nazis. Worse than the Reds. Socialists. Anti-Americans, this lot. I know this because Rep. Spencer Bachus (R-AL) says so. According to him, there are seventeen known Socialists in the House of Representatives.

He has refused to name them, of course, but that doesn't stop him from speaking. According to the Huffington Post:

When asked for specifics, Bachus named only one legislator -- Sanders, a self-described "democratic socialist," whose vision of a socialist safety net is more Stockholm than Stalingrad.
Bachus' spokesman hasn't responded to numerous requests from POLITICO to name the other 16 lawmakers. [...]

Here's hoping Bachus hasn't seen The Manchurian Candidate. Otherwise that number might escalate all the way to 57, reminiscing of course to the other famous politician from Wisconsin, in the dark days before Russ Feingold.

Also, on a side note... since when is it illegal or un-American to be a socialist? I thought part of the whole "freedom of thought" business was the freedom to believe in any governmental system you wanted, provided you didn't try to overthrow the one that's currently in place. Or am I missing something?

I am reminded of the "Obama is a secret Muslim" business during the 2008 campaign. The right was whooping and hollering all over about being a Muslim, but at the end of the day, what's wrong with being a Muslim? Bill O'Reilly, what about being a Muslim would make someone unfit for duty as President?

Gah. Socialism. This place. Gah.

Aeschylus at large in Chicago. Sophocles and Euripides wanted for questioning.

2009-04-13T13:06:00.000-07:00

To the City of Chicago:

Your baseball fans must be stopped. They have gone too far. Specifically, your Cubs fans.

I speak of the dead goat that was found this morning, hanging from a statue of Harry Caray in front of Wrigley Field, presumably in an attempt to undo the 64-year-old Curse of the Billy Goat. In 2007 the same thing happened in an attempt to get the Cubs through the World Series. Didn't work then, either.

On a side note, the word tragedy is based on the Greek word τραγωδία or tragōidia, which translates as "goat song." Specifically the squawking, keening sound a goat makes when its throat is cut in ritual sacrifice, done in the course of celebrating the City Dionysia festival, a spring celebration of fertility, drama, wine, and song.

So, maybe Chicago, in the spirit of expanding cultural horizons, has begun its own Dionysia festival. Maybe they'll even build their own Theatre of Dionysus (pictured). If so, I can't wait!

Unless, of course, it's drunken rowdy sports fans who are willing to do anything to get their team a win.

Apology with Peeps!

2009-04-12T19:24:00.000-07:00

I realize the last post may be seen as insulting or insufficiently sensitive to the importance of today's holiday. So, in the spirit of contrition and friendship, I present you with Peep-related entertainment:

Cooking with Peeps

and

No Wrong Way to Eat a Peep

Finally, the ever-popular Washington Post Peeps Diorama Contest. My favorites are #7 and #34.

Enjoy!

Happy Easter!

2009-04-11T23:05:00.000-07:00

Happy Easter, everyone! (Translation for non-Christians and cranky Unitarians: Happy Zombie Jesus Day!)

This isn't my holiday, and so instead of making stuff up to talk about regarding this festive and vitally important Christian holiday, I went to the best source I know of ("best" in this case defined as excluding the rabbi, pastor, nuns, and past and present Divinity students I know. Because what would be the fun in that?).

What I learned from Wikipedia is that Easter marks the beginning of Eastertide, which lasts until Pentecost, fifty days from today (at which point I'll be asking someone to explain Pentecost to me, please!). It marks the resurrection of Christ after three days on the cross (check your local gospels for more details on this. Luke's my favorite). At which point, Christ laid an egg, from which hatched a bunny rabbit, and that's why we have six more weeks of winter.

Right? Maybe not. But it's a big deal, and there are floral print dresses. Sweet. :-)

In all seriousness, though... It is my hope that this spring season proves to be as bountiful and full of hope for each one of us as is possible. May it be a time for us all to recall our covenant and contract with our fellow man, to give of our time, talent or treasure, making this world we share better for all of us.

Failing that, let's go dye some hardboiled eggs. Always my favorite part. The smell of vinegar and wax takes me right back to childhood.

One night only! Virgil Goode, performing his greatest hits!

2009-04-11T22:12:00.000-07:00

Virgil Goode is slated to speak at Liberty University on the topic of "Radical Islam's Creeping Influence on America." Holy mother of god. Someone gave him a microphone.

That's right. From the Facebook event page:

Come out and hear Congressman Goode speak on the dangers of Radical Islam and it's attack on our Country.

Ignoring for the moment the misuse of apostrophe and capitalization (and the fact that Goode is in fact an ex-Congressman, but we'll leave that for the moment), here's the most recent info on the event. Keep checking back to the Facebook page to see when the location is announced:

Date:	Thursday, April 16, 2009
Time:	7:00pm - 9:00pm
Location:	TBA
Street:	1971 University Blvd.
City/Town:	Lynchburg, VA

Any progressive folks in the area, see if you can get your tuchis down to this event. Ask him the questions he deserves to be asked. Don't let him preach to the choir.

Remind him that Americans will not tolerate hate speech, will not tolerate discrimination, will not tolerate willful ignorance any longer.

The people spoke, and they said no more Virgil Goode. Time for him to write his memoirs and fade into obscurity.

Have poetry, will travel.

2009-04-11T21:52:00.000-07:00

Going through some old boxes in the basement (spring cleaning and all) I came across this poem, used in a homework assignment several years ago. I can't decide if it's insightful in its simplicity, or hilariously ridiculous in its Dr. Seuss-ness.

What do you think?

Don't

Welcome back!
Have a great year!
And now that we've got you here,
Just a few things for us to share:

Don't smoke
Don't drink
Don't deface
The bathroom sink

Don't speak
Don't smile
Don't step
Out of file

Don't squirm
Don't stare
Don't throw things
In the air

Don't breathe
Don't shout
You're here to study,
Not to doubt

Don't ask
Just say "no"
You're here to learn,
Not to grow.

-Unknown

Any takers?

Nat'l Org. for Marriage: Gay marriage will eat your children!!

2009-04-10T09:50:00.000-07:00

Well, it's that time of year again. When the real problem facing this country (economy, war, healthcare, education, take your pick) becomes too boring or complex or grisly for the general public to stomach it anymore, and so the lights are turned on elsewhere. Seems to me the two old/new issues at stake right now are drug laws and gay marriage (Quick sidey: TIME Magazine's Joe Klein has an amusing and surprisingly insightful proposal for marijuana legalization. Check it out).

On the topic of same-sex marriage, the right-wingers are naturally out in full force. As everyone knows, legalized gay marriage will cause the destruction of all life and tear the fabric of existence as we know it. America will burn to the ground, just like Sodom and Gomorrah. Pedophilia, beastiality and tree-fucking will run rampant. It's a miracle that we've survived this far. And with same-sex marriage bans being struck down all over the country (Cheers to Iowa and Vermont, our most recent friends at the table) the National Organization for Marriage has come out with this gem just in time:

So... there you go. Titled "A Gathering Storm", its purpose (as described on the organization's website, is to "[bring] viewers face to face with the growing religious liberty threat posed by same-sex marriage." It's part of a larger operation, dubiously titled the Religious Liberty Campaign. Yikes.

"My freedom will be taken away." What? I didn't realize that making same-sex marriage legal made all other marriages null and void. Also, what is this crap about "I'm a doctor who has to choose between my faith and my work"? Since when do doctors perform marriages? Unless this woman is suggesting that she cannot treat a patient married to a member of their own sex, which I'm pretty sure would result in a lost medical license, or at least a lawsuit. Idiots. I'm no doctor, but I know that you treat the patient in front of you. Period. Something about Hippocrates, I don't know...

Also, to the "Massachusetts parent" who is "helplessly" watching her public school-educated children get indoctrinated by the nefarious gay agenda... you look like you've got some cash to burn. Put them in private school. Or -here's a thought- TALK TO YOUR KIDS. There is such a thing as parental involvement in a child's life, and if you really disagree with what is being taught at the school, either take the kid to a different school or, much easier, sit down and talk to them.

Combine this clip with Glenn Beck's ludicrous tear-jerker bit, and the right becomes at once totally laughable and completely terrifying. When Chuck Norris and Joe the unlicensed Plumber are your celebrity mascots-turned-political consultants, that's a red flag.

Let the games begin.

L'chaim!

2009-04-08T12:45:00.000-07:00

Tonight at sundown, Passover begins. All over the world, Jews are gathering with their families and friends to celebrate the Seder. As the sun sets over the world, prayers are said in waves, echoing across land and sea. The words of our ancestors.

This observance is easily my favorite part of Jewish tradition. It is arguably the most important holiday, after of course the High Holy days. The presence of family and the connectedness of generations of tradition is a huge part of what it means to be Jewish. It is the time of year when family members will travel great distances to their parents' or relatives' homes, to reconnect and rejoin with their kin. In some ways, it is a Jewish Thanksgiving, albeit with a hunt for missing matzoh in lieu of football and beer.

The course of the Pesach Seder ("seder" literally meaning "order") tells the story of the persecution and ultimate exile of Jews from Egypt. More recently, this story is discussed in the context of the Holocaust, and ultimately as an allegory for the danger of allowing tyranny and genocide to go unchecked. It is at this time that we give thanks for the ones in our lives, and remember those who have gone before us. It is at this time that we remind ourselves of our individual responsibility to help and provide for our fellow man.

And so we read from the Haggadah, and eat matzoh and charoset, and chuckle when the little ones spread too much maror on their food. There is matzoh ball soup and laughter and love. There is singing of songs, like Chad Gadya and family traditions.

And so together, let us say, "L'shanah haba'ah b'Yerushalayim!" Next year in Jerusalem.

And let us say together, Amen.

REMINDER: Wisconsin residents VOTE TODAY

2009-04-07T08:30:00.000-07:00

Quick reminder to all Wisconsin residents that

TODAY IS AN ELECTION DAY!!!

So get thee to a polling place and cast your vote!

Not sure if you're registered? Click here.

Can't remember your polling place? Click here.

If you are not registered, but are eligible to register, you may register at the polling place.

If you have been convicted of a felony but have completed your sentence, including probation and are "off paper," you are eligible to register and vote.

If you require assistance casting your ballot, ask an election official at the polling place for help.

If you suspect or see any kind of illegal activity, voter intimidation or disenfranchisement, take detailed notes and contact the authorities.

After all, it's only a democracy if everyone is given a fair turn in the booth.

Happy voting everyone! See you at the polls!

Major earthquake in Italy. Count your blessings; give to the Red Cross.

2009-04-06T09:40:00.000-07:00

Brothers and sisters, terrible news.

Major earthquake in L'Aquila, Italy this morning. 6.3 on the Richter scale. Struck at 3:30 in the morning, local time. More than 90 dead so far reported.

Reuters and Huffington Post/Associated Press have continuing coverage.

Speaking as someone who went through a major earthquake herself (remember the 1989 World Series in San Francisco?), I can say that the pain and horror during the quake itself is secondary to what follows immediately afterwards.

I was young, but I remember watching the sidewalk ripple and flow, like the tides at the beach. I remember the ground moving under us, my mother gathering my sister and I and taking us outside to take shelter under some small redwoods in our modest backyard. I remember the Bay Bridge, two layers of traffic pancaking into one, crushing some cars and occupants instantly, and sending others to their deaths in the water below.

Scary as hell, to be sure. And I can only imagine what is going through the minds of those in Italy today. A middle of the night earthquake, everyone sleeping in their beds, trusting in their safety until morning, and having that trust broken? I cannot grasp it.

So, give to the International Committe for the Red Cross, or the Italian Red Cross (site in Italian). Give to the charity of your choice. Help your fellow humans.

WI Supreme Court race heats up over gun ownership

2009-04-05T09:51:00.000-07:00

On Tuesday, Wisconsin will vote for Chief Justice of the state Supreme Court (an a few other seats, but who's counting?). The race is between incumbent Shirley Abrahamson and challenger Randy Koschnick currently a circuit court judge.

This race has been dirty from the beginning. There has been a slew of mud-slinging and dirty campaigning, largely in the form of television ads produced by Koschnick's camp.

Now, it seems that the Koschnick camp is declaring open season on Abrahamson's positions, in particular on the issue of gun ownership.

Challenger Randy Koschnick, a Jefferson County circuit judge, told Carroll University Republicans last week that a 2003 dissenting opinion written by Chief Justice Shirley Abrahamson showed a "hostility to gun owners" and their constitutional rights. ...
The latest dispute centers on a conviction for carrying a concealed weapon that the Supreme Court overturned.

The charge was filed after Milwaukee police found Munir A. Hamdan, the owner of a grocery and liquor store who had been robbed several times, carrying a handgun in the store in 1999.

Koschnick said he was glad that a Supreme Court majority ignored Abrahamson and overturned Hamdan's conviction. He said voters approved a constitutional amendment that "enshrines" the rights of Wisconsin residents to have guns to protect themselves, to hunt and to use for any other legal purpose.

For gun owners such as Hamdan, the constitutional guarantee "supersedes" Wisconsin's law against carrying concealed weapons, Koschnick said.

The case involved "a guy with a gun, in his own store, who is protecting himself and his own family," he said.

This is all well and good. Gun rights are a big deal all over the country, and Wisconsin is no exception. The most popular pastime, in a statewide survey, was fishing. Hunting was in the top five. (Presumably "getting drunk and yelling at the Packers' coach on television" was not an option) So, while this certainly comes across as a desperate attempt on Koschnick's part to smear the incumbent even further, it's a legitimate question.

Koschnick has been consistently unable to match Abrahamson in fundraising, and apparently has spent most of his cash on television ads. He's not as qualified, and his campaign style strikes me as a few breaths away from Virgil "New Yawk Lawyah" Goode in terms of bitter and mean-spirited, in lieu of substantive dialogue.

So, here's my endorsement: Re-elect Shirley Abrahamson as Chief Justice to the Wisconsin Supreme Court. May the best man or woman win.

If you are a Wisconsin resident, don't forget to vote! Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. If you are not registered or not sure, bring identification and proof of residency (a piece of mail is preferred) to the polling place and register on the day. If you or someone you see is turned away wrongly, etc., request to fill out (or tell them to fill out) a provisional ballot. Make your voice heard!

To find your polling place, check out the State Elections Board website. Otherwise, you can call your city hall and they should be able to direct you further.

Victory at home, tragedy abroad

2009-04-03T08:37:00.000-07:00

Two quick news bits.

One: Afghanistan has legalized rape within the confines of marriage. A woman cannot refuse her husband unless she is ill.

Two: Iowa's Supreme Court legalizes gay marriage. More specifically, it is no longer defined as being between a man and a woman, having found those determinations contrary to the state Constitution.

So... run with it.

Springtime: A beginning. An end.

2009-04-02T18:00:00.000-07:00

Springtime is a paradox. There are blossoms, and rain instead of snow, and it's safe to keep the windows open without danger of hypothermia. When the sun shines, there is no danger of snow-blindness. Things are looking up.

At the same time, in different ways, we are coming to an end.

As a student, the end of the semester is coming up quickly -- spring break begins tomorrow. Graduation is in only 5 weeks. Relationships get tested; will that boyfriend you found in Biology still be yours when the leaves start to turn red and flutter to the ground? Fear takes place of optimism: will I get a job in the worst economic climate since the Thirties? We begin the slow, agonizing process of packing and storing and donating clothes and slowly stripping away the creature comforts that have held us together this long.

Some endings are pronounced. Others not so much. Life on Mars ended its brief and glorious ABC run last night, finishing its course as the best show you've never seen and barely heard of. ER is halfway through its two-hour megafinale -- and rightly so, after fifteen years on the air.

The wheels keep on turning. No way to stop the seasons or time marching forward. You can drag your heels but all you'll get are calluses.

On the other hand... cherry blossoms will be coming to Washington soon. The sun will shine more often than not. We'll take our flip-flops out of the closet and go forth with courage. Out into the light.

The G-20 Summit, in 300 words or less.

2009-04-02T13:40:00.000-07:00

Okay, so the economic and political leaders of Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, South Korea, Turkey, the United Kingdom, the United States and the European Union all walk into a bar.

Bartender says, "What is this, a joke?"

Nope! It's the 2009 G-20 Summit! Held every year since 1999 (and twice last year, both in Brazil and in our own Washington, DC), it gets the bigwigs of the world's major economies together to see if we can't try and fix things, just a touch. Just a touch.

This year, Huffington Post has helpfully provided a slideshow giving a sneak peek into the world of diplomats in their natural habitat. As it turns out, they are by turns as silly, cranky, and disorganized as the rest of us. And Canada was running late.

I think my only real comment about this (other than, hooray, it's about damn time!) is to remark how interesting and wonderful it is that this many nations can sit down together at a table and speak civilly about the problems that they are all, directly or indirectly, facing as leaders to their people.

Also, President Obama was apparently the voice of reason between France's Nicolas Sarkozy and China's Hu Jintao. ABC reports that he took them -individually- to speak with them in the corner.

Our President sent the heads of two world powers... to the corner. To make them play nice and share their toys. Dude. No wonder Sasha and Malia are so well-behaved. Their dad is the ultimate peacemaker.

Oh, and the Prime Minister of India asked Obama for his autograph, claiming it to be for his teenage daughter.

Sure, Mr. Singh. For your daughter...

Uh oh, Procrustes put up the "No Vacancy" sign again...

2009-04-01T21:37:00.000-07:00

So, this isn't really related to anything, but this story really grabbed me:

SC exhumes tall body rumored cut to fit in coffin

The short version: Local authoritiex exhumed the body of a man who had been "long rumored" to have been cut into pieces to fit into a prepaid coffin upon death. Upon opening the casket, they found exactly what they thought they would.

This is of interest to me because it recalls vaguely the story of Procrustes the Innkeeper from Greek legend. The story goeth (emphasis mine):

Procrustes, whose name means "he who stretches", was arguably the most interesting of Theseus's challenges on the way to becoming a hero. He kept a house by the side of the road where he offered hospitality to passing strangers, who were invited in for a pleasant meal and a night's rest in his very special bed. Procrustes described it as having the unique property that its length exactly matched whomsoever lay down upon it. What Procrustes didn't volunteer was the method by which this "one-size-fits-all" was achieved, namely as soon as the guest lay down Procrustes went to work upon him, stretching him on the rack if he was too short for the bed and chopping off his legs if he was too long. Theseus turned the tables on Procrustes, fatally adjusting him to fit his own bed.

In my first course in Theatre History, we were warned over and over again by our professor not to "lie in a Procrustean bed." Meaning in this case, don't make an assumption about the play and then force the play to bend to your will. Rather, infer from the play itself what it's all about.

So, there you go, Dr. Knetl. Procrustes, alive and well in South Carolina.

Ted Stevens is a series of tubes

2009-04-01T18:04:00.000-07:00

ALERT! ALERT!

TED STEVENS IS ON THE LOOSE!

Er, I mean. Charges against the dethroned former Senator have been dropped. So... that's fun.

From NPR.org:

The Justice Department on Wednesday asked a federal judge to drop all charges against former Sen. Ted Stevens of Alaska.
A jury convicted Stevens last fall of seven counts of lying on his Senate disclosure form in order to conceal $250,000 in gifts from an oil industry executive and other friends. Stevens was the longest-serving Republican in the Senate. However, he lost his bid for an eighth full term in office just days after he was convicted. Since then, charges of prosecutorial misconduct have delayed his sentencing and prompted defense motions for a new trial.

To be fair, the guy could best explain the Internet as a series of tubes, so I suppose it's reasonably possible that he genuinely didn't know that he was breaking the law when it came to gifts of home renovations. Possible. Not likely, but possible.

On a semi-related note: I know one of the staffers on Sen. Begich's (Stevens' successor) campaign. He got shot at one night while canvassing the "not so urban" parts of Anchorage. Classy place, Alaska.

WWJRD? What Would Joey Ramone Do?

2009-04-01T16:48:00.000-07:00

This is not an April Fool's day prank. At least, I don't think so.

Five year old Derrick Fennell has taken religious expression in a rather new direction. In this case, a decidedly punk-rock direction. He got a new haircut: A mohawk for Christ.

Derrick's always had lots of [hair].

But a couple of weeks back he got an idea.

"I decided a straight line, over another straight line," said Fennell.

Fennell had a friend with a mohawk and he likes church.

"I like Jesus," said Fennell.

Why not combine the two?
... The result is something called the Jesus mohawk, two stripes in the shape of a cross.

"Coming from our perspective, what better way to witness to your neighbor than to have the sign of Christ on your head," said Derrick's mom, Carissa.

Yes, indeed. While I commend the kid for his guts, and the mom for her openmindedness (I too went through my own punk rock phase, albeit without the Jesus-y goodness on top), I have to wonder if this is the kind of thing that invites more trouble than it's worth.

Will his new haircut spark dissention, debate and ultimate detention at school? It seems like this is the kind of situation that almost inevitably ends with a complaint lodged against someone, either the school or the kid, regarding church and state separation (if he attends public) or being a nuisance/distraction in the classroom (if he's in the private system).

Either way, interesting kid. Interesting story. I see a future interview ith Bill Maher...

Maintenance stuff...

2009-03-31T20:14:00.000-07:00

Brothers and sisters,

Looks like the old laptop is getting up there in years, and we're having some connectivity problems. Posts may be a little slow in coming for the next few days.

So, folks: Keep an eye on things for me. We'll be back up and running in no time.

Love,
Katie

ברוך אתה ה' א‑לוהינו מלך העולם, בורא פרי הגפן ...and tequila, too!

2009-03-29T12:26:00.000-07:00

With ten days to go before the beginning of Passover, Kosher awesomeness is popping up left and right.

In New York (insert New York Jew joke here), Martin Silver, head of Star Industries, is looking to introduce Kosher tequila for the holiday -- and just in time for Cinco de Mayo!

[Silver] says he wants to satisfy the craze for high-end tequila with one that observant Jews can drink.
Silver says a half million cases of the 99-proof kosher tequila are being produced at a Mexican plant using methods certified by a rabbi. It will retail for $41.95 a bottle.

Delicious, sweet nectar of gods, tequila. And for only $41.95 a bottle. Will wonders never cease.

Also, a perennial favorite: Passover Coke is back on the shelves. If you live in a town that has more than five Jewish families (read: not Winona, MN) there's a halfway decent chance you can find it in your grocery store (particularly if you have a kosher section, natch).

Only available in two liter bottles, Passover Coke is made with REAL sugar and not the cheaper American alternative, high fructose corn syrup. The bottles are distinguished by their bright yellow caps and have the symbol "OU-P" written on top.
Most of the world uses real sugar in their sodas, and it's much yummier and doesn't last 800 years on a shelf so you don't feel as guilty drinking it.

Also, you can identify it by (1) bright yellow bottle caps that (2) HAVE HEBREW WRITTEN ON THEM. Little hint there.

As for many people's other favorite sacrament... the jury's still out.

So, drink up, חברים. Break out the matzoh and the wine, and let us say together: l'shana ha-ba'a bi-Yerushala'yim.

Smooth, like buttah

2009-03-29T12:08:00.000-07:00

Drew over at Dem Bones dug up this gem, for a Sunday afternoon:

HARRISBURG, Pa. — A retired police chief said he was robbed by "probably the dumbest criminal in Pennsylvania," at a police officers' convention on Friday morning. John Comparetto said as he came out of a stall in the men's room, a man pointed a gun in his face and demanded money. There were 300 narcotics officers from Pennsylvania and Ohio at the gathering.

Comparetto gave up his money and cell phone. But when the man fled, Comparetto and some colleagues chased him. They arrested a 19-year-old man as he was trying to leave in a taxi.

The suspect is also awaiting trial on four previous robbery charges.

The suspect was arraigned and taken to Dauphin County Prison. When a reporter asked the suspect for comment as he was led out of court, he said, "I'm smooth."

That's some fine police work there, Lou.

Iraqi expat family digs into Fargo flood relief

2009-03-28T11:20:00.000-07:00

I don't know how much coverage this is getting outside of the Midwest, but the Red River Valley --including Fargo, parts of South Dakota and western Minnesota-- is flooding and there seems to be no end in sight.

Spring flooding is nothing new to this part of the country. If you live near a river and you have snow, there's a good chance that when it melts, it's going to go everywhere. Two years ago this fall, people were sandbagging and fortifying their homes here in Winona, as nearby Stockton and Lewiston did the same. That flood cost a total of seven human lives.

On Thursday, the Minnesota Star-Tribune ran the story of one family in the Fargo area who came from Iraq as refugees and are now digging in to help out prevent another tragedy. From the article:

One year ago they fled their war-torn country and landed in the Fargo area, some of the 141 Iraqi refugees resettled in North Dakota last year and among the first of thousands expected to arrive in the United States. Now they are part of the round-the-clock scramble to save their new city.

"This country brought me over here and brought my kids to safety," said Qassim Showaeel, speaking through a friend who translated his Arabic. "I'm very happy to help."...
Qassim and his two children filled sandbags from midnight to 5 a.m. Wednesday, a time when they knew volunteers would be needed. His wife and younger children slept in their Moorhead apartment. As Qassim worked, a front-end loader shot past him with pallets stacked high. A truck emptied a fresh pile of sand on the stadium's concrete floor, its rear door banging loudly.

Is this what he expected of America?

"No," he smiled, "but I'm used to this. Back in Iraq we had a lot of problems, too."

Would that we all had such an attitude.

Why Art Matters

2009-03-27T07:40:00.000-07:00

Recently, I was in conversation with an acquaintance at school. She's a biology major, and was describing her ArtsCORE class, the required Liberal Arts fulfillment for anyone at Saint Mary's who isn't an actual arts student. She described her irritation and boredom in studying A Chorus Line. She didn't get it, didn't like it, didn't care. I tried to parse her thoughts a little deeper, and she replied, "I mean, art doesn't really matter, you know?"

Her argument was essentially that, when compared to the sciences for example, the things needed for basic human survival, chemistry, engineering, agriculture, and so on, the arts were a luxury and really not necessary to get by.

To say I was shocked would be an understatement. Certainly, being a theatre student, canoodling and hanging out with other theatre/art/music types, there was a certain amount of art-centrism that is bound to occur. But it would never strike me that art simply would not matter, to anyone.

So, in defense of art:

The way that I see it, asking someone to live in a world completely without art is like asking a fish to go live in the desert. You can't survive. Certainly, on Maslow's heirarchy of needs it does not qualify as SO necessary as food, water, shelter. But nourishment of the soul is nearly as important.

I feel like the attitude of "art doesn't matter" is most often purveyed by those who do not realize how much of their lives are enriched by the creative process. It does not occur to them that the stylish clothes they wear, the funky beats they listen to, the beautiful buildings they walk through, are all in existence as a result of creativity and inspiration.

I think also that individuals with this mindset do not fully comprehend the basic, instinctive, almost carnal thing that is true inspiration. This isn't their fault -- how could they? How can you possibly understand inspiration if you've never been moved by it, if you've never heard the divine whisper in your ear, telling you to pick up the pencil and sketch? If you don't know how to tune your radio, the stations will never come in clearly.

I recently heard Monta May, a local artist and professor, speak on her inspiration, and she said that among the various reasons why she will make art on a given day, sometimes she just needs to. And when inspiration strikes, it's like God pounding on the door. You can ignore it, and push it to the side, but you will be poorer for it.

Vincent Van Gogh did not cut off his ear because he thought it would be a fun thing to do. He did it because he was moved, by the spirit and by his own mental illness, to do so. That may not be the ideal example of the power of inspiration, but I think it is nonetheless a testament to how far inspiration can take you, if you allow yourself to be open to it.

Art is reflective of our collective humanity in a way that science and math simply cannot be. All the tessellations and dissections in the world simply cannot compare, in recording our human spirit, in the same way that oils or clay or trumpet or performance can. Math and science can track our innovation, certainly, but can they capture the spirit? The fear and joy and ecstasy that we experience throughout our lives? I would argue not.

Look at Van Gogh's Cafe Terrace at Night (pictured) and you are taken to a jazzy, lively Paris night. The stars shine, the tables are filling with people dressed to the nines. Taste the wine. Listen to the musicians play. The colors themselves, bold and beautiful, speak to the energy filling the air. It is a moment taken out of time, and it will never come again, but in this work a second of our human experience is saved forever.

Art matters. That's it.

Reason #4325-D why I love Stephen Colbert

2009-03-26T17:41:00.000-07:00

This is why he's hot.

Break time. Everybody dance.

Oh, Stephen. You go, girl.

Australia goes a-toading. Still no cure for Foster's.

2009-03-26T13:42:00.000-07:00

Australia is being plagued. Not with baby-eating dingos, nor violent kangaroos on the loose, nor (insert your favorite stereotype here). In this case, it's cane toads.

Apparently these are massively huge toads that are toxic to eat and live all over Australia, Queensland in particular. They are a hazard to crops, livestock and local fauna. As a result, the Queenslanders (Queenslandians?) have declared an official "Toad Day Out."

From the Washington Times:

On Saturday, residents of five communities in cane toad-plagued northern Queensland state will grab their flashlights and fan out into the night to hunt down the hated animals as part of the inaugural "Toad Day Out" celebration. The toads will be brought to collection points the next morning to be weighed and killed, with some of the remains ground into fertilizer for sugarcane farmers at a local waste management plant.
"It's just a circle of poetic justice!" Toad Day Out organizer Lisa Ahrens said. "Seventy-five years later, they're a benefit to the cane farmer."

More vividly described, it will be a "festive mass killing" of the critters, after which their remains will be turned into fertilizer for local farmers. Delicious.

As if that weren't odd enough, a Farker pointed out that Weird Al did it first, albeit tongue in cheek:

Quick thought

2009-03-25T22:27:00.000-07:00

Live music is a balm to the soul. For me, at least.

Tonight I had the pleasure of spending a few hours in the company of a couple good friends, a couple good beers, and a couple good hours of live music in the form of Mum. Local dudes, most of whom I know, playing a fusion of country, rock, blues, funk, and anything else that takes their fancy.

I have to say, live music is good for the spirit. For me, listening to a live band in a dirty bar is as good as going to church. The drunk girl dances and steals the cowbell set, the smell of cigarette wafts inside when the door opens, the town pirate dances an impromptu jig to a retooling of Johnny Cash. The ringing in my ears as I walk home afterward, smiling and full...

Wonderful.

In communion with my fellow man, between the band and the audience and the space between the two (lubricated with alcohol and other substances, no doubt), you can find all facets of the shared human experience, if only you look for them.

Wonderful. Wonderful. Wonderful.

Governor Kaine, meet Alec Baldwin

2009-03-24T18:16:00.000-07:00

While his position on Generalized Yuppie Scum is still unknown, Virginia Governor Tim Kaine has at last come out against cul-de-sacs. He's also in support of sidewalks and narrower streets (with the intended purpose of slowing traffic).

From the story:

Research shows that connected streets encourage walking and reduce vehicle miles traveled, associated emissions, traffic congestion, and emergency response times. Moreover, as recounted here last month, new research shows that, contrary to popular belief, neighborhoods with connected streets have fewer traffic fatalities than do subdivisions dominated by cul-de-sacs.

Say goodbye to cul-de-sac street hockey.

Although, if you're interested, my friend Shelley Levene has got some great leads on the GlenGarry estates... he's only in town for one day...

How not to spend a rainy March afternoon

2009-03-24T15:58:00.000-07:00

(Author's note: I know there's been a theme of spring-related poems/thoughts/etc recently, not so much with the snarky news-based topical goodness. We'll get back there, promise.)

The rain comes suddenly, punishingly, like a backhanded strike from a lover. It is a threat handed down on furrowed brow, a warning not to get false hope. Told you this already. Should've listened. You know how it is. The gray sky seemed no more a threat than any other.

The color of the air changes and shifts as the gods crash together the heavens. Droplets gather like pearls on the undersides of bare twigs and branches, long denuded of their foliage.

A candle burns in a window, thrown open too eagerly in the hopes of bringing fresh air into a stale space. Endangered by the coming damp, the flame burns timidly, as if sensing its fate. Flickering bravely to the last.

Cars and trucks, rough and battle-fatigued with the cycle of salt and ice and snow stand silent, stoically washing themselves clean, their humans none the wiser. One flame-red convertible sits smugly, parked away from the others. Its time is almost here.

The rain lessens. Pauses. Restarts in fits and spits. A passing car creates a puddle's wake, and for a moment it sounds like the ocean. Crash. Splash. Return. Sibilants swishing in the music of the street.

Somewhere unseen, a truck backfires and turns over. The clanging of the railroad crossing warns of a train in the distance. Life continues, people sneaking out of their homes, off to run the errands they disdain, hoping the weather holds -- at least for the moment. Snow is due soon. Spring is somewhere out of reach. The calendar mocks the sky.

The rain stops.

Dear Bobby, I'm hot. Love, Mount Redoubt

2009-03-23T20:20:00.000-07:00

Quick note to Bobby Jindal:

You know that volcano monitoring system that you were so critical of after the President's address? The one that, when mentioned by you as a form of wasteful spending, was greeted by a resounding "huh?"?

You know that dormant volcano that just erupted? It needs monitoring. And according to TPM Muckraker:

[T]hanks to its close monitoring of Redoubt, the USGS has known for months that it was on the point of blowing. The volcano had emitted ash and steam last week, alerting scientists to the likely imminence of a full eruption. Their efforts also meant they knew enough to raise the alert level to orange, or "watch" on Saturday, a day before Redoubt erupted. That, for instance, meant that the FAA received advanced warning that flight disruptions could occur, and it gave local officials time to draw up precautionary plans to evacuate people if needed.

Yeah. Real waste of money. Good call there, Bobby.

Twilight as a coping mechanism?

2009-03-23T18:30:00.000-07:00

So, I just watched the film Twilight, based on the Stephanie Meyer book of same name. If you happen to be very busy and/or living underneath some kind of a rock and are unfamiliar with the story, the short version is this: Girl moves to new small town, meets boy/vampire, falls in love, violence ensues, things get better, happy ending with an opening for sequel action (which is utilized in the second book).

I have read the book and seen the film. I am fully on the bandwagon, and fully understand why, for the sake of all men, it's a damn good thing that Edward Cullen is fictional. This is all by way of saying that I understand the craze.

What I wonder is this: Cultural crazes like this don't happen in a vacuum, but how much of it is a function of escapism? Would the appeal be greater if the surrounding circumstances were better?

Part of the attractiveness of vampire stories is the dark and dangerous romance of the character archetype. Twilight turns the archetype on its head, presenting a family of "vegetarian" vampires who only feast on animals, as a lifestyle choice, and a lovesick antihero who doesn't want to sleep with his fleshy human girlfriend for fear of losing control and killing her. Even the main love rival, Jacob, turns out to be a werewolf who also poses no threat to Bella - again, by choice.

The danger is neutralized. You get the excitement and glamor of a vampire's lust, without any of the collateral damage.

Even in Buffy the Vampire Slayer, the two major vampire dudes --Angel and Spike-- either start out in a neutered form or end up in one. We like our vampires housebroken, or at least remorseful. We get "good" vampires and "bad" vampires.

If the economy, the war, violence abroad and everything else were not going wrong in the world, would we need this escape? This world in which those creatures of the night which we are raised to fear... are good at heart and while pose a threat in theory, the physical representations are compassionate and ethical?

So, what gives?

New! The Coleman/Franken showdown, now available in bobblehead!

2009-03-23T18:10:00.000-07:00

The Associated Press reports:

ST. PAUL, Minn. — The two candidates locked in a lengthy fight over a Senate seat from Minnesota are getting their own bobblehead doll.

That’s just one bobblehead doll, but with two faces — one for Republican Norm Coleman and one for Democrat Al Franken.

It’s more than four months since Election Day and a Minnesota court is still considering Coleman’s lawsuit to overturn the results of a recount that gave a narrow lead to Franken.

So now the marketing team for the St. Paul Saints independent league baseball team is giving fans a symbol of the political contest.

The dolls will go to the first 2,500 fans at the Saints’ May 23 home game against a team from South Dakota — the Sioux Falls Canaries.While the doll’s faces are Coleman and Franken, each doll will be dressed like Count von Count from “Sesame Street.” It’s called the “Re-Count.”

On behalf of all the residents of this fine state, let me say... thank god. At long last, we have finally come to an end of-- what? What's that?

Oh. My bad.

I thought we had a freaking SENATOR. But we get a bobblehead. The doll, at least, probably has more political savvy than Jesse "The Governor" Ventura did, so I guess it's an improvement.

Also, regarding the "Count von Count" likeness issue? If you look at the picture provided with the article, the high collar of the Re-Count's cape is obscuring most of our dear friend Al's face. Subtle political message on the part of the St. Paul Saints? Or unfortunate plastic molding choice?

We may never know.

And now for something completely different: springtime in the midwest

2009-03-22T09:33:00.000-07:00

Spring has come to Winona.

At least, Spring Part I. It is traditional to have a wonderful spring melt in March, followed by enough snow in mid-April to keep our joy in check. We haven't gotten there yet.

So, for now, spring has come.

You can tell by walking down the street. The atmosphere in the coffee shops, filled with students whose laptops and heavy texts have taken up permanent residence since sometime in November, is for the first time, optimistic. Finals are coming, but the light at the end of the long, gray tunnel is bright.

There's a wonderful smell that fills the air this time of year. Freshness, cleanness, moisture that sneaks up on you and makes the cuffs of your pants damp and chills your newly sandalled toes. You don't mind, though. A little water never hurt anyone.

Winona is an odd, wonderful little town. There are so many sides to the town. Blue-Collar Workers who spend their days in the service industries and at Fastenal. College Students who live in the coffee shops and at Perkins after-hours, subsisting on weak coffee and reheated pie. Tribes of Hippies and Punks, young and old (including one Pirate). The mysterious Rich Retirees who live in massive houses on the bluffs overlooking the Mississippi River.

In the winter, all go into hibernation, covering in the same thick, tough, adopted Scandinavian skin that allows for survival. In the autumn, education is king and the bars and restaurants see a resurgence in activity that gives them hope for survival through the season. In the summer, the town empties of its students and it becomes a quiet, semirural, meth-addicted but otherwise nice place to live. But in the springtime, these peoples, these humans speak to each other. There is a sense of relief in making it through yet another winter. Strangers look one another in the eye. Some even smile as they pass. A man in a wheelchair, struggling in a muddy ramp, gets a boost from a stranger and gives him a grateful smile. Cars stop mid-block to allow a young woman to cross. The elderly woman at the grocery store who should not have to work there seems to scan and bag your items with less weight on her shoulders, and asks if it's going to rain tomorrow.

The city comes alive as the true spirit of community is brought to the surface.

My favorite omen of spring has come, as well. The Roving Minstrels of Winona. Having a decently large refried hippie community (complete with young twentysomething and teen hippies to replace the original cast members), many of whom live in my neighborhood, it is not uncommon to hear guitar music or bongo drums wafting from one open window to the next. However, the Roving Minstrel seems to only appear in springtime.

They are usually male, early twenties. They walk around the neighborhood with a guitar strapped to their shoulder, plucking and singing to themselves and anyone who is around. They wander, seemingly without purpose, simply for the joy of walking and playing.

With them comes the Skater Dudes and BMX Biker Boys. At night, they set up shop in the parking lot across the street from my building, doing tricks off the curbs and lampposts, defying the laws of physics, at least until the laws of man arrive and send them home to their parents.

I don't mind them. If they're out skating around, that means they're not at home, vegging out in front of the television. They're getting exercise, and they're not dealing drugs. I have no complaints.

The air is fresh and clean. There are a few brave souls in shorts. The sun is shining through the grayish sky. It is 45 degrees with a high of 60 today, and it feels like beginning of June. Freedom is near. Change is on the horizon.

Tripleheader: Fun with religion!

2009-03-21T20:38:00.000-07:00

Three quick stories for you tonight. Predictable, surprising, and asinine.

Predictable: Pope condemns sorcery & witchcraft

Pope Benny 1-6 spoke at a Catholic rally in Angola, condemning witchcraft and sorcery, and encouraging those gathered to convert those who followed the more traditional tribal earth-based paths. From the article:

"In today's Angola," he said at Mass in Luanda, "Catholics should offer the message of Christ to the many who live in the fear of spirits, of evil powers by whom they feel threatened."

He also gave a message of hope to young people, including some wounded and maimed during Angola's long civil war, when he addressed a crowd of some 30,000 people later at a sports stadium, where a drum concert was held.

Of course, no papal visit is complete without a drum concert. To be fair, it appears that at least part of His Holiness' message was intended to have the effect of limiting internal persecution of "alleged sorcerers" in the community, in addition to the standard conversion mission. Quote:

In Africa, some churchgoing Catholics also follow traditional animist religions and consult medicine men and diviners who are denounced by the church. People accused of sorcery or of being possessed by evil powers sometimes are killed by fearful mobs.

Local media have reported that police last year rescued 40 children who had been held by two religious sects after being accused by their own families of witchcraft.

Benedict counseled Catholics to "live peacefully" with animists and other nonbelievers and urged Angolans to be the "new missionaries" to bring people who believe in sorcery to Christ.

Surprising: Pastor reaches out with shot glasses

Pastor Glen Hanson of Cross Point United Methodist Church in Bondurant, IA, has started using shot glasses as a promotional tool for his church. With the name of the church on one side and the words "Give us a shot" on the other, along with that pastor's cell phone number, he has caused -wait for it- a stir with his new approach to ministry. Quote:

Pastoring, you see, is his second career. His first was in marketing — no surprise there. He would market his church to people who don't regularly go to church. So when the happily married father of three heard a wacky idea at an evangelism conference earlier this year, about advertising churches by passing out shot glasses at bars, it struck a chord. He thought of a weeping George Bailey in "It's a Wonderful Life," drinking shots at Martini's bar: "Dear Father in heaven, I'm not a praying man, but if you're up there and you can hear me, show me the way. ... Show me the way."
People drinking shots might be trying to escape pain, Hanson thought. What if a message of hope had been served to George Bailey at that bar?

Asinine: Westboro Baptist Church to protest Natasha Richardson's funeral

*sigh*

They're at it again. Quote:

On its Web site, Westboro Baptist Church said it plans to protest at St. Joseph's Church because Richardson supported research for a cure for AIDS. The small Kansas church has protested schools, colleges, churches, funerals and other venues.

These people stretch the First Amendment to its breaking point. Some day hopefully they'll learn the difference between exercise of rights, and good taste and human decency.

Someday. Not today. But someday.

Put on a pointy hat, it's time to party!

2009-03-20T22:02:00.000-07:00

Happy birthday, Iraq War. Six years young!

March 20, 2003 marked the beginning of the American war in Iraq.

Whee.

FOX News takes the high road again: ACORN is destroying the U.S. Census

2009-03-20T14:30:00.000-07:00

Fox News, ever the bastion of journalistic integrity, can't seem to wrap their minds around the stimulus, bailout, AIG bonus business. That's the only explanation I can come up with for their sudden interest in the upcoming census (as required by our Constitution) and their resurgent interest in ACORN, who are one of the organizations subcontracting to help get the census done.

Article opener:

The U.S. Census is supposed to be free of politics, but one group with a history of voter fraud, ACORN, is participating in next year's count, raising concerns about the politicization of the decennial survey.

Later in the article:

But ACORN's partnership with the 2010 Census is worrisome to lawmakers who say past allegations of fraud should raise concerns about the organization.
"It's a concern, especially when you look at all the different charges of voter fraud. And it's not just the lawmakers' concern. It should be the concern of every citizen in the country," Rep. Lynn A. Westmoreland, R-Ga., vice ranking member of the subcommittee for the U.S. Census, told FOXNews.com. "We want an enumeration. We don't want to have any false numbers."
ACORN, which claims to be a non-partisan grassroots community organization of low- and moderate-income people, came under fire in 2007 when Washington State filed felony charges against several paid ACORN employees and supervisors for more than 1,700 fraudulent voter registrations. In March 2008, an ACORN worker in Pennsylvania was sentenced for making 29 phony voter registration forms. The group's activities were frequently questioned in the 2008 presidential election.
ACORN spokesman Scott Levenson told FOXNews.com that "ACORN as an organization has not been charged with any crime." He added that fears that the organization will unfairly influence the census are unfounded.

So, an organization that, according to its spokesman has never been charged, still counts as having "a history of voter fraud"? Not to mention the difference betweer registering people that don't exist and committing voter fraud. As I understand it, until someone tries to vote as someone other than themselves, or multiple times in the same election, no crime has been committed. Sure, it clogs up registrar's offices and all of that, but it's annoying, not illegal.

Of course, what do I know? Usually, admittedly not much. But I call phooey on this one, Fox. I am, among other things, a Special Registration Deputy with the State of Wisconsin. SRD #800515 at your service. I know what's legal in two states in this country as far as voter registration, and calling ACORN conspirators in voter fraud is simply ridiculous.

The problem with voter registration they had was that they were paying their reg-ers by the number of filled-in voter registration application they turned in. So, you ended up with people registering as Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck, and listing 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue as their address, and so on. Since Mickey and Donald never showed up to the voting booths (obviously) and unless you are POTUS you can't vote at the White House... as previously stated, it's annoying but not illegal.

Annoying. Illegal. Two different things. Come on Fox. Get your slander straight with your libel before you publish.

Obama: "I'm a shitty bowler, oops I did a Biden!"

2009-03-20T07:10:00.000-07:00

Apparently people are losing their minds over President Obama's Bidenesque comment about being a Special Olympics-caliber bowler on Leno last night.

Huffington Post has a poll to express your level of indignation (or lack thereof). Make your choice, then click on the image to go to the page:

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MARCH MADNESS!! A-I-I-I-EEE!!!!!!

2009-03-19T20:25:00.000-07:00

I care less than less about the NCAA March Madness tournament. I'm in college, so I suppose I'm partially invested. Kind of. (Incidentally, go Cardinals, go Hokies, and any other plucky-but-disqualified team out there)

So, in lieu of actual sportscasting (and for our friends who are NCAA athletes and aren't allowed to even LOOK at a bracket set), I present to you the Bracket of Evil.

So, yeah. It's a sponsored advertising thing, coming from a cell phone company, whatever. Just fill it out. And let's see where we all land.

There are four divisions: Government, Media, Corporate, and Maverick (John McCain not included).

The options: (my picks in bold)

Government:
Karl Rove v. Eric Cantor
Mitch McConnell v. Joe Lieberman

Media:
Rush Limbaugh v. Bill O'Reilly
Ann Coulter v. FOX News

Corporate:
AIG v. Blackwater
Wal-Mart v. Exxon

Maverick:
Newt Gingrich v. Grover Norquist
Sarah Palin v. Ken Starr

If you're going to play, leave a comment. Let's see how we do! Best of luck to everyone!

Mine was Eddie Vedder, but yours works, too.

2009-03-19T20:19:00.000-07:00

Quick note: In light of AIG bonuses, the Pope spreading AIDS and the insanely over-covered conversation with Jim Cramer, there is something incredibly endearing and refreshing about watching Jon Stewart go all-out fanboy on Bruce Springsteen.

For a girl who's about to do the Midwestern equivalent of "driving a Uhaul through the Holland tunnel," that's a damn fine thing to see. A damn fine thing to see.

Klaatu... Barada... Hamburger?

2009-03-19T19:21:00.000-07:00

In the tradition of Hollywood being out of new ideas, remakes are becoming more and more common. The recent offense that comes to mind immediately is Keanu Reeves in his rework of the black-and-white 1951 sci-fi classic The Day The Earth Stood Still.

It has now expanded to cutesy books from my childhood. Behold:

Admittedly, it's a rework to be sure. I don't remember any kind of robotics or machinery in the oldie-goodie paperback. I'm not certain that I approve of the Pixarization of a cherished childhood memory.

Ich Bin Ein Hotdog

2009-03-18T15:06:00.000-07:00

Now, I'm not much of a foodie. But as any daughter of Wisconsin (the most German state in this fine union) worth her weight in schnitzel would agree, I just couldn't resist this:

Currywurst Museum Coming to Berlin

Now, I haven't the faintest clue about that currywurst actually is. The article describes it as "Germany's answer to the hotdog," and, more specifically, "a grilled sausage sliced and slathered with a spicy ketchup sauce."

Well, that's good enough for me. Who wants to organize a trip to sample this fine cuisine in its natural habitat?

Mmmm, mmmm good...

PS: Google fun fact: If you search for "New Deutschland," the first result you get is a TIME Magazine article from 1940. Sweetness. Quote:

In the last war, German submarines were ordered not to attack British warships, to save torpedoes for merchantmen. This time this strategy is reversed, with the object of putting such a strain on British naval construction, large and small, that completion of the George Vs may be retarded.