The Election is Decided

Obama wins. You have no idea how much that makes me smile.

Still Gotta Vote!

Please, don't get over confident about election day. That's the thing I'm terrified of. Go out and friggin' vote. Every vote counts, every vote could be the difference between a win and a loss. Whatever the result, whoever wins, know that your vote mattered.

What if Positions Were Reversed?

What if it was the democrats who had nominated an impulsive, angry, ill man for President? If they had picked a "confused beauty queen" (Chavez's words, not mine) for VP, who consistently showed herself as a putz? What if democrats mocked the republican nominee for visiting his ailing grandmother?
Think about it.

Autumn

It's coming here, slowly but surely. Despite the 80-degree days, it's coming along. Leaves are changing and drifting to the ground in golden piles with fire colored leaves--orange and smoked ruby--peeking out in the gold mass. Those still clinging to the trees are paling and the fruits are ripening and becoming heavy. Days are shorter and mornings are cooler and wetter, and best of all, the mountains are visible in their enormous majesty. It's times like this that I actually remember I live in a valley.
I take comfort in the eternal (as much as anything is eternal) march of seasons. The rhythm is warm and gentle and I love that after the long blaze of summer days.
I end up having sort of philosophical bent in the fall and all I want to do is pull out my sweaters, drink hot tea, and sit in the sunshine, preferably outside, while the breezes drift in from the country side, bringing the smell of bonfire smoke and crisp mountain air.
But I'm not going to lie, going swimming in October is something of a pleasant novelty.

No No No NO

Washington Wire - WSJ.com : Political Perceptions: Sarah Palin for 2012? Sure, why not.
I swear, if she becomes a legit candidate in 2012, I'm going to kill myself.

Sarah Palin Supports the Aerial Hunting of Wolves
And a hundred other reasons.

She makes me sick.

Decline of American Power

SPIEGEL ONLINE - Druckversion - The End of Arrogance: America Loses Its Dominant Economic Role - SPIEGEL ONLINE - News - International
Oh dear. We are in trouble.

Bush is a broken record stuck on the word 'terror' and that's not the main concern anymore. Or at the moment, anyway. The UN wanted to hear about what we're going to do about Wall Street and all Bush42 could talk about was terrorism.
An important issue, surely, but that won't mean a damn thing if the financial world comes down around our ears.

Our allies in the UN have nothing but contempt for the poor man* and we need them. We need them to help us out, just as they need us--we're the biggest economy on the planet but they're all tied into us. We need them if we're going to face the future on stable feet.

I honestly don't know if we'll ever recover our status as an economic super power. Only time will tell, but if we don't, who's the next in line? India? China? A European nation? That's a power vacuum that will have to be filled.

Somebody called this a post-America age. I'm think that's right, which scares me as part of the next generation of people to inherit the country. I'll be footing the bill for the Me Generation's folly. I've been mortgaged and my grandchildren might pay that off. I don't know if I ever can.

On the other hand, as the author pointed out, America was unjustifiably proud. Sure, we had some bragging rights, but this country went too far. We couldn't admit when we were wrong, couldn't adjust. The US displayed an awful lot of tunnel vision.

Bottom line is this:
Bush, by being out of his depth, fucked up.
Wall Street and the government fucked up.
The next president is fucked.
The next generation is fucked.
We're all fucked for the time being.

*At this point, I pity him. I really do. His puppeteers have found themselves a prospective replacement and his strings are all worn out anyway. He's faded. A faded man used as an illusion by people far smarter than he is. A man out of his depth for eight years who never seemed to even touch bottom. This crisis, the Iraq war, and torture are going to be the biggest smears on his already checkered legacy. He will go down in history as probably the worst president in American history.
He probably could have scrapped by as a care-taker president, handing off a mostly intact America to the next guy, but that's long gone. That died on September 10th. He could have given a cryogenically frozen US to the next guy if he had stuck with Afghanistan, but he allowed that to be melted with a blow torch when Cheney and his other handlers threw the Iraq war at him.

Perhaps a Silly Thought...

It seems to me that there's a flaw in the Republican view of, well, the world, I suppose.
With the lurverly collapse of the market recently, they blame the Democrats for forcing the government to offer loans to those who couldn't afford it. Allowing them to be irresponsible and that we--read all those with money enough not to worry about loosing the house--are to catch them. Part of being a true adult is having the opportunity to fail and be irresponsible, though I'd prefer that you didn't do it at my expense.

All right, it sucks that taxes are going to bail those Wall Street bastards out, but part of the deal is that the lenders CHOOSE to be irresponsible "(though, to be far, more than half the shit we're in was created by Wall Street). I'd like to let the chips fall where they may, but I dunno if we can do that.

Analysis of Ahmadinejad's chat with Larry King--for Deanna

Yeah, double standard all right. Israel's an ally, Iran's considered an enemy. Neither one are very open to inspection, though since Israel owes us, I doubt they'll use the nukes without provocation. That would look really bad for us.
He removes himself from the issue of hostility. BOTH countries are to blame for that (though I can see Cheney issuing some threats behind closed doors).
Lol, " AHMADINEJAD (THROUGH TRANSLATOR): No. We do not a preference of any sort... And it's not important to us either."
Disagree with him, but it's still funny how casually he brushes the election of one of the most powerful people in the world off.

I would really like to see Obama have a chat with Ahmadinejad, but that would be feeding into the hands of O'Reilly and Limbaugh.

"AHMADINEJAD (THROUGH TRANSLATOR): Our country of Iran has a historical presence that extends to 7,000 years. And never has the Iranian nation taken a misstep against another nation. Throughout history, it has demonstrated that." ORLY? I seem to remember the Iran-Iraq war(s) being instigated by both sides.

Love the sideswipes he makes periodically. "But this defense does not mean that we must infringe on the rights of other nations, not at all."

This is new, "You are aware that in the course of the U.S. attack on Iraq, we were
asked, in fact, to enter into the coalition or the war, to some extent
-- not the coalition, but the war -- just to make up for the war that
Saddam launched against us that went on for eight years." Hadn't heard that before.
This one's new, too, "But let me tell you, 118 member states of the NAM, the Non- Aligned
Movement, have actually supported our peaceful nuclear pursuits.
Fifty-seven member states of the Organization of Islamic States have
also given their support to us in this regard. And there are many other
organizations -- multilateral organizations that have supported our
endeavor and efforts."

He's right, certainly, about Iraq. It's the keystone to the Middle East. Been wondering recently if the Iraq Invasion was a power play, too. Showing bin Laden who's the boss and everything (not that the invasion actually took much effort).

He sidesteps a lot of questions--typical from what I remember of him. And is right about the bomb as a purely state-oriented political threat. States want to be around in the long run, after all.

Focuses a lot on Israel, which will not reassure most Americans. We like Israel, we like having an ally in the region besides Turkey, we like the feel-good of having given the Holocaust survivors a homeland again.
And just as a note, the division of Palestine isn't America's fault--that was Churchill. Whatever you can say about Sharon, he was moving people out of the occupied territories, which was good. Olmert started movin' 'em back in after Sharon became a veggie. And Arafat had the opportunity to have a homeland again through the Oslo peace talks under Clinton, but refused it because it wasn't the old borders again. And Palestine DOES have free elections--that's how Abbas got in power much to the concernation of the US.
Wish he'd give a definition of a Zionist. Does that include someone who lives in Israel, oe just those that support it as a State. What about the people in government or in the army? They don't have a choice about being in the army, you know. Required for all 18 year olds.
Denying the Holocaust doesn't help his case in not being a threat.
"Or in Alaska, perhaps." LOL, chase out the moose! And they can have Palin--nobody will miss her.

"AHMADINEJAD (through translator): I have no concerns in that regard
because they aren't able to do that, because the worst thing the U.S.
government can do would be an attack. I think that in the United States
there are enough reasonable people, smart people, who would not allow
the U.S. government to make a mistake."
Hope so. We can't do a three-front war.
"Iran is an extremely big country and very developed and powerful, too. With big people." Nearly died. Sounds like a little boy describing a fish he caught. If he were to be more explict in what he means (big hearted, he said later), iinstead of sounding like a blaggart, that would be good.
Makes a silly arguement about homosexuality. And ignores some gruesome hangings (hung by a crane until dead).

"AHMADINEJAD (through translator): If it an, it would be the best
scenario. But I think that it needs a timetable. That's what I think. A
clear timetable so that it allows for their withdrawal in the shortest
a period of time. Because the presence of the United States there has
not reduced tension and it has not limited terrorism, either. In fact,
it has increased terrorism."
Agreed. There's blog by an Iraqi woman called Neurotic Iraq Wife who says we need to get our asses out, because it would be best for Iraq (the September 2008 archive, "The Blatant Neurotic Iraqi Truth..." if you're interested).

"...wherever we can meet with the American people and to learn about them
and their lives. We think that having talks is the best way." Dunno if LA is the best place to learn about American culture (it's such an anamoly!), but he's right. If you understand a people, you can communicate effectively with them, and if he wants to convince us Iran is not a threat, he need to do that better than he has. He's also right about saying we need more contact with Iran, because if we understand a country, we can deal with it effectively. And despite being friends with you, I don't know too terribly much about Iranian culture.

NOW . Poll | PBS

Why?

My decision !

Not that you probably care.

Politics - News, Opinion and Analysis from CNN.com

This should not be! McCain is not going to be good for the US and is coniving! >:(

Election Issues and Policies

I really need to sit down a figure all this out.
2008 Presidential Election Candidates on the Issues
All I can do is sigh. There's seriously minor differences between McCheney and Obama on a good chunk of the issues.

Break down:

• Roe v Wade: Mc opposes, Ob supports:
  
• Death Penalty: both support. Ugh
• NCLB: Mc supports, Ob has mixed opinions. I am not happy about that. The NCLB act punishes teachers, who are at the mercy of the administration.
• Embryonic stemcell research: both support. Fine and dandy.
• ANWR drilling: both oppose. Cool beans.
• Kyoto Treaty: Mc opposes and Ob's position is unknown. Kyoto is unreasonable for industrialized nations, at least at the pace it demands.
• Guns: Mc opposes a assult weapons ban while Obama supports one. Both support background checks.
  
• PATRIOT act: both support. I hate hate hate the PATRIOT act (you heard me!)
• Guantanamo: Mc supports it, Ob opposes.
• Torture: both oppose it (thank god).
• Wiretapping: Mc and Ob oppose it.
  
• Border Fence: Both support. Le sigh
• Citizenship paths for illegals: both support. What else are we gonna do with them?
• Internet nuetrality: Mc opposes, Ob supports. That counts in Obama's favor, for me at least.
• Sanctions on Iran: both support
• Iran as a military option: Mc supports it (!) and Ob's opnion is unknown (!). That it's even phrased that way makes me sick.
  
• Iraq war: Mc supports it, Ob doesn't
• Troop surge: Mc supports it, Ob doesn't
• Withdrawal: Mc opposes it, Ob wants it to be gradual. I personally agree with Obama.
• Minimum wage increase: Mc opposes, Ob does.
• Gay marriage: both oppose. Sigh.
• Civil unions: Mc has mixed opinions, Ob supports
• Consitutional ban on gay marriage: both oppose.
• Universal healthcare: Mc opposes, Ob supports.

I suppose it depends on your voting issues. Mine are all freedom and civil rights, pretty much, as well as Iraq, so I think I'll be an Obamainator. Need to double check their fiscal policies, though.


Edit: From today's Times:
Obama's approach to Wall street makes me a little unhappy. He wants more regulation and I don't. I DO want the companies to bail themselves out or die, instead of my taxes going to save their asses. As a friend said: Privatized profits with socialized losses is fascist.
In fact, I'd like the whole regulatory system to be flushed.
On the other hand, McCain would treat employer-paid healthcare taxable as part of one's income. That in and of itself will probably kill my family, since he want the employers to estimate how much they're spending on your healthcare and you'll be taxed accordingly. All of us in my house are on some pretty expensive meds, and two of us have themost expanisive mental illness to treat. At the moment, I won't be paying extra taxes as I'm not insured by my employer, but my parents WILL.
That would force a hell of a lot of people into the health-insurance market place and out of the current system--which I admit is flawed, but I would think it better than this other system. I'm one of those who thinks that captialism does not belong in the healthcare arena, at least on an individual level. It workds perfectly well for insitutions and corporations but not to much for families, unless we regulate the hell out of it which would make me unhappy.
Bob Herbert:

"When younger, healthier workers start seeing additional taxes taken out of their paychecks, some (perhaps many) will opt out of the employer-based plans--either to buy cheaper insureance on their own or go without coverage.
That will leave employers with a pool of older, less healthy workers to cover, That coverage will necessarily be more expensive, which will encourage more and more employuers to give up the idea of providing coverage at all."

The $5k credit he would offer doesn't even cover my family's medical expenses in a year, I'm danm sure.
Mm, not good. I need healthcare to function.
That said, I disagree with Bob Herbert on his assumption that I can't understand the insurance market well enough to navigate it if I have to. Give me some time and I can manage it. Actually that might create a whole new division of legal expertise. Yay. More lawyers.
Candidate Tax Plans.
McCain wants to keep and create more tax cuts. Obama doesn't. We're so deep in the hole we can't have that. Obama wants an increase in social security taxes for certain brackets ("Social Security tax would be 12.4% for income from zero to $102,000; 0% for income from $102,000 to $250,000; and 4% from $250,000 and up, effective 2018"). Damn it, I already loose about fifteen bucks (out of my $180 average paycheck) and that would be more. Those upper tax brackets need to pay more than I do. I sincerly doubt that as a teacher I'll make enough not to have to pay.
"Create an "American Opportunity Tax Credit." This universal and fully refundable credit would equal 100% of higher education expenses up to $4,000," is a part of Obama's plan and I like that. I'm going to be in school for the next four or five years, so I'll probably get to use that.

Presidential Candidate Tax Plan Comparison

	John McCain	Barack Obama
Marginal Individual Income Tax Rates View Research Area »	Continue the lower rates enacted in the 2001-03 tax cuts. (Source).	Maintain the current 10, 15, 25, and 28 percent rates from the 2001-03 tax cuts, but allow the top two rates to expire (the 33 percent rate would rise to 36 percent; the 35 percent would rise to 39.6 percent). Eliminate all income taxation of seniors making less than $50,000 per year. (Source).
Corporate Income Tax View Research Area »	Cut rate to 25%, (from current 35%) fully phased in by 2015. (Source).	Eliminate capital gains taxes on start-up and small businesses (Source). "Level the playing field for all businesses by eliminating special-interest loopholes and deductions." (Source).
Tax Reform View Research Area »	No specifics available. Taxpayers choose between the current system or "a vastly less complicated system with two tax rates and a generous standard deduction." (Source).	No specifics available. Instruct IRS to provide pre-prepared tax forms for many filers (Source).
Estate Tax View Research Area »	15% tax rate on estates over $5 million ($10 million for married couples). (Source).	45% tax rate on estates over $3.5 million ($7 million for married couples). (Source).
Social Security Payroll Tax View Research Area »	Opposes increasing the payroll tax from the current 12.4% on wages up to $102,000. Supports supplementing the current Social Security system with personal accounts. (Source).	Social Security tax would be 12.4% for income from zero to $102,000; 0% for income from $102,000 to $250,000; and 4% from $250,000 and up, effective 2018. (Source).
Alternative Minimum Tax View Research Area »	Phase out the AMT (Source).	Extend AMT patch.
Capital Gains & Dividends Taxes View Research Area »	Maintain the 15% rate on capital gains and dividends. (Source).	Raise capital gains and dividends rates to somewhere between 20% and 28%, keeping them equal.
Other Tax Policies	-New refundable health care tax credit ($5,000 for family coverage, $2,500 for individual coverage). Replaces the current exclusion for employer-based health insurance premiums. (budget neutral) - Increase the dependent exemption each year until it reaches $7,000 in 2016 (the 2016 level would be twice the level in 2009) (Source).	- Create a new "Making Work Pay" refundable income tax credit of up to $500 per person or $1,000 per family. It would offset the payroll tax on the first $8,100 of earnings. - Create a 10 percent mortgage credit worth up to $800. - Give full-time workers making minimum wage an Earned Income Tax Credit benefit up to $555. If the workers are "responsibly supporting their children on child support," give those workers a benefit of $1,110. - Create an "American Opportunity Tax Credit." This universal and fully refundable credit would equal 100% of higher education expenses up to $4,000. - Make the Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit refundable and increase the maximum credit to $1,500 ($3,000 for two or more children). - Make the Retirement Savings Credit refundable. Reduce the maximum credit from the current $1,000 per taxpayer ($2,000 per couple) to $250 per taxpayer ($500 per couple) and roughly double the phaseout threshold from $16,000 for singles in 2008 ($32,000 for couples) to $32,500 for singles in 2009 ($65,000 for couples). The credit would phase out at a 5% rate when AGI exceeds these thresholds.

©2008 Tax Foundation. All Rights Reserved.

Who's Online

OMFG.

YouTube - Time for Some Campaignin'
Fucking hilarious!

Time for Some Campaignin'

This Might Be Why...

Think Progress » On 7th Anniversary Of Attacks, White House Claims Bin Laden Was Not The ‘Mastermind’ of Sept. 11
Certainly explains why we haven't really focused on catching him.

OMFG.

YouTube - Time for Some Campaignin'
Fucking hilarious!

Time for Some Campaignin'

Composed

The most beautiful suicide (kottke.org)
There's something oddly touching about her and the state of her body (compared to the car) is amazing. She appears to be fairly intact and the dent in the car is significant.

Wow.

California's Ballot Measure Against Gay Marriage Failing

Reason Magazine - Hit & Run > Lesbians Are Cool, and Straights Are Fools
Fuck
Yes

Modern Slavery: A Primer

From GOOD magazine, a fabulous online mag that has some really great stuff.
This, however, is saddening--10% of the world's population are slaves, and the ones here in the US are doing the same thing slaves were doing two hundred years ago with manufacturing as an added burden.

Forgotten War

How the hell did we forget Afghanistan? The Taliban sheltered the man who sponsored and planned September Eleventh and we simply focus on Iraq. Could we just have shot over to Iraq just long enough to disable any possible weapons (we wouldn't have found any) and then go back to hunting for Bin Laden?

BBC NEWS | South Asia | US suffers heavy Afghan losses

Ack.

YouTube - balloons - baloni

I am never endingly amused by this.

The Last Thing We Need...

Is more war. We can't handle a two-front, how could we do a three? Iraq, Iran and Afghanistan...
Holy shit.

I keep hearing rumors and concerns--it's all over the blogosphere and the news. And that makes me worry and ache and want to disbelieve all this crap. There is no way in hell we can pull a three front. We'll collapse, without out a doubt.

An Open Letter to Smelly, Pretentious Poser Hippies

Dear Smelly Poser Hippies,

I can smell you across the counter. Even if I step back. I can tell you don't use deodorant either, and you smell like oil and dirt and unwashed hair and old food, not flowers. Your dreds look like you slathered them with Crisco before you left the house. The stains on your shirt are not attractive and holes generally mean it's time to buy a new one.
And then you prattle on about the art of espresso and how our machines make it inferiorly to your carpal tunnel-causing, tedious preferred method--really, do you think Starbucks would use a Verssimo machine if it wasn't just as good? Yeah, the art is gone, but it tastes just the same--possibly better because it's harder to fuck up.
And you're at a Starbucks for heaven's sake! If you really were a hard-working, mother-earth-loving, real hippie, you'd go to a local cafe, not the sprawling, transnational pillar of suburban society that we are.
But you come groveling to us for a caffeine fix, while complaining about how we don't make it strong enough and how the art is gone and how it's so much better in the Northwest because they make properly strong coffee and how if we really loved coffee, we'd go up there.
We work at Starbucks. We know what good coffee tastes like and we can make it here. Ask for a French press instead of looking like an ass in front of the baristas. Ask for more shots instead of pretend you know what you're talking about, because we know you don't.
Do you know why you think they make it better up there? It's a national myth, started because Starbucks came from there. No other reason, really.
So take yer cup of supposedly inferior coffee, go take a bath and become a real hippie someplace else.

Love,
Every Starbucks Barista That Has Ever Had To Put Up With You

Incredible Surrealist Painter

Andrew Brandou is probably my new favorite artist. His stuff is amazing--eerie, colorful and weirdly cute. It's like a mad Mexican Tim Burton broke into Disney's animation studios in the 50s.
Here's a couple of my favorites from the gallery sections called "Everyone's Happier Now That You're Gone":

Most amazing thing EVER

Agelio Batle, Sculptor: Collections

Seriously, I want me one of these. They're absolutely beautiful and incredibly elegant. I'd never use them, though. They'd sit forever on my desk or my dresser--someplace I can look at them. See them easily and display them, since good God, that's what they deserve.
They're simple, everyday things, made of perfectly useable graphite and they're amazing.

Pregnancy Makes You Less Than Human

There’s been a chain letter/bulletin/what-have-you floating around called “It’s a Baby, Not a Choice.” In it, it describes one nurse’s horror story of witnessing a partial-birth abortion, accompanied by the “fact” that abortions performed (within the legal period to receive one, mind) by the “saline” method (wherein saline solutions are used to flush the womb) burn the fetus to death, causing it extreme amounts of pain.

I have some serious issues with this chain, and the fact that people I hold near and dear are sending it to me is only a small part.

First of all, partial-birth abortions are (last time I checked) ILLEGAL in the United States and most of the western world. Because most people recognise that a baby IS an actual baby by the second trimester (roughly a 6-month old fetus). I realized that descriptions of this illegal procedure, usually gory enough to be the stuff of pulp-magazines, is a favorite tactic of pro-lifers to scare those who—God forbid—think a woman has just as much right to a life she chooses as a baby.

I have noticed that many pro-life enthusiasts (not all, mind you, but many) seem to only care about your unborn baby until it becomes a BORN baby. Do not, under any circumstances, get rid of that fetus. No, we’re not going to help you pay the hospital bills for him, or help you buy diapers or bottles. When you have to enlist for WIC and live in Section-8 housing, we’re not going to try and help you better your situation, but we will send you pamphlets on how people like you are destroying the moral fiber of society, and how us upright citizens shouldn’t have to support you scum with our tax dollars. We’re going to give you dirty looks in stores and on the streets if you’re too young or unwed.

It doesn’t matter that we fully support a government that will only fund abstinence-based sex ed programs for our young people. It doesn’t matter that we allow –and even encourage—our sons to sow their wild oats, to hunt, to conquer with no societal repercussions, while any girl who gives into their wiles is a whore or a slut. It doesn’t matter that we are unwilling to fund better school systems for that poor baby you carried to term, and that we refuse to give him affordable (and DECENT) healthcare because that would mean a considerable spike in our taxes.

And before you get all bent out of shape, and assume I’m some commie-licking hippie skank who’s had four abortions already, let me set something straight: I have never had an abortion, and I have never been pregnant. I am not a recipient of any sort of welfare program. I work for my money, I vote every election, and I do love America, although I do recognize there’s room for us to improve.

I understand you feel that every child has a right to be born. I just want you to understand that by being born, some children will face a wretched lot in life. And I want you to understand that, as much as you dislike it, a woman deserves control over her body—and whatever happens to be in it.

Westboro Baptist Church in Legal Trouble

How deeply this makes me gloat. If you don't know any thing about these freaks, here's a link.
These cats are more than a little fucked in the head, and it makes me happy that they're finally getting some (legally, too!) for the amount of distress they've caused, the youth they've corrupted, and stupidity they've spread.

Religious Buzz Words

I was being forced to listen to Talk Radio (Rush Limbaugh and his ilk), and the host was talking to some cookie-cutter Christian* this morning. She kept using words like "Living the life of dignity," "mighty miracles for His glory" and other hollow words.
Why do they get used? I would venture a guess because they sound grand, and are vague enough that they can be quantified by most anything.

Next time you happen to hear a Christianist** talk, listen to their words. Do they sound like that? Are they full of propagandist language? Do they sound mighty and fine, but have no substance behind them? In all probability, they're just repeating what they heard from their pastor or cult leader, whichever is applicable.

Another type of religious buzz words seems to be the cutesy type--something mom would say, sitting amongst her Precious Moments statues and other knicknacks. Empty phrases that ingrain themselves into your mind that your mother says as you walk out the door. Sickeningly sweet things. Hackneyed, in a wide-eyed, loving sort of way. Things that drip saccharine from the lips of aging CCChristians everywhere. Things like "Be like a sponge. So when you are squeezed from all sides you will ooze with the likeness of the Lord."
I expect a droopy-eyes doll to tell me that.

None of them mean anything more than power. Think about it--what do politicians use to gain power? Buzz words. What do people use to sound like they know what they're talking about? Buzz words. they are in the know. They know the truth. They can lead us to a better tomorrow.


*Cookie-Cutter Christian: n. One who repeats the garbage Conservative Talk Radio spits out, citing Jesus and/or Rush as the proper source of this boundless wisdom.

**I have no problem with Christianity, per se. None at all. But I dislike sheep and people who try to tell me how to live when I didn't ask them. Also, forcing me to follow your beliefs, under the guise of morality, makes me angry. I'm just a flawed human being, but I don't want you telling me what to do. I'm happy enough, wallowing in my heathenism, thank you very much.
It's the people who do the above in the name of Christ who make me angry. I'm borrowing a term from Andrew Sullivan by calling them 'Christianists.'

Ack!

I use FireFox, and I love it. However, nothing seems compatible (except boost and greasemonkey) with the newest update!
This is not ok! I need my scribefire and StumbleUpon!

Clinton's Hypocrisy

More reasons I loathe her.

Hillary Clinton is on the board of directors for Wal-Mart. Has been
been for years. Her campaign is build on several issues that are
contrary to what Walmart does. Contrary to the point that I'm
absolutely amazed no one else has cottoned onto this.

She could at least publicly speak out against the policies (she is,
from what I've heard, Sam Walton's niece somehow [this explains that
five million she donated to herself], and it's not likely she'd be
kicked off the board), even if she can't convince them to change
policies. She's got a lot of power when it comes to this. She could
speak out, and as the former First Lady of the US and Arkansas, and a
current US Senator, she's got an incredible reach.

Wal Mart is accused of the following:

• Treating women like dirt--they almost never promote women to manager.
• Crushing local business--small towns tend to loose about half
  their retail trade within the decade of a local WalMart opening (Those
  of you who say that they create more jobs--they only do so in the short
  term).
• Poor working conditions and inadequate health care-- Instances
  where people were working around the clock without breaks or overtime.
  As a whole, employees are paid so little that they can't afford the
  premiums, according to a number of studies.
  

"On October 26, 2005, a Wal-Mart internal memo sent to the firm's Board
of Directors advised trimming over $1 billion in health care expenses
by 2011 through measures such as attracting a younger, implicitly
healthier work force by offering education benefits. The memo also
suggested giving sedentary Wal-Mart staffers, such as cashiers, more
physically demanding tasks, such as, "cart-gathering," and eliminating
full-time positions in favor of hiring part-time employees who would be
ineligible for the more expensive health insurance and several policy
proposals which may violate the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990.

The memo also accused Wal-Mart's lower paid employees of abusing
emergency room visits, "possibly due to their prior experience with
programs such as Medicaid," whereas such visits may actually be due to
the reduced ability of uninsured or under-insured people to make timely
appointments to see a regular physician. Critics point to this story as
evidence that Wal-Mart purports to be generous with its employee
benefits, while in reality the company is working to cut such benefits
by reducing the number of full-time and long-term employees and
discouraging supposedly unhealthy people from working at Wal-Mart."

• Hiring illegals-- they claim the illegals work for contractors, others say they were hired personally by Walmart.
• Forcing Outsourcing--Walmart started the whole thing, and others
  had to do so to keep up. Moreover, they tell companies what they want
  produced and how much Walmart will pay for it. No negotiation, no
  discussion. Do what we say, or loose us.
• Forcing teenaged Mexican baggers to work only tips. Using Chinese sweatshop/prison labor.
• Violating environmental standards across the country:
  "Enforcement agencies agree: when it comes to following rules, Wal-Mart
  can do better:
  

• Slapped with Fines Across the Country. In 2004,
  Wal-Mart faced fines for violations of environmental laws in nine
  states: California, Colorado, Delaware, Michigan, New Jersey, South
  Dakota, Tennessee, Texas and Utah. [Associated Press, 5/12/04; New York
  Times, 4/13/05]
• Forced to Settle Air Pollution Claims. In 2004, Wal-Mart agreed to
  pay $400,000 to the government to settle claims that Sam's Club had
  flouted federal air pollution regulations in eleven states. [The
  Business Journal, 1/30/04]
• Widespread Water Pollution. In 2001, the EPA and Justice Department
  for the first time fined a company -- Wal-Mart -- for violating newly
  adopted standards for stormwater runoff. Wal-Mart paid $5.5 million in
  fines for violations at construction sites in four states:
  Massachusetts, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas. Four years later,
  however, Wal-Mart signed an agreement with the Connecticut Department
  of Environmental Protection over storm water violations occurring over
  seven years at 20 stores, and agreed to pay $1,550,000 in penalties.
  [Underground Construction, 8/1/01; Forbes, 8/15/05]
• Contaminating Water in Georgia. Georgia's Environmental Protection
  Division (EPD) fined Wal-Mart for letting polluted storm water run free
  into state waters -- resulting in $170,000 in penalties for pollution
  at two sites. Wal-Mart failed to take basic steps to help clean storm
  runoff, such as maintaining silt fencing around construction zones,
  installing ponds to catch storm water, and failure to keep records. The
  fines ranked among the highest paid in Georgia for violations of the
  Clean Water Act. [Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 2/10/05]
• In Florida, Oil Storage Problems. Florida forced Wal-Mart to pay
  $765,000 in fines for operating outside safety restrictions on
  petroleum storage at its auto service centers. The Florida Department
  of Environmental Protection flagged the company for failing to register
  its fuel tanks with the state or install devices that prevent gasoline
  overflows. According to the state, Wal-Mart also failed to perform
  monthly safety checks, lacked current technologies to prevent
  overflows, blocked state inspectors from reviewing records and failed
  to show proper insurance documentation. [Associated Press, 11/18/04] "

Hillary sells herself as (using quotes from her annoying hell to navigate website):

• A women's champion (like I want her to be my Knight In Shining Pink Armor).

"Today, despite the progress women have made, they earn only 77 cents
for every dollar men earn -- and women of color earn even less. Hillary
is leading the charge in the Senate to strengthen equal pay laws and
end pay disparities between men and women. She introduced the Paycheck
Fairness Act to strengthen the penalties associated with wage
discrimination, to ensure that the federal government sets a higher
standard, and to increase oversight of employers. Hillary has also
worked to increase access to capital and other support for women-owned
businesses."

Mhm, sweetie, letting your uncle's company not move women up in the ranks is a great way to show this.

According to WalmartWatch.com:

• female hourly workers earn up to 37 cents less per hour than their male counterparts;
• female full-time employees working at least 45 weeks earn on average
  nearly $5,000 less than male employees in yearly salary;
• women make up 72 percent of Wal-Mart's total workforce, but only 33 percent of its managers;
• and women make up 92 percent of Wal-Mart's cashiers, but only 14 percent of Wal-Mart store managers.

• Increase Rural opportunity--"Hillary also believes that there are many other opportunities to create good jobs..."

When uncle Sammy's company screws over the rural area regularly. Repeatedly. Unendingly.

• Nationalized Health Care-- "It puts the consumer in the driver's
  seat by offering more choices and lowering costs. If you're one of the
  tens of million Americans without coverage or if you don't like the
  coverage you have, you will have a choice of plans to pick from and
  that coverage will be affordable. Of course, if you like the plan you
  have, you can keep it."

I suppose this is her way of apologizing.

• Wants to secure the border and prevent illegal hiring. "Hillary
  strongly believes we need to do more to know who is in our country by
  securing our borders and ensuring that employers comply with the law
  against hiring and exploiting undocumented workers. She supports
  deploying new technology that can help stop the flow of undocumented
  immigrants into the country and an employer verification system that is
  universal, accurate, timely, and does not lead to discrimination and
  abuse by employers."

I cannot help but laugh at this. I really can't.

• Someone who will increase the standing of America world wide--"As
  president, Hillary will lead by the words of the Declaration of
  Independence, which pledged "a decent respect to the opinions of
  mankind."

More BS courtesy of She-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. Wordlessly letting women and minors be exploited is a greaaaaat way to start.

• Save the children: "America is ready for a president who fights
  for our children. Hillary has spent her lifetime as an effective
  advocate for parents and children.

From her first job out of law school at the Children's Defense Fund to
her time as First Lady of Arkansas and of the United States to her
service in the Senate, helping children has been at the center of
Hillary's public life.

In the White House, Hillary will continue her lifelong work to create a
world where every child is cherished, loved, and able to fulfill his or
her potential."

Yes. Having them work too many hours (on school nights, too!) and miss
meal breaks or not be paid is a great effing way to do that.

• Clean up the environment,

"Hillary has a bold and comprehensive plan to address America's energy
and environmental challenges that will establish a green, efficient
economy and create as many as five million new jobs.

Centered on a cap and trade system for carbon emissions, stronger
energy and auto efficiency standards and a significant increase in
green research funding, Hillary's plan will reduce America's reliance
on foreign oil and address the looming climate crisis.

Setting ambitious targets, the plan would reduce greenhouse gas
emissions by 80 percent from 1990 levels by 2050 to avoid the worst
effects of global warming, and cut foreign oil imports by two-thirds
from 2030 projected levels, more than 10 million barrels per day."

Yup. That's the way to go. Mhm.

Do I expect the campaign to match up entirely with Mal-Mart
policies? No. But I do expect her to speak out on the most flagrant and
harmful to the very things she's trying to fix.

Links:

http://www.hillaryclinton.com

http://walmartwatch.com/issues

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Criticism_of_Wal-Mart (I can and will provide more links on this for anyone who asks)

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/walmart/secrets/

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/walmart/interviews/lehman....

Anger

I have realized that I have somehow developed unbounded anger for other young people. I know countless kids, my age and younger, who are convinced that their inactivity and unwillingness to better themselves is somehow sticking it to the white-collar, white-male elite who run this godforsaken and corrupt country.

Fear

It's not my thing to use blogs as diaries, because, well, why would you be interested in my little life? I'd rather you be interested in something I have to say than who I talked to today.
But this is related to a recent mile stonearoundtheneck that our nation has reached--4,000 of our young men and women are dead.

I have a fair number of friends in one or another branch of the military, and I dread seeing a face I know gracing the cover page of my local newspaper. I walk around my neighborhood and see RIP stickers on cars for people in my 'burb who've died. I don't ever want to face the opportunity to get one of those for someone I love. Articles that discuss this topic I read with the deepest trepidation, worrying I'll see a name I know. A face I know.

#4,000, whoever you are, may you rest in peace.

Bert and Ernie, Menaces to Society.

I know the gossip of my coworkers is not a reliable source of news. And I am very much aware that what I say now could be vicious rumor( but I doubt it. West Baptist Church has made me believe that even the most heinous and stupid actions in the name of God are still possible in this supposedly enlightened day and age) But there was a conversation among those whom I work with who have children in the break room the other day that made me very, deeply agitated.

Seems that certain "family oriented" groups have been and are trying to get certain characters of the much-loved children's TV show "Sesame Street" changed and/or eliminated from the show.

Surely, what could be wrong with the critters who inhabit that sound stage street that taught so many of us numbers and letters? Apparently, some of them are teaching the children of America bad morals.

You may be asking yourself, as I have, "What sort of bullshit Christian right junta are we living in?" Well, those of us who do not understand the finer points of raising children in an environment where there are no messages whatsoever that take away the innocence of childhood and the sanctity of good Christian living. Allow me to relay the points that were told to me.

Point one: Oscar the Grouch should be removed from the show. Because his representation of homeless people (he lived in a trash can, and ergo was homeless. Never mind he's a freaking monster, and his proud race of green acrylic furred peoples may choose to live in trashcans, as a facet of their culture) portrayed a negative stereotype: that homeless people both exist and are very grouchy about their existence. It somehow allowed kids to infer that homeless people are grouchy.

Now, if you had no home, wouldn't you be grouchy? I know I would be. Especially in America, where it's somehow OK to treat homeless people like animals. And anyone who watched Oscar in action knows Oscar wasn't always grouchy. He just didn't like people making a lot of noise outside his trashcan--when he was learning about the letter k, he was a fairly content ball of fuzz.

But, no, cranky and homeless people are undermining children's sense of right.

Point Two: Bert an Ernie, obvious homosexuals, should find other living arrangements, as their current situation (living together and sharing a room, albeit with separate beds) is a clear indicator of their homosexuality. I have never met a child of Sesame Street watching age who immediately assume that two men sharing living quarters are buggering one another. That's the transference of homophobic parents onto Bert and Ernie--two innocent little Muppets whose only crimes may be bizarre attachments to paper clips and rubber duckies-- are gay. Kids don't immediately connect so-called "deviant" sex with how people are living together. Unless, of course, they are taught by their parents to do so--making it an entirely adult assumption.

And even if Bert and Ernie ARE gay, who gives a shit? It's not like they're making mad puppet love brought to you by the number 3. The point of Sesame Street was to teach counting, numbers, and how other people live and work. That's why there were people and monsters who were different colors residing there.

Point Three: Snuffalupagus, Big Birds' imaginary friend, is an obvious drug reference. You see, because only Big Bird can see him, he's a clear hallucination.

Really? Because when I was little, when you had a friend onyl you could see, you weren't trippin' on LSD, or even schizophrenic. You had an imaginary friend. big Bird has the mentality of an eight-year-old, but never mind that. Imaginary friends are the stuff of drug addicts and blemishes to our society.

Point Four: Cookie Monster's new "cookies are a sometimes food" mantra. The argument for this new change of heart towards his beloved tasty treats (something I think tastes far more of out-of-control PC beliefs more than the Radical Right) was that his zeal was "encouraging childhood obesity". Riiiiiiiiight. It's all a blue muppets fault that YOUR kid is fat. It's not, say, a parent's inability to teach their children about correct portion sizes and feed them nutritious, healthy food. It's not the parent's fault they don't encourage their children to play active games outside.

No, your kid isn't fat because you gave into their whining for a PlayStation or Nintendo DS and let them play it nonstop (I have nothing against video games. I just think sometimes they should be turned off for a game of freeze tag), because you feed them "quick" and toxic foods, and because you don't have the time to teach them about savoring foods and proper portion sizing. Your kid isn't fat because you don't have the time to explain to them that a) Cookie Monster is a monster, not a little kid, and because of that he can get away with things they can't, and b) Cookie Monster is a fat little monster BECAUSE of his love for cookies.

It's not your fault, folks. This one's all cookie monster.


I am so beyond livid at the current state of children's programming. It's been sugar0coated and nice-ified to the point where none of it feels different from any other show. There are no cartoon characters smashing one another with mallets, and I have yet (on my days where there is very little to do before I ship off to work) to find one which adequately deals with the subject of "stranger danger". But hell, we're teaching preschoolers how to speak Spanish!

I'm so sick of this country, I'm sick of the overly-liberal, who attack people wearing leather jackets and drink milk (if you have ever seen a cow who has not been milked for a while, you know how desperately cows need milking. They don't care what you use it for. Too much milk in an udder is painful to a cow and can cause serious infection).

I am sick of all the decisions being made by white protestant republicans in the Midwest who have no sense of humor and transfer all their dirty daydreams onto things like children's TV shows, turning something as innocent as the muppets into "bad moral role models".

I'm sick of the apathy of young people, who choose not to vote because "it's not going to make a difference" or it's what "the establishment" does--all the while forgetting that if people do not vote, the establishment will NEVER change. Who bitch about how bad their lives are but don't lift a finger to try and change them, who buy shirts touting Eco-friendly awareness made on non-organic cotton and printed with toxic ink.

I'm sick of everyone who disrespects literature, especially religious literature. That includes the Christians who think it's OK to tear up literature or burn to Koran. This includes kids who think it's OK to burn Bibles. I don't care if it's not what you believe in, it's a piece of literature, and the ability to access literature and to read it is a gift too many people take for granted. I personally deeply dislike Scientology, but I have never defaced a copy of "Dianetics". It's hugely disrespecful and shows zero maturity.

If you don't agree with something you read, put it down. If you don't agree with something you see on TV, change the channel. If you don't agree with how someone thinks, leave them alone and go find someone who you can better relate to.

The world has already ended, and we're burning in a hell of ignorance and disrespect.

Good Old XKCD

China Removed from Human Rights Violator List Three Days Before Tibet

China Terrorizes Tibet - New York Times

Oh hooray for China! You've been removed from the US State Department's list of gross human rights violators! Yaaaay!
(Even though they admit you're still doing a shitty job)

Oh wait, Tibet's protesting? Gotta shut that down right quick! 600 people in jail and several dead protestors?

No biggie.



I cannot fathom what strings were pulled to get this. Did China have its banks call in the loans we owe? Is that how this happened? Honestly.
China was supposed to behave itself in order to get the Olypmics, and it clearly isn't. This is ridiculous.

Mysterious Gaps

I do not trust Hillary Clinton as far as I can throw her. And this is why.
Large gaps in her log of activity as First Lady, private meetings with un-named individuals. Days of these sort of meetings.
I do not begrudge her some of them, but for them to be to ubiquitous is unnerving and makes me even more wary of her. We do not need more secrets. It's time for an open, transparent presidency.

Out of Town...

Will be so for the rest of the week.

LOLZ!

Prescription drugs found in drinking water across U.S. - CNN.com
This is every Conspiracy Theorists dream! T3h governmentz' trying to control us and make us have more babies!

Fractals

I really like them. They're freakin' awesome if they're done right. But all the ones on deviant art all look the same, more or less. I am annoyed.

Holocaust Videos from MTv

I'm not a weepy person. I'm really not. But this brought tears to my eyes. The fear is palpable, confusion and pain in their eyes, visible in every movement they make in Family Room and Subway.

Family Room:


Subway:

Pub Think MTV Holocaust metro
Uploaded by business-garden

Tragic Killing

On February 12, 2008 an openly gay fifteen year old, Larry King, was murdered by a classmate. He was murdered by the boy he'd ask to be his valentine in light of the impending holiday. That's right, the boy he asked to be his valentine. Somewhere along the line, this classmate decided it was so horrible, so horrific that Larry wanted to be his valentine that he would rectify the situation by simply killing him.

Something has to change.

Our views must change.

Gays are not second class citizens. I am not a second class citizen. There should never be an instance where someone is killed simply because they are gay.

Maybe this kid learned this fear of homosexuality from our culture and the media. From gays being the punchline in some joke, the gay that's made fun of in perhaps even the, "that's gay" phrase that seems to be so popular nowadays. I can even admit to deeming something "gay" every once in awhile. I had a conversation with a coworker just the other day about this. We were talking about how swear words actually start out as being ordinary words, but people start putting different meanings to them and then you get your swear word. He was saying that "gay" had reached that status, I wasn't quite in agreement, but perhaps I should have been. Perhaps by my use of this simple phrase I'm helping spread the homophobia that young kids adopt.

Think about what you say.

Think about the impact this may have on someone with a young mind. Think of the influence you're exerting.

Cause this is unacceptable. Killing because someone is gay is completely unacceptable.


Edited by Scriblerus to incorperate the link properly into the post at 2am on March 2nd

The Most Amazing Poetry Ever

I'm not into poetry. Can't write the stuff, and it doesn't really appeal to me.

This guy is the exception, Rumi, an old Persian poet.

“When someone mentions the gracefulness
of the nightsky, climb up on the roof
and dance and say,

Like this?

If anyone wants to know what ’spirit’ is,
or what ‘God’s fragrance’ means,
lean your head toward him or her.
Keep your face there close.

Like this.

When someone quotes the old poetic image
about clouds gradually uncovering the moon,
slowly loosen knot by knot the strings
of your robe.

Like this?”

(Translation by Coleman Barks)

That's awesome stuff.

I'd Star In This

Never thought I'd See The Day...

...When Iran was more tolerant than we are. The Ayatollah Khomeini approved sex-change operations nearly 25 years ago, and now the Iranian government will pay for it.
It's interesting, as Andrew Sullivan noted, "Just chop it off and marry a man; or become a man and marry a woman
(or several). Ayatollah Khomeini approved of sex change operations a
quarter century ago. And here's a link
to a new documentary about several Iranian men who have become women -
in order to wear veils. It has a fitting title: "Be Like Others."
Transgendered identity and heterosexual normativity are allies. In
many cases, only a physical barrier exists to transgendered people
being fully integrated into heterosexual norms. But gay people, by our
very existence, violate such norms. And our persistence in not wanting
a cure - or seeing its desirability in any way - is what drives those
who hate us crazy. We like our gender. We just express it differently."

Pakistani Cowgirl

Spiritual Cowgirl is a blog run by San Fransisco woman, and is fabulous. She talks about everything from sashaying down the street in her tight yoga pants intent on voting to Lillith and Eve and the Apple to politics in Pakistan.
Go read it!

Dingbot Alert!

Ok so I found my 15 year old brothers essay. This is exactly word for word what he wrote!!!!



I bon't think That school unforms should be reQured. Thay are uncomfortable. someone con comeplan that thay are to big or small. Some unforms can be very echy. pople relly don't like the way Thay look. Thay can look funny and make pople git mad. Thay can be funny looking collers. Way to expenve for my mom. she can't bay two kinds of close.


~~~~~
Ok so yes this is exactlty what he wrote, kind of makes you think what they are teaching in schools nowadays! He is a Sophmore for goodness sake! Well I guess that's all for now!

~Neko!

Davis Question

IF YouTube wasn't a bunch of douche bags, they'd let the views and ratings speak for themselves when it comes to answering the Davis Question. I'd vote for this guy--he brings up a lot of good points as to how to change the world for the better in 2008.
It starts, as the guy says, with ourselves. We cannot expect the world to change for us if we won't bother to change ourselves. If we all change ourselves, we change the way we wield power over and treat others (which, I think, is the prime source of all the world's problems).
We are constantly on the look out for our own best interest, and while that has its merits, we also should realize that others have their own goals and that we ought to help them achieve that if we can.
When we harm others, it's most often for out own goals, and we tend to treat others as a means to our own ends. We need to adjust our thinking so that others are an ends in and of themselves and should

Dear Me, I'm Late- Intro To Me

Seeing as I've not posted anything whatsoever here, I thought I would start as my fellow bloggers have and post an introduction to myself.

I'm a collegiate retail zombie who doesn't drive. For the most part, I reside in a world made up of pop culture artifacts from the past, present, and future. I have a weakness for all things campy and cute.

And I've never been a part of a shared blog before, so bear with me.

And that, Ladies and Gents, is The Apple Poisoner.

Amazing video

Insight
by thc79

Forgiving the Tresspasser

According to a recent Slate article, Congress has passed a law that grants retroactive immunity to companies that helped BushCo violate ours rights be handing over phone records to the NSA and so on without a warrant.

The incredible irony of this all was noted in the beginning of the article I mentioned, "And yet this enthusiasm for telecom immunity is a betrayal of a principle Republicans love to invoke in other contexts. "America is based on the rule of law, and that law must be enforced," Sen. Hutchison thundered during last year's immigration debate. The conservative arguments against forgiving illegal immigrants apply with equal force to the telecom industry, even if no one made them yesterday."

LOL. This is both amusing and slightly sickening. This fervor was directed at keep dem illeegals outta th' country, but never at preventing Bush from asking these companies to violate our rights. Moreover, this winter former General Attorney Ashcroft suggested that companies who were involved get a free pass, since their actions were "based upon explicit assurances from the highest levels of the government."

That this bill passed is amazing. That it passed with little comment even more so. It also gives me more reason to like Obama and to dislike Hillary:
Obama voted no.
Hillary skipped out in favor of stumping. Self-serving, as usual.

Misogyny in Iraq

So, the latest news in Iraq has focused on the killings of women in the most brutal ways imaginable, for the simple crimes of not wearing a headscarf, wearing makeup, or even wearing a colorful headscarf. And more than a few were victims of honor killings.
The sheer ability of man to inflict pain on others is astounding.
And so much for Iraq making any progress--the killers are rarely caught.
Neurotica, of Neurotic Iraqi Wife, discusses this in her latest blog post. She lives in Baghdad, and it's no better there than in Basra, which is where the CNN article is talking about, apparently.
These women are tortured, maimed and killed--often by beheading. There have been a number of incidents where a woman was killed in front of her children.
Why the feminists have remained silent when these women are in need is beyond me. The culture of political correctness is allowing these women to be killed without mercy, for fear of being labeled 'racist' because of the culture. I do not think we can remain silent and have Iraq become the country it could be.

Single women a Threat to Society?

We're still waiting on a few folks, but we may as well get posting in the mean time.


I recently ran across an article that noted that as of 2005, 51% of women were, by choice, living without a spouse of some sort.
For the first time in American history, married couples make up the minority of households.
It's been postulated that this is a sign that our society is shifting. Shifting in directions some people dislike. Although they choose to call it 'decline.'
I'll call it decline when bestiality and pedophilia are no longer taboo (hey, neither one can give consent, so when we cross the line into violating others without consent, then we are declining).
Until then, we're simply becoming a more open, accepting society.

Without the need for protection and provision, there is no real reason for women to get married, and that frightens certain people in our culture--usually the same ones who want us wimmin back in the kitchen and at their beck and call. The option that we have to be single is a threat to them, so the call it a sign our society is declining.

Can't lie, I don't see many of the reasons our mothers and grandmothers married carrying over into our generation. I don't need someone to provide for me or to protect me. I work and I can get a gun.
Frankly, the only reasons I may ever bother with actually getting married is for the legal protections. I want my spouse to be able to make end-of-life decisions for me, should I be unable to do so. They are in the best position to be doing so--even more than let's say, my mother. That person should be able to inherit my stuff, and so on. And vise versa. And also for the sake of any resulting children--they need the certainty that married parents provide (NOTE: this applies mainly to American society--there are others where even without marriage, a couple tends to stay together).

Intro to LTL

Hey all! Not that there's a profound amount of you reading this, but who knows, maybe you'll be so amused by our scribblings that you'll link us to a friend. I suppose we'll have to wait and see.

I suppose that I'll start out this first blog with, as indicated, a bit of info on myself. I am currently attending a State college, as of now a pre-physical therapy major, I actually expect to change that sometime soon. To what you may ask? As of this time, I don't know, however I can tell you where my interests lay. I'm a fairly politically minded young person, the subjects that peak my interests a lot of the time tend to be more...socially centered. I love my Sociology and Philosophy classes, so don't be surprised if you see blogs here that are of me continuing on about something that I studied in either one of those classes. And that wraps up my quick intro of LTL.

Introducing Neko!

Well I am one of the writher for Scriblerus. Hi hi my name is Neko, and hopefully I will be able to bring in new and intresting stories to this blog!

So this is my first time on Blogsphere so I am sorry for any mistakes I make as I try and learn all the short cuts! ^.^

Introducing Scriblerus!

I've been floating around the blogosphere for some time, but this is my first, serious effort.
And I had initially intended to wait until I heard back from the others, but I'd like to introduce the concept behind this blog, and I may as well introduce myself while I'm at it. The others (there are six of us) will be by later to introduce themselves.
The intention behind DCC is to have sort of a buffet of topics to choose from for the authors and readers. I was quite serious when I said anything goes here--I like politics and such, but one of my fellows is interested in anime, and heavens knows how often she'll post about that.

I'm currently a college student attending my local community college before I transfer to my university. I intend to get my BA in economics, with a specialization in international economics, before moving on to law school for international business.
As I indicated, I'm interested in politics. But a more apt thing to say is that I'm interested in nearly everything--music, photography, writing, technology, politics, science, art, fashion, antiques--you name it, I'll probably like it.
So there you have it--a brief description of Scriblerus!

Dingbots, Critters and Clanks!

This the first attempt of the group of people who will be blogging here to write together. We'll each introduce ourselves later.
This is Dingbots, Critters and Clanks, a blog about anything and everything, from politics and art to everyday life. Hopefully, even though we all have busy lives (and very different schedules) there will be at least one new post every day.
Which, although several of us appreciate the webcomic Girl Genius (and it was from there that our name was inspired), we are in no way affiliated with either Studio Foglio or Girl Genius. We claim for copyright over any materials therein, and do not intend to violate copyright of the Foglios.
Speaking of copyright, the Dingbot is copyrighted to Åsa Hedman. She is kind enough to let us use it, is all.