Libya Campaign Could Violate War Powers Law

Libya Campaign Could Violate War Powers Law
For all the follow-blinding, party over everything crowd who said I didn't know what I was talking about when I questioned the legality of the President's actions in Libya...as Jeff Foxworthy used to say: "Here's your sign."

OMG Comcast! Pick on Someone Your Own Size

Hi chloebe. You're comparing apples to oranges here. 1) Comcast is a publicly traded company. 2) The Comcast matter is a response to blatant, in-your-fa­ce corruption and cronyism i.e. business ethics not core business. One can make fabulous cupcakes while also being utterly corrupt. These issues are not mutually exclusive. 3) The fact that its media we're talking about adds another layer of difference since media's role is informatio­n to the public for the greater good. Obviously, the greater good paradigm is dead at Comcast (and many others), but that business doesn't shield them from criticism. They are free to response to such criticism in this manner, but business ethics tell us not to because, in this case, it represents a manner of oppression and fascism.



Think of it this way: Do you want to live in a world where a media company can deny someone media service (cable, internet, and phone) because one criticized them...bec­ause that's the logical conclusion of your analogy put to this situation.



Business Ethics 101.
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

Approved!

It's official: I am moving. June 11th.
Stay tuned and subscribe to stay informed when I reveal the reason for this change.

"Hell Breaks Loose"

I love Dexter...and this is one show I will watch should I get me own apartment with a Tee-Vee.

Quiet

Looks like I'm definitely moving my digs and stepping out on my own again. So much for my financial plan, but shit happens and I'm prepared because I've saved. So if I'm quiet for the next month or so, never fear, OOB2 will still be here to tell all...just as soon as I'm on my own.

Until then, I just have a shitload of work to do...

Snatching Defeat from the Jaws of Victory

Michael Moore on CNN via The Huffington Post

With all due respect to Mr. Moore, learn to pick your battles, Mike. This one is not winnable and it lessens your stature for the good fights you fight, like the oh-so-more-important labor battle that is winnable.

That being said, while I appreciate the argument, I 100% don't agree. Here's why: Bin Laden, himself, declared war on Americans--all of us. Beyond that, he certainly proved himself on multiple occasions to be a clear and present danger to the United States of America. There is no doubt that if Bin Laden could have continued to strike us he would have--and he would have continued to target civilians when he did so. Bin Laden and his organization drew no distinction between military and civilian personnel; he had signed no binding treaty and pledged no allegiance to any flag or law, save for those he created at his personal whim.

Like it or not, our country is actively engaged in war--a long damn war against Bin Laden and his organization. During this time he has continued to speak out; he has shown no remorse or given any indication that he would ever be taken alive. Due to these circumstances, and the fact that the Congress authorized the use of force against those responsible for 9/11, the President not only had the right, he had the duty to not give up until the people responsible were brought to justice...either dead or alive. This is not Libya.

Yes, we tried Nazi war-criminals, but we did not try all the SS and we did not try Adolf Hitler. Maybe Hitler killed himself; maybe someone killed him--who knows? The point is that we will try terrorists like KSM, but not Bin Laden because keeping him alive means he continues to be a symbol and, thus, a far greater threat to our security, including, especially, economically (as he, a billionaire, intended). The smartest thing to do was to do exactly what the president did...and that's his duty and his job.

So, sorry, Mike, but galloping on a high horse without considering the real and present pitfalls of trying to imprison and try someone like Osama Bin Laden is misguided. The world, however created, is a dangerous place, full of predators. It's always been that way and it always will be, and sometimes you have to kill the adult leader to stem the slaughter and save the children.

Let's invest our efforts to undo some of the harm we've done to ourselves since 9/11, not wring our hands over the logical consequences of pissing off the jungle's biggest lion. The fact of the matter is: Bin Laden would be alive and well today if he hadn’t made the decisions he did to attack us, so I say good riddance to bad rubbish.

P.S. According to the Bible, Jesus martyred himself by allowing his enemies to kill him in order to save mankind from itself. So, be careful when you invoke WWJD…by that analogy, we should destroy ourselves in order to keep the moral high ground.

Netflix Instant Viewing - Ghost Adventures

I love Netflix instant viewing, especially when I'm drawing or shopping online. One of my favorite guilty pleasures on Netflix is Ghost Adventures. I like the guys because they're unpretentious and harmless. They take what they do seriously without taking themselves too seriously. I also like the techie-nature of the show with some of the equipment they use.

While most of the time I don't hear or see half of the stuff they do, and don't find it frightening, I do find it amusing. Every once in a while something on the show is truly striking, though. I've always been interested in the paranormal, and Ghost Adventures is just enough science with just enough reality TV to keep me watching...at least on Netflix. Oh, and I'm totally jealous of Zak's hair.

Victory Lap?

Laying wreath at Ground Zero
from Huffington Post / Photo AP

I can't say I'm surprised that the "conservative" pundits and politicos are criticizing the president FOR VISITING GROUND ZERO! after KILLING OSAMA BIN LADEN, but, really, HAVE YOU NO SHAME?!?!

I mean, I know the answer. I answer is no: they have no shame. They are self-righteous and self-serving arrogant bastards. The world is full of them, but sometimes I wish they would all drop dead.

For the record, I remember how grateful I was to see Mr Bush, who I did not vote for, at Ground Zero shortly after 9/11. I was stuck in Canada and all I wanted to do was to go home, but I couldn't and it brought me comfort...so, please, tell me HOW THE HELL is what Mr. Obama did today ANY DIFFERENT?

It's not. The only difference is that I'm an American, not an American asshole.

Geronimo!

OK, what bonehead thought it was a good idea to use the name of a Native American folk hero as the code name/call sign/handle of Osama bin Laden? Seriously. Did they think this was going to happen in a vacuum?

Sometimes I'm amazed at the stupidity of people...like George W. Bush calling the War on Terror a "crusade" or using the operational name of "Infinite Justice" to the invasion of Afghanistan. No, there's no religious connotations to be considered with there...

I am not personally offended by the use of the name Geronimo, but I am frustrated by the stupidity of its use...and I can empathize. How would non-natives feel about the use of the name Elvis? Or Johnny Cash? Or Dale Earnhardt? Or Babe Ruth? Or MLK Jr.? Or Malcolm X? Or Harvey Milk? Or Cesar Chavez? Or Gandhi? Or Confucius? Or Columbus? Or Flo Jo? Or Tupac?

I think you get the point. It's not about being overly sensitive. It's about being overly stupid and self-centered. It's 2011. The death of Bin Laden was live-tweeted before the world even realized it.

Widen your gaze, America...or, at least, stick with animals or Sesame Street puppet names.

New Poll - OBL Approval Bump?

Bit of talk recently about what seems to be a no-brainer: no I don't mean the expected reaction from one-trick media whores like Sarah Palin and Glen Beck about the killing of Osama bin Laden, but I mean the bump in the President's approval rating...you know, considering he took out OSAMA BIN LADEN!

Anyway, check it out on the right and make yourself heard, whatever your point of view.

$4.39

The price I paid for mid-grade gas today in Corona, CA at the Chevron station on Ontario Avenue.

I Believe That We Have Won!

Since news broke of the killing of Osama Bin Laden, I’ve needed to take a little time to reflect on my feelings regarding the president’s policies before I got distracted with the trials of my personal life that I must remain tight-lipped about for the time-being. I will soon write about the situation, but, for now, I can’t.

I don’t believe in blind support. I will challenge a Democrat just as fast as a Republican just as fast as a Green Party member or a Libertarian. Because of that I have been critical of Mr. Obama on many of his policies even though I certainly like him better than Mr. Bush or his challenger, Mr. McCain. In fact, I believe it is my duty to stay informed and to do so.

In the past when he has deserved credit for something, such as ending Don’t Ask Don’t Tell, I have been quick to acknowledge that; and, the in the past, when his critics have attacked him for illogical, irrational, hypocritical and racist reasons, I have come to his defense by calling them out. That’s also my duty to do so.

I have also been really personally disappointed. I’ve said things in rebuke of him, like when his Justice Department defended DOMA and equated homosexuality with incest, I remarked that “Today I hope Barack Obama is a one-term president”. You see, I am a victim of molestation and attempted-incest by heterosexual men, one of whom joined the Armed Services as a Chaplin. Still to this day I think only my mother (on her side of the family) believes me—at least those who know. So, that kind of outrageous bullshit is where I draw the line and where I will withdraw my support, no matter what else a politician may or may not have done because nothing else affects my daily life more than the inequality and discrimination of me and others like me, not as a victim but as a homosexual. Literally nothing, not even the economy and gas prices (even though those certainly do affect me too).

But, as an American, my patriotism trumps myself, because I do believe that all of us should put country before self (at least when its righteous)…and regardless to the wars in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Libya, taking Bin Laden out was the right thing and the just thing to do. Let me be clear: I do not care where it happened; I do not care if he was armed; I do not care if their orders were to kill him. Osama Bin Laden was the enemy of this country. He was a twisted son of a bitch and I’m elated, relieved, and thankful that he is history. The president also had legal standing to do what he did, unlike with Libya.

I, furthermore, don’t need any further details. I don’t need to see pictures. I know and understand why some people need to, but I don’t. The picture of the president and the National Security Council in the Situation Room was really all I needed to see. The look on Mr. Obama and Ms. Clinton’s faces was proof-positive to me that most of what we are being told is true. Perhaps some details are shaded, but I don’t care.

This brings me to my conclusion. For this reason, and this reason alone, I will support Mr. Obama over any other candidate no matter what. I will still press and criticize him, but on Sunday he earned my vote in 2012…as an American. Yes, I will pull the lever for our president and do so proudly because under his direction, due to his policies and to his courage, as they say at Annapolis: I believe that we have won!

O Happy Day!

Front Page of Los Angeles Times on 9/11

TERRORIST BIN LADEN KILLED BY US NAVY SEALS IN PAKISTAN ON DIRECT ORDER FROM US PRESIDENT OBAMA.

via Huffington Post

For all the people around the world: O Happy Day!

http://a.yfrog.com/img615/4421/pt5nt.jpg

African Cats

Saw African Cats today with my father. It was formulaic, but a heck of a lot more interesting than the White House Correspondence Dinner, apparently known as #nerdprom. Still, I was glad to see the president skewer Donald Trump and all the racist idiots like him. I especially liked the "Lion King" bit. The humiliation on Trump's face was priceless. I hope that asshat wanders off like a real lion does once he's been beaten, never to be heard from again, but I doubt he has the required dignity.

I guess I'll just have to hope for a bad cause of laryngitis that lasts for the rest of his life.

Rainbow Roll

In honor of Japan - painted freehand with Brushes application

Coming along nicely...

I am working on a new painting. Thought I might share what I have so far...felt like doing something colorful besides a flower. Will post to Digital Art page when done.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPod

10k and counting...

Not that anyone but me cares, but I just got my tax refund. With that, I am now less than 10k away from my savings goal (so I can move out and buy a nice little house). It's been a tough 2 years, I tell ya, but I'm in the home stretch, baby!

(And it'll be nice to get laid again)

(But still swearing off the ladies).

Speechless: More Thoughts on America's Shame

I guess we should have known that electing a non-white guy to the White House was going to bring out the worst in us. I mean: the 60's weren't that long ago, but I have to admit that I am shocked, stupidly, since for the very same reasons I am stupefied today, I am modulating between anger and depression over every other day as a lesbian woman.

Have we no shame as a nation? I mean I get that it's still funny to laugh at gays and talk about us as if we're a different species or a scourge, but I really thought that at least on national Tee-Vee it wasn't acceptable to give white supremacists a podium to spew their toxic and irrational hate. No one gives the KKK equal time at the microphone to state their case, right? So why do we let Pat Buchanan and Donald Trump onto the air waves? Why is Orly Taitz on a major cable network, even if she was thrown off? I don't know how many times she's been on TV, but I've seen pictures and know it's at least 3 different times.

And this isn't even woman's college basketball. This is the president of the country! Why does anyone feel its acceptable to permit these people to be on TV or to all citizens to purchase billboards questioning the citizenship of the President of the United states? We don't let the Klan buy billboards. We don't let overly graphic images to pollute the psyches of our children as they're being driven to school. So why do we allow this blatant and racist disrespect of the Commander in Chief?

More white people need to speak out--and do so strongly--against this. More white people need to boycott those journalists and their networks that allow this filth to pollute our air waves. You don't have to like Mr. Obama or his policies to show him the proper respect as our president and a fellow American. It's not politics and too many people are allowing it to be a right versus left issue.

Racism is a American problem.

And, no, white lesbians shouldn't wait for the black community to step up and speak out against hetero supremacists and sexism in much larger numbers. As Mahatma Gandhi said, "Be the change you want to see in the world."

That means all of us. MLK Jr's dream was for everyone. So, what are we gonna do about it? Keep fighting our own personal battles or come together and win the war?

New Glory
by Trace Cook

Everyone is a bigot.
Just admit it, and
Grow
Living beings do that
Are you dead? No!
Then today is the time
To start something small
And let it crawl
Until it flies,
Forever young
Flapping free:
You, me:
Our banner still left to wave!

Static

Available from Democracy Now!

On a lighter note, my new book came in the mail today. It was a nice surprise as I'd forgotten I'd bought it several weeks ago.

And it's even signed.

So, I now, officially, have too many books to read. Wish that was my only problem in life.

Allied Apathy

As I tweeted yesterday before bed, yesterday was a sad day for America. First, the sitting president was made to prove his citizenship; then, 9 soldiers were murdered in Afghanistan; next, the Radical Roberts court again handed a major victory to massive corporations, and, finally, the tornadoes.

By the links above you can see that the only thing I didn’t blog about were the soldiers. 

I get very angry and depressed when I think about it, truthfully, so I generally just have to stay away from it like I try to stay away from blogging about hate crimes and sexual assault. There is so much of it that if I let it in, it just consumes me.

Maybe that’s cowardly, but I already have scars on my wrists that prove I’m serious. 

At the end of the day, I’m not ready to die unless I’m dying to defend my own self…because my own self is the only person who has never abandoned me. That’s sad but true—not my mother or father, not my sisters, not my friends or my lovers. Everyone left me or put themselves and their happiness over my best interests from way back when I was a baby, so I refuse to sacrifice myself for anyone now. Should I one day marry, that will change, but until then that’s just the way it is and why, sometimes, I have to just check out and tune out things that bring me down…including my family’s problems and problems with our world. 

Yesterday was one of those days. Today is not. 

You know, when I heard that President Obama had released his birth certificate, I immediately went numb. I knew it was bad that such a thing happened (even though I certainly don’t pretend to have any idea what it is like to be non-white), but I didn’t want to let it in. I didn’t want to believe that we really are that fucked up. 

At lunch, as I was still rapt in horror at the thought. That was when I composed my brief response to the incident, wanting to make a point that I was repulsed without giving the so-called controversy, or that gluttonous asshole with the horrible comb-over, any further publicity. For a while I was satisfied until I went home and was able to log into Twitter. Naomi Klein retweeted something from Van Jones, who was sharing an emotional You Tube video from Baratunde. After watching it, I realized two things:

1. I’ve become detached from the black community since leaving Michigan 
2. My silence was bad 

I would like to talk about the world in which I grew up to give this post more perspective, but in doing so I would be biting the hand that feeds me: ergo, sacrificing myself, which I’ve already explained that I’m not willing to do. Once I move out, I will, but, right now, all I can say that it wasn’t my parents who taught me not to be a racist. It was not Jesus, either; although, Jesus did so more than my parents. Mostly, though, it was my fine public education and myself as a free-thinking person who grew up in a diverse, working class neighborhood.

What this post is about is #2. 

Baratunde’s vblog really affected me. As he was talking, I heard myself having the exact same feelings about being female and being gay. And, as much as I wanted to, I knew that I could not fully appreciate his pain, just like he can’t fully appreciate mine as a lesbian woman.

I think what has to be hard for Black Americans at this time is the silence of much of white America who doesn’t give a shit about the president’s birth certificate. I understand that because it’s exactly how I feel about much of straight America who doesn’t give a shit about someone else’s sex life or desire to be married. They won’t spit on me or try to kill me or even vote against me, but they won’t speak up or do anything to help me because they can’t identify with me.

The world will be a better place when we all only identify as part of the human race. Obviously, we still have a long ways to go, but since I do understand the frustration of allied apathy, this is me not being silent. And this is me promising to start speaking out about this disgusting disrespect for the president and to make sure that I do not unintentionally support any of the racists still pushing this, including journalists.

Oh, and if you didn’t see Maddow last night, this part, especially, was worth a look:

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

No, podcasting an uber smart and geeky cutie like Rachel is not the same was watching TV. A single woman living at home to save money has got to get her lady-lovin' jollies somehow. Peace.

Tuscaloosa Twister

Seriously unreal.
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

Supreme Court Jester

Teaser art for upcoming Batman: Arkham City.

*OK, so I was feeling sorta geeky, but this really is about the Supreme Court*

[Batcave. While Alfred collects a sterling silver breakfast tray in the background, Robin rushes through a secret passage to meet Batman at his computer terminal. Thousands of images of John Roberts are being analyzed faster than the eye can see.]

Robin: "Holy judicial activism, Batman! Did you read the Times today?"

Batman: "Actually, I read it last night."

Robin: [Sneering at the gigantic console] "That Chief Justice and his group of five Republican appointees are quickly negating decades worth of hard fought progress for the people."

Batman: "If I didn't know better, I'd say he was in league with the Joker."

Robin: "The Joker?"

Batman: [To Alfred, sighing] Alfred...

Alfred: Yes, Master Wayne. I'll get right back to work on that persistent echo problem...just as soon as I stop world hunger and discover the cure for cancer [mutters quietly under his breath].

Robin: [Unconvinced] "Well, the Joker is a court's jester, I suppose...and the chief justice does smile a lot, I've noticed."

Batman: "Mmmhmm..."

Robin, "But, do you think it's really possible? I mean, what would the Joker want with the Supreme Court? The Joker doesn't care about the law; he breaks it every chance he gets."

Batman: "The Joker wants what the Joker has always wanted, Robin: mayhem. By making a mockery of justice in the highest court of the land, he further erodes the foundation upon which every man, woman, and child in the country stands."

Robin: "Further erodes?"

Batman: "The wealth divide. Not everyone can afford a butler...or a sidekick."

Robin: "To what end, though? What's Joker's plan?"

Batman: [Standing to strike a strong pose] "If the people lose faith in the law and in the authorities that enforce it, then the only alternative to total  subjugation and plutocratic rule--"

Robin: "Is to take the law into their own hands! Darn it, Batman--we have to stop Joker!" [Smacks his fist into his hand.]

Batman: "You mean the chief justice."

[The analysis completes revealing that the Joker and John Roberts are the same person. Batman and Robin stand silently in horror.]

Robin: "What do you think happened to the real John Roberts?"

Batman: [Starts toward the Batmobile] "I think he is the real John Roberts."

Robin: "Batman!..Wait! What are you going to do?"

Batman: "It's not what I'm going to do, Robin--or even what you and I are going to do. It's what the people are going to do about the senators who voted to confirm this Joker in the first place...both he and the Penguin."

Robin: "Wait? Did you say the Penguin?"

Batman: [Quips as he enters the cockpit] "Scalia. Only an idiot would think that thug was raised by humans."

WHAM! SMACK! POOOOOOWWWWWWW!

Wary of Quarry

Apparently, there has been some fervor in Temecula over plans to create a quarry nearby. This is snarky, but I'm amazed the residents give a damn...considering this is Bush Country where they love their jacked up Ford F-350s and don't hate their Muslims so long as they remain invisible, work in the service industry and go to Mosque somewhere else (or preferably not at all).

Here's a thought: wouldn't a quarry give them a reason to have a monster truck...and then their microphallus (or their husband's microphallus) wouldn't be so obvious? Things that make you go "hmm..."

In all seriousness: I like Temecula as much as Temecula likes me. Reap what you sow, bitches.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPod

Birther: Lost in Translation

Did you know that the original Lord's Prayer in Aramaic was quite different than the one we know today? The concept of God was not a Heavenly Father but a Divine Birther of the cosmos? True. Look it up. The word went from Birther to Creator to Heavenly Father. Like most odd facts I know, I know this from doing research for a book.

And that's all I have to say about the Birther controversy transfixing the American sheeple...other than: STUPID.

Can we move along now and talk about how we're still holding human beings in prison without charge for coming up on 10 years now...many of whom appear to be innocent? Pretty please?

$4.35

Price of mid-grade gas per gallon I paid today in Temecula, CA at the Chevron station on Winchester.

Robertson: Behold the Path for Lesbian Equality

I try never to make it a habit to quote Pat Robertson, but this nugget of anti-logic (think anti-matter) is far too good to pass up.

Apparently, according to The Advocate magazine, the certifiably stupid Mr. Robertson unveiled the secret reason why liberals support a woman's right to make her own medical decisions last night on his television program for lunatics...because...wait for it...promoting choice leads to childless straight women which, in turn, puts the second-class lesbian on equal footing because everyone knows that lesbians can't and don't have children, fool. O_o

Yes, queer as folks, you heard the man right. The liberals who gave us DADT and DOMA are pro-choice because they want us barren butches to be empowered in our childlessness.

And on the Seventh Day the Lord rested. Wow. Now, I wonder why I didn't see that when it's so plainly obviously--like the hair on a frog...

STUPID. Find the cure...fast.

Oh, Fukushima!

First underwater nuclear test

It’s frighteningly ironic how at the 25th anniversary of Chernobyl, the world is experiencing yet another nuclear accident that has the potential to be many magnitudes worse over time.

Time—that shifty bitch.

Let’s not forget: radiation from Chernobyl is still a problem. It is still causing casualties and terrible mutations and cancers. On Democracy Now! this morning it was revealed by Dr. Jeanette Sherman that only 20% of children of Belarus are considered healthy (OMG!), which brings me to what I really wanted to talk about.

I recently watched the documentary Trinity and Beyond: The Atomic Bomb Movie. I literally had no idea that we did that much nuclear testing during the Cold War—300+ tests in the atmosphere alone, just by the United States; tests in the Pacific ocean, some very deep; nukes fired out of a cannon; nukes detonated in the upper stratosphere…in space. If you haven’t seen this documentary, it’s available for rent, in Standard and Hi-Def, from iTunes. Watch it and be reminded of how foolish we are as a species.

There’s so much to say about this topic that it leaves me rather speechless…other than I find the president’s support of nuclear power highly disappointing. But, that seems to be what he does best.

Where are all the adults in America? Oh, yeah: they’re being ignored by the entertainment-centered media and the people who watch that shit. Oh, and sorry, Mr. President, but supporting something this dangerous is not the adult thing to do just because it's part of a compromise, as you see it. Compromising away quality and freedom of life is not mature or responsible. Taking a bold stand and introducing a Green Jobs New Deal would be, though...and until you can do that, you are a disappointment and a failure, as I see it.

No Nukes!

Mission Impossible

Bonnie Raitt
Album Cover: Souls Alike

I have been a fan of Reba McEntire since I was 10 years old and saw the music video for Whoever's in New England. I have almost every album. I have been to several live shows. I have met her backstage and had my picture taken thanks to my ex Diane. To this day, I'm still a fan. I don't really follow music as much as I used to since I'm now old and set in my ways, but if I see that Reba has a new album out, I usually buy it because I know that I'll like most of it.

Since then there have been a few artists that have come close to knocking Reba off her throne as my favorite artist...Melissa Etheridge, Evanescence, P!nk, Alana Davis, Indigo Girls come to mind, but no one really spoke to my soul like Reba did until I discovered Bonnie Raitt.

I've been listening to Bonnie's music for a good 10 years now, and it's a decidedly strange feeling to sit here and say that anyone else but Reba is my favorite artist...but it's true (and it has nothing to do with her hair color). I've never had the pleasure of seeing Bonnie live. I don't own all of her stuff. I don't know much of anything about her as a person, but of the 30 or so songs of hers that I have, I can literally put them on shuffle and listen to them all day without growing tired of them...not of her style, not of her voice, not of her incredible guitar-playing, and certainly not of her lyrics. Her music is simply superior; it's enchanting.

"I Don't Want Anything to Change" is my favorite song of all the songs in the world that I know. Listen to a great live version of it here with Norah Jones joining her.

Thanks, Bonnie. Sorry, Reba. XOX

More Bigotry from Bigots

Is anyone surprised that the Prop 8 proponents, who claim that they are not bigots and that they are only trying to protect the sanctity of marriage, are now trying to get the trial decision tossed out because, as it turns out, the judge who ruled that putting civil rights up to a majority vote was unconstitutional, was involved in a long-lived same-sex relationship? I'm probably offending someone by saying this, but anyone who thinks these people don't want to push me back into a closet and then out the bottom in into a grave is a fool.

Of course it's about homophobia, hatred, and bigotry. Of course it's prejudice and discrimination no different than Jim Crow era segregation, and this motion should obliterate the remaining doubt for the doubters. Here's why:

Do we throw out decisions by female judges who rule on gender discrimination against women? No. Why not? Because the only other option is a male judge, who is equally likely to be just as biased. This isn't Star Trek; we can't beam up our androgynous alien friends or ask the Vulcans to take the gavel. We have to make due with what we have and focus on the rule of law using simple, straight-forward, impartial logic...like the Vulcans. Anything else is prejudice and that's why Lady Justice is blindfolded, because she is not prejudice.

Of course, there are plenty of times when judges do recuse themselves, as they should, but those are always circumstances where the potential bias is something that is unique to them...meaning someone else, just like them, can step in because they don't have stock in some company or they aren't related to so and so. Discrimination is always against one thing versus another: there are two camps and everyone exists in one of them. No one side is better or worse at being impartial, and the very notion that a gay judge can't rule on a case of a whole lot of straight people oppressing a much smaller number of gay people is pure, unadulterated bigotry. Sadly many American, gay, straight, and bisexual, suffer from hetero-elitism.

The good news is that once you're aware of it, you can change it. Like any process, the first step is admitting that you have a problem.

Look at the clock below. Think about it.

Mobile, and I Don't Mean Alabama

Finally got my BlogPress app working again. Lucky you.


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPod

The Usual Imperialists

“Surprise, surprise, surprise!” (Thanks, Gomer.)

Both Sen. Warmonger McCain and Sen. Warmonger Lieberman are advocating more U.S. warmongering in Libya and Syria, respectively. On this morning’s broadcast of Democracy Now!, Mr. Lieberman was quoted pointing out the Administration’s apparent hypocrisy regarding Syria since the same things that happened in Libya are happening in Syria, except no one, except Mr. Lieberman, is pushing for a “humanitarian intervention” in Syria.

On the African-front, McCain was quoted as saying he was glad to see the assassins, I mean the Predators, in the fight, but that due to the effective stalemate, which he concedes is true, he wants to see greater U.S. involvement in air power to force Gaddafi out, and he wants to know the plan…presumably of how the president is going to win this battle since he’s not advocating that we withdraw.

In that last part I agree. What exactly is the plan, Mr. President?

Intuos4

I Love Bluetooth

It's a miracle I'm able to save any money whatsoever when everything that I like is so expensive.

Behold the Wacom Intuos4 Wireless pen tablet.

Do I need this? Absolutely not. In fact, I already have a Wacom Bamboo Pen and Touch tablet (which replaced my previous Tooya tablet) that I don't make enough time for. But do I want it? Yes...because it's neater; although, it doesn't do touch...but, to tell you the truth, I rarely use my Bamboo as a touch pad. I do use it as a graphics tablet for digital art, though.

So, no: this is not something that I will be buying...but it's still cool and I wanted to share. Wacom is the best.

Live and Let Live, Remember?

Mary Ann Evans Cross, noted for her written works under the pseudonym of George Eliot, once said: "It's never too late to be what you might have been." It's one of my favorite quotes because I always infer an assumption of self-manifested destiny into it--of free will, not fate..because, otherwise, what's the point of it? If it's fate and there is no free will, then what's the purpose of encouraging someone to step forward, reach, and make a change? There is none.

I bring this up because Kelly McGillis is making headlines today because she doesn't want to be a LGBT role model. *gasp!* The actress, famous for her roles in Top Gun, The Accused, and Witness, who was once the victim of a violent assault long before she came out as lesbian about 2 years ago, was quoted in On Top Magazine as saying, 

"I would like to be seen as a human being doing the best I can with what I've been given, and as someone who muddled through somehow and didn't kill anybody."

Gee, that sounds more than a little familiar...

For the record, as a lesbian who grew up watching and swooning over Ms. McGillis and her big bones, all I can say is that I wish her nothing but the best. By going forth and living her life to the best of her abilities, out of the closet, she is, whether she realizes it or not, a role model for every human being...because it's not about being gay or even the daily struggle of being gay. It's about being human and surviving life's harsh realities without succumbing to the ills on full display in any newspaper in the world.

It may not be convenient for the Human Rights Campaign crowd and their A-list donors for Ms. McGillis to refuse to be used as the latest pin-up, but as Bonnie Raitt sings, "What is living if you can't be free; what is freedom if I can't be me?"

Ms. McGillis doesn't owe anyone anything: she came out. Let the lady enjoy her life and be your own role model. It's 2011 and we have You Tube, not to mention free will. It's never too late to be what you might have been...

Here They Come...

Uh-oh, that can't be good.

When I checked my Twitter feed this evening, to the left is what I saw: Wikileaks, one right after the other...on Sunday evening--Easter Sunday.

This can't be good. So, I hoped [sic] over to HuffPo and found the lead story pointing to the NY Times: "The Gitmo Files."


Shit. I mean I'm not surprised, but shit.


Guess I got some reading to do... 

"Let them Eat Cake!"

Sitting at the table with my family for our Easter brunch, the conversation turned to cruises and how once you get a room with a balcony you will never want to go back (I wouldn't know if that's true, so I was merely listening). Even though she and her husband are the only people at the table who have been on a cruise, my mom busts out with:

"We've always had a balcony. I always like to go out on it when we leave port and wave...to all the poor people, I guess."

Happy Easter to me.

Used to being Discounted

Last night before bed I was reading the story about the NY Maternity store that is offering a 10% discount to lesbian couples. I saw the story on the OOB2 news ticker above and wanted to read something nice before bed. Of course, that was a mistake because, OF COURSE, it's a big story. I didn't realize that until I started to read the comments. Of the 20 or so that there were on the local news website, every single one of them was negative.

Something was bothering me about the logic of the commenters, but after a long day I couldn't think of it. This Easter morning it struck me while I was adding some rare make-up to my face before we headed out to my aunt's: every time I go out with my dad he gets a discount for being a senior...for the same reasons this shop owner is offering a hardship discount to female-only couples: they typically have less money. See, I knew it would come to me...just needed some sleep to recharge the noggin'.

I challenge anyone, anywhere to tell me how offering a hardship to lesbian couples is different.

Snyder is Making So-Cal Look Good to Me

Welcome to Pure Michigan, the Land of Dickens http://huff.to/em1Hvr via @huffingtonpost

It's amazing! Truly! Because I really dislike California...at least Southern California. If there was a job making only half of what I'm making now waiting for me in Michigan, before Rick Snyder was elected I would have gone back, but the crap that this greedy corporatist punk is pulling is really setting me back...and I don't even live there.

Taking clothes money away from orphans: that has got to be the lowest thing I've ever heard. For once, I'm glad I left, but it makes me sad because I think I'll never go back. And I miss it.

American Dictatorship: So Wrong in So Many Ways

The report:

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Excuse my language, but what the fuck!?! I can't believe this is America--Michigan for goodness sake! Wow: closing a school for pregnant teens that has a 90% graduation rate makes a whole lot of sense, don't it, bubba? Sho do! 'Bout as much sense as arresting teachers, pregnant teens, and kids for holding a sit in.

Tweet this. Blog this. "Like it" and spread the word on Facebook. Rachel Maddow has been the only one in the Mainstream Media talking about what is happening in Michigan, but this needs to be on the front page of every newspaper in America. 

"War Never Changes"

Libya reminds me of what I read about Vietnam.
Wake up, America!

UN Security Resolution 1973 gave the coalition authorization to use whatever means necessary, save for an occupying force, to protect civilians in Libya. First it was billed as a "No Fly Zone" (although, most don't understand what all that entails...and how "act of war" ish it really is); next it was a humanitarian intervention, then we heard talk about offering matériel to the rebels, and after that we heard about efforts to get Gaddafi a safe haven. Next advisors were sent in, then Predator drones were authorized, and now John Bloody McCain is there firing up the insurgent opposition force and inspecting their operational capacity.

There's a word for that in business. It's called "scope creep". So, whose the project manager? Obama or the Pentagon? Something tells me the Pentagon doesn't give a shit what the President thinks, but this post, at its heart, isn't about the obviously bad relationship between the DoD and the White House...even though that relationship most likely determines the answer to many of my questions. Questions like:

• What's the plan?
• Is there even a plan?

Yesterday or today, the Joint Chief, Adm. Mullen, said Libya was essentially a civil war and a stalemate. Russian and China are pretty alarmed over the mission creep, both claiming that NATO has over-reached. They want strict adherence and why shouldn't they when all week, every day, we've heard the following consistently:

• Rebel forces are undisciplined with infighting at the top
• Rebel forces are being pushed back
• The coalition is stepping up efforts to aid them by...

The Capital Wasteland - Fallout 3

Notice that no where here is anyone actually talking about how to help the civilians in need...immediately. It's all this theoretical crap as if the rebels are all gungho for Western-styled democracy and capable (not to mention worthy) of leading the country to a brighter future. How do we know it won't be just like Iraq with a bunch of angry assholes who hate each other arguing about petty cultural and religious differences without the secular dictator no longer around to scare them into submission? The truth is: we don't know and based on what I've heard it does not sound like they have any real leadership.

Recently I'm reminded of the RPG game Fallout 3. There are many similarities between the fictional Enclave and the current state of the corporate-owned government and MIC. Like the narrator says at the beginning and end of the game: "War never changes."

Resume Update

tracecook on Linked In

I took a little time to update my resume tonight. Not really a preferred way to spend a Friday evening, but I am still saving money (and swearing off the ladies).

I'm hoping a process expert position will soon open up since it is really hugely needed, but I'm always up for something new, so if you're looking for an IT Service Delivery process expert/project manager or a fantastic technical writer or even an IT Training designer, check out my Linked In profile and contact me. I'm currently a free agent (contractor), and if you own or work for a socially responsible, forward-thinking company that exists to benefit humanity, not solely to make money, then count me as interested.

I'm a versatile IT analyst with lots of real-world, hands-on IT experience in the field of IT Service Delivery. I specialize in Incident and Change Management, but I also have a great deal of experience with project implementation and compliance evaluation. I've also done a lot of metrics reporting in the last two years, and while it's my least favorite hat to wear, I do understand its importance and find it rewarding when I can improve a process to provide more accurate and valuable measures. Basically, I excel at process improvement: analyzing, modifying, documenting, evaluating, and then turning it over once its repeatable.

I can work independently or in a team, from home or in the office. My training background gives me an edge missing in many IT analysts who struggle to translate their work into business value, and I'm blessed with a creative mind and an artistic eye that has always served me well as an otherwise computer geek. Technology is definitely my forte, but IT doesn't have to be my only home.

Up is Down

Iowa GOP asshats introduced legislation to impeach state supreme court justices for making a decision they didn't like--for deciding a constitutional matter...for deciding, unanimously, that restricting same-sex couples from the right to marry is unconstitutional.

George Bush lies to Congress and the American people during the State of the Union, sending our country to war. He authorizes outing a covert CIA agent for political payback against her husband. He authorizes torture and warrant-less wire-tapping of American citizens, but because he gave rich people money and didn't want gay people to get married he's OK. But these justices, they should be impeached!

I'm perfectly comfortable with the judges being defeated in an election because of their decision. That's democracy. I don't agree with the people of Iowa who sacked them, but I also know that those people won't live forever and history is on my side. I may not live to see it or still be young enough to enjoy it, but that doesn't matter.

Impeaching judges for making a decision you don't like is another matter. Like Washington D.C., the Iowa GOP is stuck on STUPID. Find the cure.

Send in the Drones!

Cluster bombs, DU munitions, and Predator drones.
This is our version of humanitarian intervention, baby!

It seems eerily ironic that on the day that the fictional Skynet was supposed to cause a nuclear Apocalypse, Judgement Day, we learn that the president, Mr. Obama, has authorized the further escalation of our "humanitarian intervention" in Libya by authorizing the use of unmanned predator drones.

I want to be on the record that I do not support what the president is doing in Libya. I have not supported it from Day One, and this has the makings of another Vietnam. What's the old saying: "Past is prologue"? Indeed.

Of all the reasons not to support this hypocritical folly, the fact that Mr. Obama hasn't even tried to meet the requirements of the Constitution he took an oath to uphold, not to mention the War Powers Resolution, really makes me disgusted. Again.

And no one in Washington except a congressman from Ohio is talking about it. Republicans are voting to end Medicare for younger Americans less-likely to vote for them in 2012; we're slashing education programs and health care services for poor children and the disabled; Obama thinks he needs to raise 1 billion dollars in order to be re-elected, but our military budget has increased 81% in the last decade and we're fighting in 3 non-wars, two of which are the longest in our nation's history, Congressionally-approved or not. Oh, and the Supreme Court not only says that Corporations are people, but that freedom of association doesn't apply to real people, only executives, like the Koch brothers, who, thanks to "at will" employment can legally fire you for not voting Republican. But, no: you don't need no sticking union because they are so corrupt!

"When fascism comes to America it will be wrapped in the flag." - Sinclair Lewis

Duh!

For the last week on the Twitter and even on the little news ticker on this blog I've seen varied forms of the statement that LGBTIQ youth have lower suicide rates in a supportive environment.

Tell me this is not news! How fucking stupid and homophobic are we for fuck's sake? Of course suicide risk is lower in a supportive environment. Why else would we kill ourselves in not for all the fuckers who make our lives utterly hellish with no mercy in sight?

STUPID. Find the cure.

Swiss Army

I'm never without my Swiss Army knife unless I have to be. I literally use it every day, even if only the toothpick or tweezers. I'm one of those people who believes in being prepared (I have a full-size Champ in my purse, a small SD on my key-chain and a Rescue Knife in my car), but this isn't about that.

Victorinox is one of my favorite companies. Like Razer, I'm willing to save and pay the extra sum for a superior product. So, I do sign up for email advertisements for Victorinox...and I recently ran out of my favorite fragrance, True Religion for her. So, when I got a Mother's Day add for the fragrance pictured to the left, Mountain Water for her, I decided to try it out. It was a good price and it came with a toiletry kit.

The package came today...and I really like the fragrance. I can't stand perfume that smells like something Elizabeth Taylor would sell (may she rest in peace), and this is not at all like that. I have no ability to describe tastes or smells, but it reminds me a soft and clean cologne.

However, I was sad to see that the tag on the toiletry bag said "Made in Vietnam", even though the fancy card right on the top inside the box when I opened it today clearly and boldly touted that Victorinox was "Made in Switzerland."

Something tells me the workers in Vietnam don't have the money to buy real Swiss Army knives. *sigh*

One Year Later, No Improvement: SHAME!



My doodle from 1 year ago

 Today marks the 1 year anniversary of the Gulf Oil Spill (aka BP Oil Spill). I've purposefully kept the counter on the right bar up as a reminder that just because the press have stopped talking about the worst oil spill in America's history doesn't meant that the oil is gone. It hasn't magically vanished or been eaten up by bacteria. The oil is there and it will continue to be there wreaking havoc on that ecosystem for a very long time. And those 11 workers are still dead, and they will always be dead.

It's sickening how TransOcean (the company operating the Deep Water Horizon rig) gave its executives bonuses for its "safest year on record." That's like the US Army awarding medals to the top brass because they had the safest year ever with only one friendly-fire incident, but it happened to be a nuke over a major metropolitan area. Stupid, and only greedy, narcissistic SOBs bereft of any connection to the citizens of the Gulf Coast (not to mention their humanity) would think otherwise.

It just adds further proof to the truth that corporations own this country, its elected leaders, and the elections thanks to Justice Robert's activist court and Citizens United.

Shame on BP! Shame on TransOcean! Shame on Obama for not making these bastards pay for what they have wrought!

GREEN JOBS NOW!

Congrats to LA Times!

I just wanted to extend my congratulations and thanks to the Los Angeles Times’ reporters Ruben Vines and Jeff Gottlieb for their 2011 Pulitzer Prizes for exposing the shameless corruption of the Bell City officials. Way to go Times! Ride the wave and keep it up!