Getting out the polyhedral dice again...

So by the looks of it, the Teabaggers want to regress America to a state just after the Dred Scott decision of 1847 (affirming humans as personal property), but before the firing on Fort Sumter, the resulting Civil War and it's Emancipation Proclamation (plus the creation of the 14th Amendment), and then the 1872 amendment on Senators being chosen by election rather than appointment by state assemblies. At this point we will than have the 2nd Coming of Jesus Christ to make the USA the new Jerusalem for all god-fearing whites. And by now this is looking worse than any bad dungeon-module for D&D I have ever seen.

• "Political events of the past two years have delivered a more profound and devastating message: American democracy has been conclusively conquered by American capitalism. Government has been disabled or captured by the formidable powers of private enterprise and concentrated wealth. Self-governing rights that representative democracy conferred on citizens are now usurped by the overbearing demands of corporate and financial interests. Collectively, the corporate sector has its arms around both political parties, the financing of political careers, the production of the policy agendas and propaganda of influential think tanks, and control of most major media."
• William Greider

Being fitted for the collars...

New GOP House Majority Tries to Redefine “Rape” and “Incest”

It was bad enough when America's religious right, (who slavishly raid the muslim extremists for new ideas to oppress us for the good of our souls), did their level best to take away any and all civil rights for women. But now that they've achieved their goals of subjugating women to be second-class citizens, at the mercy of their wombs being inseminated by the holy seed of patriarchal males and thus forfeiting life and liberty, the Christian god of war still hungers for more. Now his followers want to take away womens' legal rights.

While their fleshly media hatebots froth and thrash about on our screens, framed from the waist up as giant hand puppets whose puppeteers are high on the LSD of right-wing mythology, they squawk and wail of the loss of our rights and liberties yet to come. Yet the loss of rights and liberties for all of us is happening right now—and will not stop. For the drug-induced shamans of the christian tyranny will never be appeased until we are their physical and spiritual slaves. And their first targets are the elderly, the infirm—and all women.

Now women must not only be forced to bear children, be deprived of any choice in the matter, now their very right to say "No" is being taken away. They must not and cannot refuse the male phallus. They have no control over their lives. And the evangelists smile in relief; finally, at last, they are living the way their god intended.

Oppression makes no distinction in gender. Men say, "Oh, it's for their own good; it won't happen to me." And the shamans, strengthened by the power of herb and prescription and sex-slaves, open their bibles, point to a passage and say to the unwary men, "Well, actually, it says here...."

Labored breathing

I sometimes think Conservatism is the American death wish personified. Every liberal concept or principle made into a government program or service has worked. America thrives. Every conservative concept or principle made into a government program or service has not worked. American withers.

Not just for kodak moments...

I'm really coming to appreciate the utility of digital cameras. My daughter bought a wonderful Samsung L200 for me two years ago. Through it I came to appreciate it's use not just for fine photography, but for documenting as well.

It makes an excellent tool for "To-Do" lists and reminders for events. I see something I need to do, like a full laundry hamper, and take a picture of it. As I go through the day I review the pictures and go, "Ah-HA--I need to do laundry," and start filling the clothes washer.

But here in Maine-land, it gets damn cold; I don't want to risk my (beloved) L200. So I bought a cheap Vivitar ViviCam 25 to carry around instead. So if it freezes, no big loss. Plus, it uses 3 AAA batteries, so I don't have to worry about recharging it, and can change batteries "on the fly."

I'm coming to realize that information is information; not just the information encoded in the digital image, but also the "meta-data," as it were, that goes with the image. I find I recall the full meaning and import of the image better than a scribbled note. And if the picture is a little blurry, I still recall what it is and what it means--the quality of the image doesn't affect the information it carries.

This has also helped me become less of a fussy perfectionist. "It doesn't have to be perfect," I mutter to myself, "just take the damn picture...!" Click. And when I review it later, it tells me everything I need to know. This has carried over into my art, my writing, and even my work. It doesn't have to be perfect; it just has to do the job. What parts of my Art have to be perfect, and what can be simply functional?

Caught in the gears

So we're supposed to force religion (preferably what people call "Christian") back into our public schools. And then  loudly protest against "social engineering"? Ramming religion down students throats is the worst sort of social engineering I can think of. We all lose.

The gods know what the vet bill would be....

Sarah Palin calls $150K per lecture "muzzled." I'm heading for the pet shop right now to get myself one!

Checking the broadband weather report...

Clouding is all very well and good--as long as you have a signal. Welcome to central Maine!

Republican face-palm

Commemorative T-shirts at Tuscon memorial service: Conservatives are going, "Damn! Why didn't we think of that?"

Slow to react, I guess

I've been waiting for all those clever conservatives with photo-editing software to come out with pics of Jared Loughner painted up to look like the Joker--but I guess he's not evil enough for them.

Ain't it the same always...?

Conservatives: "Hate, and we'll hate with you. Kill, and you kill alone."

The "Don't Blame Us" Bubble

Jared Loughner may have acted alone--but he didn't live in a vacuum. Even loonies need some kind of support network, and will make their own if none is immediately available.

What, me worry?

2010 wettest year on record, tied for hottest
I really get tired of the media always knowing which side of their bread is buttered.