kittywhumpus

Old School

2012-01-21T14:26:00.000-06:00

Ok, so I get it. Groups need to have private spaces for the sake of maintaining community. For the most part, this applies to disenfranchised groups like African Americans or, yes, women. When it comes to social elites, however, these groups are usually insulated by their privilege and do not necessarily need artificially imposed privacy to maintain cohesion.

This is why it is insulting and infuriating to read about groups like "C Street" or "Kappa Beta Phi", which is a group of one-percenters. It seems redundant for a bunch of Wall Street financiers to get together for a swanky private party and congratulate themselves. To the average American, it appears that wealth and self-congratulation are the norm for these guys (and "smattering" of gals). After all, while "Main Street" flounders, Wall Street is doing just fine, not in the least because it accepted money from main street taxpayers to bail them out of their self-imposed troubles, all while glibly denying that it was the very government they disdain that saved their smug, shiny asses (See "This American Life" Episode 415: Crybabies).

These guys might believe in Wall Street, after all, there truly is a street named "Wall," but after weighing the evidence, I have decided that the "free market" they tend to extol is a supernatural entity, and I do not believe in it. I do not believe it necessarily selects for quality or in the best interest of the consumer. I do not see any evidence that the free market creates or encourages rational behavior on either the production or consumption side. It seems to me that the "products" these Wall Street guys are creating are not particularly real or of any use to the average consumer (until they fail and crash the entire economy). I don't see this class of individual as creating jobs that are beneficial to America, when considered in proportion to the capital they tie up. It appears that left to their own devices without oversight from an elected government, the lure of massive profits at any cost is too much for most people, and they will do anything to make more money.

I therefore add "The Free Market" to the list of gods in which I do not believe. I hope it enjoys the hazing it gets when it joins Thor, Zeus, and Mammon in the grand ballroom of the subconscious.

Unemployment

2012-01-11T21:44:00.000-06:00

Yes, you read that right. I've been laid off. On the bright side, perhaps this means that I will be able to write more.

Right?

Eat, Pray, Bullshit

2011-12-05T15:07:00.000-06:00

It's nice to know that I never have to read the book "Eat, Pray, Love." I know that I never really had to, it's just one of those books that seemed to be everywhere and seemingly everyone has read it. I didn't want to read the book, it just could have been something that happened, like if I ran out of reading material at an airport or relative's house.

Recently, I had to sit through a video of a Ted Talk given by the author of this "big, mega-sensation, international bestseller" memoir that was a "freakish success" (her words). Entitled "Elizabeth Gilbert on nurturing creativity," it starts out fine, I suppose. She talks about how creative professionals such as writers are often asked if they are afraid that they will never have another successful work or never be able to top their one huge hit. Like success has somehow doomed them and their creativity. She talks about the fear-based reaction kids receive when they express a desire to be an artist or writer. She mentions that no one asked her dad, who was a chemical engineer, if he was afraid to be a chemical engineer. She then references the reputation of creative types as being unstable, depressed, drug-addled, and suicidal.

She says that we have collectively accepted and internalized that "creativity and suffering are inherently linked and that artistry, in the end, will always, ultimately, lead to anguish." She wants to ask the audience a question: "Are you cool with this?" She calls the assumption "odious and dangerous, and [she] doesn't want to see it perpetuated into the next century."

Excellent. All of this led me to believe that she was setting us up for a good, solid debunking of that reputation, but oh, no. Nothing could be further from the truth. How does she avoid becoming the assumption? Accept the myth as true, and use it to provide a basis for her belief in supernatural source for creativity. Divorce herself from the responsibility of her creativity. Go to ancient Greece and ancient Rome, when they believed that daemons and genii were responsible for creativity. This "psychological construct" will "protect you from the results of your work" because you don't have to take responsibility for it.

There is no attempt to look at the myth itself and apply any critical thinking skills. There is no attempt to look at empirical evidence that pertains to the myth, though there is some cherry-picking of history offered in support of her belief. She does not say that her dad, the chemical engineer, may not have been asked fear-based questions, but, as a scientist, his profession is number 11 of 13 on at least one list of professionals who commit suicide. (Laborers, carpenters, and doctors are all there, too, and dentists are number one.) She does not mention that it seems to be difficult, if not impossible, to even correlate profession with suicide with any meaningful accuracy.

Spot the things that are wrong with this statement about the rise of rational humanism, the idea of creativity coming from the self and not the divine, and of people being a genius instead of having a genius:

"I gotta tell you, I think that was a huge error. I think that allowing somebody, like one mere person, to believe that he or she is like the vessel, you know like the font, and the essence and the source of all divine, creative, unknowable, eternal mystery is just like a smidge too much responsibility to put on one fragile human psyche. It's like asking somebody to swallow the sun. You know, it just completely warps and distorts egos and creates all these unmanageable expectations about performance, and I think the pressure of that, has been killing off our artists for the last 500 years."

We have suicidal fruit to pick off the tree of creativity because creative people are usually living somewhat public lives, and their deaths make the news. Sometimes, while they are alive, they are talking or writing about their psychic pain. While I have always figured that my petty neurosis and relatively painless middle class upbringing make me unworthy of creative success because of the perpetual myth that creativity equals suffering, I don't think that the myth or my assumption are true, and I certainly don't think that creative people suffer because their creativity has become their responsibility instead of a gift given to them by the poetry faeries.

The kind of thinking that Ms. Gilbert is promoting here isn't doing us any favors. It is upholding a myth instead of debunking it, and it is using a myth to perpetuate yet another myth. Was ever a time in documented human history without plenty of people, probably even a majority, who believe that creativity comes from some sort of divine inspiration, the Enlightenment notwithstanding? What evidence is there that uncovering a mystery has made us worse off as a society? How can divorcing ourselves from responsibility for our powers make the world a better place? Does that mean that any extraordinary power is somehow divine? Why would it just be creativity? What about nefarious powers such as the ability to pull off the perfect crime? That's creative. Is it divine? What about all the other people who commit suicide, some at higher rates than artists? Did they just need to believe in a science faerie or welding faerie, and once they placed their skills into a supernatural being, all their psychic pain would go away?

The Enlightenment did not kill off our artists. Our artists are not dead. Artists are everywhere, many of them not dying by their own hand or even suffering under the hideous responsibility of their brilliance. Furthermore, The Enlightenment gave us the First Amendment, among other things, allowing for not only a flourishing of the creative arts but also of religion in a secular nation.

Anyway, if you made a decision to believe that you are not responsible, are you not still responsible for the fact that you made that decision?

The idea that there are creativity faeries rubbing faerie juice on our projects, makes as much sense to her as anything else she has ever heard to describe the creative process. Yeah, you're right, it does. It's the faeries and their emissions that write poetry. Just because we don't know the answer to a question does not mean that the answer is "Magic." Isn't it a threat to creativity to ask us to just trust some sort of mystical process and not instead ask questions and search for answers?

It's not just creative people who experience maddening blocks in their work. There are times that all of us just can't make connections. Scientists, policy makers, engineers, carpenters, and administrators have moments when something can't be resolved, even though the resolution seems so close. When we do finally figure it out, was it the faeries?

The Greeks thought it was daemons and the Romans thought it was genii because they didn't know any better.

Humans don't behave rationally much of the time. It's work for us to do so, as the brain seems wired to react on emotion. So why would we encourage irrational thinking? And why would we give it a stage?

p.s. I put as much research into this as she probably did:
The 13 careers where you are most likely to commit suicide
The occupation with the highest suicide rate
Physicians Are Not Invincible: Rates of Psychosocial Problems Among Physicians
Veterinarians more likely to commit suicide
Do Dentists have the highest suicide rate?
Suicide by profession: lots of confusion, inconclusive data

Age of Austerity

2011-11-30T17:19:00.000-06:00

Age of Austerity?

This is the term being bandied about in the media.

We are living in a new Age of Austerity.

Get it, America? The party is OVER. No more philandering and hoarding for you. No more giant profits, no more tax breaks. Welcome to the new normal, where everyone has to sacrifice (Right? RIGHT?!).

The Age of Austerity.

Screw that. Most of us are not living in a Wharton novel, and a nice little title that makes this sound sexy and elegant is not going to change that. I guess "Age of Public Austerity, " "Age of Middle Class Austerity?" and "Austerity! Now, with more Poverty!" were not considered, and "Age of Fleecing the 99% in the open, now that America no longer cares about evidence, data, and facts and is convinced that civil servants are the problem" is a bit too long.

School Votes

2011-11-09T10:11:00.000-06:00

Voters approve 70% of all school referenda; many raise own taxes

Can we set up a comparison to provide data on what happens to schools who got a "yes" and schools who got a "no"?

The Minnesota Legacy Fund & the Minnesota Vikings

2011-10-27T16:26:00.000-05:00

Dear Minnesota Lawmakers,

The voters approved the Legacy Fund to "protect drinking water sources; to protect, enhance, and restore wetlands, prairies, forests, and fish, game, and wildlife habitat; to preserve arts and cultural heritage; to support parks and trails; and to protect, enhance, and restore lakes, rivers, streams, and groundwater."

It is beyond a stretch to think that a private corporation such as the Minnesota Vikings could be included in this definition.

It would be a violation of the amendment, as approved by voters, to divert funds to a project that will benefit a small sector of the population.

It is furthermore a violation of the public trust to be diverting any public money to private interests such as sports franchises.

If you want to waste public money on a stadium, let the voters weigh-in.

Sincerely,

-kitty

Minnesota Legacy Fund

Minnesota Historical Society's page to take action

Art Rolnick MPR op-ed on Early Childhood Education or Stadium

Don't Believe in Evolution?

2011-10-10T10:50:00.001-05:00

Fine.

Evolution doesn't believe in you. Doesn't matter. It's still happening. Even to you, hard as that may be to believe, given that you don't believe in evolution, which says something about your evolution. Your lack of belief in facts is probably a result of evolution as well, which is another point against the "idea" of intelligent design.

My only caveat is that you keep your disbelief out of the public schools and out of public life in general. It has no business there. If you want to live out a pre-Darwin existence, have at it. I suggest you also disbelieve in airplanes, computers, women's suffrage, The Emancipation Proclamation, and the world-wide-web.*

*(Unfortunately, if you don't believe in evolution, you may already be half-way to not believing in two of these things.)

Bravo, Mr. President

2011-10-10T10:00:00.000-05:00

"You wanna be commander in chief? You can start by standing up for the men and women who wear the uniform of the United States even when it's not politically convenient." --President Barack Obama at the Human Rights Campaign dinner, regarding the boo-ing of a US soldier during a GOP presidential debate

Family Values

2011-10-03T20:30:00.000-05:00

The recent ICE raids may well have brought in some dangerous people-- Aracelio is not one of them. Please take a moment to read the information on this link and sign the petition. I know Aracelio and one of his daughters. He is an asset to our country, and he should be with his family.

Link to petition on change.org

Please don't let it be an atheist, please don't let it be an atheist*

2011-09-22T10:14:00.000-05:00

Religion-hating anarchist vandalized 7 Edina churches.

Everything I hear something like this, I think, "Oh crap." Now, the gentleman in question does not seem to have identified himself as an atheist, but I bet many in the public will assume that he is an atheist because everyone knows that atheists are religion-hating anarchists. Every. Last. One of us.

Every time someone from a marginalized group does something untoward, everyone else in the marginalized group is asked to explain, atone, and take responsibility. This never happens when, say, a white dude commits a crime. All white dudes don't go around hanging their heads in shame or feeling defensive, thinking, "Man, you're making us look bad!"**

*the above is not a supplication to any sort of supernatural sky-daddy.

**Perhaps this is different when a white congressman sends sketchy texts, but even then, he makes only his party look bad, not all white men, and the party is supposed to answer for it and shun the rogue individual.

You've thought about it...

2011-09-21T16:27:00.002-05:00

You know you have.

A job is a job is a job

2011-09-19T13:35:00.002-05:00

Unless the word "blow" comes before it.

Or it is in the public sector.

At least, this is how I feel when I read or hear the news everyday.

I work in a public institution--a land-grant university, made possible by the Morrill Grant of 1862, and we receive a substantial amount of money from the state government for our operations. As with most large organizations, however, we have a diversified funding base, and we also receive a substantial amount of funding from students and parents, private donors, foundations, grantmakers, nonprofits, and other private sources. We also receive funding from the generation of products, services, and knowledge. We are accountable to all those sources for the allocation of all those dollars.

Lately, I have been feeling like my job doesn't count, and the only jobs that do are in the private sector. And specifically, in the for-profit private sector. Or, if they are nonprofit jobs, then they must be at large nonprofits such as health maintenance organizations or hospitals. Jobs at any government level, public universities, or "heinous organizations" such as Planned Parenthood (yes, a large nonprofit, but clearly one that does not count in the jobs discussion, only in the "declining liberal morals" discussion) are simply not jobby enough to be considered important.

This is what I hear as the Minnesota Legislature and Governor "negotiate" regarding the budget. This is what I hear when Planned Parenthood has to close six out-state clinics because of funding cuts. This is what I hear when a Regent of the University of Minnesota says "I don't think we're doing enough, folks" when it comes to pensions and employees. This is what I hear when, all around the country, people are saying we need to cut government, cut administration, cut, cut, cut.

They use abstract nouns like "government" and "administration," and they don't say "cut education" because that would prove unpopular, but they paint the teacher, the public worker, the civil servant as part of the problem. Overpaid layabouts who are part of an unnecessarily bloated bureaucracy.

It's not up to government, they say, to create jobs. That is the business of the private sector.

OK.

Why?

And, then, why isn't the private sector creating more jobs?

That's apparently the government's fault, too, because of the tax code and regulations that supposedly hamper hiring.

The women and men in those Planned Parenthood clinics are now jobless. Women and men in state and local governments all over the country are now out of jobs. Cutting budgets means cutting jobs. Doing "enough about pensions and employees" means cutting jobs. If I lose my job because of funding, I have lost my job. It counts. If I lose my job because of funding, I take my son out of day care, and my day care providers lose funding, and they perhaps cut a job; I cut back on expenses, cutting back on funding for the many businesses I patronize. I join all the other people who are out of a job because of budget cuts.

It matters. It adds up.

Ignorance is not Skepticism

2011-09-18T10:00:00.000-05:00

I am getting a little tired of hearing evolution deniers and climate change deniers calling themselves "skeptics." And I dislike it even more when the media does it.

This is misinformed behavior at best, but really, it's just plain old ignorance. Doubting evolution does not make you a brave warrior for the truth, it makes you a superstitious, medieval serf. Or a republican. Disregarding the overwhelming evidence for anthropogenic global warming does not make you a maverick, it makes you a scientifically illiterate oaf. Or a republican.

I don't know why the republican party is so dedicated to belief-based policies, but its anti-science stance is horrifying. Looking at the two GOP front-runners for office, Mr. Perry and Mrs. Bachmann, I am not sure who is more off-base, but they are an alarming trend in modern American politics, wearing their theology on their sleeves and spouting paragraphs of nonsense rife with the possibility of dangerous policy outcomes.

What do you see in this picture?

2011-09-17T12:45:00.000-05:00

If you say "construction", you are correct.

Here's what else I see. I see people at work. I see an organized mess. I see a large-scale public works operation that will hopefully benefit urban workers and citizens. I see the start of something new. I see possibility.

This is the construction of the Central Corridor Light Rail line, and it has been a bone of contention for years now. But the project is up and running, and we will have a train from downtown Saint Paul to downtown Minneapolis in 2014.

I live on this corridor, just off University Avenue in Saint Paul, and I work on this corridor, in Minneapolis. I live this construction every day, and I love it.

Trains! Who doesn't love Trains?

2011-09-17T11:40:00.026-05:00

Universities, Public Radio, Community Organizations, and Business Owners, I guess.

That's a vast oversimplification, but all of the above have valid issues with the incoming Central Corridor Light Rail line currently going in between downtown Saint Paul and downtown Minneapolis. It cuts through a neighborhood that was torn apart by a highway decades ago. It cuts through a major research university that was worried about vibrations and sensitive equipment. It goes past a public radio station that was concerned about its recording studios. It goes down a major avenue, past many small business who will have to suffer through two years of intensive construction and one year of testing before the train is in service.

The process was not always the best, and the above issues have been addressed at least to the point that construction is happening. From my perspective as a citizen who both lives and works on the corridor, I am looking forward to the train. So is my three-year-old son. And my husband, who also lives and works on the corridor. I get that this is not going to be easy; the construction will limit access to businesses on both sides of University Avenue. Once the train is in, on-street parking will be limited.

There is a planning committee looking into how to better utilize existing off-street parking and how to better design the avenue to be user-friendly. There are resources for businesses and citizens. In the end, I hope the train will make things better.

In the meantime, especially during 2011 and 2012, the time of heavy construction, we can stop into these businesses when we need sustenance, energy, and relaxation. Or if we need something repaired or created. This is focused on St. Paul. Add businesses and thoughts in the comments, and I will update the list.

Midway Liquor: a family-owned, family-run, friendly establishment. Lollipops for the kids!
1944 University Ave W, Saint Paul, MN

Edge Coffee House: coffee and soup, too! I believe they also have an Irish Trad Music Session there once in awhile. I'll have to ask daddywhumpus.
2399 University Ave, Saint Paul, MN

Twin City Tees: where the Hounds of Finn get their tee shirts.
1952 University Ave, Saint Paul, MN

Lucy Coffee Cafe: new!
North side of Fairview and University, in the Griggs-Midway Building.
540 Fairview Ave N

Fortune Wok: Chinese restaurant. I have not stopped in here yet.
S125 Fairview Avenue North
(651) 287-1881

Second Debut 2: Redundant name aside, this is a cute boutique with designer second hand clothes and accessories for women, a branch of goodwill. The goodwill shop is just up Fairview.
1825 University Ave.
St. Paul, MN 55104

Caffe Biaggio: yummy Italian fare
2356 University Ave W
Saint Paul, MN
651-917-7997

Cupcake: coffee, cupcakes, soup, salads, etc., etc., etc.
3338 University Ave. SE.
Minneapolis, MN 55414

Park Midway Bank: my bank
2171 University Avenue
St. Paul, MN 55114
Phone: (651) 523-7800

The Dubliner: my neighborhood bar, often complete with live Irish music, including the Hounds of Finn.
2162 University Ave
Saint Paul, MN

On's Kitchen Thai Cuisine: delicious Thai food*
1613 University Ave W
St. Paul, MN 55104
651.644.1444

Turf Club: Local Music! Beer!
1601 University Ave
Saint Paul, MN 55104

Purr-niture: Furniture. For your cat. Winter is coming, and they get bored when the windows close.
2242 University Avenue West

The Town House Bar: The Twin Cities' oldest GLBT Bar.
1415 University Ave. W.

Regina Vacuum Services: they can fix just about any vacuum*
1681 University Ave

World Cycling Productions: for high-end cycling gear*

Salsa Lisa: locally-made salsa. Just eat it. It's excellent.

YMCA Midway: They have a great weight room with excellent machines and tons of free weights, and they're always trying to keep it up-to-date. Staff is super friendly. They have daycare and a pool too! Their basketball court/gym has an old wood floor - super old skool construction, but it's a great court to play on. Lots of good classes to take as well.
1761 University Ave W

Classic Retro at Pete's: antique/vintage store looks a bit like a cheap garage sale from the outside but you have to go inside. The shop owner knows his stuff, and he has some really cool items. Maybe a bit pricey, but if you have the money he does have good vintage furniture and housewares.
2145 W University Ave
651) 224-5235

Hampden Park Co-Op: Off the Avenue, but definitely on the Corridor. A small co-op that is not part of the Co-op co-op, if you like that sort of thing.
928 Raymond Ave

Eden Pizza: a little neighborhood store-front pizza shop within walking distance of our house. They also deliver, lucky us. As we are 1/2 block from the outer limits of Green Mill's deliver, just outside of Leaning Tower, and also outside of the Selby Pizza Luce zone, this is good news. Plus, it's really good pizza.
629 Aldine, St. Paul, MN 55104
Call (651) 646-7616 for pickup or delivery

Caribe: Yum. Caribbean bistro just off the Avenue.
http://caribemn.com/Caribe_Caribbean_Bistro/Home_Page.html
791 Raymond Ave.

Lunch on the Avenue: an ongoing lunch series set up by the Midway Chamber of Commerce.
They are on Facebook as well.

Discounts!
There is a discount program for customers of Central Corridor businesses, as part of the Discover Central Corridor program. You can pick up a coupon book at Cub Foods - Midway, Saint Paul Area Chamber of Commerce, Western Bank, Midway Chamber and Stadium Village Dairy Queen.

You can download a Perks Card app for iPad or iPhone as well.

Construction updates:
Metro Transit: If you are affected by the line, you simply cannot complain about being uninformed of the activities. All you have to do is look. I get email updates regularly from the team, and they are specific and helpful.

Small Business Forgivable Loan: $4 Million in Forgivable Loans Available to Small Businesses Along Central Corridor Light Rail Line

Business Resources: This link includes information about loans, access, zones, and more.

Ready for Rail: a Central Corridor information hub provided by the Business Resources Collaborative.

LRT Works: Trades people seeking work

A few more links relevant to the subject:
University Avenue Business Association

St. Paul Central Corridor Updates

Nice Ride comes to Saint Paul!

New Businesses on the Central Corridor

*Thanks to my neighbors for these suggestions.

Republicans and Science: A Dawkins Op-ed

2011-08-30T09:52:00.001-05:00

You don't have to love Richard Dawkins; you don't have to agree with his opinions on religion; but when it comes to science and a certain major American political party's denialism, I don't think you really get to argue.

"To die in ignorance of [the theory of evolutions'] elegance, and power to explain our own existence, is a tragic loss, comparable to dying without ever having experienced great music, great literature or a beautiful sunset." - Richard Dawkins

p.s. Don't read the comments if you want to persist in the belief that Americans are, as a whole, thoughtful, critically-thinking individuals.

p.p.s. For another example of the behavior and critical thinking skills of an evolution denialist, how about this?

Let's Go Crazy

2011-08-01T07:38:00.000-05:00

I am of two minds about Glenn Beck. One is that he's a hateful ideologue who, if he believes even a quarter of the things he says, is insane, and if he does not believe them, he's a charlatan.

So when I get an email petition asking me to tell radio stations to drop his show, I immediately want to sign.

Then the other mind pops up with its devil horns, saying that it doesn't matter if his radio show ends. In this day and age, there is no getting rid of this kind of invective because of the availability of technology. Mr. Beck has plenty of money to sustain an active Internet presence, which will always guarantee him an income and a following. Getting rid of his radio show will just add to the widely-held and entirely ridiculous idea that he and his right wing brethren are persecuted.

Sure, he pulled what amounts to a gigantic and ridiculous Godwin, comparing the Norwegian Labor Party summer camp to the Hitler Youth, but comparisons to Hitler are both the last refuge of the intellectually desperate and despairingly common. Should we be surprised? Next, he will find a way to blame liberals and eventually president Obama for the attacks in Norway, not the individual psychosis of a reprehensible man who tragically and remorselessly committed grievous acts because of fear, paranoia, and delusion. Perhaps you can blame mental illness, religion, and extreme right-wing ideology, but you can't blame the victim.

Still, somewhere in Mr. Beck's head, it makes sense to him, and because he is an American, he gets to say it. The powers that be have colluded to give him an ongoing platform to make his case, and he gets to make it. He also gets to be challenged. And he gets to be wrong.

A far as I am concerned, at this point, these people need to keep it up and even ramp it up. They probably need to acquire even more power if only to wake up the sleeping majority of citizens in this country who think that 95% of this babble is nonsense. Voters need to realize that enough people take this minority seriously enough to have elected many of their own in the last major election cycle, putting an entire political party under thrall to their narrow policy view.

In an age where an individual such as Michele Bachmann can be put forward as a front runner for the highest office in our land, the American conscience really needs a collective kick in the nuts.

Here's how I see it...

2011-07-26T09:05:00.000-05:00

We need a viable multiple-party system in the United States, but this will never happen without serious campaign finance reform that both limits the duration of a campaign as well as the money allowed to be spent, not to mention strict rules and perhaps even banning of issue ads by outside interest groups. But, can real campaign finance reform happen without a viable multi-party system?

The other issue we have is a silent majority of citizens, sitting on the sidelines, watching the crazies take over the country, all the while thinking, "That's crazy. No one will listen to them."

Really, GOP? Really?

2011-07-12T12:07:00.001-05:00

As long is this is the way they behave in the face of moderate plans, what can possibly be done?

"Senate Republicans weight resolution condemning Obama's stand on debt talks"

Condemning what? That he has the gall to put a return to previous tax levels into the plan? That he is trying to be reasonable in the face of Grover Norquist hysteria about taxes?

I tell you what, having to live in Minnesota in the United States is not very promising right now from a reasonableness perspective.

p.s. Where have all the moderate republicans gone?

Minnesota shut down

2011-07-06T09:43:00.000-05:00

"Republicans don't want less government. They want more of their kind of government." - John Harrington, in the Star Tribune

"We broke in for free." - Vandals at Afton State Park

Three fires set at Governor Dayton's former home.

"How far will Republican lawmakers go to protect millionaires?" - New York Times editorial

There is no way NOT to click on a link with this headline.

2011-06-29T12:29:00.000-05:00

Shakespeare was a pothead, says anthropoligist.

"A South African anthropologist wants to exhume Shakespeare's remains to determine if the literary giant was a pot smoker."

Is this going to lead a breakthrough in literary studies that will revolutionize the way that Romeo and Juliet is taught to dozing and horny ninth graders? Will performances of Hamlet sound like the turtles in "Finding Nemo"? Will stoned freshmen put down their copies of "Dark Side of the Moon" and turn off the "Wizard of Oz" in order to pore over the pages of Othello and King Lear for references to doobie?

Should costumers put Lady Macbeth into dreadlocks and hippie skirts? Clearly, A Midsummer Night's Dream is rife with the ganja (I know a bank where the wild thyme blows/Where oxlips and the nodding violet grows/Quite over-canopied with luscious woodbine/With sweet musk-roses and with eglantine. All weed.).

But what about Titus Andronicus? Coriolanus?

Well, it may take some time (and a lot of snacks), but I am sure that our nation's youth will sort it all out.

Mrs. Bachmann may be an American... girl, but...

2011-06-28T14:00:00.002-05:00

Tom Petty does not want her to use the song.

Thanks, Tom.

Not this again

2011-06-27T09:16:00.000-05:00

After a lecture from my day care provider about behavior they brought on themselves, the last thing I need to hear is an economic plan from a deluded presidential candidate about how the economy is on the wrong track, and the way to fix it is with corporate tax cuts and cuts to the inheritance tax. Speaking about behavior they brought on themselves. Haven't we already tried this route, and wasn't it the same route that contributed to the mess we are in now?

I don't get it. Whenever they are presented with a problem, no matter what the problem is, or even if they are presented with a not-problem, it's always the same solution. Tree in the road? Chainsaw. Bridge out? Chainsaw. Rockslide? Chainsaw. Potholes? Chainsaw. Smooth sailing? Chainsaw. Chainsaw, chainsaw, chainsaw.

Someone needs to take away their power tool.

Just Read It

2011-06-24T09:27:00.000-05:00

Matt Taibbi strikes again...

"In her runs for Congress, Bachmann discovered — or perhaps it is more accurate to say we all discovered — that a total absence of legislative accomplishment and a complete inability to tell the truth or even to identify objective reality are no longer hindrances to higher office."

History Proficiency

2011-06-16T12:06:00.000-05:00

Because of this and this and this, you should take this.

I did. I received 100% on the Fourth Grade test, 100% on the Eight Grade test, and 80% on the Twelfth Grade test, which was highly disappointing to me. (You can view more of the questions here.) I got one question wrong, and now I will have to go back and try to close that gap in my knowledge.

There are a whole bunch of tests on this site, and though I cannot spend the whole day taking them, I am certainly going to go back and do more, if only to identify what I don't know. It's easy for us to look at someone else and say they got it wrong (and, this is also appropriate, I would argue, when that someone wants to be speaking for America or making laws for America or wants to be taken as an expert in a field), but we should question our own knowledge, too.

From Minnesota to you: We're Sorry

2011-06-16T11:40:00.000-05:00

At least, some of us are.

Michele Bachmann is running for fucking president

While this must be mercilessly mocked, it must also be steadfastly taken seriously. She was elected and re-elected, and we should have learned by now never to underestimate the vacuity, susceptibility, and short-term misguided thinking of the American voter.

Though this might be a good time for me to think about getting cable, just for Comedy Central.

The Economy: It's not all bad

2011-05-27T13:21:00.000-05:00

Nieman's, Sax, Coach, and Tiffany all have posted strong earnings.

Clearly, SOMEONE out there is doing just fine:

"Neiman, which operates both its namesake and Bergdorf Goodman stores, has benefited as high-end shoppers have opened their wallets in an improving economy and a rebound in stock-market valuations."

And the GOP has finally produced a jobs plan that sounds a little bit familiar (tax cuts, tax breaks, oil, etc.). I guess that it's good that they called it what it really is: House Republican Plan for America's Job Creators. Because, really, it's a plan for corporations and rich people who are supposed to create jobs if we give them more money.

Well, they have more money, and they are spending it at Tiffany's.

Or, sitting on it, which is, I guess, what the rest of America can do, in the immortal words of Arthur Fonzarelli: Sit on it.

(As usual, Ezra Klein gets to the meat of it:

“Here’s how it works,” [David] Autor wrote in an e-mail. “1. You have a set of policies that you favor at all times and under all circumstances, e.g., cut taxes, remove regulations, drill-baby-drill, etc. 2. You see a problem that needs fixing (e.g., the economy stinks). 3. You say, ‘We need to enact my favored policies now more than ever.’ I believe that every item in the GOP list that you sent derives from this three step procedure.

“That’s not to say that there are no reasonable ideas on this list. But there is certainly no original thinking here directed at addressing the employment problem. Or, to put it differently, is there any set of economic circumstances under which the GOP would not actually want to enact every item on this agenda? If the answer is no, then this is clearly now-more-than-everism.”)

North Minneapolis Tornado Relief

2011-05-24T10:47:00.000-05:00

This past Sunday, a tornado swept through a residential area of North Minneapolis, leaving behind devastation for many residents.

You can go here to donate.

More on the effort (from the site):

"The Minnesota Helps - North Minneapolis Recovery Fund will support the immediate humanitarian needs of the individuals and families in North Minneapolis impacted by the May 22, 2011 tornado. The Minneapolis Foundation, in partnership with United Way will provide a dollar-for-dollar match up to $200,000 (updated daily as more partners contribute) to rebuild this community

How it works: Contributions to the Fund will be pooled and then allocated jointly by the sponsoring organizations to nonprofits that are providing support to those most affected by this tragedy – both immediately and in the coming months. One hundred percent of all donations will be redistributed to provide financial support where they are urgently needed.

Donations will be used for immediate and long-term needs (housing, food, and other services) of the people affected by the tornado."

Thoughts

2011-05-02T16:52:00.000-05:00

This is a serious and sobering moment in history, and one that should not, I believe, be met with rejoicing and celebrating in the streets. Though it can be said to be a sort of victory for the United States, the death of Osama bin Laden will not make anyone safer. We should reflect on the events of September 11, 2001 and measure the cost of the wars that followed, considering that we inflicted a far greater human toll on ourselves and in foreign lands reacting to that day than we sustained on that day, as we look to a better future for all.

I am still considering my feelings and thoughts in response to his death, and I don't have any grand advice on how I should respond. Perhaps with a statement remembering those who died on September 11 and in other terrorist attacks perpetrated by Al Qaeda, which happened in other countries and killed people other than Americans. Remembering the soldiers and civilians who have died in Afghanistan and Pakistan, both American and those from other nations. Understanding that the death of one man will not stop Al Qaeda and other extremist organizations of all kinds, but could, instead be fuel to their fire.

Wow.

2011-05-02T10:32:00.000-05:00

"Most of what changed in this country after 9/11 was our choice, not his. And his death is a reminder that changing it back -- or revising it to better fit our future -- is, similarly, our choice, not his. We've killed him, but we haven't erased the mark he left on us. Maybe it's time we did"--Ezra Klein

Oh, Hell No.

2011-04-30T15:45:00.000-05:00

Unless you are going to be offering a community education course entitled "Investing and Money Management: How Astrology Can Work for You," I am thinking that the courses "Vaccine Free: A Homeopathic Approach" and "Coughs, Colds, and Flu: A Homeopathic Approach" should probably also be off the table.

A colleague and fellow mother who is likewise frustrated with how pseudo-science is being given equal footing with evidence-based and non-magical thinking, informed me that her local community education program is offering the above courses on homeopathy. This led me to check out my own community education program. (Her community ed program is also offering two courses on Paranormal Investigating, one hilariously titled "Paranormal Investigating: Evidence Review.")

My community ed program has "Balance Your Digestion: Chinese Medicine," and a couple of other classes that might be touchy-feely, but nothing that seems to endanger the broader public health in so brash a way as offering homeopathy as an effective alternative to vaccinating children.

The thing is, how do you go about opposing the use of public funds for such things?

The Bad Ideas Just Keep Coming...

2011-04-28T13:28:00.000-05:00

from the Minnesota GOP:

Minn. Senate approves photo ID requirement for voting

This is a solution looking for a problem, and yet one more example of the GOP doing nothing to help anyone, and, in fact, doing much to hurt.

I already went over this at length.

Marriage Equality, or: I can't believe I have to resurrect this post yet again with only minor tweaks.

2011-04-28T11:41:00.000-05:00

How does having more people in love weaken the power of love?

How would creating more marriage make marriage less meaningful?

I am sorry to be behaving with the innocence of a child and the logic of a sane adult, but I just don't get it.

There is a new battle going on here in Minnesota in which a few radicals (Let's call a spade a spade: these people are radical, not conservative) want to put in place a constitutional ban on "gay marriage" that would also include banning "any legal recognition of domestic partnerships and civil unions or any 'legal equivalent' of marriage." (By the way, the only way to get all the legal benefits of marriage is by getting married. There is no “legal equivalent”.) Which means that the few benefits that do exist here for same-sex partnerships would go away right along with the hope of anything more.

That's sweet.

I bet Jesus is smiling right now.

The thing is, this time, they have the votes to do it.

They say they want to "protect traditional marriage." What does that mean? Don't these people have anything else to worry about? Apparently if Rick and Tom get married, or Susie and Michelle, these different-sex marriages will somehow be less meaningful, begging the question, how meaningful can they possibly be now?

Before I pitch an apoplectic fit and pass out from emotional confusion on my heterosexual living room floor within the context of my heterosexual-legally-recognized-by-the-state-relationship, I'd like to know what makes me so special? Show me a constitutional reason why my relationship gets to be different from anyone else's? I mean, I think it's a pretty good relationship—really good, not to toot my own horn or my husband's (that's against the law in some states, too), but because he has a penis, and I don't, that means we can legally be married? That's not really much of an achievement (sorry, hubby. No offense).

It just seems like such a waste of righteous anger. You're a dude, and you don't want to marry a dude? DON'T. This is America. You don't have to. You're a Christian, and you think being gay is wrong? Fine! You’re (probably) not! See: Declaration of Independence/Inalienable rights/"life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness." Last time I checked, we are not living in a theocracy, and we are actually fighting wars overseas so that other people don't get to, either. We don't have a state religion or even a state language, for that matter. We have an official bird (that we almost poisoned into extinction) but our government does not tell people how to worship, and marriage equality won’t change that. Christians can yammer on all they want about "My Bible this..." and "My Bible that..." but…

Whatever.

My favorite book is Wuthering Heights, but that does not mean that I get to make other people dig up and hug their dead lovers or force children to marry each other and live in seclusion on the wasted moors of northern England. Just because some people believe that the Bible is a divine text does not make it so. Just because some people believe that their translation of that "divine text" says that marriage is between one man and one woman, does not create a basis for a Law in the United States of America.

Many of our ancestors came here to get away from that sort of oppression.

It's important to try to stop these people before we slide completely into a theocratic corporate oligarchy, and I used to think this was just a smokescreen issue. Like abortion. But now that they have the numbers, they are pushing the social end of their agenda, to the benefit of whom? A constitutional amendment against marriage equality will help no one and hurt many.

I am not gay. I am not going to turn gay if I watch Ellen or spend too much time with drag queens or see too much LogoTV. I don't think I am going to want to marry a woman any time soon (Bigamy is not legal, either. Nor will marriage equality make it legal.) On a very base and selfish level, this issue does not affect me. But I don't live that way. Any attempt to diminish my fellow Americans diminishes me and diminishes this country.

Denying basic rights to other Americans makes me less of an American.

And less of a human.

What happens to others matters to me.

I live in a country that used to encourage self-reliance as a tool for being able to help others, but it seems that self-reliance has turned to selfishness.

It does not matter to these people what actually happens to their fellow citizens as long as those citizens are living by a specific, enforced, neo-fundamentalist religious code. Living in squalor with an abusive boyfriend and a new baby when you are 17? At least you did not have an abortion! We saved you from hell! Are you in the hospital, dying of a terminal illness and want to leave your estate to your same-sex partner? Too bad! You don't deserve to because your “choices” are evil and you are going to hell!

This is a waste of time and resources. I am thinking that straight marriage doesn't need any protection, though with divorced people making up 10.7 percent of the population over 15, it might need some counseling.
Why can't our elected officials redirect their energies into, oh, I don't know, working against economic inequality, “creating jobs”, or protecting the environment so our children can be safer (Think about the Children!)? Probably because that wouldn't get as much press. Real, difficult problems don't make headlines, and it's hard to work yourself up into a good, frothy, fear-filled lather over a homeless veteran.

After all, apparently Jesus is only happy when people are hurting because they brought it on themselves.

Book Review: Why Marriage Matters: America, Equality, and Gay People's Right to Marry

2011-04-28T11:00:00.000-05:00

Why Marriage Matters: America, Equality, and Gay People's Right to Marry
by Evan Wolfson

"But fortunately, the general story of our country is movement toward inclusion and equality. The majority of Americans are fair. They realize that exclusionary conceptions of marriage fly in the face of our national commitment to freedom as well as the personal commitment made by loving couples. Americans have been ready again and again to make the changes needed to ensure that the institution of marriage reflects the values of love, inclusion, interdependence, and support."

Overall, I found this book to be compelling. His tone and use of language are effecting in making his case; I would imagine that this book could easily turn someone who is for marriage equality, though not at all invested in the issue, into an activist. Mr. Wolfson manages to take a hot topic, normally dripping with thickly-piled-on cliches, value judgments, false morals, and doom-saying, and distill out a cohesive legal and civil rights argument in favor of marriage equality. Neither his writing nor his arguments are strident or preachy, and his style is not pompous or lawyerly; it is accessible and eloquent. Even involved, critically-thinking people who are supporters will find themselves both nodding along in agreement and shaking their heads in disbelief as they read.

This book are divided into chapters that allow readers to hold an intelligent discussion about marriage equality. Chapter 1 answers the question “What is Marriage” and points out that America has been moving steadily toward equality in all things for generations; marriage is the next step. He lays out the many benefits one can only get by getting married, benefits that most married people take for granted.

Chapter 2 points out how marriage has evolved over time, analyzing the issue from a legislative and historical perspective, making comparisons to miscegenation laws and other anti-marriage laws and norms. Women were once property through marriage. People of different races were not allowed to marry. Marriage has been changing along with society. It has not been static.

In Chapter 3, the author takes apart arguments that this will harm society, simply stating that all changes have been accompanied by such doom and gloom prognostications, none of which have come through. Marriage equality benefits society. He points out that changes to the laws regarding divorce, interracial marriage, women's equality, and privacy have all altered marriage. None of this has perpetuated any sort of societal downward spiral.

Chapter 4 answers the "marriage is for procreation" argument, pointing out that the state says nothing about opposite sex couples who have no desire to procreate or cannot. People can and do marry for a myriad of reasons.

Chapter 5 talks about children, and how many of marriage's legal provisions protect children. Denying these benefits to same-sex couples hurts and punishes their children. This chapter takes down the arguments that children are harmed by same-sex parenting, pointing out that studies do not show that, and studies that show that two parents are the best say nothing about the sex of those parents.

Chapter 6 brings in questions of religion, mainly pointing out that the importance of marriage is, first and foremost, legal; 40% (and growing) of married couples engaged in a purely civil ceremony. “The rite is separate from the right”: your religious ceremony means nothing to the law, and changes to the law will not equal changes to your religion. You are free to do as you like in America, thanks to the separation of church and state.

Chapter 7 brings up the “separate but equal” idea that we should just use another word, pointing out that “separate but equal” has never worked because it’s impossible. Separate is not equal.

Chapter 8 discusses marriage portability, further pointing out that “separate but equal” does not work, and this is an issue that should not rest with the states. Married people don't have to worry about whether or not they are married if they leave their home state or the state in which they were married. People in civil unions or other “parallel” relationships, even married people of the same sex, do not have any guarantee that their rights will go with them when they move or travel.

Chapter 9 addresses this issue as a civil rights issue, pointing out that comparisons with other civil rights issues (women, racial equality, etc.) are appropriate. "Gay rights, after all, are nothing more than non-gay rights made available to all."

Chapter 10 discusses why this matters to Mr. Wolfson: "...taking seriously our country's promise to be a nation its citizens can make better, its promise to be a place where people don't have to give up their differences or hide them in order to be treated equally."

Favorite quote: "Gay rights, after all, are nothing more than non-gay rights made available to all."

Spending Public Money on Something with a Promise of Positive Economic & Social Return

2011-04-27T12:12:00.000-05:00

Sounds like a good idea, right?

Well, it's not a stadium.

Wasting My Money

2011-04-27T09:37:00.000-05:00

This wasn't necessary, and I know they won't shut up about it, but everyone can go to the White House Blog and take a look at the President's long form birth certificate. Taxpayers most likely had to pay the costs of obtaining it, so we may as well take a peek.

Good? Are you done now?

Probably not.

The Church of Legendary British Comics

2011-04-26T14:53:00.000-05:00

Burning a Koran is stupid. It's stupid and pointless and only serves to remind me of Nazis, even though that's a hyperbole that won't win me any arguments. "Where books are burnt..."

And getting all worked up and angry and even threatening death because someone stupid burned a Koran is stupid. It's stupid and pointless. Burning an effigy of the stupid person who burned a Koran is stupid. Burning the effigy with a picture of a member of the Monty Python comedy troupe attached to its face, because the stupid person and the comic have the same name, raises the stupidity to a comedy level that is worthy of the comedy troupe whose member's face you have attached to the effigy.

This is how one reaches sublime from stupid.

Even if its really just an accident.

Class War?

2011-04-26T14:18:00.000-05:00

Conservatives have been saying for years that liberals are engaging in class warfare. This warfare is on the rich.

The poor, defenseless rich.

And because everyone in America wants to be rich and thinks that they could be someday, this rhetoric has taken hold and become fact, at least in the minds of many. "When I am rich beyond measure, I don't want to have to pay taxes on my estate." This is the bootstrap thing, which assumes that 1) you actually have bootstraps, and 2) America is a level playing field.

This "war on the rich" has taken the form of pushes for fairness in the tax system and... and... what else? Seriously. I don't get it. Don't we usually root for the underdog when there is a contest between opposing forces who have unequal access to resources? Unless their ideology is flagrantly corrupt, evil, or ridiculous, we generally cheer on the side that is smaller, less equipped, or less privileged.

Don't we?

Why are so many regular people putting so much energy into defending our wealthy, our corporations, our privileged few? Never have so many pushed so hard for the rights of so few. Is it the idea that the people at the top have to have as much money as possible, so that they can provide the fuel for the economic engine of the nation? I don't think that the data have borne that out as a sound theory. Aren't we seeing large corporate profits and still experiencing high unemployment? Is that far too simplistic an observation? Because, as I say, I don't get it.

Here in Minnesota, our newly elected republicans in our newly GOP-controlled house and senate are continuing former governor and present presidential candidate Tim Pawlenty's tradition of balancing the budget using only one or two tools in the policy toolbox. It's unclear to me whether or not they have resorted budget gimmicks, but they certainly are using cuts and other cut-like measures. Tim Pawlenty's tradition of tax cuts and his refusal to raise revenue helped to get us into this mess, so I fail to see how more of the same is going to get us out.

It's the same old song and dance that is playing out all over the country. Slash the number of state workers, limit collective bargaining, punish teachers, cut aid to the poor, and generally continue to gut the already gutted. The very people who are out there spending money daily will have less money and will possibly wind up on state programs or otherwise being paid for by the state in emergency rooms or other facilities and programs.

Cutting aid does not cut need. I can't say it enough: someone always has to pay, and it's usually the government. And the government is us.

I fail to see how cutting 15% from the state workforce and pushing those taxpaying middle income workers out of work and perhaps onto unemployment is going to help the economy or, in the long run, the state budget. If the idea is to push them onto the federal budget tally, it flies in the face of their whole deficit reduction obsession.

I fail to see how cutting health care to the poor is going to help, either, for many of the same reasons.

I thought I was living in a country whose government cared for its people, but that's clearly a long-lost idealist dream, if it ever was a reality.We the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect union, establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America...

Some thoughts on the budget battles from Jill Lepore

2011-04-25T11:01:00.001-05:00

Just read it.

Poor Jane's Almanac

Thanks to my uncle, Mike, for passing it on to me.

Oh, America

2011-03-30T13:51:00.000-05:00

I am starting to become crushed under the weight of the collective American idiocy. It would be one thing if this idiocy were simple daftness, and we were leaving our keys in the freezer or forgetting our anniversary. But this idiocy is mean and hateful. It's willfully ignorant and proud of it. It's grasping, greedy, sniveling, and showing no signs of abating. This idiocy misleads with glee; it obfuscates while denouncing people who use words like "obfuscate." It glories in hypocrisy and revels in lies.

Our American Idiocy invites in its own doom and offers it tea.

In these trying times

2011-03-17T09:52:00.000-05:00

I think the most important thing the legislative branch of our government can do today is have an emergency session presenting an emergency bill whose only provision is the defunding of a public news, information, and music service.

Yeah. Let's put our time, money, and energy into THAT.

Abhorrent

2011-03-16T14:24:00.000-05:00

I had no idea, and this almost makes me want to get rid of my Facebook account.

People were actually posting status updates, in response to the various tragedies in Japan, referencing Pearl Harbor, and basically saying this is karma or pay back.

I can't link to the screen shot; it's too depressing. Go to Pharyngula, if you really want to see it.

Now Hear This

2011-03-07T11:33:00.001-06:00

At this point, the GOP holding hearings to look into radicalization is rather like preschoolers holding hearings to look into cookies. I guess they should know, but perhaps they should consider broadening their scope to include themselves. They have become rather proficient bakers of extreme cookies.

After all, Michele Bachmann is pretty much the Charlie Sheen of politics, and Glenn Beck sounds a bit like Moammar Gadhafi on a good day.

I wish Congressman Ellison good luck as he tries to wrangle the prejudice and stereotypes that arise, and I can only hope that other critically-thinking members of our legislative branch will do the same.

Dear Target,

2011-02-28T10:05:00.001-06:00

Thanks but no thanks. Just because some overworked pop star who thinks she is Pan’s gift to gays got you to say you’d be nice to equality because there was profit involved does not make it OK. I’ve been fine without you for months, and I can continue to be fine. You would not change your tune for thousands of paying customers, so I know where you heart really is.

-kitty

testing

2011-01-14T19:16:00.001-06:00

New Android phone, dragon movie, pizza, and weekend parenting.

Published with Blogger-droid v1.6.5

Reading List

2011-01-05T13:18:00.002-06:00

(cross-post with babywhumpus)

Now that we are not traveling or planning travel, it's time to hook up my request list for my local library. I can only have ten, and here they are:

The Panic Virus: A True Story of Medicine, Science, and Fear by Seth Mnookin

Origins: How the Nine Months Before Birth Shape the Rest of our Lives by Annie Murphy Paul

The Corrections by Johathan Franzen
Freedom by Jonathan Franzen
(Everyone keeps telling me I should read them, so I put them on my request list a long time ago. They both came in when I was traveling and very busy around Thanksgiving, so I added them again. I am number 182 out of 182 for "Freedom.")

Room: A Novel by Emma Donoghue

The Revolutionary Yardscape: Ideas for Repurposing Local Materials to Create Containers, Pathways, Lighting, and More by Matthew Levesque
Handmade Home: Simple Ways to Repurpose Old Materials into New Family Treasures by Amanda Blake Soul
(We just finished a bunch of work on the house, and pending finances, more is in the works for Spring. With organizing and interior work involving minimal financial input over the winter.)

Solar: A Novel by Ian McEwan

Super Sad True Love Story: A Novel by Gary Shyeyngart

The Kids' Campfire Book by Jane Drake & Ann Love

Still at home and not yet cracked (from the library):

Touchpoints: Birth to Three by T. Berry Brazelton

(I can just catch the tail end of babywhumpus' development until he turns three.)

The Happiest Toddler on the Block by Dr. Harvey Karp
(This is the one with all the exclamation points, which I was finding annoying and useless. A coworker and mother of a similarly-aged child said the second part might be more worthwhile, so I'll give it a go).

Others on the to-read-this-year list:

Operation Mincemeat: How a Dead Man and a Bizarre Plan Fooled the Nazis and Assured and Allied Victory by Ben MacIntyre
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot
Common as Air: Revolution, Art, and Ownership by Lewis Hyde
Griftopia: Bubble Machines, Vampire Squids, and the Long Con that is Breaking America by Matt Taibbi
All the Devils Are Here: The Hidden History of the Financial Crisis by Bethany McLean

A Visit from the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan
Shadow Tag: A Novel by Louise Erdrich
The Dirty Life: On Farming, Food, and Love
One of Our Thursdays is Missing by Jasper Fforde
The Civil War of 1812: American Citizens, British Subjects, Irish Rebels, and Indian Allies by Alan Taylor
Ratification: The People Debate the Constitution, 1787-1788 by Pauline Maier
Madison & Jefferson by Andrew Burstein
First Family: Abigail and John Adams by Joseph J. Ellis
Freethinkers: A History of American Secularism by Susan Jacoby
Deadly Choices: How the Ant-Vaccine Movement Threatens Us ALl
Evolution: The Story of Life on Earth by Jay Hosler
Newton & the Counterfeiter: The Unknown Detective Career of the World's Greatest Scientist
The Disappearing Spoon: And Other True Tales of Madness, Love, and the History of the World from the Periodic Table of Elements by Sam Kean
McKay's Bees: A Novel by Thomas A. McMahon

No, my year is not longer than the normal person's, and there is almost no way I will get through all of those books... I still have to finish Revolutionaries by Jack Rakove and I forgot to list Washington by Ron Chernow up there.

Sheesh.

I should stop re-reading Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, huh?

2010-12-29T07:58:00.000-06:00

Lots on my mind, no time to write.
Here's a boy in antlers.

Don't Ask, Don't Treat

2010-12-07T14:15:00.000-06:00

Interestingly, there are reasons beyond simple constitutional rights to put an end to the policy called "Don't Ask, Don't Tell."

The policy has individual and public health ramifications, in the opinion of Dr. Kenneth Katz, writing in the New England Journal of Medicine.

"Recognizing that 'don't ask, don't tell' compromises the medical care of gay, lesbian, and bisexual service members by stymieing normal lines of questioning in clinical encounters, the American Medical Association rightly came out against the policy in 2009."

Full Perspective is here.

Facts About Voter Fraud and Ineligible Voting: A Report

2010-11-29T12:24:00.000-06:00

As a follow-up to my voter ID post, I wanted to point out that this report has been issued by the Citizens for Election Integrity Minnesota and the Minnesota Unitarian Universalist Social Justice Alliance/Association of Universalist Women.

Here's a story on it from MPR that summarizes the findings.

I'll be reading the 44-page report as soon as I can.

(MUUSJA website here.)

Story for Ann

2010-11-20T15:44:00.000-06:00

I wrote this story years ago... it could be twenty by now. Six years ago today, my aunt Ann died unexpectedly, and this is one of my best memories of her. And one of my best memories ever. I wish she were here today. She'd get a kick out of my little family.

My aunt Ann was coming out to visit. She had always been my favorite aunt. Her imagination was vivid, and she really knew how to play, even though she was fifteen years older than I. As if summer wasn’t already enough of a pre-school overload for me, there would now be an overabundance of girl things to do. This was going to be an extra special treat.

Summer for me was a wild romp through the mountains of south-western Montana. Almost every year contained those six weeks of passionate playtime, surrounded by endless cow pastures and college students who thought I was a cute kid. It was also six weeks without T.V., but I never noticed. The reason for this unadulterated and often unsupervised experiment in childhood was that my dad taught at a field station in the Tobacco Root mountains, and the family came along. I really didn’t know what he did exactly. I just knew that he was a teacher, the students called him the Limestone Cowboy, he tromped around outside all day, and sometimes graded papers. Us kids could, in turn, sell rocks we found on the hill behind the lab, and peddle Kool-Aid to the students after a hard day in the field.

The nearest town was listed as having 32 people, but these citizens didn’t actually live in the town proper. They were ranchers who were scattered about the out-laying areas and up into the mountains themselves. The town was called Cardwell, and the post office, general store, and gas station were conveniently close - in the same building. Maxine the postmaster sat on her stool behind the counter, and gave my brother the stamp collector illegal postmarks from the town.

I usually passed my time running around in those endless cow pastures, out behind our trailers, negotiating sage brush and cow pies, or playing with my extensive collection of Barbie dolls. My brother went around making the sort of trouble that boys make, such as pushing little sisters into creeks and general teasing and badgering. Mom spent her time doing crafts and relaxing. She also had the fun job of keeping Jim and I from severely hurting each other. Ann’s visit was a very exciting addition to an already pleasant routine.

I loved Ann. I was five years old, and she seemed to be perfect. She drew pictures that really looked like what they were supposed to be, loved horses and pretty things, and liked to do my hair with colorful yarn ribbons. She would pick flowers with me, and admire my Barbies. She was almost a better kid than I was.

The morning she was supposed to get in, we drove the one and one half hours to Bozeman, and picked her up at the two-terminal airport. One and a half hours is an eternity in the life of an antsy five year old, and I’m sure that my excitement and anticipation contributed to making me one of the most charming little chatterboxes around. I would imagine that I annoyed my parents with all sorts of trivia, perhaps adding in a song or two as I gazed out the window at the scenery speeding by, wondering if we would ever get there.

The plane landed, Ann walked into the airport, and everyone had their chance to say “hi.” The whole ride home consisted of boring grown-up questions such as “How was your flight?,” and “How is college?” By the time another agonizing ninety minute ride was over, and we were back at the camp.

I wanted Ann to dive immediately into playland. But it wasn’t to be. She had to rest Maybe she was an adult after all; they sleep all the time.

The next morning, I woke earlier as usual, as kids often do when they are overly excited about something. It was better than Christmas. Well, almost better than Christmas. I went out into the small living room as quietly as possible, because that was where Ann was sleeping, and made as much noise as possible. I ate the cookies that dad always left for me, dragged the chairs over the cheap linoleum floor, and banged the cabinet doors. Ann, to my horror, woke up. Mom woke up also, and I found out that Dad was actually in camp grading. Wonderful. Everyone would be home to show me a good time. All I had to do was sit back, be cute, and let them do their best to make me happy.

The day was mine. My father arrived and he, Ann, my brother and I planned to trek all the way across the river to Rattlesnake Butte. A hike! Off we went, I in my embroidered Toughskins, striped knit shirt, and blue children’s hiking boots, was ready to go. We left the trailer and headed down the newly-tarred dirt road, over the South Boulder River, and back up the other side to the mountain, a distance of about a quarter of a mile. Rattlesnake Butte was really not a mountain, it was only a small foothill of a foothill in the Tobacco Roots, covered with brush and outcrops of jagged rock. It was tiny.

It was surrounded by the beginnings of the actual mountain range, which made it look even smaller. The only thing which made it remarkable and lent it its exotic movie-western name was that one of the teacher’s dogs was bitten by a rattlesnake on top of it.

But I was five. Almost everything was bigger than me. A whole hill was huge. And the distance traveled was practically an odyssey, complete with obstacles meant to trip up the unsuspecting wanderer. A system of metal bars two inches wide and four inches apart familiar to anyone in the west blocked our passage to the promised land of adventure: a cattle guard. My father’s Super 8 movie camera caught, in visual proof, my brother actually being nice to me. We were attempting to cross this cattle guard when I hesitated. A better name for these contraptions would be “childrenguards.” Jim went ahead and showed me how easy it was, and returned to take my hand to guide me over the treacherous thing. Once I was safely on the other side, he went across and back just one more time to prove to me that he needed no help. Rattlesnake Butte now loomed over us. We went through the gate into the empty cow pasture over to the slope and began our hike.

It was all easy at first. We went slowly, Ann and I picking flowers as we went, Dad following with the camera, and Jim, once again, running ahead to show us how easy it all was. Then Dad dropped a bombshell. He had to go back to the camp to grade more papers. I suddenly had the choice to stay and go on with Ann and Jim, or to go back with my Dad. It might seem like this would have been an easy choice to make, but I loved my daddy, and if he was leaving, I felt I should, too. After standing on the hill with my dad below me and Ann above me, looking back and forth at both of them, and jumping up and down while shaking my hands, I decided to stay and continue the trip.

We reached the top of Rattlesnake Butte and began to explore. I had been up there many times before, but Ann made it seem like a completely different place. The small pine trees, large rocks, and sagebrush became a hideout for the good guys.

We were being chased by a group of nasty robbers. They were after us because we knew too much. We had witnessed their last heist, and were determined to turn them in. We perched ourselves behind some rocks near the edge of the hill, and looked down upon the dirt road. We were worried-it seemed like we couldn’t be missed, and these guys were ruthless. They would show no mercy, so what if we were kids.

A lone car appeared. It came around the corner on our left, around the hill, a cloud of dust following it. They were driving fast. Was it the robbers? I felt my heart speed up, and a lump grew in my throat. The car passed without incident. Ann held her breath through it all, trying to be brave. I couldn’t handle it. I could never handle fear. I had to go to the bathroom. I retired to the bushes for a short amount of time while Jim and Ann held down the fort. As I returned, another car approached. I was advised to duck, which I did. The car went by. Ann was sure it was the bad guys, she remembered the car. It passed out of sight up the valley.

“Listen,” she said, “They didn’t see us.” She was whispering, even though the only thing there was to hear in this wilderness was a bird, maybe a cow. Her ponytails were almost quivering with fear, “It will be a while before they realize that we aren’t up there. The road ends five miles up. If we make a run for it now, we should be able to make it home before they come back.” Admiration almost poured out of my eyes. She was fearless. She was pretty. She was smart. She didn’t condescend. Ann knew everything. We took one last peek at the road, looked at each other for reassurance - Jim informing us that there was really nothing to worry about, , and made a break for it. We tore down the side of the hill, through a herd of wandering cattle who didn’t even realize what peril we were in, and took off down the road.

We didn’t stop until we reaches our trailer.

“I think we made it,” Ann said, “Let’s eat lunch.”

We went inside. The robbers never found us. Ann was so smart, and she had her priorities straight. Food before fear.

Earmarks built my...

2010-11-16T15:45:00.000-06:00

earmark: a provision in Congressional legislation that allocates a specified amount of money for a specific project, program, or organization.

National Writing Project, Reading is Fundamental Program, Center for Civic Education Programs, MN National Guard Counter-Drug Support program, Central Corridor Light Rail Program, Camp Riley Combined Arms Collective Training Facility, Upper Mississippi River System Program, National Rural Water Association, Northstar Commuter Rail Line, breast cancer research program, Lewis and Clark Rural Water System, Procurement Technical Assistance Centers, Ultra Light Utility Vehicles for the National Guard, MN National Guard Reintegration Program, Highway 14 construction projects, Hastings Bridge over the Mississippi, Aircraft deicing apron, Wind energy, waste water treatment, City of St. Paul to provide tutoring, mentoring and other educational programs and resources for after-school programs, Minnesota Humanities Center, St. Paul, MN for teacher professional development, which may include honoraria, Sheriffs Youth Programs of Minnesota to expand SYP's program for at-risk youth, Metropolitan State University, St Paul, MN, to expand nursing education, Olmsted County Community Services, to implement and sustain a performance based child protection system preventing child abuse and neglect, Lutheran Social Service of Minnesota, Credit Counseling Capacity Building, St. Paul, MN, fire trucks in Eagan, Children's Hospitals & Clinics, for equipment, City of St. Paul to replace the warning siren system that is used to warn the public about tornadoes, terrorism, and hazardous material emergencies...

To name just a few things, in the state of Minnesota, in the past three years. Every state has them; every state gets them; they are sponsored by republicans and democrats, and they are often how we pay for things as a government and a people. Are there bad earmarks? Probably. Just like how the majority of people are good, with a few bad ones. Stuff that's bad stands out. Good stuff doesn't. Good stuff just is, and we rely on it. It does not make news when a bridge doesn't fall down, every day, all over the country.

Mostly, earmarks are only bad when the other guy gets them or when they don't make sense to us, on the surface. That fruit fly research sounded ridiculous, until we found out that it could lead to new understanding in the root of autism spectrum disorders.

This seems like another non-issue, like voter fraud. It certainly is not going to make or break the budget or the deficit. After all, earmarks don't change the amount of money spent or appropriated, they direct it to certain projects, institutions, or organizations. But like every other non-issue, it will get people whipped up into a frenzy, even as they cut themselves off at the ankles.

Famously, the republicans in the Minnesota Congressional Delegation undertook a moratorium on earmarks last year, leaving the democrats to request funds for the republican districts, as was the case when Congresswoman McCollum submitted requests for Congressman John Kline's district. Did you know that, 2nd District?

This is what people don't get: earmarks do things. They build things. They put people to work. They retrain people. They help soldiers re-enter society. They support our teachers, our firemen and women, our police. When a representative declines an earmark or does not request one, in the name of political grandstanding, that individual is doing no harm to him or herself, but does harm constituents. The brilliant thing in the rhetoric is that the constituents don't even have to know.

Now, Congresswoman Bachmann wants to redefine earmarks to not include transportation projects, so she can ask for funding for her district, and not be asking for earmarks.

I see.

Now that you have the ball, the goalposts are over there.

Charity 3.0

2010-11-10T13:39:00.001-06:00

Long before Target Corporation donated money to an outside group supporting Minnesota gubernatorial candidate Tom Emmer, I often found myself pondering their charitable giving programs, like the money they give to schools. I thought, "Well, wouldn't it be nice if they didn't have to do that, perhaps by advocating for better public policy that would benefit schools over the long term?" This random thought came into higher relief when the "Minnesota Forward" news broke, and I severed my ties to the retail chain.

People kept saying things like, "But they do so many good things," and I kept coming back to, "Sure, but they are supporting political candidates who, in my mind, are not crafting policy that could make substantive, long term, positive impact on public problems. So, they must be doing it only for the tax breaks and good public relations, and are possibly perpetuating the necessity for their charitable intervention, for the foreseeable future, as schools come to rely on this sort of intervention to make ends meet.

I want substantive change.

This keeps coming up. Recently, I read an article in which the world's richest man said that the only thing that will help people is employment. Charity begets charity. And while I don't agree with many of his sentiments (the World's Richest Man can say just about anything because, well, he has a crap load of money to back him up), it's an interesting proposition. This was brought into further relief when a colleague forwarded me this video:

First as Charity, Then as Farce

Aside from being a really nifty piece of work from a creative and technological standpoint, Slavoj Zizek raises some interesting issues about charity, bringing in a critique of "cultural capitalism," in which "doing good" becomes a part of the transaction. In this model of capitalism, "through the consumerist act, you buy your redemption from being only a consumerist," he says.

It's what I do all the time. I have to buy stuff to live, so I might as well buy stuff and make myself feel good at the same time. But if "the proper aim is to try and reconstruct society on such a basis that [insert social ill here] will be impossible," how do we do that? Can we do both? Where do companies like Target fit into that mix? Does capitalism necessitate and perpetuate charity, and is it possible to use to tools of capitalism to change social ills, or is capitalism antithetical to positive social change?

ID Me

2010-11-05T15:25:00.001-05:00

I served as an election judge again this past Tuesday for the general election. It was only my second time doing so, the first being at the primary in August. I enjoy being involved in our political process, and this seemed like a logical extension of that. It's a long day (14 and a half hours, at the least), but it goes by surprisingly fast, even when turn-out in your precinct is only 22%, as it was for the primary (this was unfortunately rather high, in reality). I knitted six washcloths that day.

On November 2, I did not expect to get that much knitting done (only four much smaller dishcloths) because turn-out would be higher. Indeed, we had 59% in our precinct, which is also, unfortunately, considered high.

We were warned by our head judge that there may be issues with voters wearing "ID Me" buttons or insisting that we check their ID. Just a few days before the election, the Supreme Court had denied a case brought by "Tea Partiers", in which they wanted the right to wear these materials. It was deemed to be covered by the "no campaign or political materials in the polling place" law, and we were to ask people to cover any such items. This includes sample ballots from specific parties and tee shirts that say "Wellstone!", even though he was clearly not running for election.

I did not see any buttons that said "ID Me," but I did have some rather forceful or snide individuals, muttering comments or stating outright nonsense regarding voter identification. I was only on the roster table for a few hours, so I am not sure what other judges may have heard, but I had three notable people offer their opinions. One woman was rather incensed, having "just found out today that Minnesota does not require ID to vote."

"I mean, that's ridiculous."

"It's the law, " I replied.

"Well, it's a stupid law," she said.

Another muttered, when I said that it was the law, "No wonder this state is so screwed up."

The final major comment was from a gentleman who proffered his ID in my face. When I said that we do not require ID, he said he knew, but wanted me to check his ID. I said it was the law that Minnesota does not require ID to vote, and I asked his last name. He remained silent and held the ID in my face. Once I had given him his ballot receipt, he said "It's the government's law that you have to have ID on you at all times. It's the law."

I closed my lips together firmly to keep from answering. He moved on.

Now, I have to say, "Really?" Where does he live, and where is he getting this information, and moreover, why does he believe it?

Voter fraud is a current specter striking fear into the hearts of white people across America. As this issue does divide mostly along partisan lines, with republicans favoring more Voter ID requirements and Democrats being against them, I have to ask the question, "Why?"

Is voter fraud a big problem? If so, would identification laws solve it? What's the big deal about requiring ID? You need ID for a lot of things, and voting is pretty important, so requiring ID to do so seems innocuous. Why does it divide along party lines? Who benefits and who loses? Why do some people assume that everyone else is lying, even when they themselves never would? Why didn't these people get upset in 2000 or 2004 when there were massive voting irregularities? Do they believe that liberals are stealing elections through voter fraud, and ID laws will fix that? Do they think that Minnesota is the only state that does not require ID?

In reality, 24 states do not require ID, and the other 26 have varying degrees of requirements. (National Conference of State Legislatures) Furthermore, from what I could gather, voter fraud of the type that would be caught by requiring ID is so rare as to be statistically uncountable, leading Project Vote to say:

"Voter identification requirements, while increasingly popular in state legislatures around the country, are a solution without a problem."

So, if voter fraud via voter impersonation is not a real problem (Again, the kind that would be caught by requiring Voter ID), then what is this really all about?

According to the Brennan Center for Justice, as much as 12% of the eligible voting population does not have a government-issued photo ID. The majority of these people are seniors, people of color, people with disabilities, low-income voters, students, and women. It seems to me that Voter ID hoopla is meant to instill fear in a certain sector of the population, that certain other sectors of the population are voting illegally, so that ID laws can be passed, making it harder for those certain other sectors of the voting population to vote.

If we are truly concerned about fairness in elections, then we need well-funded, well-trained election oversight departments and officials, who can track down irregularities when they occur. We need to pursue cases of voter intimidation, which, unlike voter impersonation, actually do happen. We need to make information about voting and voting rights as well as election and polling information easily available to the voters.

The "Voter ID" issue is a low-hanging fear-fruit. It "sounds good" when you hear it, and people will shrug, thinking it's no big deal. That's often because they have not thought any deeper about the issue, such as barriers to obtaining government-issued ID, how those barriers affect different groups of people, and who it is that these laws would keep from voting.

It only "sounds good" when you don't have to think about it, and it doesn't affect you.

Good job, America

2010-11-04T14:32:00.000-05:00

Citizens United (for Undisclosed Donors) has helped to make sure that we have no idea who is behind the funding of 42% of outside dollars, and this was the most expensive midterm election in American history.

It's nice to know that in these trying times of 9.6% unemployment and general economic hardship, America can still scrape together 4 billion dollars to elect new officials.

Every big election season, it bugs me. I get those nice, ideal, frolicking-in-the-meadows visions of what other things that kind of money could do, and think things like, "We can spend 4 billion dollars buying an election, and that doesn't seem to bother us, while people are out of work, can't feed their families, and are losing their homes?" In fairness, of course, 4 billion dollars would not buy much on a national scale for large groups of people... but still... I see that number, and I think, "The money is out there... we have a big distribution problem..."

Real, substantive (there's that word again) campaign reform needs to happen to level the playing field for all, and give us a break from the noise, which is becoming unceasing, and is certainly not making the American voter any smarter or nuanced, but the likelihood that we will see that anytime soon has dwindled to pretty much nothing.

Congratulations, Minnesota 8th CD!

2010-11-04T14:11:00.000-05:00

And a very warm thank you from the rest of the state.

By voting out Congressman Jim Oberstar, you have tossed out 36 years of leadership, pretty much marking an end to Minnesota's vast national influence in transportation issues, while making sure that funding for major infrastructure projects is greatly reduced.

This is one of those examples where one can say, "Well, you get the government you deserve up there," but this has implications for the entire state as well as the region. So, they get their government, and I get it, too.

It kind of goes for the whole state, with the new republican-led legislature. Everyone who voted for it will get what they deserve, but so will I. If you work for a public or quasi-public institution, as both the wage-earners in my family do, your job will be hanging in the balance. This is not alarmist, it's a real possibility. And if we lose our jobs, it's not like the private sector is poised to take us on with its booming job market. (And don't tell me that a new, republican legislature is going to create a booming job market.)

So maybe we take on jobs that don't quite pay the bills. In any case, our child would have to come out of day care, which could affect their enrollment to such an extent that they have to let people go, who are then also on the job market.

I won't be stocking up on water, tinned food, and ammunition in the next few months, but I will be cutting back on expenses and paying down our recent home improvements as quickly as I can, just in case.

Vote, America.

2010-11-01T19:02:00.000-05:00

"...because he won't raise my taxes..."

It's time to Vote, America. And you may be hearing a lot of people making the above statement, as in, "I am voting for [fill in the blank] because he/she won't raise my taxes."

This has never occurred to me as I make my choices at the polling place. I don't get all worked up about my taxes or about my having to pay taxes (though I may get worked up about fairness). In my mind, they are the price we pay for living in a civilized society, with a stable government, a cared-for population, and a working, solid infrastructure. Now, we may not always be getting what we pay for, and we can't all have our way. We don't get to send in our tax forms with a check box, stating that we want our share of the federal pot to pay for schools, health care, public transit, and aid to families. Nope, us bleeding hearts get to pay for wars and pricey government contracts to Halliburton, plus tax breaks for wealthier citizens and corporations as well as our little pet projects.

So what do I vote for, and why do I vote as I do?

First and foremost, I am looking for a person who is reasonable and rational, and who seems to have the capacity for thoughtful consideration of not only solutions, but of the problems and their causes. This is not always easy to discern in our heated political climate of overblown rhetoric, grandstanding, and fear-mongering, but I can look for certain things, such as whether or not a candidate "believes in" anthropogenic global warming and/or evolution. If he or she does not, I am going to hold all their opinions suspect. If he or she is not behaving in a fact-based manner about these issues, then he or she is either ignorant of or anti- science or is pandering to a segment of the population that is fundamentalist and denialist. How can I trust that person's ideas on how to tackle public problems, if they lack the cognitive sophistication to understand scientific evidence at its most basic? Are they intelligent enough to tackle complicated economic issues?

In Minnesota, our departing governor (who is coming for the GOP nomination in 2012; indeed, we rarely see him here. If you find him, you can keep him.), refused to "raise taxes" even as the economy tanked. He denied a tool in the public policy box, unable or unwilling to recognize that we needed revenue, using accounting shifts and cuts to human services to "balance" the budget, and we are now facing a 5.8 billion dollar deficit. His refusal to raise taxes resulted in some higher fees as well as higher property taxes and various referenda and assessments levied by counties and cities to raise necessary revenue.

It is ridiculous to remove a tool from your policy toolbox. No family, sitting around the kitchen table, would say, "Well, we won't look for ways to increase our revenue. We can only look for ways to reduce our expenses."

If you are running for governor in this state, and you are saying that you will not only not raise taxes, but will lower them in some instances, and you will balance the budget, then you are, quite frankly, either lying or you are deluded. The idea here is that you keep the revenue the same (or you even cut it somewhat), and all the difference is made up in cuts to government. Then businesses and rich people will create jobs and buy more stuff. It makes some average voters scream and cheer, but the reality is that cutting government is cutting people. Cutting jobs, cutting income, cutting into purchasing power of not only individuals but government itself, which pays many private industries through contracts ranging from construction to professional development to consulting.

Everything is connected, and someone always has to pay. Cut over here, and you will lose over there.

And people who lose their jobs often wind up on public assistance of some sort, be it unemployment or Aid to Families with Dependent Children. Because what often happens is that the people who can least afford to lose their jobs are the people who are cut first, straight from the bottom. With fewer resources to begin with and less of a voice in the public sphere, they disappear into statistics, but they show up in the budget.

It is not reasonable or rational to look at any problem and put away some of your tools without even considering them and their relevance to the job at hand. What I am looking for is evidence of thoughtful consideration and the ability to apply that consideration to a variety of problems, using a variety of tools. I am looking for someone who can recognize facts, process them, and disseminate them to the general public without obfuscation.

Unfortunately, with a few exceptions, that person does not usually get elected in America.

Mr. President

2010-10-25T15:23:00.000-05:00

This past weekend, I volunteered at a rally that featured President Obama. I was working in the Accessibility area, right next to the stage. When the President went down to the crowd to shake hands, the people who could walk (including other volunteers) rushed to the front. I stood about a third of the way back, near an older gentleman who sat in a wheelchair, wearing his veteran's hat and jacket.

I thought "If anyone should be shaking the President's hand today, it's this man." So I asked him if he would like to try, and he said yes, after only a little equivocating. I asked his wife if I should lend my arm, and she said, "Yes." He stood with some help from me and from his cane, and we moved a few inches forward and waited. I said I would get the President's attention when he came along. I asked him where he served, and he said "Korea, for 19 months." He said he would like to say "Hello" to his commander, and did I think his commander would like to say hello to him. I said that I thought he would. We talked about how exciting it all was. Senator Dayton shook his hand when he came along, and when President Obama came by, amid the screams and outstretched hands, I shouted "Mr. President!" and pointed to the gentleman next to me when I caught his eye. The President shook his hand and said thank you. The Veteran greeted his commander.

The President moved on, and I helped the Veteran regain his seat.

"You made his day," said his wife. "Thank you."

I am not sure whose day was made more, really.

It's hard to tell here, but there are two senators, a vice president, and a mayor in this picture.

(Sens. Franken and Klobuchar, Vice President Mondale, and Mayor Coleman of Saint Paul).

Eight Years Ago Today, We All Lost Something

2010-10-25T15:11:00.003-05:00

So much for that better standing...

2010-10-19T16:13:00.000-05:00

Thanks to moronic displays from people like Christine O'Donnell, we are becoming the laughing stock of the entire world.

"Fortunately senators don’t have to memorize the Constitution."-Christine O'Donnell

Is it better to be hated or pitied?

From someecards.com to you

2010-10-01T15:51:00.000-05:00

2010-09-27T13:18:00.000-05:00

"No single group should ever presume to claim special ownership of the founding fathers or the Constitution they wrought with such skill and ingenuity. Those lofty figures, along with the seminal document they brought forth, form a sacred part of our common heritage as Americans. They should be used for the richness and diversity of their arguments, not tampered with for partisan purposes"

-Ron Chernow "The Founding Fathers Versus the Tea Party"
NYTimes, September 27, 2010

The Mississippi River You May Never See

2010-09-17T12:49:00.000-05:00

I live near the Mississippi River. I work 500 yards from the Mississippi River. I grew up in a town on the river southeast of here. When I moved to this state at the age of ten, I was in awe of the fact that I was living on the western side of a geographical celebrity, lauded by Mark Twain and other artists; a waterway of continental historical proportions. I came to take it for granted, but every once in a while, it hits me again: that's the Mississippi River. This happened just a few days ago when babywhumpus pointed to the river and said "lake." I told him it was a river, the Mississippi River, and he repeated "Mississippi" perfectly. I again felt the pleasant weight of history, and felt fortunate to live here.

For the last four years, the University of Minnesota's Bell Museum of Natural History has been working on a film about the river entitled "Troubled Waters: A Mississippi River Story," and it was due to premiere on October 3.

Not anymore.

(Pay special note to the update in the grey box, because it could be that something fishy is going on at the University, and that's quite simply the last thing we need.)

From an administrative and budgetary perspective, pulling a premier this late means that money has been lost in labor and materials, simply related to the event. That's not even addressing the costs associate with the film itself. Something like this will continue to feed into a public mistrust of government and the University that has been planted and tended by our current governor (himself a graduate of the University). We have enough people taking aim at us without shooting ourselves in the foot.

All this to say: make some calls; send some emails. Might as well flood the president's office and copy URelations. Tell your friends. I don't know about you, but as a citizen of Minnesota, an alum of the U, and a current employee, I'd like to see this movie.

Via e-mail: upres@umn.edu
Via U.S. mail:
202 Morrill Hall
100 Church Street S.E.
University of Minnesota
Minneapolis, MN 55455
Via phone: 612-626-1616
Via fax: 612-625-3875

URelations
e-mail: urelate@umn.edu
Office of University Relations
3 Morrill Hall
100 Church Street S.E.
Minneapolis, MN 55455
Phone: 612-624-6868
Fax: 612-624-6369

Link: Professor P.Z. Myers' post on this issue.

Resigned to New

2010-09-09T09:31:00.000-05:00

(Cross-posted with babywhumpus)

I love my International Harvester refrigerator. They only made them for seven years, and mine is a 1952, I think. It came with the house, and I made sure to write it and the 1951 Tappan range into the purchase agreement.

They both still work, and they have been our fridge and stove for the past nine years, rumbling along like the beautiful workhorses they are. This summer, however, the thermostat on the oven went, so I can't bake anymore. (It shoots from off to 500 in a matter of minutes, rendering all cookies dark puddles of carbon.) And I grew tired of emptying out the freezer every two weeks to defrost it. It would be caked with ice to the point of barely opening, and the food in it would be buried like a baby mammoth in a glacier. It sucked the cold out of the fridge leaving bottles sweaty and cool and vegetables flaccid as a... well, let's just say limp and lifeless. With the two-year-old running at peak intensity, there's little extra time for such things as defrosting, and I could no longer remember what I had hauled down to the chest freezer in the basement, causing me to repeat food purchases, laying in a stockpile against some near-future armageddon, perhaps sometime soon after the Minnesota governor's race is decided.

I came to a decision: the stove would have to be fixed. After perusing the new choices, I felt only despair that we seem to have lost all sense of how to make something utilitarian have real style. Plus, nothing had the same usefulness of my Tappan. Coincidentally, an almost exact model showed up at the ReUse Store, so we bought it for parts. It's in the garage. I still have to get the thermostat out and swap, and here's hoping that it works. It's on the list.

The refrigerator would have to be replaced. Almost all the new ones are ugly (I don't like stainless steel, and the white ones are lifeless hulks), and the 1950's-styled models are just a bit out of my rational price range. We settled on one that, while not terribly attractive, has made our lives better in an ineffable and completely materialistic way. It keeps food cold, it has a bottle rack for beers (though no bottle opener on the inside handle latch, like the IH). It's not "femineered" like the International, but what is, really? I put an old metal bottle opener on a strong magnet on the outside of the new fridge, and the old one is, you guessed it, in the garage. It still works, it just needs to be restored a little bit, and I want to find someone who will do so or who will at least use it and take care of it.

Another thing on the list.

But I got to take "defrost" off the list, so it all works out.

2010-08-23T10:12:00.000-05:00

This pretty much sums up my mood right now.

Oh, Please

2010-08-23T09:41:00.000-05:00

I've been really busy lately; I am tired, and I have almost no patience left for idiocy. Something is again making the rounds out there in the "news" world, which exhausts me to the point of exasperated, glassy-eyed rage. I don't have time for this. Collectively, as a country, we don't have time for this.

President Obama, our duly-elected, American-born President of the United States, does not have to tell us what religion he is. Indeed, it's one of the many things that make this country great. So it does not matter if he's Christian, Muslim, or, indeed, if he is neither of those things and doesn't believe in a higher power. It's unfortunate that the political landscape in America makes it practically impossible to get elected unless you are a Christian, and that those who are most concerned with this are also often the ones waving the flag and bleating about "freedom," but it's not a real requirement. I think that Colin Powell summed this up best during the campaign:

"I'm also troubled by, not what Sen. McCain says, but what members of the party say. And it is permitted to be said, such things as, 'Well, you that know Mr. Obama is a Muslim.' Well, the correct answer is, he is not a Muslim, he's a Christian. He's always been a Christian. But the really right answer is: What if he is? Is there something wrong with being a Muslim in this country? The answer's no, that's not America. Is there something wrong with some 7-year-old Muslim American kid believing that he or she could be president? Yet I have heard senior members of my own party drop the suggestion, 'He's a Muslim and he might be associated with terrorists.' This is not the way we should be doing it in America."

So people, please. I know it won't happen, but President Obama could be a circle-dancing pagan, and it would not make a difference. He's the president. I am sorry that it freaks some of you out, but there it is.

Target & Best Buy: Make it Right?

2010-08-03T13:52:00.000-05:00

A lot of people and organizations are calling on Target to "make it right" by giving an equal amount to an off-setting recipient.

Sorry. There's no way to off-set this. Giving money to an LGBTA cause won't take back the publicity and air-time that Tom Emmer is getting from Minnesota Forward. It also won't help out science education, immigrants, choice, the environment, or facts. The opposite recipient would be a PAC that is running ads for Margaret Anderson-Kelliher, who is the Democratic Farmer-Laborer (DFL) endorsed candidate for Minnesota governor, and clearly, that would be a ridiculous thing to do.

This is still a hot topic here in Minnesota, and it's getting national play, too, from the Human Rights Campaign and Moveon.org.

Something that's missing from the debate, as I have been hearing it, is that it's not just about gay marriage and equal rights for LGBT individuals. It's much broader, and it concerns other issues that are equally important. Tom Emmer does not believe in evolution or anthropogenic global warming. Tom Emmer is anti-choice. Tom Emmer wants to continue the same economic policies of Tim Pawlenty, who is leaving us with a 5-6 billion dollar budget deficit problem.

Not to mention the insinuation that the other candidates for governor are pro-business, the false dichotomy that one cannot be pro-labor and pro-business, which is tied to the mistaken idea that jobs do not, somehow, equal people.

My boycott of Target continues, and it took me to Goodwill on Friday, where I got some cute clothes, including a shirt that originally came from Target. It's reminding me that when I go to Target, so do millions of other people, and we wind up with the same stuff. Also, when I only go to Target, I keep seeing the same brands, over and over again. It's nice to branch out. I am feeling liberated because I am not stopping at one place; I think it will re-open my city, at least in the material sense.

Other Parents

2010-07-31T10:13:00.000-05:00

One would think that other parents would be your most forgiving allies in the parenting journey, and sometimes they are.

Other times, not so much.

Those other times are when your neighbors, who are also parents of a two-year-old, have friends over for a backyard fire and stay up making loads of noise until 1:00 in the morning, making it impossible for you to go to sleep at ten when your own two-year-old has gone to sleep. And you know full well that the most sleep you can possibly get, if the boy sleeps, is five hours. If you are very, very lucky. But you know that the odds of this are small, as he has only slept through the night once in the past three weeks.

You go to bed at 1:00, when it is finally relatively quiet, and you can't get comfortable so you lie awake. At 1:45 when you are just about to maybe be able to relax enough so you might fall asleep, the boy wakes up. So you manage to get to sleep at around 2:15 or so. And then your uterus wakes you up at 5:15 with screaming cramps, so you get up and take some ibuprofen. But before you can get back to sleep, the boy wakes up and wants pillow. By the time he goes back to sleep, you are awake. Miserable, but awake.

So, no. I am not the best ally my neighbor parents could have today.

Target's Form Letter Response

2010-07-30T09:20:00.000-05:00

It's nothing I didn't already know and address in my letter to them. They support both sides, candidates who they think will help their retail business, blah blah blah. It's not going to change my mind, and I still don't believe that "republican economic policies" are really better for the economy as a whole, including businesses. It seems that, after eight years of "no new taxes" and cutting spending under a republican governor here in Minnesota, we have a 5 billion dollar deficit. Sure, it's part of a broader nation-wide recession, which seems to have been brought about by the same economic policies, deregulation, spurious mortgage practices, and interesting securities trading.

Target has its say (bold-faced choices are mine):

guest.relations@target.com
Fri, Jul 30, 2010
at 8:35 AM

Dear Karen McCauley,

Target has long believed that engaging in civic activities is an important and necessary element of operating a national retail business. What's more important than any one candidate's stance on a particular issue is how we nurture thoughtful, long-term growth in the state of Minnesota.

Our support of causes and candidates is based strictly on issues that affect our retail and business objectives.* To continue to grow and create jobs and opportunity in our home state, we believe it is imperative to be engaged in public policy and the political process. That is why we are members of organizations like the Minnesota Business Partnership, the Chamber of Commerce and many others. And that is why we decided to contribute to MN Forward.

MN Forward's objective is to elect candidates from both parties who will make job creation and economic growth a top priority. We operate best when working collaboratively with legislators on both sides of the aisle. In fact, if you look at our Federal PAC contributions year to date, you will see that they are very balanced between Republicans and Democrats.** For more information please visit www.target.com/company, and view the Civic Activity page.

Target has a large stake in Minnesota's future, which is why it is so important to be able to provide jobs, serve guests, support communities and deliver on our commitment to shareholders.*** As an international business that is proud to call Minnesota home, it is critical that we have a business environment that allows us to be competitive. Our guests, team members, communities and shareholders depend on Target to remain competitive.

Thanks for taking the time to share your feedback.

Sincerely,

Jennifer Hanson
Target Executive Offices
[THREAD ID:1-7HS3H5]

*That's nice. As I have said, you can't just elect the business policies, and I continue to questions whether those business policies are really better for the economy and for business.

**Thanks for playing. I said you would say that, and that's why I included it in my letter to you.

***You are not delivering on all those commitments by supporting a candidate like Tom Emmer.

Waste of Fossil Fuel

2010-07-29T21:47:00.000-05:00

Let's say I want to base my arguments against cloning using "Jurassic Park" as a source. This is clearly a cautionary tale, that shows us how we should not mess with Mother Nature because Mother Nature will inject a sedative saliva into our muscles, paralyzing us so we can be consumed at leisure by procompsognathus.

Hence, no cloning.

That's pretty much what I hear when someone says that what the Bible supposedly has to say about gay marriage is clear, important, and a basis for lawmaking.

Says one J.P Auer of Albany, Minnesota:

"I think (gay marriage) is certainly a tipping point for Christians who care about this issue... For Christians to ignore this issue is absurd."

Absurd. An interesting choice of words for someone citing a bunch of hand-me-down scrolls and parchments from the 3rd century BCE as evidence for how we should live our lives in 21st century United States of America.

Oh, by the way, That NOM rally happened yesterday in Saint Paul. Here's another quote:

"The family is a profound, beautiful thing and deserves to be protected with all our strength,"--Brian Brown, president of the National Organization for Marriage

Applause! I agree with that statement! Families should be supported and encouraged, whatever demographics they represent.

I think it might be that last part where Mr. Brown and I disagree.

There was a peaceful counter-protest by LGBT people and allies, and Mr. Brown went so far as to praise their civility. (Minnesotans are so nice.) Apparently, someone on the LGBT-A side had a sign that read "God Made Rainbows So I Could Catwalk Into Heaven," which pleases me to no end.

For some people, the issue is clear because the Bible is against it. It's an argument that should hold no water with anyone, let alone lawmakers (that whole pesky anti-establishment thing) because the Bible is for a heck of a lot of things that are considered bad ideas. Not to mention that the Bible is a book written centuries ago by random people with their own points of view and agendas. If we get to bring really old books to the law-making discussion, how about Beowulf?

I bet Grendel could teach politicians a thing or two.

P.S. Roseville, Minnesota Senator John Marty (DFL) has a bill in favor of gay marriage, and I say we all give him our support. Even in times of severe budget crisis, our government can find the time to address human rights issues. Minnesota gubernatorial candidate Tom Emmer is, of course, against it, so our upcoming governor's election is incredibly important.

Town Hall

2010-07-27T20:33:00.001-05:00

Great Thundering Thor, does everyone need a Dear John Letter from me this week? I work near this place, and am scheduled for a business lunch there tomorrow! Town Hall, why? What are your reasons for canceling this show? Thanks to Professor Myers for pointing this out.

Town Hall Brewery.

Best Buy, Too

2010-07-27T19:14:00.000-05:00

Electronics retailer Best Buy can be expecting a similar break-up letter from me, as soon as I have a moment to do some research.

Life Without Target, Part One

2010-07-27T16:28:00.000-05:00

I needed a blender and a new food processor, one that would allow me to process things all at once instead of in small batches. I'm keeping the little red one, or Kevin, as he is fondly known, but something larger had to be acquired. My old blender is not very good at blending, which makes it not terribly useful. Plus, last time I used it, aside from not blending, there was that lovely smokey aroma electrical appliances get when their belts are fried (hence the not-blending).

Normally, this is a Target trip. As it happens, I had checked Target previous to my embargo, and knew that they did not have what I wanted. I stopped at the local foodie store, and they didn't have what I wanted, either. What was I to do?

Neighborhood hardware store!*

They have everything, in a smaller space, with more variety. It got my food processer and my blender. I am trying out one of those immersion/stick thingies that I had assumed were a fad, but several sources seem to swear by them. I admit, I don't totally understand them, but I have not tried it out yet. They did cost more, I am sure, but the experience was much more enjoyable and easier. I didn't have to deal with a parking lot or a hike to the door; no lines or shopping carts; fewer distractions; different brands. While I was there, I noted that they also have a kitchen trash can I want and had not been able to find previously.

So far, the only thing I am really wondering about is underwear. That's not really a consignment store/Goodwill sort of purchase...

*Ace-franchise, locally-owned. I don't see any information on opensecrets.org for the owners of this franchise, and Ace Hardware comes up with mainly individual donations in small amounts.

Pope Writes Children's Book

2010-07-27T15:51:00.000-05:00

Really?

No, really.

"It features a collection of the Pope’s descriptions of Jesus’ relationship with his “first companions,” including the original 12 apostles, Matthias, and St. Paul."

I can't. I really, just, can't. It's too easy, or it's too much. Either way, I can't comment any further right now.

Willkommen bei Lino Lakes!

2010-07-27T14:02:00.000-05:00

Yesterday, a local city council passed a courageous measure, wholly in keeping with the spirit that both founded the United States of America and continues to keep it strong: an "English Only" ordinance.

They say it's a "budget measure" meant to save city funds, which will no longer be spent to translate city documents into any language.

Plus, it's great PR!

Ah, you have to love a nation of immigrants that seeks to actively exclude immigrants (not to mention others). A diverse country that attempts to squash diversity. To be fair, it's not a new thing. It seems not a congressional year goes by when a bill to make English the official language of the United States is not introduced. Other municipalities have similar ordinances. Some states have English as the official language.

It just seems silly to me, and yet another waste of time and resources. It's estimated that 19.6% of Americans speak a language other than English at home. Here in Minnesota, it's 9.6% of the population. They work, they go to school, they participate. They speak Spanish, Somali, Hmong, and Mandarin. They speak French and German. They are neighbors and friends. That was my grandmother, when she was a child, speaking Pennsylvania German at home.

I think it's pretty cool. I love seeing multiple languages in the instructions at a hospital. I like hearing conversations in other languages on the bus and trying to figure out which language it is. It's the shaping of American culture that started centuries ago, and continues to this day. We can think wistfully about days gone by, but the people living in those days were also thinking wistfully of days gone by. And in days gone by, in places like Pennsylvania, New York, and Delaware, a whole heck of a lot of people were speaking German. Or Dutch. Or Swedish. Not to mention Mohegan, Anishinabe, and Tsalagi. Or Wolof, Mandink'a, and Yorùbá.

The United States of America would not be The United States of America without the contributions of all these people, and more. The English we speak here would not be the same. All languages absorb and trade from other languages. They change and grow as they are influenced by populations and cultural changes. What is English now was not English even decades ago. Come to think of it, Lino Lakes may have quite a job on their hands. Are they English-only as it exists today? As it was 10 years ago?

This may be a whole new budgetary issue.

2000 Census Brief: Language Use and English-Speaking Ability

NOM... Utterly un-nommable

2010-07-26T14:12:00.000-05:00

The "National Organization for Marriage" or NOM is coming to a city near me! Actually, to my city.

They are rallying to promote marriage between a man and a woman, and they are "bring[ing] their summer tour to Minnesota and Wisconsin this week... The group plans to stop in 23 cities in 19 states before wrapping up with a rally in Washington on Aug. 15"

I bet they have great tee shirts.

Conservative. Nothing too fancy. You know, the kind of thing you can safely wear to any hate-based event you may be attending this season.

These kinds of organizations make me ill. While clearly not a waste of brain cells, they are a waste of time and resources. I am thinking that straight marriage doesn't need any promotion, though with divorced people making up 10.7 percent of the population over 15, it might need some counseling.

Why can't these people redirect their energies into, oh, I don't know, working against economic inequality, fostering unwanted pets, or hosing off oily pelicans? Probably because that wouldn't get as much press. Real, difficult problems don't make headlines, and it's hard to work yourself up into a good, frothy, fear-filled lather over a homeless veteran.

Dear Target,

2010-07-22T16:48:00.005-05:00

What's $2183.70 to a big company like you, beloved by millions of shoppers throughout the land, with sales of $63.4 billion during 2009? Not much, but it's what my little family of three spent at your stores in 2009 and 2010, up to now. I know you don't need me anymore. After all, your 2009 results "reflect the strongest retail segment profit in [your] history".

It's been grand, or, dare I say "Super", but I think it's time we see other people. You see, we don't agree about a few fundamental things, and it's standing in the way of this relationship going any further.

You think it's OK to deny women the right to choose their reproductive and sexual destiny, even as you partner with the Minnesota League of Women Voters.

You think it's just dandy to keep certain people from marrying the ones they love, even though you say you are trying to "foster an inclusive culture."

You believe it's a good idea to fund private schools at the expense of public schools, and furthermore, that the federal government should have no say in public education, even as you work to improve school libraries.

You think it should be harder for Americans to vote, even as you advocate voter education, and you believe Arizona's new immigration law is a good idea, even though you say "diversity is a core value throughout every area of [your] company."

You are proud of your NRA endorsement, even as you work with police officers "as trusted partners... to strengthen public safety."

You don't believe in global warming, even though though you say you "know what's good for the environment is good for everyone."

You don't believe in evolution, even though you "play an active role in supporting education."

Or, at least, that's what you are saying to me when you give $150,000 to an organization that is supporting Tom Emmer in the race for Minnesota governor. The above are deeply contradictory statements, and I can't reconcile the politician's beliefs with your company's stated goals, activities, and policies.

Clearly, these are things we can't overcome, "dealbreakers", I think they call them, so I'll be taking my money elsewhere from now on.

I know what you'll say. You'll say that you are non-partisan, you are just looking out for number one, and you will support anyone who you think supports you. You will say that you have given $80,000 to Democrats and $103,500 to Republicans in 2010, so it's pretty much equal.

You say you want to support Minnesotans, and that you love being here. You say you do a lot of good for the country in communities & schools.

But you never loved me. You never cared. And without me and countless other lefties, liberals, and progressives who support you, you are nothing. You can go ahead and support candidates who you say support business, but when those candidates are supporting business over supporting people, those people have less disposable income to spend in your stores.

When those candidates have beliefs that fly in the face of human rights, science, facts, and the common good, I have to draw the line.

Your 2007 Marketing Plan says that 93% of your shoppers are women, their median age is 41, their median household income is $63 thousand, 45% have children at home, and 48% have completed college. In that plan, it was advised that you branch out and find new markets, so I release you. May you be happy in the life that you have chosen.

I can get my tee shirts and baby bubble bath elsewhere.

Love,

kitty

p.s. Best Buy, you can be expecting a similar notice.

Note: Target CEO tries to explain. Oh, ok, then...

Open Secrets: Target Corp PAC expenditures
Open Secrets: Target Corp PAC Summary
Open Secrets: Center for Responsive Politics
American Public Media PAC*Men
Target: Our Company

Accidental, you say?

2010-07-15T08:17:00.001-05:00

As I have mentioned in the past, Minnesota has a grand tradition of thoughtful and effective politicians.

Our current governor and our former senator are not two of them.

Mr. Pawlenty can't let it go. Al Franken was declared the winner, and he's our senator. From all reports, I think he's doing a great job, though I already expected a good performance. He's a smart individual and a good thinker, like a lot of writers.

The thing that really gets me about the above screen grab is not Mr. Pawlenty's grasping at straws, it's Mr. Coleman's comment about Mr. Franken being an "accidental senator."

Excuse me, Mr. Coleman. Have you forgotten that your opponent, one of the most thoughtful politicians in my lifetime thus far, died in a plane crash just ten days before the election? That's about as accidental as it gets.

ARRA

2010-07-02T11:04:00.000-05:00

In my zip code, there are 27 grants, loans, and contracts totaling $11,200,898 that have come from the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act (ARRA). They have gone to small businesses, really small businesses, neighborhood organizations, nonprofits, and advocacy groups. I just think that's pretty cool.

Oil, 2

2010-06-18T10:41:00.000-05:00

daddywhumpus is mad, like a lot of people. Mad about the environmental and economic devastation in the Gulf caused by the Deepwater Horizon explosion. Mad about what seems to be an entirely bungled effort at stopping and containing the spill. Mad about the political response. Mad about what appears to be an example of gross corporate negligence on the part of British Petroleum. He, like many others, wants BP to be fined out of existence by the US government.

I agree with the sentiments, and the public has a right to be angry. BP has made this mess, and they are responsible for it. It's going to cost the global economy/US economy on many levels, and it's hard to assess what the long-term effects will be. It's frustrating that a corporation has to be strong-armed into taking responsibility, and it's even more frustrating for certain politicians and political movements to be barking at the federal government and not the corporation, when they espouse "personal responsibility" in other things--when it suits them.

If I made this kid of mess, you can be damn sure I would be expected to clean it up. You could also assume that the clean-up might break me financially, and I might then have to fall back on the government for help. It depends on my available resources. British Petroleum recorded profits in FY09 of 16 billion, 759 million, according to their annual report, and 21b 666m/21b 169m in the preceding two years. 20 billion in an escrow account is, in this sense, hardly a "shakedown" or a "fleecing" as Reps. Barton and Bachmann called it yesterday.

BP needs to pay for clean-up and fall out, and, of course, in the end, those expenses will be passed on to the consumer, if at all possible. 20 billion is not just absorbed by for-profit corporations. They might tighten their belt elsewhere in their ledgers, but, unlike private citizens, who usually have to find extra funds by cutting expenses or getting second jobs, corporations have the option to charge their customers more in order to raise revenue.

But remember, your local BP gas station owners didn't cause this spill, either. Boycotting them won't help your local economy.

Oil

2010-06-17T09:16:00.000-05:00

Roger Ebert doesn't need little ol' me to link to his blog, but just in case you don't already go there once in a while, this is a good one. It brings to the surface some of the things that have been troubling me about the Deepwater Horizon oil rig explosion and subsequent spill. Some of the things. He scratches at the political surface of the issue. I have much more thinking to do about the political turmoil of the situation, and this blog has helped me on my way.

If you go there, and read it, come back here and comment. I am interested in what critically-thinking individuals have to say. By that, I mean, not a comment argument on Facebook, which thrown ridiculous rhetoric around like confetti at a prom.

Vigil?

2010-06-07T15:46:00.000-05:00

OK, I don't get it. I admit it. Various groups around the country are holding vigils... vigils for the oil spill and those affected by it. I think it's odd. Time, money, and organizational skills have gone into a visibility campaign that, at best, will probably be simply cloying and be looked at as a bunch of lefty tree huggers drumming up political publicity.

Wouldn't those resources be better spent looking at causes and advocating fixes, so that this has less of a chance of happening again? Or actual fundraisers for the individuals who are suffering because of it? Or donations to animal rescue organizations?

Candlelight vigils at this point seem rather trite.

Better Off

2010-05-25T13:40:00.000-05:00

I was sick over my 40th birthday weekend; I am still sick now; I have a crap load of work to catch up on; it was 96 degrees yesterday.

But there's some good news.

WOO HOO! I'M FORTY!

2010-05-19T15:59:00.001-05:00

That's all for now.

I get news searches

2010-05-08T15:23:00.000-05:00

What with Justice Stevens' retirement and all the talk about the religious make-up of the Court, which, I might add, I don't believe was started by non-believers, many started suggesting that we could wind up without a Protestant for the first time in history. This led to speculation that President Obama should appoint another Protestant. This led to non-believers saying "Hey, what about us?"

It's an interesting proposition. Impossible, given our polling numbers. But it is interesting nonetheless. I would like to see a qualified liberal with a rational mind and sharp knowledge of Constitutional Law who knows how to keep his or her spiritual-or-other beliefs out of his or her job. He or she does not have to be an agnostic or atheist. Frankly, we shouldn't even know the religious persuasion (or other) of our judges and political officials, but Americans make that impossible. Which is why we have only one out major elected official who is a nonbeliever. There could be more, but they are in the closet. We know to keep our heads down most of the time.

One of my news searches this week brought up a link to a "moderate blog" which says it's "an Internet hub for moderates, centrists, and independents, with domestic and international news, analysis, original reporting, and popular features from the left, center, and right."

The title is "Anti-religion on the court?" and it got me thinking. It starts out with the Constitution's clause regarding no religious test being required for public office. Many states still have them, though they are not often enforced. That is, I think, where the word "required" comes in. It may not be required, but that doesn't necessarily mean it isn't allowed. The blog is saying that atheists' "demands" that a nonbeliever be appointed amount to the imposition of a religious test and are therefore a violation of the Constitution.

First of all, I don't think this is a demand, and, as I said and as the links above bear out, I don't believe this was started by non-believers. It was all the questioning over whether or not Justice Stevens should be replaced by another Protestant that started many nonbelievers thinking. I guess it was fine to suggest a Protestant.

The blog then goes on to say "the insistence that a Supreme Court Justice adopt an attitude of open hatred and contempt towards religious believers is a dangerous indulgence."

Huh? Where did the open hatred and contempt come from? Advocating for a nonbeliever is not the same thing as advocating for an "attitude of open hatred and contempt towards religious believers." That's a nice load of prejudice and contempt toward nonbelievers, methinks. It goes on to intimate that advocating for the appointment of a nonbeliever on the Supreme Court bench would be tantamount to "the Supreme Court... openly act[ing] to force religious belief into a secretive and shameful underground practice."

Paranoid much?

For many Americans, merely talking about being a nonbeliever is enough to cause persecution of--and is an act of hatred and contempt for--religion. The author thinks that asking for religion to be kept private and away from public policy is forcing religion into a dark and secretive place "much in the same way as homosexuality was during the darkest times of the gay rights movement."

Oh, please.

Atheists are no longer remaining in our closet, so we must be forcing religion into its own. This author says he has no problem with atheists and agnostics, but "to demand 'representation' for an aggressively atheist and anti-religion Supreme Court Justice seems no different than demanding a Supreme Court Justice be openly racist." Again, oh please. Nowhere in the op-ed piece to which this author is responding does the author for someone who is "aggressively atheist" or "anti-religion." But, as we all know, any open atheist is an aggressive atheist.

The author has some advice: "...the sooner that more atheists get the distinction between non-religion and anti-religion, the sooner their movement will stop shooting itself in its political foot."

Pot, meet kettle.

I give you, our governor

2010-05-03T15:24:00.001-05:00

Apparently, Governor Pawlenty's long-term solution for education funding involves the fact that public employees are over-benefited and over-paid. Got that, teachers? It's your salary and benefit packages that are to blame.

While I readily admit that our benefits at my public institution are excellent, it's also apparent that, were they not so excellent, the state would have wound up paying, one way or another, when our son was born extremely premature and the bills started to pour in. $385,000 would have had to come from somewhere. Medical assistance, bankruptcy, total ruin, take your pick. What kind of contributor to society would I be without those benefits? With those excellent benefits, I continue to work, pay my bills, and even do my patriotic duty by both saving and shopping.

Minnesota's Next Governor?

2010-05-01T13:25:00.000-05:00

“You cannot be a Democrat and a Freedom loving American.”

-Rep. Tom Emmer, at a campaign event in Marshall, MN on September 25, 2009

Oh, hell no.

We thought Tim Pawlenty was bad, and then the Minnesota GOP coughs up this detritus from the depths of teabagger lunacy. Everyone needs to get over their fear of strong, intelligent women and get behind Margaret Anderson Kelliher.

Whine

2010-04-30T14:13:00.000-05:00

If it's a fact that Christians in America are persecuted, and it's a fact that the American media is liberal, thereby persecuting conservatives, then why do I have to listen to them all the time?

I know my birthday is coming up

2010-04-26T01:43:00.000-05:00

but don't buy me this

It must be a comic book.

Iran

2010-04-16T13:49:00.000-05:00

I can write more about this later when I have time, but here's a website:

Our Society Will be a Free Society

Sign the petition to help free journalists who are imprisoned in Iran.

You Gotta Read This Article

2010-04-15T13:14:00.000-05:00

The New York Times & CBS News have have conducted a poll of Tea Party Supporters, and the findings are interesting, if not very surprising.

"The 18 percent of Americans who identify themselves as Tea Party supporters tend to be Republican, white, male, married and older than 45."

What?! How SHOCKING!!

They have a "fierce animosity toward Washington, and the president in particular..rooted in deep pessimism about the direction of the country and the conviction that the policies of the Obama administration are disproportionately directed at helping the poor rather than the middle class or the rich."

Yeah, it's really bad when government is not helping the rich.

"The overwhelming majority of supporters say Mr. Obama does not share the values most Americans live by and that he does not understand the problems of people like themselves. More than half say the policies of the administration favor the poor, and 25 percent think that the administration favors blacks over whites — compared with 11 percent of the general public. They are more likely than the general public, and Republicans, to say that too much has been made of the problems facing black people."

Just so you know now, for certain, that this it not about race. Not at all. Nothing to do with it, in fact.

"Tea Party supporters over all are more likely than the general public to say their personal financial situation is fairly good or very good...But while most Americans blame the Bush administration or Wall Street for the current state of the American economy, the greatest number of Tea Party supporters blame Congress."

The words socialism, socialist, and Muslim also made an appearance.

This is just to say that privileged Americans will believe anything stupid, as long as there's a black man in the Oval Office.

"But in follow-up interviews, Tea Party supporters said they did not want to cut Medicare or Social Security — the biggest domestic programs, suggesting instead a focus on 'waste.'"

Mine. I want mine. Just mine. Not yours.

And now I have read some articles

2010-04-15T12:01:00.002-05:00

(This is the immediate follow-up from the previous post. Read that one first.)

From the Times article, I gather that Prof. Dawkins is, indeed, hoping to have the Pope arrested during his visit to the UK in September. He and Mr. Hitchens have retained lawyers, and they are building a case. If there is evidence that the Pope has participated in and sanctioned a cover-up of child rape cases, then it does seem that he is answerable to the law. My first reaction is tho think "Now that's going a little far, isn't it?" but really, that just my own latent thoughs, built-in-by-years-of-indocrtination, that the Pope and other such religious figures are untouchable. But that should not be so, should it, simply because they have their own supernatural belief system that says they are answerable to an imaginary higher calling? Why, when they commit a crime, should they not be subject to the same laws as the rest of us?

The New York Daily News article has this quote from Prof. Dawkins' blog: "I am optimistic that we shall raise public consciousness to the point where the British government will find it very awkward indeed to go ahead with the Pope's visit, let alone pay for it."

He wants to create uproar and outrage which is, indeed, for publicity. Calling it a "stunt" is also true in some sense, except for the fact that the ethics behind it are sound, and the backing is not disingenuous.

BBC News has a couple of gems, gathered from elsewhere:

From The Guardian and columnist George Monbiot: "Picture the pope awaiting trial in British prison, and you begin to grasp the implications of the radical idea that has never been applied: equality before the law."

Robert Pigott, The BBC's religious affairs correspondent, said "The controversy over alleged Papal involvement in the cover-up of child sex abuse is providing atheists with a stick with which to beat religion."

Rather, I think, if a stick has been provided, it seems to me that religion itself has provided it. A stick that I think we all agree we would rather not have, and a stick that it seems Prof. Dawkins and Mr. Hitchens are trying to break.

Strip away the religion--the myths and trappings that go along with the idea of "The Pope"; remove the titles and monikers on which generations have conferred respect, and how would the case be judged?

If "it has been alleged that Mr. Smith covered up the systematic sexual abuse of children in his neighborhood organization," would that make people feel differently?

Where do all the sanctimonious "Think of the children!" pleaders go when something like this happens?

Arrest the Pope? A little extreme? Yeah, sure it is. But is it more extreme than the systematic child abuse perpetuated by the Roman Catholic church for decades?

I have only seen the headlines

2010-04-15T11:39:00.001-05:00

Based on the headlines alone, I am going to form an opinion. Then I'll go read the articles and see if it changes.

Apparently, atheists have demanded that the Pope be arrested in connection with the sex abuse scandals in the Roman Catholic Church. I should say, the recent ones.

The headlines are as such:

"Atheists Demand Pope's Arrest in UK" (I think that means that some atheists in the UK have called for the Pope's arrest.)

"Atheist Richard Dawkins backs campaign to arrest Pope"

"Atheist writer Richard Dawkins wants criminal case vs. Pope Benedict XVI for sex abuse scandal"

"Richard Dawkins calls for arrest of Pope Benedict XVI"

What I am thinking is that Prof. Dawkins is trying to draw some public attention to this case from a perspective outside the protective shell of religion and the Vatican's own manner of handling "internal disciplinary issues." In a criminal justice sense, there must be some liability, somewhere, in this whole mess. I'm guessing he's thinking about this as a long-term, systematic abuse of human rights, and thinks that someone should be held accountable to some entity other than the Vatican.
Here's what the Vatican has to say:

"Vatican spokesman: Atheist campaign to arrest Pope is publicity stunt"

Well, duh.

Black Hole of Stupid

2010-04-07T11:44:00.000-05:00

Minnesota has a grand tradition of intelligent, thoughtful politicians. Eugene McCarthy, Elmer Anderson, Hubert Humphrey, Paul Wellstone, and Walter Mondale leap to mind. We have a lot to be proud of.

It's something we have to remember on a day like today, when Michele Bachmann and Tim Pawlenty, two of our less-than-thoughtful politicians, gather with celebrity Sarah Palin and talking head Sean Hannity in downtown Minneapolis for a rally and fundraiser. I am uncertain if the time-space continuum can handle the weight of the white hot rhetoric that will erupt from the convention center. Certainly, the fabric of fact-based knowledge has already been fraying and is in danger of being reduced to dust by the claims of the Teabaggers and the far right, and an event such as this might just do us all in, leaving the entire populace of Minnesota as jibbering, paranoid idiots, convinced that census takers are going to show up at our homes, make us gay marry, go through our wallets, and tell our children to eat their vegetables or Czar Obama will put them into an interment camp where they will have to pray to Mecca five times a day.

Did I miss anything?

The woman who is running against Michele Bachmann, Tarryl Clark, has a site set up where you can make a photo of yourself with the Dynamic Duo. They call it the 10,000 dollar photo because that reputedly what it will cost to have yourself photographed with these two women, which is certainly money well spent.

babywhumpus isn't too happy about it.

Later, if my stomach can handle it, I will try to write about the sad and sorry state of women in politics.

Repost: Jesus Had A Horcrux

2010-04-05T15:51:00.000-05:00

Digging one up from 2006 for Easter.
It's alarming how much of it is still pertinent, 4 years later.

I am not going to get into my whole Joseph Campbell myth analogy between The Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter, and how I believe I can use the former to predict how the latter will turn out; because that sort of thing is really only interesting to, well, a whole bunch of people with whom I really don’t want to "hang". But as this country seems to be simply saturated in sticky Jesus stuff, that poor, young, misinterpreted lad is often on my mind. Kristians like to feel persecuted in America because I guess they are being mistreated and ignored, and there is a War on Christianity, though I did not know that America could sustain more than one War on a Noun. Even though Kristians seem to have infiltrated every aspect of public life, since you can’t say "Merry Christmas" in the office anymore if you work in the public sector, I guess they must be right. Modern persecution is really rough.

Then I read something like this:
"Pope's Top Exorcist Says Harry Potter Is 'King Of Darkness'"

This is yet another example of how the people in charge of the Roman Catholic Church really get it, you know?

Wow! First of all, "Pope’s Top Exorcist"? How do you get that job? And, What century is this? Secondly, "Harry Potter is ‘King of Darkness’"? Mr. Top Exorcist (or is that Rev. Top Exorcist? Fr. Top Exorcist?) is clearly confusing Voldemort with Harry, which I can totally understand because they are, indeed, so similar in so many ways. But if he really does mean Harry, himself, then I bet Harry, who already knows he is pretty important, really had no idea how important he is and how much power he truly wields. Book Seven is going to be GOOD.

The article goes on to quote Top Exorcist Man as saying "Magic is always a turn to the devil." (This guy is also the president of the International Association of Exorcists, which is definitely an annual meeting that I want to attend.) He says that "the series contains many positive references to ‘the satanic art’ of magic and makes no distinction between black and white magic." OK, so I get it, the "IAE" and The Vatican don’t have book clubs. Maybe they should start one! And it should include a dictionary. More on that later.

Seriously, I can’t get enough of this. I (almost)don’t even need to write commentary. It’s just too easy:

"[Exorcist Guy Who Is Anthony Hopkins In My Head] compared the Potter character to dictators Stalin and Hitler, saying they were possessed by the devil."

HEY, buddy! In America, we compare dictators like Stalin and Hitler to LIBERALS, not fictional literary characters initially meant for an adolescent audience. But this guy has exorcised over 30,000 demons—a regular Keanu Reeves—so who am I to argue with an expert, me with my lowly English degree?

But let’s talk about magic. According to the wildly inaccurate "Concise Oxford English Dictionary", magic is defined as follows:

magic
• noun 1 the power of apparently influencing events by using mysterious or supernatural forces. 2 conjuring tricks performed to entertain. 3 mysterious and enchanting quality. 4 informal exceptional skill or talent.
• adjective 1 having or apparently having supernatural powers. 2 informal very exciting or good.

As for Jesus, I’m thinking “magic.” I’ll leave all the healing and reincarnating and walking on water and loaves and fishes incidents alone in favor of talking about Easter, the slam-bang finish in the Vegas Show of Religion that is the New Testament: Jesus dies; Jesus rises from the dead; Jesus ascends to heaven. That’s a sell out! SRO, people! (Dark on Mondays and Tuesdays). If that’s not magical, I don’t know what is. The reviews of this trick vary depending upon which gospel writer you ask; It’s like any sort of party game of “telephone”—the story changes as it is passed on, and even if the same two people witness the same event, they will often differ in their interpretation or in what they remember. Anyone who has ever argued with a spouse or partner will attest to that.

In Matthew’s account (27:50-53), Jesus dies and the rocks split, and "the bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life." Then, like "Night of the Living Dead", these dead people roam into the holy city and freak people out.

As for Mark, it’s more of a romantic comedy/buddy picture. He starts Jesus out nice and early "on the first day of the week" and sends him to see Mary Magdalene "out of whom he had driven seven demons" (snicker). She in turn went to tell the others, who, sanely, did not believe the woman. So Jesus appeared to two other mourners, who were, in turn, also not believed. Finally, he went to the remaining 11 disciples, while they were eating, and finally got his point across, which seems like what he should have in the first place. He chastised them. It’s unclear whether or not he had any food, but he asked them to go out and preach the good news about baptism and salvation and going to hell and whatnot.

According to John, Jesus was "alive" for 40 days before he ascended, so he had time to do "many other things as well." Apparently, at least in John, Jesus was very efficient, if vague, for "If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written." I guess we are just supposed to trust him.

It all sounds pretty magical to me. How does one rise from the dead without magic? How is having supernatural powers that supposedly come from God different from magic? It seems that he was resurrected in his bodily flesh, as well, which smacks of dark magic, if anything, and if he ascended into heaven like that, is he the only solid guy up there? Is he just walking around, bumping into things while everyone else just passes through them? Methinks Popey McDemonhunter doth protest too much. I think Jesus had a Horcrux.

RAT PAC

2010-04-01T14:53:00.000-05:00

Residents of the 6th Congressional District of Minnesota are tired of Michele Bachmann, so they formed a PAC.

Ms. Bachmann and Ms. Palin will be here next week for a fundraiser.

I'm so excited.

sigh America

2010-03-30T10:32:00.002-05:00

Reminder to self: do not read comments following articles on yahoo.com.

Birthers, teabaggers, and denialists in an echo chamber of stupid.

They are praying for us, so no worries for a month

2010-03-23T10:11:00.000-05:00

Nonbelievers out there will be happy to know that on April 1st, you will being prayed for in an organized, Facebook-y fashion complete with bullet points. Because we are fools. Participants in the "Pray for an Atheist Initiative" are told to:

PRAY for an atheist by name for one month
UNDERSTAND how people become atheists through resources (‘The Making of an Atheist’ by James Spiegel, professor of philosophy and religion at Taylor University in Upland, Indiana)
INTERCEDE through prayer for an atheist. College professor and former atheist, Holly Ordway, author of ‘Not God’s Type’, credits the prayers of her local church for her conversion to Christianity
ENCOURAGE other Christians through email and prayer who may have questions or have their own questions

I can't wait to see the Powerpoint.

I think it's nice that they are not just putting out a blanket prayer for all atheists, but picking one BY NAME for one month. All that concentrated prayer energy has more of a chance of turning a nonbeliever away from reason. The second bullet point is very important because everyone knows that one only becomes an atheist due to some sort of trauma or moral failing, and it's good that people are being encouraged to read. The third bullet point confuses me because I admit, it sounds very much like the first, and I am not sure how they are different. But that's probably just because I am a fool. The last one seems like something they are doing on Facebook all the time.

I think they missed an excellent acronym: PIE.

Everyone loves Pie.

I'd become a fan of Pie or Pi before I even realized what I had gotten myself into.

Good Morning!

2010-03-22T09:30:00.005-05:00

Isn't America supposed to be a smoking hole in the ground now that the health insurance reform bill has passed?

I was surprised to wake up to a bright, sunny day free of streets full of black-coated G-Men, tanks, and mayhem.

Maybe it will happen on Tuesday when President Obama signs the bill into law.

Yeah, that must be it.

Just Live Within Your Means

2010-03-18T14:59:00.000-05:00

I couldn't sleep last night, for a number of reasons. First there were the two hours of back and forth of getting babywhumpus to sleep in his crib, then feeding the cats at midnight, getting up because I could not remember if I had locked the car, getting up because I thought I heard someone outside, getting up because the alarm on the sound machine in the baby's room started going off, and then daddywhumpus coming home from amateur night gigs, but there was also the mind-racing-for-no-particular-reason element.

It's all this talk about how government, like people, should "live within its means," and if government can't afford it, it shouldn't do it, just like people should do. It bugs me. It really bugs me. I think that the macro economics of the federal government are a bit different from the economics of the "kitchen table" that our governor, in particular, likes to bark about.

If I choose not to do something or buy something because I can't afford it, our household can adjust and that one thing won't affect the bottom line of The Economy. When numerous households can't afford it, this affects the bottom line. When the government cuts programs or even contracts to companies which, in turn, provide jobs, it affects both The Economy and individual households. It's not like the need goes away when the program is canceled. And, if the program is canceled and people lost their job because the government didn't grant the contract, that's a double hit. Need gets shifted, but it rarely disappears. That means someone still has to pay, somehow. It will come back to get us in our state, our county, our school district, our municipality, or it will be spread out in another fashion when corporations try to profit or nonprofits have to meet their bottom line.

Am I loving deficit spending? Not so much. But I do understand that there are greater forces at work, and the mess that we are in requires a large response. The institution in the best position to enact a large response is the federal government. I don't agree that this situation could be addressed by cutting taxes and going even more supply-side on the recession that supply-side had a part in creating.

Mostly, I don't know what I am talking about because I don't remember a lot from my Economics class in high school, nor do I fully understand the succession of decisions actions that led to the crisis. And I think that many people grousing about "living within your means" don't know much either.

March 18th

2010-03-18T14:45:00.000-05:00

Better known to me as The Day When All White Americans Are Hung Over.

St. Patrick's Day in America is amateur night, as far as I am concerned, and I avoid going out at all costs. As much as I would love a pint of Guinness on a Wednesday in March, I'd like that pint to be in a glass-not plastic, without shoving, and completely free of hammered white people.