Historic

While the last bricks of a long-held, deep-seeded American bigotry were being pulled down in Tuesday's historic election,

a new one

rears

it's ugly, ugly head.

I'm absolutely thrilled that America finally decided a black child can have the same dreams of growing up to be president as a white child. I'm utterly appalled that a lot of those same people think they get a say in who people marry.

Eighteen THOUSAND couples in California who got married this summer, thanks to the acknowledgment of their rights by the CA legislature and supreme court, have just been told that their marriages aren't valid. That despite the licenses, vows, parties, and cakes, they are no longer married, because of a bunch of bigots decided so.

I can't imagine how I would feel if someone came a long and told me that I was no longer married to Pirate. That for some reason the public disapproved, and without my consent, invalidated my marriage.

I think I would kill myself.

What happened today in California is utterly despicable.

Today I'm thrilled for Obama, but I'm still weeping for the state of civil rights in America. Congratulations, African-Americans, you're officially off the bottom rung of the latter. You've been replaced by a deeper loathing of gays.

It's finaly happened.

I've actually begun dreaming about the election.

In my dream last night Obama won the popular vote but the electoral college was tied. Since I have no idea what happens in that (highly unlikely) scenario, my dream came to a screeching halt as my brain tried to figure out where to take the plot next.

Does anyone know what happens if the electoral college ties???

Sorry *sheepish*

I am rubbish. I haven't posted in AGES, and for those few of you who give a shit it must have been really irritating. I'm sorry.

I can only make the excuse that planning a wedding, moving house, and trying to write a PhD is taking its toll. It's been frustrating for me, too, because I keep having all these thoughts that I want to share but don't have time to write down right away, and by the time I get the time I've forgotten them. But here are a few of the highlights from the past couple weeks:

Fringe:

Met Hendrix Cat for coffee and a truly great She Elephant for dinner (along with the Pirate). We had a delightful time and I was thrilled to meet both of them. I sincerely hope we have the chance to repeat the experience.

Saw Ed Byrne, who did half his routine on wedding planning. We were in pain from laughing so hard. That one really hit the zeitgeist's funny bone.

Politix:

Yay for Sarah Palin! She's going to destroy the GOP ticket. They talk big now, but at the end of the day a significant chunk of the Republicans won't vote for the McCain/Palin ticket for 2 reasons.
1. After all the flack about Obama's lack of experience, she's got even less. And everyone knows that if McCain gets elected, there's a better than average chance he won't live out the full term. She's so inexperienced she even said "Can someone explain to me just what the VP does all day?" Even the republicans, when pressed, won't vote for that kind cluelessness.

2. Her so-called "family values." She was brought in because McCain is too liberal (snort) for the evangelical right wingers. She's certainly nutty enough, but she's a mother with 5 kids all in school including an infant with a serious disability. The extreme conservative right think she should be home taking care of them! A man with her positions might have been a boon to the ticket, but not a woman with a baby.

She was also brought in to pick up some of the Hillary camp, but (most) women won't be stupid enough to vote for a vagina that is hell bent on taking away women's rights to control their own snatches.

And finally, she's so right wing wacko conservative that she'll put off a lot of the moderate undecideds that Obama is trying to woo and send them running to his camp.

So at the end of the day a lot of Republicans won't vote for a ticket with Palin on it, and they sure as shit won't vote for Obama, so they'll stay home. Result: low voter turnout on election day and victory for Obama. Thus spake Zarathustra.

Bridal shower:

Bridesmaid tried to plan one for me. Not one person came. So she tried again. ONE person came. They don't have showers over here, and I don't think anyone really "got it" or understood how important it was. *sad*

Wedding:

AAaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1
The bridesmaids dresses were supposed to be rust-colored, not pumpkin orange. I sincerely hope my friends don't feel like they're walking down the isle in giant traffic cones. The swatch did NOT look that bright, I swear!

House:

Pirate has just collected the keys to our future house (only 12 days away!) and has begun taking carloads of my stuff down to Plymouth. I haven't been to Plymouth yet, but he brought me pictures. The garden and views are fantastic, the furniture is acceptable, and the kitchen appliances are strangely nonexistent. I really don't know how you can call something "fully furnished" and not include a refrigerator! So guess who's going fridge shopping this week? Yup, not me!

Oh sweet Jesus. Whatever we do, we must not, under any circumstances, elect John McCain. He has supported every one of Bush's proposals, and will carry out any legislative or governmental changes enacted by Bush, including this new catastrophe. We cannot allow this to happen.


On a more cheerful note, I am leaving today to visit Pirate and the in-laws for a week, then Pirate and I are going up to the Fringe for a few days. I will still be available on Blogger and email, so I will be in touch with Edinburgh bloggers. Whee! (I don't have time for a vacation, but holy fuck do I need one.)

I LOVE THIS MAN.*

I love him.

Why isn't the rest of America saying these things? Why is Keith Olberman the only voice I hear (on TV) expressing this outrage? The only thing that confuses me more than Bush is the apathy and indeed admiration that many still hold.




*Look for the clip titled "Olberman: Bush Interview Unforgivable" if it doesn't come straight up.

M.E. Special Report: Dick Cheney

We interrupt the usual inane babblings about insignificant personal minutae to bring you this special update: Dick Cheney, the President of Vice in the USA, has flatly stated that he does not care what the American people think. Following is a brief transcript of Cheney being interviewed on 'Good Morning America:'

CHENEY: On the security front, I think there’s a general consensus that we’ve made major progress, that the surge has worked. That’s been a major success.

RADDATZ: Two-third of Americans say it’s not worth fighting.

CHENEY: So?

RADDATZ So? You don’t care what the American people think?

CHENEY: No. I think you cannot be blown off course by the fluctuations in the public opinion polls.

Click the link. Watch the video. And then send the link to EVERYONE YOU KNOW. Maybe finally this will be the straw that breaks the proverbial camel's back and generates among the American public the political will to impeach the sunuvabitch.

Prediction

John McCain will be the Republican nominee for president.

(This is not a good thing. He might actually get elected president. I'd be happier if it looked like Fuckabee or Ram-me was going to be the nominee, because they'd be easier to defeat in the general.)

As soon as I've figured out who the Democratic nominee will be, I'll let you know.

It's time to stop taking Islam seriously

I used to be a flaming liberal, always ready to defend the rights, freedoms, and thoughts of anyone. I felt that all cultures were equally valid and no one had the right to criticize anyone else's culture. Our Muslim friends and neighbors have finally convinced me I was wrong. (Oh, the irony.)

I thought the whole Danish cartoon scandal was rediculous, but those sympathetic to the over-reacting Muslims did have one good point: the cartoonists were deliberately poking fun. Now most people can take a joke, and even those of us who can't will usually just sulk for a while. We certainly don't go around calling for the public decapitation of the person who made the unwelcome crack. And yet a bunch of "extremist" Muslims did just that.

But this time, this time there is no excuse, no defense, no justification for the insanity. The cartoonists may have sparked riots, but the fact is they did intend to be insulting (that is the point of a satirical political cartoon.) Mrs. Gibbons plainly had no such intent. Hers was a well-intentioned, if slightly (and only slightly) misinformed act. (I say 'slightly minsinformed' because apparently the ban on using the name isn't universal -- for several months kids took the teddy home before a parent complained. Clearly the parents of all the other kids were as blisfully ignorant of their religion as Mrs. Gibbons.) And now there are riots calling for her execution.

I refuse to resepct any culture/religion/ideology/whatever that suggests death (or even 15 days in prison) is an appropriate punishment for an accidental insult. Mrs. Gibbons harmed no one. She hurt no one. No property was damaged, no lives or reputations unraveled or destroyed. This is out of all proportion, and we are under no obligation to respect it.

I'm sure that the government and some other prominent individuals will be reminding us shortly that this isn't the majority of muslims, it's just a crazy "extremist" minorty. But is it really? Where are the protesters telling the protesters to shut up, chill out, and go home? Where are the MUSLIM voices crying out that this is nuts? They are conspicuous by their absence.

Ben Macintyre of the The Times would like us to believe that the Sudanese government is using Mrs. Gibbons as a pawn in their political games. That's probably true. But if it were only a few corrupt and nasty government officials who were making a scapegoat of Mrs. Gibbons, the incident would be much smaller in scale. The problem is that thousands of people agree with the goverment. The Sudanese people are not crying "Our corrupt goverment is using an innocent woman to maniuplate our support! They are shit and we will oust them!" No, they are crying "Death to the infidel! They are as happy to make Mrs. Gibbons a scapegoat as the government is, and that makes them just as crazy and just as extremist.

And this isn't just a few nutters in Kartoum. There is slilent complicity all over the world. Middle Eastern nations should be condemning this for the insanity it is, repremanding the Sudanese government for making Muslims the world over look bad. Where is the outrage from other Islamic nations?


Now, before you go and delcare a fatwah on me (oh hell, go ahead and delcare it anyway; nothing I say to you will make any difference if you're of the fatwah-issuing mindset), I'm not saying that every Muslim is a crazy extremist. Just the majority of them. Why? Because Islam itelf it inherently irrational. Built into the very fabric of the relgion is intolerance, over-reation, extremism, impatience, suspicioun and contempt. No rational, thinking being would view the reaction to Mrs. Gibbons faux pas as appropriate. End of. The people calling for her death or imprisonment are not rational and they don't think. Furthermore it appears that this is the majority of Muslims.

If you do not behave in a reasonable manner, I am under no cultural obligation to accept you as a reasonable person. And if you follow a philosophy that condemns reason, thought, and rationale, I will dismiss you as unreasonable, thoughtless, and irrational. Political correctness be damned.

You MUST watch this

I knew it was bad,

but I didn't realize it was THIS bad. Good god almighty.

I can't let this slide

It's been a while since I went on en ethical diatribe, and I think we're overdue. Lately I've mostly been ignoring all the crap going on in the world, because it's all the same old shit and there's nothing much new to say about it. We all know Bush is an arrogant idiot, that the war in Iraq never should have been started, that global warming is inevitable and we're all fucked anyway, so I've been pretty much focused on my own life and insignificant trials and tribulations. But I just can't let this one slide without commenting.

The British government has decided that adoption agencies must consider same-sex couples when placing children with new parents. Good for them.

The Catholic Church in England, who handle a whopping 30% of all UK adoptions, have threatened to CLOSE DOWN all their adoption agencies if the government doesn't either a) rescind the order or b) grant them an exemption.

Does everyone see what's going on here? The Catholic Church is effectively saying "allow us to continue discriminating or we will FUCK OVER thousands of needy CHILDREN!!!" What the hell kind of a sick ultimatum is that??? Here is major global religious organization using orphaned children to further its political agenda. They claim to be "pro life," but they are clearly more concerned with their politics than with the well-being of the thousands of children who will never find loving homes if they shut down their agencies. I appreciate the good work the Church has done over the years by placing unwanted, abandoned, and orphaned kids in (usually) loving homes, but to then turn around and use those same children as political pawns?! I'm absolutely nauseated by the precedent this establishes. I hopt to GOD that the government has the good sense to see through this.

To make matters worse, the Anglican Church is getting on board with all this. I'm so glad that the Catholic and Anglican churches have finally found some common ground, but I'm sorry they've doen so by behaving in a mutually EVIL manner.

These organizations, supposed moral leaders of our community, are quite plainly demanding the right to be allowed to discriminate on whatever grounds they deem appropriate. Religious organizations cannot and must not be allowed to discriminate in a democratic nation. It fundamentally betrays the notion that all are to be treated equally under the law. The minute you allow one religion to discriminate against a particular group, you open the floodgates; you must then allow any religion to discriminate on whatever basis it likes, at which point you are left with something that can in no way be considered a civilized society.

The only reason the Catholic and Anglican churches are even being allowed to make these demands is because the group against whom they wish to discriminate are homosexuals. If it were black people, or any non-whites, would this discussion even take place? Would they have a political leg to stand on? Of course not!

The Catholic and Anglican churches must not be permitted to hold the government hostage in this manner, both for the sake of the last group against whom it is still permissible to discriminate, and for the principles of democracy in a free and law-abiding society.

WE GOT CONTROL OF BOTH HOUSES!

One branch down, two to go...

Halloween News

Happy Halloween, y'all. I've been having a browse through the Guardian online, an activitiy in which I attempt to indulge on at least a semi-regular basis. Today there were several articles which had me grumbling out loud to myself in my room. At moments such as that, I feel the need to share my grumbles with beings other than my assortment of potted plants. So here we go:

Blair refuses to 'undermine' troops with Iraq inquiry

Hang on a minute. How does an inquiry into the start of the war "undermine" the troops? The only people the TRUTH undermines are the criminals. Since we all agree that boys and girls on the ground being shot at are not responsible for starting the war (that credit falls squarely on the politicians), than revealing the truth can in no way damage or tarnish them. Headlines like this make me cringe. This could have come right out of the mouth of W. What are you hiding, Tony???

A huge war chest and soaring ratings -- Clinton looks beyond the senate

Is anyone else remotely bothered by the blatant double-entendre of the word "chest" in this context? How are we ever going to elect a woman if we can't get past the fact that she has boobs, people! Get over it.

Elephants pass mirror test of self-awareness

Cool. I've been saying it for years. Glad science finally caught up with me. Hopefully the recognition that elephants are self-aware will put that much more squeeze on the need to enforce the ivory ban. Probably not (hasn't done much for the chips or gorillas), but here's to hopin'. *raises mug of blueberry tea, takes swig*

New 'divorce' rights for unmarried couples

I have a real problem with this. I appreciate that the government is attempting to achieve what it thinks is protection for people suffering unfortunate financial consequences of breaking up, but in doing so they are seriously restricting the rights of citizens and effectively out-lawing unmarried cohabitation. By granting financial settlements including cash lump sums, monthly support, property, and even part of one partner's pension (!!!) to cohabitees who split up, the government is effectively saying you can't live together outside matrimony because by living together we are recognizing you as married. They are making the act of moving in together a significant financial committment. If people wanted that financial committment, then they could get married! Simple! The government is removing that in-between try-it-out-and-see-how-it-goes stage of unmarried cohabitation as a stepping stone option in many couples' relationships. This is a really really bad idea.


That is all. You may now proceed to eat your candy.

These are the things that keep me up at night

Are liberals tolerating themselves right out of existence? In our insistence to let everyone have their say, including facists, racists, and those who oppose free speech, are we allowing those who don't share our liberal values to take over our culture? Is the only way to defeat our enemies to become them? And is that any better?

Example: In America right now, crazy Jesus-krispies want to eliminate the teaching of evolution in schools. They know they can't get it banned, so they're settling to have Intelligent Design taught in science class along side evolution as a viable, scientifically-based alternative viewpoint to "Darwinism." Obviously this is crap, but their arguement goes something like this: "We're not tyring to make your kids agree with us. We just want all sides of the arguement presented so young people can make up their own minds."

It sounds terribly rational doesn't it? It makes them sound like they are the all-tolerant ones, and us crazy liberal "open-minded" east coast eitists are tying to quash their humble faith. (Of course, it completely ignores the fact that ID has nothing to do with science and there is no "arguement" in the scientific community about the credibilty of evolution via natural selection. Just goes to show how carefully they've chosen their words.)

In our advocacy for freedome of religion, expression, thought, and speech, we've paved the way for those who disagree with us to take over and remove from our society the very values that enable their rise to power.

Here's another example: that crazy Muslim cartoon fiasco in Denmark last year. The drama from which is still on-going, by the way. The artists of the cartoons, who were making a political statement about Islamic self-censorship, are still in hiding. There are still black-market rewards out for their heads, and they will never again be able to live a normal life. Their families are still in serious danger. Many of the Muslims who called for the death of these cartoonists live in Denmark or elsewhere in Europe. These are immigrants who demand that we tolerate their religion and culture, but are activley trying to oppress ours, the open, freedom-loving cultures to which they immigrated.

An article in the Guardian the other day asked "To what degree to we as a society accommodate these views?" To which I respond, "Why is this even a question? Why do we even attempt to accommodate people who demand special priveleges for themselves that they deny others?" Whatever happened to "As long as you live in my house, you live by my rules." Didn't we all hear that from our parents at some point in our teenage years? Did no one tell them it's just plain rude to walk into someone's home and tell them how to live their lives? Did I just write an entire paragraph containing nothing but questions?

I was thinking about the article I posted on M.E. the other day. The one about the poor dockworkers who banded together to prevent a bunch of facists from demonstrating in their neighborhood way back in the day. I applaud their efforts. But technically, shouldn't the facists have been allowed to march? What about their freedom of speech?

The Ku Klux Klan is still alive and well in the US of A. I hate the Klan. They're a bunch of racist, sexist, homophobic, anti-semetic fascists. A couple years back they had a rally in Cleveland, Ohio. The citizens of clevelend were so upset the National Guard had to be called in to protect the Klan members. The ACLU (American Civil Liberties Union), non-profit champion of civil rights for minority groups in America, actually went to court to defend the Klan's constiutional right to freedom of assembly. (Wouldn't you have hated to be the lawyer that got handed that case?) This is an organization that normally defends the rights of blacks, gays, and jews. And here they found themselves in a position where they had to acknowledge the rights of the people whose sole mission is to remove rights from minority groups! Ow, the irony!

(This is a really crummy transition, but bear with me here)

The Pirate is Christian. (I told you it was a crummy transition.) A fairly devout one at that. Being a militant atheist myself, this has prompted some very intimate and personal discussions about what we believe, what values are important to us, and what values we can tolerate and respect in other people. To help me better understand his position, he gave me a copy of "Mere Christianity" by C.S. Lewis. Lewis's book essentially takes a single, fundamental premise, and from that creates a (seemingly) rational arguement whereby if you believe the first premise, you must wind up a the end of the road accepting Jesus Christ as your savior. The fundamental principle on which the work is based is this: some moral codes are superior to others.

The idea of relative superiorities of moralities is something I've been struggling with for some time. I always thought that no culutre's moral code was superior to any one else's, that no culture could be judged better or worse than another, that every culture was different, but ultimately equal. (Herebe, I can already hear you plotting your comment in my head!) I was taught this as part of my education on why it was wrong to massacre the Native Americans by the millions. I was taught it there was no such thing as absolute right and wrong, that everything we percieved as right and wrong was a product of our culture, and we have no right to impose those views on another culture.

But what if another culture tries to impose thier views on me? Lately I find myself thinking, "Hang on a minute. there are some things that are just plain wrong, i don't care who you are or what your culture tells you. Stoning a woman for adultery (when her accomplice - remember it takes two to tango - goes free) is wrong. FGM is wrong. Killing someone because he drew a picutre you don't like is wrong. Burning churches and killing nuns because you don't like something someone said is wrong."

Isn't it?

I'm sure it must be. Why am I so sure? Am I sure?

When do we have to stop tolerating what other people justify in the name of their culutre? And when does that intolerance turn us into those same people?

I never thought of people who disagreed with my views as "my enemy." But then they declared me their "enemy." I do not seek war, but it seems to have come to my front door. I do not welcome it, but I cannot igore it. How do you defeat your enemy without becoming him? I'm having a crisis of faith. I'm losing faith in my morality, my confidence, my self.

These are the things that keep me awake at night.

Solidarity, people.

We are not powerless.

It's easy to despair, to think 'there's nothing I can do about it.' But we are not powerless, we are not helpess, and we are not alone.

This is the stuff they don't teach you in history class, how an army was defeated by poor, working-class familes, fighting with rubbish and old mattresses. How an army was brought to it's knees by schoolchildren. with marbles. This is the history they don't teach you in school.

The M.E. Times

I would like to humbly apologize to all my readers for the shockingly long delay. For a while I had nothing to say, then I had no time, and eventually the resnet system in my building went on the fritz and i havn't been able to write or read posts. Fucking annoying, I can tell you.

So!

All the news that's fit for the shitter:

Front Page

The USA and France hammer out a treaty to end fighting between... the USA and France? No, that would make sense! The USA and France have decided to end the fighting between Israel and Lebanon. Does anyone else find this utterly laughable? The absurdity of the very notion makes me snark my coffee. Last I heard a ceasefire was supposed to go into effect this morning, and then Israel announced that no, in fact they would like to keep shelling Lebanon please and thank you. There's a big fucking surprise.

Sports

I have of late been learning the game of cricket. The Pirate, you see, is quite the cricketer. This past Saturday and the Sunday before that I spent watching various of his matches. He plays for 4 clubs just for kicks and for 2 professional teams. (!!!) I love watching him bowl; his run-up is like a steam locomotive. And I can testify that the man has rhythm. Ahem.

At the first match I saw I had the pleasure of overhearing the conversation between some of his opponenents who were padding up to bat. One said to the other, "Do you have a bigger helmet? This one won't go over my head." The other replied, "But you never wear a helmet." Said the first, "I know, but if I get out there and they send McWheels at me, I'm not facing his fast balls without a lid on." HA! I relayed this bit of entertainment to Himself after the match, and we both found it endlessly amusing.

I must confess it did please me rather a lot to hear his team mates speak so well of him and hear them cheer him while he was bowling. To be admired by your comrades and feared by your opponents is, frankly, a good way to be.

Business

This week is my last week of work at the temp agency. Yay.

Entertainment

Saw Cars. Cute flick. Though, frankly, not Pixar's best. The animation and voices were undeniably superb, yes. And yes, I laughed my pants off. But I have a problem with the larger message. On a fundamental level, it's a backwards-facing film. It seeks to return to the glory days of yore, the good ol' days. The basic, overriding theme of the film is that the advancemtns of the past 60 years have come at too hight a price, and we'd all be better off if the universe just turned back the clock about 6 decades or so.

Are you kidding me?!? The glory days? Of what, the 1950s? Of McCarthyism, the Cold War, the days before the Sexual Revolution and the Civil Rights Movement??? Those good ol' days? News flash, people: the Good Ol' Days weren't that good.

I know that in a troubled world there is a natural tendency to look back with longing on what we perceive to be a simpler, happier time. But every era has its problems, and the only way to genuinely improve society for the betterment of all her citizens is to look to the future. Think about the difference between Cars and Monsters, Inc. The messages here are perfect, beautiful, diametric opposites. M.I. looked to the future, drove home the idea that if we want to change things for the better we have think creatively, allow our minds to be open to new ideas and innovations. Cars tells us to bog ourselves down in the past, to better our lives by hiding in our memories, a mindset which is inherently limiting and stultifying. It is a frame of mind which is tantamount to stuffing your head in your sandy ass, and it is that same mode of thinking which is responsible for most of the woes from which we are all trying so desperately to hide.

Also, the short at the beginning wasn't all that funny. I liked the one with the birds better.

Horoscopes

Capricorn: This weekend you will meet the parents of the man you love. Embrace your new family with an open mind and heart. Bring them pie.

Crimestoppers:

Authorities are currently seeking information leading to the identity of a new anonymous M.E. lurker. The lurker is flirtatious, has a poetic streak, and is presumed to be male, between the ages of puberty and pensioner. Any information leading to the outing of anonymous's identity should be submitted to the usual comments space.

(Personal to Anonymous: Thanks for the offer, but the, er, position has been, um, filled. Yeah.)

Yet another reason why my country is going to shit:

The bigots are getting sneakier.


And the masses are getting dumber.

Down from the clouds

The winning streak had to end sometime. I found out this morning that my rowing for the rest of the season is F.U.C.K.E.D. We were down to 4 senior women. One of them just quit. We can no longer fill the quad. We don't have a raceable crew for the regatta season now. And the club only owns 1 scull, and it is a shit scull. So us remaining 3 can't all use it. It also means that we can't go on training camp. No point. can't fill the fucking boat. And we just bought that brand new quad, too! It's only been used a dozen times! ARGH!!!!!

And just to add insult to injury, the bitch who quit is on a fucking ROWING SCHOLARSHIP. They're paying her to row!!! I'm going to try and broker a deal with my coach this afternoon to get the rest of the money that she would have received for the summer season.

Furthermore, my country is going to SHIT. I know it's just a symbolic gesture with no legal standing, but I'm concerned about the prescedent it sets. Right now it's just a gesture, but this could well be the snowflake that starts the avalanche. Jesus I hate Christians. These evangelical fuckwads preach hate and intolerance, wrap it up in a few selective quotes from a 2 thousand year old piece of LITERATURE, and use it to justify their ignorance and bigotry. I read this headline at the onion this morning, and I just couldn't laugh at it. It's just too close to the truth.

But wait, there's more! Those pesky "christians" have their fingers in loads of pies, including mine, apparently. I guess I no longer have a right to decide what goes on in my own uterus. (Sure, you say, you're not allowed to terminate an undesired pregnanacy. But surely you can avoid the whole fiasco with birth control? Nope, not actually.)

Fucking hell. As goddess is my witness, I am NEVER moving back to that god-awful country.