Written Rebellion

"We have grown up with the belief that control, consistency, and predictability are essential. We have separated managing the work from doing the work. We have created a class system inside our institutions. There is a management calss and an employee or worker class. The management class enjoys privileges and preogatives and is taught management skills. The worker class has fewer privileges and prerogatives and is taught operational or basic skills. The fundamental beliefs we have about how to run organizations and organize work aren't working."

- Peter Block

I'm working two retail jobs over the break from school.

More to come on this social experiment into the depths of hell, where, apparently, they've been all out of "holiday spirit" for decades.

A while back, I wrote about the importance of voluntary blood donation. While I am proud of that post, I feel so passionately about this issue that I've decided to highlight it again. When I think of all the things that I, individually and personally, can do to make a real difference in the world, blood donation tops my list. It really is a gift, my gift, to someone, somewhere, who needs me.

So, just how much blood is needed? According to the Red Cross, A LOT.

Coronary Artery Bypass? 1-5 units
Fractured Hip? Joint Replacement? 2-5 units
Cardiovascular Surgery? 2-25 units
Bleeding Ulcer? 3-30 units
Auto Accident? Gun Shot Wound? up to 50 units
Liver Transplant? up to 100 units
Sickle Cell/Aplastic Anemia? 4 units per month
Cancer? up to 8 units per month

This list goes on and on. And, as can be seen, chances are better than not that I will need my own transfusion sometime during my life.

I'm scheduled to give plasma again on Tuesday. I'm CMV-, which means that they can give my plasma to patients whose immune systems are severely compromised: infants, burn victims, people living with HIV/AIDS, etc. The local blood bank tells me that there is always a waiting list for my donations. Even before they've finished with the battery of tests to ensure that the donation is healthy, it has already been assigned to a recipient. With this donation, I will have given three gallons of blood to my local blood bank.

It is uncomfortable. It is inconvenient. It is usually always cold in those rooms. But it is worth it. You can do it too. Go here to get the facts. Then sign up. Trust me, this kind of giving is way better than the office "white elephant" holiday gift exchange.

I heard a rumor that it is Pam's birthday. Go on over and wish her all the best. Oh, and lest a new or unfamiliar reader think I'm mean, "buttcrack" is a familial term of endearment. We all use it.

From the DSM-IV-TR -

Diagnostic criteria for Delusional Disorder:

A. Nonbizarre delusions of at least one month's duration.

B. Criterion A for Schizophrenia has never been met.

The definition of a delusion? "An erroneous belief that is held in the face of evidence to the contrary."

Evidence in support of Diagnosis -

Today, in honor of the 25th World AIDS Day, Bu$hCo announced that he believes the continued promotion of sexual abstinence to be the most effective method to slow the spread of HIV/AIDS. In spite of these efforts, "rates of HIV infection continue to grow, with 4 million new cases worldwide every year," according to the World Health Organization.

Now, please read this post.

Update 12/02/06: Go. here. Because HIV/AIDS is about US.

In my Human Behavior and Social Development course, this was the question that was posed to us today. Made me think of the Woman's Rights Manifesto, which has been my manifesto ever since I first read it:

Because woman's work is never done
and is underpaid or unpaid or boring or repetitious
and we're the first to get fired
and what we look like is more important than what we do
and if we get raped it's our fault
and if we get beaten we must have provoked it
and if we raise our voices we're nagging bitches
and if we enjoy sex we're nymphos
and if we don't we're frigid
and if we love women it's because we can't get a "real" man
and if we ask our doctor too many questions we're neurotic and/or pushy
and if we expect childcare we're selfish
and if we stand up for our rights we're aggressive and "unfeminine"
and if we don't we're typical weak females
and if we want to get married we're out to trap a man
and if we don't we're unnatural
and because we still can't get an adequate safe contraceptive but men can walk on the moon
and if we can't cope or don't want a pregnancy we're made to feel guilty about abortion
and...for lots and lots of other reasons
we are part of the women's liberation movement.

Today, Sean Bell, was supposed to have been married. But instead, this happened. Notice the differences in the way the news organizations are reporting the story.

From the BBC: Police in New York City have killed a man on the morning of his wedding and wounded two others. The groom and two friends were leaving a strip club in Queens on Saturday morning after the groom's bachelor party when police opened fire on them.

From the NY Times: Hours before he was to be married, a man leaving his bachelor party at a strip club in Queens that was under police surveillance was shot and killed early yesterday in a hail of police bullets, witnesses and the police said. Two of his friends were wounded, one critically, they said.

Faux News leads with this: The incident began when a car full of three men rammed into an undercover officer as the group left a bachelor party at the Kalua Cabaret at roughly 4:14 a.m.

Isn't it nice the way they try to make it sound like the driver of the car was purposefully trying to run down a police officer? With that kind of malicious disregard for our precious law enforcement, those drunken thugs deserved what they got, right?

Now, there's an investigation into why in God's name the NYPD felt it necessary to fire more than fifty rounds into his car.

For now, we don't know all the facts. But here are some facts that are certain:

- An unarmed man is dead.

- There are two more orphaned children in New York City.

Violence against women persists in every country in the world as a pervasive violation of human rights and a major impediment to achieving gender equality. Such violence is unacceptable, whether perpetrated by the State and its agents or by family members or strangers, in the public or private sphere, in peacetime or in times of conflict. ... [A]s long as violence against women continues, we cannot claim to be making real progress towards equality, development and peace. —In-Depth Study on All Forms of Violence against Women: Report of the Secretary-General, 2006

For the most part, the human cost of gender-based violence is invisible. Fear and shame continue to prevent many women from speaking out, and data collected are often insufficient and inconsistent. There has been significant progress in the last two decades, however, to bring the issue into the open and place it firmly on national and international policy agendas.
Women’s organizations have taken the lead in developing innovative efforts to tackle the issue, including providing services, drafting and lobbying for legislation, raising awareness through advocacy, education and training, and building national, regional and international end-violence networks.

Networks that have been created by women’s groups at national, regional and global levels are growing in strength and impact. These networks, such as the Pacific Regional Network against Violence against Women, the Women, Law and Development Network in Africa, the South Asian Forum against Human Trafficking, and numerous others have come to play a leading role in raising awareness and pursuing positive change in community attitudes and practices related to gender-based violence.

These networks have inspired a wide range of campaigns that have brought the issue front and centre. The 16 Days of Activism against Gender Violence (25 November – 10 December) is an annual campaign that is symbolic of the global women’s movement and end-violence networks. Its starting day, 25 November, is observed each year to honour the Mirabal sisters, three political activists from the Dominican Republic who were assassinated on the same date in 1961. The end of the 16 Days is marked by 10 December, International Human Rights Day. Coordinated by the Centre for Women’s Global Leadership since 1991, the 16 Days of Activism involve hundreds of organizations around the world in activities ranging from media programmes to demonstrations, conferences, exhibitions and performances. In 1999, the UN joined the campaign by designating 25 November the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women.

More info here.

My partner and I spend part of every Thanksgiving and Christmas Day at "Martha's." Martha’s Village and Kitchen is truly a grassroots organization. In 1990, Gloria Gomez and Claudia Castorena, recognizing a need, started assembling cold sandwiches in a local church kitchen. After a few months, they began serving one hot meal a week. Donations and volunteers increased over the years, and by 1998, Martha’s was serving 350 hot meals, five days a week.

Today, Martha’s Village and Kitchen, located in Indio, California, is a comprehensive program for the hungry and homeless in the Coachella Valley. Located on 10 acres, it provides housing for 120 guests, including families with children and single women. As a tertiary prevention program, the Center offers educational programs, job training, children's programs and counseling, as well as assistance with job placement and permanent housing. An on-site medical clinic serves clients’ health care needs. Martha’s Village and Kitchen provides 250,000 meals annually to the poor of the Coachella Valley.

The Village is a non-profit service organization affiliated with Father Joe’s Villages whose mission statement reads: To serve our neighbors by responding to their needs with food, clothing, shelter, and an opportunity to become self sufficient by affirming their dignity with love, compassion, and respect.

Today we served over one thousand meals and packaged several hundred “to-go” plates. No one was turned away, and no one left hungry. A whole group of volunteers worked to assemble table decorations, because Martha’s Village practices the “bread and roses” philosophy, made famous at the Lawrence, Massachusetts, textile workers strike in 1912. The entire operation was very well organized, allowing volunteers to prepare the food, assemble the plates, and then serve those that came to eat after they were seated at the tables.

Today I was reminded that one (in this case two) person really can make a difference. Gloria and Claudia, Martha’s co-founders, still work at Martha’s Village and Kitchen, having watched their vision to feed the hungry grow into the comprehensive organization it is today. Both women were Thanksgiving Day volunteers. If these women can do this, what could I do?

I was also reminded that there is a great deal of compassion in this valley. At some points, there were more volunteers in Martha’s dining room than there were people needing meals. We fed more than one thousand individuals and families. I felt a powerful sense of collective agency as I worked in concert with an 81-year-old first-generation German immigrant, the owner of the local Italian eatery The Red Tomato, and a single Mexican mother and her two teenage sons.

Today, I learned many things from those I served: lessons not easily forgotten.

I learned to always be thankful for what you have and to do what you can for those who have less from the middle-aged woman who asked me if she could take a plate back to where they “stay” for the friend who can’t walk.

I learned that it is terribly impolite to start eating before the rest of the table has been served from a multi-generational family of six who all sat patiently, watching the steam swirl up from their plates, waiting until each one had a meal before anyone lifted a fork.

I learned to always be thankful from a group of single men, who all joined hands and bowed their heads in prayer before they ate.

I learned that sometimes pride can be a bigger motivator than hunger from the two women we served in the parking lot. They also taught me that community activism means filling a need, wherever the need is present, not simply waiting for those in need to come to you.

I learned that not all volunteer work is glorified, but that it is work that needs to be done just the same. My partner and I spent several hours wrapping plastic utensils in paper napkins so that they could be quickly distributed during public lunches.

So this is why I never cook a complete Thanksgiving Dinner. Because by the time we come home, all I want to do is rest, eat apple crisp, and contemplate the blessings I have in my life.

According to the UN, 1.1 billion people around the world lack access to safe drinking water.

Meanwhile, back in the land of plenty, hunger has been eliminated.

Even Henry Kissinger says that victory in Iraq is "impossible," and "democracy" is "out of reach."

(Special thanks to Quasar9 for the heads up.)

Belacqua Jones makes a terrific argument for Operation No Building Left Standing. After all, the more we destroy, the more we can subcontract to reconstruct.

Because the $0.99/dozen are produced by hens who have to live like this:

I didn't grow up on a farm, but I lived on a small ranch in southern Mexico a few years back. I used to feed the dozen or so chickens twice a day, and since there were no traditional coops, I loved to search around the stables for the eggs. I found them in some of the most unusual places...the cow's empty water trough, inside an old tire, on a 25 kilo bag of corn meal.

I know that this battery cage method is cheaper than letting the hens actually stand up and stretch their wings every once and a while, but so are clothes produced by children in sweatshops, and I'm against that too.

Many countries have already banned the use of battery cages, and they are being phased out in the European Union, with a complete ban effective in 2012. In the US, we're not quite that far along, but the egg industry did recently agree to drop the "Animal Care Certified" label under threat of litigation.

Yup. Sounds about right.

(Picture from here.)

I have it. Do you?

...Being a full-time graduate student, with an internship, a part-time job, and a household to keep from crumbling down has finally tapped all of my reserves. I know this to be the case because my "Things to Blog About" list, which has never had more than a few items, is now over thirty subjects long, and I have missed my daily devotions: visits to all the blogs on my sidebar and several others that will added as soon as I can get some time to update my template.

My list includes:

- Thoughts and reflections on my recent GOTV activities
- A tribute to the Haymarket martyrs, condemned to death by hanging on November 11, 1887
- The anniversary of the founding of the Congress of Industrial Organizations which officially occurred TODAY (!) in 1938
- My feelings on voluntary blood donation
- An update on the situation on Oaxaca
- A loving (and now belated) birthday post for my partner
- The comedy and tragedy of driving a car with more than 190,000 miles on the odometer
- My cornbread-stuffed portobello cap recipe and why I haven't cooked a full Thanksgiving Dinner in the last five years
- The REAL Thanksgiving story
- and more

As Dan says, the light at the end of the tunnel isn't a train. Exactly three weeks from today, I will have turned in the projects and papers I have yet to start and taken all of my final exams. Around here, that's "T minus 21."

In the meantime, postings at this site will probably be light. Oh, and if your statcounter records any activity from an ISP address belonging to California State University, San Bernardino, well, that's probably me pretending to be taking notes on Micro Practice. I love you guys, and not even my devotion to my educational experience can keep me away.

...to all of America's service men and women, but especially to my baby brother and my soon-to-be sister-in-law, who have both seen the horrors of war.

Today, I am ashamed of my country when I read the headlines:

The numbers of homeless veterans are on the rise.

We are ignoring our veterans' mental health needs.

Veterans across America face stumbling blocks and delays as they seek to access their healthcare, disability, education and job training.

Wounded veterans face new fight to secure government benefits.

A while back, BeltwayBastard had a great post highlighting organizations that provide support to all our men and women in harms way. As he aptly argues, this isn't about politics.

In addition to those sources, if you'd like to do something tangible and important for wounded veterans who have returned from overseas requiring extensive care, get a long-distance phone card or two and mail them to:

Medical Family Assistance Center
Walter Reed Medical Center
6900 Georgia Ave. N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20307-0003.

This will enable those under treatment to keep in touch regularly with their families around the country.

Additionally, Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, a group dedictated to educating the general public on issues facing our troops, has terrific action links.

On the field of battle, our troops pledge to "leave no one behind.'' The very least we can do is fulfill this vow on the home front -- to each and every one them. More here.

Please pray for peace.

My very Republican father (with whom I get along very well, and for whom I have an incalculable amount of respect) sent me this link in the body of an email that said:

I know this isn't true. Dad

I wrote back:

Clearly it isn't. Daughter.

(Photo: MSNBC.com)

(in my humble opinion)

I agree with Aristotle who said that we are political beings. There is a fundamental part of a person's humanity that emerges only to the extent that individuals participate in public life, exercise their sense of what is good and excellent, and institute these values into communities by the decisions and actions of every citizen. The Greeks were on to something when they suggested that politics was a role of "amateurs," ordinary citizens who engaged in deciding and acting precisely because it was part of their way of being rather than an endeavor left in the hands of a few, often wealthy, paid professionals. When we abdicate our politics, we surrender a birthright that calls forth the most necessary dimensions of our humanity - the right to decide what is importnat and the capacity to act on those decisions. This is perilous. To the extent that social policy becomes divorced from us, and politics becomes the purview of mass political processes in control of the influential, we are disallowed from making crucial choices that determine the shape of our social environment. (More here.)

Thus, to be fully human and for our democracy to survive, the populace can no longer afford to leave the machinery of politics to the wealthy, the professionals, the influential, or the government officials. This is why it is imperative that we exercise our right to vote.

But that is not enough.

Ernesto Cortes said, "focusing on the least important elements of political action - voting, elections and turnout - trivializes our citizens by disconnecting them from the real debate and power of public life. We fail to recognize that voter participation is the wrong measure of the health of our politics. Voter turnout was high in Pinocet's Chile nor was it ever a problem in totalitarian countries. Becoming mere voters rather than citizens renders people incompetent" because it renders people who have the capacity of thinking and acting into mere spectators. The pervasive disengagement of Americans in our political process is disheartening at best. We are proud of calling ourselves a government "of the people," but we are rarely, if ever, engaged as direct actors in our political processes.

We need to create a grassroots democracy engaged in community-centered policy analysis. This means that policy issues ought to be resolved by the people who are directly affected by social issues and concerns, not by professional analysts or huge issue-based think tanks. Who knows better what people need than the people themselves?

Some people may dismiss me as young, naive, or idealistic. That's just not the way the world works, some might say. All of these things may be true.

But unless we dream big, and I mean really big, we will never have a chance to find out what could be, and we won't make any gains toward what ought to be.

Tuesday is a step, but it's just one step, toward reclaiming our country.

Here's what I've been doing instead of blogging.

Go here.

The best carved pumpkin I've seen this year.

Ahhhh. Who's the cutest logger on the planet?

Message from the CLANDESTINE REVOLUTIONARY INDIGENOUS COMMITTEE-GENERAL COMMAND of the ZAPATISTA ARMY OF NATIONAL LIBERATION MEXICO.

October 30, 2006.

To the people of Mexico:
To the people of the world:
To the Other Campaign in Mexico and the other side of the Rio Grande:
To the entire Sixth International:

Compañeros and compañeras:
Brothers and sisters:

It is now known publicly that yesterday, 29th of October 2006, Vicente Fox’s federal forces attacked the people of Oaxaca and its most legitimate representative, the Popular Assembly of the Peoples of Oaxaca (APPO).

Today, the federal troops have assassinated at least 3 people, among them a minor, leaving dozens of wounded, including many women from Oaxaca. Dozens of detainees were illegally transported to military prisons. All this comes in addition to the existing total of deaths, detainees and missing persons since the beginning of the mobilization demanding that Ulises Ruiz step down as Oaxaca’s governor.

The sole objective of the federal attack is to maintain Ulises Ruiz in power and to destroy the popular grassroots organization of the people of Oaxaca.

Oaxaca’s people are resisting. Not one single honest person can remain quiet and unmoved while the entire society, of which the majority are indigenous, is murdered, beaten and jailed.
We, the Zapatistas, will not be silent; we will mobilize to support our brothers, sisters and comrades in Oaxaca.

The EZLN’s Sixth Commission has already consulted the Zapatista leadership and the following has been decided:

First: During whole day of November 1, 2006, the major and minor roads that cross Zapatistas territories in the southwestern state of Chiapas will be closed.

Consequently, we ask that everyone avoid traveling by these roads in Chiapas on this day and that one make the necessary arrangements in order to do so.

Second: through the Sixth Commission, the EZLN has begun making contact and consulting other political and social organizations, groups, collectives and individuals in the Other Campaign, in order to coordinate joint solidarity actions across Mexico, leading to a nationwide shut-down on the 20th of November, 2006.

Third: the EZLN calls out to the Other Campaign in Mexico and north of the Rio Grande, so that these November 1st mobilizations happen wherever possible, completely, partially, at intervals or symbolically shutting down the major artery roads, streets, toll booths, stations, airports and commercial media.

Fourth: The central message that the Zapatistas send and will continue sending is that the people of Oaxaca are not alone: They are not alone!

Ulises Ruiz out of Oaxaca!

Immediate withdrawal of the occupying federal forces from Oaxaca!

Immediate and unconditional freedom for all detainees!

Cancel all arrest warrants!

Punish the murderers!

Justice!Freedom!Democracy!

From the North of Mexico.

For the Clandestine Revolutionary Indigenous Committee-
General Command of the Zapatista Army of National Liberation.
For the EZLN Sixth Commission.

Subcomandante Insurgente Marcos

Mexico, October, 2006.

Translation: Radio Pacheco

For more information, please see Narco News and IndyMedia and read the BBC's summary of what the protest is all about. All of this started because some teachers decided to go on strike for better pay and textbooks. Sappho and Supergirlest have excellent posts up also. If anyone knows of any other links to news sources, please leave them in the comments.

Think this kind of state sponsored repression can't happen here? Think again.

(Photos: AP)

The trouble around difference is really about privilege & power-the existence of privilege & the lopsided distribution of power that keeps it going. The trouble is rooted in a legacy that we all inherited, and WHILE WE'RE HERE IT BELONGS TO US. It isn't our fault. It wasn't caused by something we did or didn't do. But now that it's ours, it's up to us to decide how we're going to deal with it before we collectively pass it along to the generations that will follow ours.

- Allen G. Johnson

October 1

Sergeant Denise A. Lannaman
Sergeant Mario Nelson
Corporal Chase A. Haag
Captain Justin D. Peterson
Lance Corporal Christopher B. Cosgrove III

October 2

Sergeant Joseph W. Perry
Private 1st Class Michael K. Oremus
Specialist Justin R. Jarrett
Staff Sergeant James D. Ellis
Specialist Raymond S. Armijo
Specialist Kristofer C. Walker
Private 1st Class Satieon V. Greenlee
Staff Sergeant Joe A. Narvaez
Corporal Aaron L. Seal

October 3

Staff Sergeant Jonathan Rojas
Staff Sergeant Daniel Isshak

October 4

Corporal Benjamin S. Rosales
Lance Corporal Edward M. Garvin
Staff Sergeant Christopher O. Moudry
Specialist George R. Obourn Jr.
Specialist Timothy Burke
Private 1st Class Dean Bright

October 6

Lance Corporal John Edward Hale
Corporal Bradford H. Payne
Corporal Nicholas A. Arvanitis

October 7

Specialist John Edward Wood
Sergeant Lawrence Parrish
Corporal Carl W. Johnson II
Sergeant Brandon S. Asbury

October 8

Lance Corporal Derek W. Jones
Captain Robert M. Secher
Private 1st Class Shane R. Austin
Lance Corporal Stephen F. Johnson
Lance Corporal Jeremy Scott Sandvick Monroe
Specialist Timothy Fulkerson

October 9

Private 1st Class Shelby J. Feniello
Lance Corporal Jon Eric Bowman
Private 1st Class Phillip B. Williams
Sergeant Julian M. Arechaga

October 11

Sergeant Justin T. Walsh
Captain Shane T. Adcock
Sergeant Nicholas R. Sowinski

October 12

Sergeant Gene A. Hawkins

October 13

Lieutenant Johnny K. Craver
Private 1st Class Kenny F. Stanton Jr.
Private 1st Class Thomas J. Hewett

October 14

Private 1st Class Keith J. Moore
1st Sergeant Charles M. King
Staff Sergeant Joseph M. Kane
Specialist Timothy J. Lauer
Sergeant Jonathan J. Simpson
Airman 1st Class Leebenard E. Chavis

October 15

Sergeant Jr., Lester Domenico Baroncini
Private 1st Class Stephen Bicknell
1st Lieutenant Joshua Deese
Sergeant Jonathan E. Lootens
Captain Mark C. Paine
Sergeant Brock A. Babb
Lance Corporal Joshua M. Hines

October 17

Specialist Daniel W. Winegeart
Staff Sergeant Ronald L. Paulsen
Specialist Joseph C. Dumas Jr.
Corporal David M. Unger
Corporal Russell G. Culbertson III
2nd Lieutenant Christopher E. Loudon
Staff Sergeant Ryan E. Haupt
Sergeant Norman R. Taylor III
Petty Officer 1st Class Nathan J. Frigo
Staff Sergeant Garth D. Sizemore
2nd Lieutenant Joshua L. Booth

October 18

Sergeant 1st Class Daniel A. Brozovich
Jose R. Perez
Staff Sergeant Jesus M. Montalvo

October 19

Lance Corporal Edwardo Lopez Jr.

October 20

Staff Sergeant Kevin M. Witte

October 21

Lance Corporal Eric W. Herzberg
Sergeant 1st Class Tony L. Knier
Corporal Joshua C. Watkins
Lance Corporal Nicholas J. Manoukian
Lance Corporal Nathan R. Elrod
Lance Corporal Clifford R. Collinsworth

October 22

Specialist Nicholas K. Rogers
Sergeant Willsun M. Mock
Specialist Matthew W. Creed
Specialist Nathaniel A. Aguirre
Major David G. Taylor

October 23

1st Lieutenant Amos C. R Bock
Hospital Corpsman Charles O. Sare
Lance Corporal Richard A. Buerstetta
Lance Corporal Tyler R. Overstreet
Specialist Carl A. Eason

October 25

Private 1st Class Donald S. Brown
Sergeant Thomas M. Gilbert
Private 1st Class Daniel B. Chaires
Lance Corporal Jonathan B. Thornsberry
Petty Officer 2nd Class Charles V. Komppa

October 26

1st Sergeant Ricky L. McGinnis

October 27

Luke Zimmerman

Supergirlest recently reminded me how important it is to remember what makes us happy, particularly when the current state of the world looks so dreary. So, in her honor, and also for my own benefit, here are ten things that make me happy:

1. Apple-blossom scented springs
2. Picking wild blueberries
3. Inner-tubing the Walla Walla River in July
4. Spanish guitar music, especially Boleros and Trios
5. Butterflies
6. Used book stores
7. Loose-leaf teas
8. Pan dulce
9. My maternal grandmother's whistle
10. Soft flannel pajamas

Anything make you happy today?

For those of you who may have missed it, the Decider addressed the nation today. Click, click click right over to norbizness and read the best interpretation of his speech I've seen yet.

Michael J. Fox made this heartbreaking TV ad:


and then Rush Limbaugh accused him of faking for the camera.

I've despised Limbaugh ever since my mother forced me to listen to his incessant, hateful diatribes during my grade school years. Unable to drive and still legally and financially dependent, I was subjected to the "EIB" network in the car and in the kitchen. In between the blah blah blahs, I was deeply annoyed by the callers who identified themselves as "Ditto Heads," as if they were proud of their elite membership in the club of idiocy. Even when I didn't understand the political ranting, I still hated the sound of Rush's voice, drumming on and on with sweeping generalizations of verbal vomit.

And then there were the long, holier-than-everyone soliloquies, where he basically just said the same thing over and over and over and over again.

I remember loving the sweet satisfaction of the moment I worked the "So, I guess Rush Limbaugh is a drug addict" comment into a routine telephone comment with my mother. I loved the hypocracy of his confession. Substance abuse is a flaw of the weak minded, he had said, all the while abusing his own drug.

I've become numb to the dribble, and it's been long enough now that no one I know (except my mother) takes him seriously. So, I leave it up to Media Matters and FAIR to keep up with the daily inconsistencies, contradictions, and fabrications.

But this time, he's gone too far.

Not only does Rush owe Michael J. Fox a formal apology, but he owes an apology to every single individual who is living with a progressive neurological disease for which we have no cure.

UPDATE 10/27: My friend, The Poetry Man, has written a must-read poem in honor of this asshole. He speaks for me.

Last night I took a break from studying for my midterm exams and went to hear one of my favorite authors read some stories that, because of subject content, won't ever be aired on This American Life. I can't believe that I allowed myself to practically forget how therapeutic it is to laugh until your stomach hurts.

Invest in your own stress relief by picking up previously enjoyed copies here. You won't be disappointed.

The devil and destroyer of communities across America is so desperate for a good PR campaign that they have resorted to paying such a firm to pose as a blogger.

In other news, check out this internal "for management distribution only memo" documenting Walmart's new salary caps. Even Wal-Mart's supporters have had it and are cutting all ties to the big-box retailer.

I recently discovered this blog, and have been mesmorized ever since. The author writes in the memory of Paulo Freire, who said:

In order for this struggle to have meaning, the oppressed must not, in seeking to regain their humanity...become oppressors of the oppressors, but rather restorers of the humanity of both. This is the great humanistic and historic task of the oppressed; to liberate themselves of their oppressors. Oppressors who oppress, and exploit and rape by virtue of thier power, cannot find the strength to liberate either the oppressed or themselves. Only power that springs from the weakness of the oppressed will be sufficiently strong to free both.

Be inspired. Go read the Professor's blog.

Some wackos are saying so.

This book needs to be circulated all over Capital Hill. Click here to read the latest.

"The state attorney general's office is investigating a letter received by some Southern California Hispanics that says it is a crime for immigrants to vote and tells them they could be jailed or deported if they go to the polls next month." Read the rest of the AP story here.

Of course, citizens can vote in any election, regardless of where they were born, but an official-looking letter, in Spanish, threatening jail or deportation for doing so, could certainly keep many naturalized citizens from finding their local polling places.

Bitch PhD said, "I hope this bullshit gets heavy regional news coverage. And I hope it pisses off the people it was meant to scare, and that they turn out in droves at the polls."

Took the words right out of my mouth.

Update: California GOP leadership calls for its own candidate to drop out of the race! And...News travels fast! Keith Olbermann featured this story on Countdown 10/19/2006!

Go read the tombstone of the Bill of Rights at Quaker Agitator, the sharp commentary of Chuck at The Divided States of bu$hmerica.

"It is a rare occasion when a president can sign a bill that he knows will save American lives. I have that privilege this morning."---George W. Bush

Off topic but important, none the less: The one bill that made it to his desk that did meet this qualification, the legislation supporting stem-cell research, he chose not to sign. Maybe what he meant to say was that it is a rare occasion when a president gets to sign a bill that historians will one day identify as the single piece of legislation that took the state of American freedom and democracy from bad to worse.

John Brown, a white abolitionist, was admant in his refusal to stand idly by and watch the perpetuation of slavery. In spite of the fact that he was never financially successful, even filing for bankruptcy, he is know for giving land to fugitive slaves. He also participated in the Underground Railroad, and, in 1851, halped establish the League of Gileadites, an organization that worked to protect escaped slaves from slave catchers.

Frederick Douglass stated that, "though a white gentleman, [Brown] is in sympathy a black man, and as deeply interested in our cause, as though his own soul had been pierced with the iron of slavery."

On this day, in 1859, John Brown led the raid on the federal arsenal at Harper's Ferry, West Virginia. He believed that armed revolution was necessary to permanently end slavery in America.

After the trial that convicted him of treason and sentenced him to death by hanging, Henry David Thoreau said, "No man in America has ever stood up so persistently and effectively for the dignity of human nature. . . ."

Yes, it's happening in Colorado. No, it has nothing to do with elevation.

Go here to watch the campaign ad in which God tells Moses that a state minimum wage increase, adjusted annually for inflation, would be a catastrophe.

You just can't make this stuff up.

H/T Musings of a Working Mom.

RESUME OF GEORGE W. BUSH
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue
Washington , DC 20520

Education And Experience:

Law Enforcement - I was arrested in Kennebunkport, Maine, in 1976 for driving under the influence of alcohol. I pled guilty, paid a fine, and had my driver’s license suspended for 30 days. My Texas driving record has been “lost” and is not available.

Military - I joined the Texas Air National Guard and went AWOL. I refused to take a drug test or answer any questions about my drug use. By joining the Texas Air National Guard, I was able to avoid combat duty in Vietnam.

College - I graduated from Yale University with a low C average. I was a cheerleader.

Past Work Experience - I ran for U.S. Congress and lost. I began my career in the oil business in Midland, Texas, in 1975. I bought an oil company, but couldn’t find any oil in Texas . The company went bankrupt shortly after I sold all my stock. I bought the Texas Rangers baseball team in a sweetheart deal that took land using taxpayer money. With the help of my father and our friends in the oil industry, including Enron CEO Ken Lay, I was elected governor of Texas.

Accomplishments as Governor of Texas - I changed Texas pollution laws to favor power and oil companies, making Texas the most polluted state in the Union. During my tenure, Houston replaced Los Angeles as the most smog-ridden city in America. I cut taxes and bankrupted the Texas treasury to the tune of billions in borrowed money. I set the record for the most executions by any governor in American history.

With the help of my brother, the governor of Florida, and my father’s appointments to the Supreme Court, I became President after losing the popular vote by over 500,000 votes.

Accomplishments As President - I am the first President in U.S. history to enter office with a criminal record. I invaded and occupied two countries at a continuing cost of over one billion dollars per week. I spent the U.S. surplus and effectively bankrupted the U.S. Treasury. I shattered the record for the largest annual deficit in U.S. history. I set an economic record for most private bankruptcies filed in any 12-month period. I set the all-time record for most foreclosures in a 12-month period. I set the all-time record for the biggest drop in the history ofthe US stock market.

In my first year in office, over 2 million Americans lost their jobs and that trend continues every month. I’m proud that the members of my cabinet are the richest of any Administration in U.S. history. My “poorest millionaire,” Condoleezza Rice, had a Chevron oil tanker named after her.

I set the record for most campaign fund-raising trips by a U.S. President. I am the all-time U.S. and world record-holder for receiving the most corporate campaign donations. My largest lifetime campaign contributor, and one of my best friends, Kenneth Lay, presided over the largest corporate bankruptcy fraud in U.S. History, Enron.

I presided over the highest gasoline prices in U.S. history. I changed the U.S. policy to allow convicted criminals to be awarded government contracts. I appointed more convicted criminals to administration than any President in U.S. history.

I created the Ministry of Homeland Security, the largest bureaucracy in the history of the United States government. I’ve broken more international treaties than any President in U.S. history.

I am the first President in U.S. history to have the United Nations remove the U.S. from the Human Rights Commission.

I refused to allow inspectors access to U.S. “prisoners of war” detainees and thereby have refused to abide by the Geneva Convention. I am the first President in history to refuse United Nations election inspectors (during the 2002 U.S. election).

I set the record for fewest numbers of press conferences of any President since the advent of television. I set the all-time record for most days on vacation in any one-year period. After taking off the entire month of August, I presided over the worst security failure in U.S. history.

I garnered the most sympathy for the U.S. after the World Trade Center attacks and less than a year later made the U.S. the most hated country in the world, the largest failure of diplomacy in world history. I have set the all-time record for most people worldwide to simultaneously protest me in public venues (15 million people), shattering the record for protests against any person in the history of mankind.

I am the first President in U.S. history to order an unprovoked, pre-emptive attack and the military occupation of a sovereign nation. I did so against the will of the United Nations, the majority of U.S. citizens, and the world community.

I have cut health care benefits for war veterans and support a cut in duty benefits for active duty troops and their families in wartime.

I am the first President in history to have a majority of Europeans (71%) view my presidency as the biggest threat to world peace and security.

I am supporting development of a nuclear “Tactical Bunker Buster,” a WMD.

I have so far failed to fulfill my pledge to bring Osama Bin Laden [sic] to justice.

I pressured the legislative branch into passing the Military Commission Act, becoming the first President since Abraham Lincoln to effectively throw out "Habeas Corpus". H/T Beltway Bastard.

Records And References

All records of my tenure as governor of Texas are now in my father’s library, sealed and unavailable for public view. All records of SEC investigations into my insider trading and my bankrupt companies are sealed in secrecy and unavailable for public view. All records or minutes from meetings that I, or my Vice-President, attended regarding public energy policy are sealed in secrecy and unavailable for public review.

I am a member of the Republican Party.

A few days back, Sappho tagged me on this subject. Read her excellent comments here.

I have learned so much from feminism and feminists that limiting myself to five things seems sort of like answering an essay question with the word, "Yup." The wonderful thing about feminism and feminist thought is that I am constantly learning. I look forward to a life-long feminist education.

So far, here are five random things, of dozens, that I have learned. This list is by no means inclusive or exhaustive of my thoughts on this subject, and they are in no specific order.

1. I am an active participant in my reality. The patriarchy defines me only if do not exercise my right to define myself. Feminism has taught me not only that I have the power to define myself on my own terms, but it has provided me with excellent role models.
2. Women have a special obligation to ensure that our history is recorded orally, visually, and otherwise. If we let them, those who oppress us will erase our contributions.
3. The bickering among women over who deserves to call themselves a feminist divides us. Our movement does not benefit by these philosophical debates. When we are busy deciding who is a "real" feminist, the patriarchy is strengthened.
4. Because we understand what it is like to be systematically under-paid, under-valued, under-served, and under-educated, we must, must, must, dedicate ourselves to fighting all forms of oppression, where ever we see it.
5. While acknowledging the tremendous gains we have made, we must be ever vigilant to preserve and protect these rights. Our mothers and grandmothers fought for that we must never take for granted.

Now, I tag Bitch Phd.

Colombus Day Observed 2006

I wanted to sleep in today,

Warm beneath my sheets,

Warm inside my house,

Leaving the early crisp October chill just beyond my comprehension,

Behind barred and shaded windows

That keep me and the public shielded from reality

But the sound of US sponsored bullets

Ricocheting off of innocent Iraqi skin

Shook me from my sleep and pulled me out of bed

A screaming reminder me that no matter what the calendar says

It’s still the same colonization invasion game going down

On this so called U S of A holiday.


I wanted to mourn today

Stay home and dress in black for the Palestinians and Lebanese killed by Israeli soldiers today.

I wanted to light candles for Afghanistan

Burn incense for the first nations

And cry my eyes out for Filiberto y Puerto Rico.

The 514 year old wounds bleed fresh

Spilling raped, mixed blood.

And I wanted to fast today

Deny my body the comfort

Of first world fast food disposable genitically modified drugs

But my children,

Born and yet to be born

Demanded to be fed

Demanded answers for their homework from the halls of miseducation.

Because she has off today

to celebrate her so called discovery

And I am left nervous

Wondering if when I remind her of the truth

She’ll agree that we were better left uncivilized.


I wanted to celebrate today,

By torching court houses and tearing down prison walls,

bombing national monuments

And taking back every last thing that has been stolen from me and those before me

From us.

I wanted to scream at the top of my lungs a huge

“FUCK YOU y VETE PA’L CARAJO”

to the spirit of Columbus marching down Fifth Avenue

and the Italianos using genocide as costume for their pride

But I was too busy struggling to survive today.

I was too busy working today.

I was too busy counting change to get onto the under constant terror alert subway today,

With its cops with machine guns standing in front of NYPD recruitment ads

the ones with the White cop hugging a Latina viejita?

I had to get to my job

as a 12 dollar an hour corporate whore for hire

Watching billions of bloody dollars

Being robbed from the third world and the third world within.


Finally when the day comes to a close

And I return

Defeated by another day

I can drown my sorrows in the made for t.v. scripted news

Falling asleep to the drone of lies we’ve gotten too used to.


In 1492 Columbus sailed the ocean blue

And got lost

But not lost enough.

- Mamita Mala

H/T to Professor Zero who linked to this author in his excellent post today.

The California General Election guides are in the mail, folks.

H/T Quaker Agitator.

Remember Germany? Don't think anything like that can happen here? Go read Kara's post about what is now LEGAL in the good ol' USA. Not feeling sick to your stomach yet? There's a video here, and another post here that should send shivers up your spine.

Inspired to do something?

Go here, here, here, here, and here.