November 8, 2007 archive

Muse in the Morning

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Muse in the Morning

The muses are ancient.  The inspirations for our stories were said to be born from them.  Muses of song and dance, or poetry and prose, of comedy and tragedy, of the inward and the outward.  In one version they are Calliope, Euterpe and Terpsichore, Erato and Clio, Thalia and Melpomene, Polyhymnia and Urania.

It has also been traditional to name a tenth muse.  Plato declared Sappho to be the tenth muse, the muse of women poets.  Others have been suggested throughout the centuries.  I don’t have a name for one, but I do think there should be a muse for the graphical arts.  And maybe there should be many more.

Please join us inside to celebrate our various muses…

Why Do You Hate Hillary Clinton?

There is a recommended diary at daily kos which epitomizes to me how ridiculous the blogs have become. It is all about, well nothing, not about issues at all. Consider these “points.”

I can’t understand what she believes in, really believes in. Other than being the first woman president; other than playing the ultimate post-menopausal “it’s my turn” role, why does she want the job, and what is she going to do if she gets it?

Besides being incredibly vacuous (my earlier diary on clammy c’s diary about “why you want to be President” explains why), isn’t this absolutely incredibly sexist? “POST MENOPAUSAL?” And yet this casual sexism raises nary an eyebrow. Even Daily Kos FPer Hunter endorses this drivel. Pathetic.

I don’t represent corporations in my practice. A lawyer has a duty to zealously represent  her client. That’s really hard to do if you don’t like what your client has done, or does. From everything I’ve read, Senator Clinton was able to do this, and do it quite well. I have talked to other corporate defense attorneys, people who I like, and they often feel terribly conflicted. They have to teach their children right from wrong, but then they pay their tuition bills by representing polluters or companies that knowingly sell dangerous products.  I’ve never read that Senator Clinton felt any angst about this conflict, and it appears that she is extremely proud of her work on behalf of her former clients.  Maybe she’s managed to completely compartmentalize it. I don’t think I like that.

Of course this is personal for me. But standing apart from that, wtf does this mean? She does not represent corporations? How about rapists? Child molesters? Does she wonder about her good friemds who represent evil corporations? Do they go out of there way to impress upon her how conflicted they are? Again, everyone is entitled to their opinion, but that this drivel is recommended and praised demonstrates just how stupid Daily Kos has become.

I hear her supporters  gushing about her accomplishments. Maybe I’m jaded because of what I do, but I don’t get it. . . .

Now THERE is a good reason to hate Hillary. Sheesh. Again, recommended and praised as a great diary. How stupid is Daily Kos now?

The fait-accompli attitude really rubs me the wrong way. We are having more debates and forms than ever, and the Clinton campaign is acting as if it’s all a mere dress rehearsal, and they’re going through the motions.

Again, wtf? Is Hillary skipping debates? Fait accompli attitude? One more time, this is a highly praised and recommended diary? Daily Kos sucks.

I don’t know much about Iowa, but I know that New Hampshire is not very much like Texas or the Carolinas. There’s a visceral hatred of all things Clinton in the south, and I don’t see us picking up any ground with Clinton at the head of the ticket.

Now there is a good substantive reason to hate Hillary – the South hates her. Hell, on that reasoning, give up being a Dem. Okay, this is supposed to pass for strategic political thinking I suppose, but this is a praised and recommended diary at daily kos. Not a poll is cited to buttress this.

Conclusion, Daily Kos sucks. Now, a test for Docudharma. I am sure many of you dislike Hillary Clinton. Please explain to me why. And please do a better job than this awful diary. 

The Stars Hollow Gazette

Well I hope we all remember what it was like to vote, it was only yesterday.  For me the experience was somewhat new.  Connecticut has used lever machines all my (voting) life.

This time there was a station to answer questions about the new procedure (and of course I stopped and let them explain because I have NO intention of going uncounted) then the usual “Show me your license”.  This year, there was some confusion because Kirk the clerk was on the wrong page, but I gently corrected him.  Someday I’m afraid I’ll be disenfranchised just because I prefer to use initials, but it’s not that big a town and everyone knows ek because I am such a character.

At the next station I was handed a big paper ballot that looked exactly like the sample ballot they used to give us in school (they also had mini training machines), the type they normally paste up outside the gym just before you enter in case you haven’t been paying attention.

They have brought back the party lines which were banned some years ago in hopes on making our elections more “non-partisan”.  I’m glad that now there is a clear distinction between the party that actively promotes torture and the party that merely tolerates it.

When I took my AP history exam the one question I “blew” was, “What electoral invention was imported from Australia in the late 1800’s?”

My answer was “kangaroos” which was not really wrong because the “secret” ballot is also called a “kangaroo” ballot because of the origin of that innovation.  Even today if you vote in a small place like Dixville Notch at the Town Meeting you do it in public.

Now that’s Democracy.

In the current case though, it was easy to see that I had voted straight party line Democratic because the ballot was so big that it really didn’t fit in the plain manila (another location name) “privacy” folder, and besides you had to feed it face up through the ballot reader so it was clearly visible to the two election monitors, one from each party.

I don’t mind.  I’m proud of my vote.

Outside the polls I ran into Tom, my elementary school friend from the Democratic Party and I asked him, “Why don’t we have someone running for every available office?”

“Not enough candidates.  You should run.”

Alas I am unelectable.  How about you?

I’m beginning to lose all hope

No. Really.

I again have a temp job at our County Elections Department. I was there for the last election, but this time it’s the BIGGY…the Presidential year.

And, I’m losing hope for our society. Our Democracy. Why you ask? Well…where do I begin.

People have no idea how to fill out a simple voter registration card. No. Really. They can’t remember where they live. They often have no idea what county they live in. Good Buddha, they can’t even remember if they are registered or the last time they voted!

Sometimes, you know, it’s not all the computer’s fault. Sometimes it’s just pure, plain ignorance that bumps people off the voting rolls.

People don’t understand what a Primary is. They are upset to be told they can’t vote for just anyone they want to in any election they want to. The customer feels that they are always in the right. Retailization, I call it. Retail outlets are forever saying their customer is always right…and the customers are buying into it.

Many folks refuse to re-register to vote because they are fearful of being called up for Jury Duty. Now, what does that say about our judicial system that people are refusing to participate in it. They’ll watch it on the TeeVee on Law and Order, but they won’t go near it in real life. “Too inconvenient” they say.

Some folks won’t even be bothered with voting. They don’t have time they say. It doesn’t matter they say. Politicians are all the same they say. What’s in it for me they say.

I don’t know. I try to put on bright smile and trudge off to work but with the morons in Sacramento who wanted to have their little Presidential Primary in the “spotlight”, they have created 3 elections to be confused about next year.

I’ll give you 5-2 that most people are going to be so sick and tired of the whole shebang by next November, most won’t want to show up.

Your Caption Here

 

Clowns to the left of me, jokers to the right.

Can’t make this stuff up: Chinese toys tainted w/date-rape drug (updated)

Canadian Press is reporting that the popular toy known as “Aqua Dots” in the U.S. and “Bindeez” in Australia has been pulled off the shelves because of a coating chemical, when ingested, metabolises into the “date-rape” drug: GHB (gamma hydroxy butyrate).

A popular Chinese-made children’s toy is being pulled from Canadian store shelves over worries that a similar toy sold in Australia contains a chemical that converts into a powerful “date rape” drug when swallowed.

http://www.ctv.ca/se…

[Update] The U.S. is recalling Aqua Dots, as well, after reports of 2 children in comas after ingesting the beads:

Two U.S. children went into comas after who swallowing Chinese-made Aqua Dots found to contain a chemical that converts into ‘date rape’ drug when ingested.

http://money.cnn.com…

More below the jump.

Moxtaveto’s (Black Kettle’s) Extermination on November 27, 1868 & a Request

When I wrote this last March,

The Death & Vision of Moxtaveto (Black Kettle)

Custer was pursuing the snow tracks of Dog Soldiers that would eventually lead to Black Kettle’s village on Thanksgiving Day in a cruel irony. The cruelest irony however, was that Black Kettle and his wife would be slain nearly four years to the day that they both escaped Chivington at the Sand Creek Massacre. Black Kettle’s honesty concerning young men in his village he could not control was of no avail. He and his village were going to be “punished” and broken beyond any immediate or distant recovery.

a Cheyenne Man had me when I was at Washita of the bench where he told me was the location of Moxtaveto’s extermination by Custer.

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I sat under the tree facing the Washita River and thought hard about it.

Abortion QuickFlashes from HotFlashReport.com 11/7/07

These and other stories focusing on abortion, reproductive rights, birth control and right wing sexual hypocrisy were featured at the HotFlashReport this week.  Stop by and just read.  Or, sign up for an account in order to comment and post Diaries yourself.

Impeachment news: Rep. Wexler to push for Impeachment, plus more!

Via Bradblog.com, Rep. Wexler has sent out a letter to call the HJC to hold hearings on impeachment:

Pony Open Thread: off the cuff and out of my mind

Media Matters for America and Campaign for America’s Future released a special report, “The Progressive Majority: Why a Conservative America is a Myth,” documenting how the conventional wisdom that Americans are overwhelmingly conservative is fundamentally false. Through decades of public opinion data from nonpartisan sources, the report shows the majority of Americans hold progressive positions on a broad range of issues.

“This report shows that on issue after issue, most Americans agree with progressives and have for decades, despite what we hear from the media.” said David Brock, President and CEO of Media Matters. “The conventional wisdom advanced by the media — that the United States is becoming more and more conservative — has been debunked repeatedly by independent public polling, but that hasn’t stopped them from perpetuating this clearly flawed perception.”

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