Texas Jaye does me proud yet again

Go read her post about Hillary's alleged "racism" and taking the "southern strategy," and you'll see why I feel so sheepish about my wanting to tire-tool Hillary earlier today. Or was it a baseball bat? At any rate, I should've been more on-point and paying much closer attention to the male mentalities when I'm in Testosterone Central. Don't get me wrong, I still love all of my male friends dearly and would hardly ever accuse them of sexism (if they were pigs, we'd never have become friends in the first place, now would we?), but the dogpile upon Hillary is starting to work my last fucking nerve, and sometimes I get more frazzled than communicative.

Oneathem "female" problems, y'know, getting too "emotional" rather than staying as "rational" and "logical" as our superior male counterparts always are... Y'know, like how Barry has no temper whatsoever and John McSenile is as steady as a rock... with the exact same brain waves...

BTW, Jaye recently lost her dearly beloved Jack The Cat, and has yanked all of her feral and semi-feral worshipers into the house (how, I have no fucking idea, she's got bigger stones than I do!) as a result of his death to high-speeding traffic on a residential street. Send her your love when you go over to visit. I wish that I had a picture to make a proper tribute to her Jack, but, sadly, I don't. Someday, perhaps.

(yet another Trackback attempt?)

Darwin Award Nominee

Annti sent me this in an e-mail, and it came as 100 stills. Here's the YouTube version:

BLOG ENVY TO THE SIXTH POWER!!!!!!

THIS is exactly the kind of stuff that I wish that I were capable of writing (hopefully, someday, I'll find whatever stray brain cells are left when I finally recover enough to cold-turkey YET AGAIN from the pain meds, and be capable of real writing again) and EXACTLY the kind of conversations that I would LOVE to start around here. Don't get me wrong, I love our commenters, and even our too-shy lurkers and our occasional fly-by drop-and-swoop commenters who go back to lurking.

But I would happily give both of my severely gravitationally-challenged tits (but not the tattoos on them) if I could engender (NOT a pun, honestly) the kind of discussions that they've got going at Obsidian Wings. Brilliant stuff. I don't think that their folk are any more intelligent or worldly or lucid or eloquent than our folk, I just don't know why we're not communicating with one another with the same passion, humanity, and sheer VOLUME that they're doing.

Thusly, I envy. I love and enjoy every single fucking post that the M.O.B. mob puts up here, especially the ones where we discuss our humanity and our similarities, instead of our differences and how some of us are automatically crackers or automatically sexists, depending on which corporately-funded so-called Democrat that we wanna vote for --- I know, none of our discussions have denigrated to the outright warfare that other blogs have created, and thankfully, none of the Barry-lovers 'round here have sunken to the sexist depths or hysterical bigot-pointers that their more fervent brethren have done. I can't say as I identify with the majority of Hillary folk, either, but I do see it as a feminist issue on many levels.

And I want us to TALK ABOUT THIS SHIT. I want to HEAR ALL OF YOUR OPINIONS, no matter how much they differ from mine or anyone else's!!!

But first, I want you to get yer asses over to Obsidian Wings and stand in awe of the frailty, the strength, the beauty and the ignorance, of these critters that we call human beings, and how we raise our chirrens, 'cause lemme tellya, there's at least one shrink who needs to be horsewhipped in that story. You will cry, I can promise you that, if you have even one empathetic cell in your body, and coming from a hyperlexic alien who took 30 years to 'grok' the concept of empathy, that's something, dammit. These kids deserve so much better than anyone has even begun to understand.

(And I've never done a "trackback" before, so don't laugh, but I'm attempting to link one here.)

Duggars Expecting Number 18

Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar are expecting their 18th child around the first of the year. They're bornagains and believe that they should keep pumping out as many kids as the good Lord will allow. Moderation is an alien concept.

The Duggars make their living through their notoriety and Internet-based businesses. They star in a television show on the Discovery Health Network, during the freak hour - sandwiched between shows like "I Am My Own Twin" and "Mystery Diagnosis."

A key to our environmental crisis is population. If you go to any web site that measures your global footprint, none will address the number of children that you've produced. So my footprint (with no children) is virtually the same as that of Michelle Duggar (with 18 children). Logic, however, suggests that Michelle and her beliefs are a little harder on the environment than are mine. I would suggest that Jim Bob and Michelle have failed in their role as stewards of the earth.

The Duggars have made themselves a spectacle, a sideshow. They treat their children as novelties, as demonstrations of their fertility. If you doubt my assessment, go to the Discovery Channel and vote for the name of their next child. Or if you want something a little more challenging play Name That Duggar. You have 40 seconds to name them all.

The Duggars are not about loving God, or even about loving children, but about erecting a monument to their own profligate sexuality and pride.

Return of the population timebomb

Thanks, J-Walk Blog

FISA Update 08May2008

Leahy and Conyers off you an easy way to contact your Senator.

And emptywheel offers a very detailed post on the possible compromise. I have not had time to read the whole thing carefully, so I will not even attempt to summarize, but it doesn't sound all bad.

McJoan links to the Politico blog, but they aren't exactly known for their accuracy.

I had asked whether, assuming any compromise bill would have to go back to the Senate for a vote, would Chris Dodd filibuster any unacceptable compromise. I haven't gotten an answer yet, but I'll pass it along if I do.

And just because I really need the diversion, via TPM, some really cool photos of the Chaiten volcano.

Goodbye Mrs. Loving

"Government has no business imposing some people's religious beliefs over others. Especially if it denies people's civil rights."
Mildred Loving

Mildred Jeter Loving is dead.

Mildred Jeter married Richard Loving in the District of Columbia in June 1958. They were not allowed to marry in their home state of Virginia as Mildred was biracial - African and Native American, whereas her husband Richard was white.

They returned to Virginia, and were later awakened in the middle of the night, in their bedroom, by deputy sheriffs who arrested them. They were charged with violating Virginia's ban against miscegenation, convicted and sentenced to one to five years in prison. Their sentence would be suspended if they left Virginia.

The Supreme Court heard their case (Loving v. Virginia) and in 1967 overturned the convictions. Anti-miscegenation laws remained on the books in many states, unenforced until 2000 when Alabama removed its law against mixed-race marriage.

The judge that originally sentenced the Lovings said,

Almighty God created the races white, black, yellow, malay and red, and he placed them on separate continents. And but for the interference with his arrangement there would be no cause for such marriages. The fact that he separated the races shows that he did not intend for the races to mix.

Christians have sought to define and control marriage since the beginning of these United States. It is appalling that marriage between blacks and whites was illegal as late as 1967. The state, misguided in its attempt to appease its bastard charge religion, continues to deny blacks and whites the right to marry should they choose a mate of the same gender.

Christian crackers like Tony Perkins at the Family Research Council just don't get it. The FRC site only once refers to Loving v. Virginia, and not to laud the decision or regret Christianty's role in this injustice, but to complain of the case's logic being extended to cover the issue of gender.

DOMA Won't Do It: Why the Constitution Must Be Amended to Save Marriage
The FRC writes,

The defining features of marriage are a union between a man and a woman that is
(a) monogamous;
(b) sexually exclusive;
(c) the morally legitimate context for raising children; and
(d) permanent.

By dropping a few names I can immediately level the FRC's arguments that (a) monogamy, (b) sexual exclusivity, and (d) permanency are required for legitimate marriage. Bakker, Haggard, and Swaggart, caught with their pants down, stand beside a host of Christian leaders who have defied the commandments of Jesus not to divorce their wives.

We can demolish point (c), that marriage is "the morally legitimate context for raising children," since having children is not required in marriage and many couples don't bother.

So what is the point of marriage?

Marriage is a commitment between two consenting adults. Or three, or four. What do I care? Consent is key. Commitment is key, though variable in length and quality. Adult is key since marriage is a contract. Beyond that, marriage is something created by and between people, not imposed from above by a sexless and sex-hating spook.

Mildred Loving's Statement

Representative John Lewis on the Defense of Marriage Act, which Representative Lewis says, "should be called the defense of mean-spirited bigots act."

AP: Mildred Loving, matriarch of interracial marriage, dies

FISA Update 07May2008

Actually, no news. Just a new petition from Credo. Keep signing people, please keep signing. As soon as I have something new I will pass it along.
Glenn has a post on McCain and the unitary executive (for, no surprise there).

And bmaz at Emptywheel posts about EFF's win regarding the National Security Letters (against, surprise!).

UPDATE: Another link Stop the Spying

Nobody Expects The Spanish Inquisition!

Certainly not Jim Piculas in 16th century style Florida.

A former substitute teacher in Land O' Lakes, Fla., claims he was fired by the school district because he was “accused of wizardry,” the United Press International reports.
According to Jim Piculas, Pat Sinclair, who is in charge of substitute teachers for the Pasco County School District, called him to say the district would no longer be using his services after he performed a disappearing-toothpick magic trick while teaching at Rushe Middle School. “She said, ‘You've been accused of wizardry,’” Piculas said.

And apparently not Senator John McUnbeliever. It seems the Senator has rejected God and Christ in favor of a pocket full of lucky charms.

Mr. McCain has dozens of superstitions and rituals, many stemming from his days as a Navy fighter pilot, a notoriously superstitious bunch. He carries a lucky feather, a lucky compass and a lucky penny — not to mention a lucky nickel and a lucky quarter.

I Been Healed and so can you!

We were out beating back teh Islamofascist Blackberry bushes and Virulent Yuccas that encroach our front sidewalk. We suffered many pricks, and were vexedly sore by the end of the day. Upon applying Healin' Hollers ™©® Miracle Salves, our symptoms were instantly relieved!

I thank Sister Alice for her amazing potions. I urge all of you to purchase said salves and ointments from Miz Alice!

In the latest, second 100 year storm last month in Arkansas, Miz Alice was STRUCK by lightning, so you know her shit is sanctified! This is her front room and you know insurance didn't cover all of that!

Good news and bloody gacky news

Well, the cats' butts are okay; found out today that all of my life's experience with cats, all of my reading and research has left out one major item: That cats have the same annoying anal glands that most dogs do, but NOBODY (out of over a half-dozen vets) EVER BOTHERED TO TELL ME THAT BEFORE, and none of the websites or books that I've consulted have ever mentioned it whatsofuckingever. Y'know how little yip-yip dogs have those nasty-ass butt glands that have to be "expressed" or they get swollen and infected? Cats have 'em too, turns out, but they don't have to be fed canned pumpkin or get them expressed. What I'd been worried were parasites were just my cats getting old and their butts finally revealing their anal glands, which means that in their old age, they aren't as hygienic as they used to be, and that I have to bathe their behinds a couple times a week to keep them from getting infected. So, forty-four dollars and about six minutes of my vet's time later, everybody's okay but I'm broke and AT&T will have to wait 'til next month.

In GROSSER news, as if the cat's asses issue wasn't disgusting enough, my sarcoidosis appears to be back for the first time in nearly 10 years. Hocking-up chunks of bloody lung tissue, lung cookies, skin eruptions and lovely little swollen "rashes" that feel like somebody's been exfoliating me with fiberglas insulation. All that's left to do is a lumpy chest x-ray. And no, after Dr. Yuppie Scum Bitch "released" me from "her medical service" ('cause I had her douchebag buddy republicunt Dr. Jackass investigated by the do-nothing Medical Licensing Board, the whiny biatches), I still haven't spent the gas money to go find another GP, much less a specialist in autoimmune disorders. Last time that I had a sarcoid episode, three months of Prednisone gave me a fucking nervous breakdown, I gained 30 pounds, and the net result was bullshit. Last research that I did on sarcoid, there wasn't much research, 'cause we don't have any dead celebrities or telethons. Bernie Mac has his own research foundation, but I haven't kept up with their findings, if any have been found.

So, aside from still recovering from the spine surgeries, now I feel like I've been regurgitated by a Tyrannosaurus Rex and then run-over by one of those spiked-roller road-bed texturizers (like a steam-roller with spikes on the big front wheel/roller).

And unless some miracle cure has been found in the past 10 years, I'll just have to hang in, whine and bitch until it goes away again, provided that my diaphragm doesn't collapse again. NEVER leave your cocktail unattended, even in your most trusted neighborhood bar. I made that mistake once, somebody dosed my JD, and my diaphragm forgot how to breathe for a few minutes of utter terror. It's an actual side-effect (and usually the C.O.D. in sarcoid deaths) of the sarcoidosis, but whatever some scumbag put into my Old No. 7 brought on the same effect. It's a damned shame when you can't even trust the same old alcoholics that you've hung out with for a couple years.

Y'know what comes to mind at times like this? That except for the giant wad of slimy losers that call themselves my "relatives," everybody that I know has achieved something with their lives. Careers, advanced degrees, self-education leading to a real career/life, building their dream bookstore, beating heroin cold-turkey and rebuilding a life from scratch --- everybody that I know has achieved something, except me. I don't say this to fish for compliments or to wallow in reassurances from y'all, it's just a statement. It's where my head is right now, if not completely lodged within my own sphincter. And I wonder what I might have been, hyperlexia and all, if I'd have had even a bare CHANCE at a life, instead of being raised as a fucking slave from the age of 20 months on. What I might've become, an engineer, an inventor, a doctor, a politician, something that matters, instead of a has-been radio geek who never was.

Pity-party over. As I'll be chauffeuring the Fallen Uterus tomorrow, I'll be joining the cats in snoring soon. G'night.

FISA Update 05May2008

Please sign the ACLU petition. They provide some good tips, when calling your rep, or others:
When you call, be sure to mention that you are a constituent (as applies) calling about FISA, and ask your rep to do these three things:

• Reject backroom deals on telecom immunity. Lawsuits may be our only chance to expose the truth about illegal spying activities by telecom companies and the Bush administration.
• Reject backroom deals that steal our freedom and undermine the rule of law in reaction to election year fear-mongering. A bill with real judicial review and no telecom immunity should be the floor, not the ceiling of negotiations
• Reject backroom deals that give Bush new powers to spy on Americans without a warrant.

And they also ask that you: Please also call House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer at (202) 225-3130, and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi at (202) 225-0100 or (202) 225-4965. They need to know that as leaders in the House, voters expect them to:

• Reject any compromise with telecom immunity. Lawsuits may be our only chance to expose the truth about illegal spying activities by telecom companies and the Bush administration.
• Reject Bush’s election year fear-mongering. A bill with real judicial review and no telecom immunity should be the floor, not the ceiling of negotiations.

As I may have stated before, sometimes it's easier to get a fax through than a phone call, but whatever you can manage would be great. More here at FDL.

And do what Mentis said. Please.

So, whatever happened to...

Those two guys on the Ferry I told you about last year?

"And now the second case, unraveling just this week. Two sorta-swarthy brown men were seen to have been behaving suspiciously and taking photographs on several ferry boats operating on Puget Sound. The FBI asked local media to post a photo, which was taken by ferry operators. My paper chose not to run it, but the other paper did. A local TV station showed the photo, but blurred out their faces. Now, there is a virtual APB out on these two, who have not come forward to explain themselves, much to everyone's shock: "If they have nothing to hide, why don't they speak up?"

Why indeed."

Turns out they were here on legitimate business, and simply doing a little sight-seeing.

I purposely did not use the picture last year. The whole furor around this pissed me off and if this new News doesn't get a whole lotta ink and maybe a few apologies, I'll be practicing a lot of deep breathing.

A plea from the heart

Promise me just one thing, my American friends.

Whoever gets the nomination, Clinton or Obama, if you supported the other candidate, or any of the already-gones, on election day you will hold your nose and vote for the Democrat. Don a hazmat suit if you must, but if you stay home, well, enjoy the next four years of because the rest of the world sure as hell won't, and it will be your fault.

Thank you for your time.

I don't get up to that end of town often...

So I hadn't seen this mural.

A Quiz

I failed: Bush-McCain Challenge
It's been making the rounds....