Quote for the day (Pending Best Late Night Host Division)

Wow, history moves fast. It’s hard to believes that gays achieved full constitutional personhood just five years after corporations did. - Stephen Colbert

Sad "State of Affairs"

I tried to slog through the premiere of "State of Affairs" on the DVR last night, but it was impossible to make it through. I enjoy "The Blacklist" (James Spader is AMAZING in that show), and this one is holding the same time slot for a few months. I watched about a third of it, and it's descent into jingoist pro-unfettered intelligence community powers  finally got to me.

Wrapping oneself in the flag
couldn't get any more literal . . . .

Such propaganda, embodied in "24"'s pro-torture plot lines, is part of what is making the surrender of our freedoms possible. The "ticking time bomb" urgency that says any means can be used to "save lives" (or corporate assets) is morally disgusting and ethically repugnant. Yet "24" style scenarios were presented in Congressional hearings as justification for "enhanced interrogation" techniques like water-boarding. These are fictional (and poorly conceived, however stylish they may look) television shows,
NOT documentaries. Having another show to mine this territory is terrible. We cannot protect the principles of freedom and limits on law enforcement which this country was founded on by forsaking them. And shows like "State of Affairs" soften up the American citizenry for just such an end.

I hope this show dies a quick and merciful death, though not at the hands of the C. I. A. assassins it tries to make heroes out of.

Updating Zappa's "I am the Slime"

(Via Daily Funnies)

This is a little creepy . . . .

This is a screen shot from my blog's StatCounter page from a few days ago. It purports to show a visit from "Department of Homeland Security" in "Washington, District of Columbia". The search referral is shown as "encrypted", so I have no idea what brought such attention on my humble little blog.  I really don't even know if it is truly the DHS that originated the search, but that is what the IP Address of this hit on my blog shows.

To say this is disconcerting is an understatement. Does the DHS really spend its time and energy checking out blogs such as mine, and if so what for? Is it random, or did something I published (maybe my Thanksgiving pictures?) draw the interest of DHS? Was it an official visit, or was a DHS employee just checking out my blog for personal reasons?

It's a mystery. I feel like I'm used to Google and Microsoft sending their rots to my site (those searches also frequently show up), but this is a little creepier. If anyone has some insight as to what is going on here I'd appreciate being enlightened.

I remember during the late sixties joking with friends I was chatting on the phone with when there was a click that we were "being listened to." Are those days really making a comeback in this digital age, and if so, are we supposed to be alright with it?

'Cause really, I'm not . . . . .

Happy INDEPENDENCE Day!

With Guantanamo, NSA, drones, and Snowden, it's maybe a little more important to remember that Independence is what this country was founded on. and that FREEDOM is not something to fear, but rather our

responsibility to cultivate.

Enjoy the day . . . .

I am Bradley Manning

Osama's Legacy

"I tell you, freedom and human rights in America are doomed."

When I look at the new reality in our country---that many people seem okay with all their phone calls and online communications being tracked and whistleblowers like Bradley Manning and Edward Snowden are called "traitors"---I can't help but feel that Osama bin Laden accomplished his goals with the attacks of 9-11. He wanted to instill fear in our hearts and change our lives and society, and those attacks seem to have done just that. He wanted to turn us against each other and Islam, and that too seems to have been the result.

But it is only through the complicity and cooperation of our leaders and us that those things have come to pass.  We could have displayed courage and stood up to the terror Osama and his criminal cohorts tried to instill in us. Instead, we are sacrificing our freedoms for the illusion of safety. I hope it is not too late to stop the drift into totalitarianism and plutocracy.

Time will tell.

This is water. . . .

I don't know about you, but I needed this today:

10 Questions to Help Determine if Your Religious Liberty Is Being Threatened

This article (via Alternet) is so good, I'm reposting it in its entirety.

It seems like this election season "religious liberty" is a hot topic. Rumors of its demise are all around, as are politicians who want to make sure that you know they will never do anything to intrude upon it. 

I'm a religious person with a lifelong passion for civil rights, so this is of great interest to me. So much so, that I believe we all need to determine whether our religious liberties are indeed at risk. So, as a public service, I've come up with this little quiz. I call it "How to Determine if Your Religious Liberty Is Being Threatened in Just 10 Quick Questions." Just pick "A" or "B" for each question. 

1. My religious liberty is at risk because:
A) I am not allowed to go to a religious service of my own choosing.
B) Others are allowed to go to religious services of their own choosing. 

2. My religious liberty is at risk because:
A) I am not allowed to marry the person I love legally, even though my religious community blesses my marriage.
B) Some states refuse to enforce my own particular religious beliefs on marriage on those two guys in line down at the courthouse. 

3. My religious liberty is at risk because:
A) I am being forced to use birth control.
B) I am unable to force others to not use birth control. 

4. My religious liberty is at risk because:
A) I am not allowed to pray privately.
B) I am not allowed to force others to pray the prayers of my faith publicly. 

5. My religious liberty is at risk because:
A) Being a member of my faith means that I can be bullied without legal recourse.
B) I am no longer allowed to use my faith to bully gay kids with impunity. 

6. My religious liberty is at risk because:
A) I am not allowed to purchase, read or possess religious books or material.
B) Others are allowed to have access books, movies and websites that I do not like. 

7. My religious liberty is at risk because:
A) My religious group is not allowed equal protection under the establishment clause.
B) My religious group is not allowed to use public funds, buildings and resources as we would like, for whatever purposes we might like. 

8. My religious liberty is at risk because:
A) Another religious group has been declared the official faith of my country.
B) My own religious group is not given status as the official faith of my country. 

9. My religious liberty is at risk because:
A) My religious community is not allowed to build a house of worship in my community.
B) A religious community I do not like wants to build a house of worship in my community. 

10. My religious liberty is at risk because:
A) I am not allowed to teach my children the creation stories of our faith at home.
B) Public school science classes are teaching science. 

Scoring key:
If you answered "A" to any question, then perhaps your religious liberty is indeed at stake. You and your faith group have every right to now advocate for equal protection under the law. But just remember this one little, constitutional, concept: this means you can fight for your equality -- not your superiority. 

If you answered "B" to any question, then not only is your religious liberty not at stake, but there is a strong chance that you are oppressing the religious liberties of others. This is the point where I would invite you to refer back to the tenets of your faith, especially the ones about your neighbors. 

In closing, no matter what soundbites you hear this election year, remember this: Religious liberty is never secured by a campaign of religious superiority. The only way to ensure your own religious liberty remains strong is by advocating for the religious liberty of all, including those with whom you may passionately disagree. Because they deserve the same rights as you. Nothing more. Nothing less. 

By Rev. Emily C. Heath 

D. C. Douglas's "Vagina Rules"

(Via the Super Hero of Voiceover, D. C. Douglas)

Sam Seder does it against:

So true! The so-called Libertarians (actually oligarchs in sheep's clothing) rail against government interference, when it is the government that has given this country it's (now crumbling, second-to-third rate) infrastructure. "Born on third base" is right!

Straight Talk

The same shit is the same shit, bubba:

Tell it Sam!

Sam Seder calls bullshit on the latest anti-worker talking points:

Hell in a handbasket

 

The Republican definition of freedom seems to be pretty simple: if you are a corporation or rich, you can do whatever you want. Fracking for fun and profit? Go right ahead. Spending ungodly amounts of money to sway elections in favor of the people who will kiss your ass regardless of how that affects the rest of the country? Be our guest. Perpetrating fraud and Ponzi schemes to enrich yourself even more than you have already done? Hey, that's just fine.

But if you are NOT rich, you're fucked. Freedom of choice when it comes to abortion or contraception? Not for you. Freedom to get healthcare without going bankrupt to do it? I don't think so. Freedom to join a union so you have protection from the whims of capricious employers? Not the Amerikan way, Jack.

This is one of the most disgusting times I can ever recall. These hypocritical monsters aren't even pretending to care about the middle class as it shrinks, or the increasing number of impoverished people as the struggle to get by. Nope, their masters are the wealthy corporate cannibals who wish to consume all in their path. I only wish the Democrats would stand up and fight the battle more strongly on the side of the people who need it most.

I guess we're all on our own.

Walk like an Egyptian

(Via Crooks and Liars)

Here's wishing the rebellion in Egypt well. Remember, America, Joe Lieberman wants a "kill switch" on our internet access, too. The bastard.

The land of the ignorant and the home of the afraid . . . .

What has happened to our country? We've gone from a land where people looked out for their neighbors to a place where we'll let our neighbor's house burn down if they haven't paid the $75 fire department "subscription" (which is a soft word for BLACKMAIL!) A man in Missouri puts up a Halloween display of a Klansman lynching a black man to show what he calls "white pride" (which should be a cause for white shame). Serious candidates for office promise to get rid of Medicare and Social Security (the only safety nets many of our elderly have), and federal efforts to provide a small measure of Health Care are compared to Nazi Germany. Tea Party candidates have their goons slap hand cuffs on reporters asking challenging questions (goons who turn out to be active duty servicemen) and display utter ignorance of the First Amendment while claiming to be Constitutional "scholars" (our Founding Fathers are spinning in their graves!)

Oingo Boingo said it fifteen years ago with the song "Insanity":



America has lost its fucking mind.

Sam Seder does it again:

Sam calls "bullshit!" on the so-called mosque at ground zero controversy:

The revenge of D.C. Douglas

Do not fuck with a voice actor!

Papers, please . . . .

It's already been said, but it bears repeating:

The so-called "Conservative" movement has given the police in Arizona the mandate to stop people and demand proof of citizenship, but calls Health Care reform fascist. These folk don't really know their history very well, do they?

Maybe next in Arizona they will make immigrants wear something to identify themselves—oh, I don't know, a star or something?

Yeah, that is just what these simpletons want. There are echoes of the Nazi Aryan supremacy all over the arguments for this law.

And all those folks who love the Constitution so much? Are they going to be screaming about how this impinges on people's freedoms? Does the Fourth Amendment ring any bells? Or is the Second Amendment the only one these jackasses remember?

Don't be gay and get sick and old in America!

This is absolutely repugnant.

(Via The Bilerico Project)

Clay and his partner of 20 years, Harold, lived in California. Clay and Harold made diligent efforts to protect their legal rights, and had their legal paperwork in place--wills, powers of attorney, and medical directives, all naming each other. Harold was 88 years old and in frail medical condition, but still living at home with Clay, 77, who was in good health.

One evening, Harold fell down the front steps of their home and was taken to the hospital. Based on their medical directives alone, Clay should have been consulted in Harold's care from the first moment. Tragically, county and health care workers instead refused to allow Clay to see Harold in the hospital. The county then ultimately went one step further by isolating the couple from each other, placing the men in separate nursing homes.

Ignoring Clay's significant role in Harold's life, the county continued to treat Harold like he had no family and went to court seeking the power to make financial decisions on his behalf. Outrageously, the county represented to the judge that Clay was merely Harold's "roommate." The court denied their efforts, but did grant the county limited access to one of Harold's bank accounts to pay for his care.

What happened next is even more chilling.

Without authority, without determining the value of Clay and Harold's possessions accumulated over the course of their 20 years together or making any effort to determine which items belonged to whom, the county took everything Harold and Clay owned and auctioned off all of their belongings. Adding further insult to grave injury, the county removed Clay from his home and confined him to a nursing home against his will. The county workers then terminated Clay and Harold's lease and surrendered the home they had shared for many years to the landlord.

Three months after he was hospitalized, Harold died in the nursing home. Because of the county's actions, Clay missed the final months he should have had with his partner of 20 years. Compounding this tragedy, Clay has literally nothing left of the home he had shared with Harold or the life he was living up until the day that Harold fell, because he has been unable to recover any of his property. The only memento Clay has is a photo album that Harold painstakingly put together for Clay during the last three months of his life.

With the help of a dedicated and persistent court-appointed attorney, Anne Dennis of Santa Rosa, Clay was finally released from the nursing home. Ms. Dennis, along with Stephen O'Neill and Margaret Flynn of Tarkington, O'Neill, Barrack & Chong, now represent Clay in a lawsuit against the county, the auction company, and the nursing home, with technical assistance from NCLR. A trial date has been set for July 16, 2010 in the Superior Court for the County of Sonoma.

This is a story that portrays so much of what is wrong with this country right now: the lack of rights for gay partners, how we treat the elderly, the impact our health care system (or the lack thereof) has on people---it is a disgusting example of so much that is insanely screwed up in our society. And that this didn't happen in some rural backwater, but in supposedly progressive California is all the more incredible.

Anyone who can read this story and not become outraged lacks even a tiny portion of human empathy or compassion. It can't happen here? Well, it did!