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End of week!
Jan. 21st, 2006 02:25 amAnd things are okay. I may not be superahead, but I'm definitely not behind. There's enough breathing room that I can think about taking a day off or two (which I probably will tomorrow - lots of hockey potential) and not having my OCD kick in (it may not be an OCD, actually, but some days that's exactly what it feels like).
Warning - frothing rants, links the government would rather you didn't see, and other wonderful things to draw Big Brother's Eyes contained within. If you don't want to be associated with liberals (terrorists), then you can stop now.
There was plenty to parade around today on the War on Civil Liberties front.![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
przxqgl's "I am a Terrorist" tags are great for catching up on the latest in Bush-boneheadedness. In addition to the possibly fabricated bin Laden tape to distract people, Bush was illegally wiretapping before 11 September 2001, of which there is a 1972 Supreme Court decision explicitly stating the Executive does not have the power to conduct warrantless wiretaps. We've had enough evidence to make serious inquiries into the President's actions. It's time to draft articles of impeachment and make a very full investigation. If the investigations confirm even fractions of what we've heard, then the requirement of "high crimes and misdemeanors" has already been fulfilled many times over. There's also this bit about why neo-conservative tactics don't work for liberals. (Because many people don't buy it when a liberal makes a reference to an ideology, but will swallow it whole if a conservative does - especially if it has the name "God".) Apparently, neoconservative reality-making is the standard anymore - if they don't want to hear it, they don't have to, and nothing you say can convince them that you're right. The article itself is actually about the wiretapping fiasco, and why people seem so eager to sign over their privacy in return for a sursanure. (There. Now I know that I'm safe. Polysyllabic arcane word. Either that, or I just threw up a red flag.)
Speaking of Bush's idiocy, not only does he claim to speak for the country, but he also claims to speak for his wife, saying for her that she's not interested in politics. What a dick... oh, wait, that's his vice president.
Ohio's legislature has taken a strong foot forward, setting themselves up for an abortion showdown with the Supreme Court. If this bill is being drafted as to be unconstitutional, and the legislature is going to pass it, knowing full well it's unconstitutional, with it's only purpose being to draw the challenge and then see if it will be made constitutional by the Supreme Court, I think upon passage of the bill the entire Ohio Legislature should be dissolved and elections held. To do something like that is to pervert the legislative, and quite possibly the judicial, process in my opinion. Now, if this bill actually has useful merits and wasn't actually designed strictly as a challenge to Roe v. Wade, then the legislature can keep their seats, although I might recommend each of them be seated with warming pads set at 90 degrees Celsius.
Oh, yes. And another reason why No Child Left Behind sucks - it lets the military gain access to every high schooler's name, address, phone number, and all their permanent record and test score data. They'll figure out who's a likely candidate for the military and try to pressure them into throwing their life away. (I have the utmost respect for people who willingly go into military service, mind you. But I'm beginning to suspect that a large number of military recruits weren't told the whole truth, were pressured into making a decision, or the military has no intent of ever settling accounts with them until they come home with a flag on their coffin. Which may be the only thing the military decides to give their family.)
Not to mention things going on in my own state. Here's a question: What do you do, as a Legislature, if your state board of canvassers listens to protests about the language of a proposed affirmative-action banning ballot initiative? This same initiative has some groups are claiming the petition circulators lied to people about the intent of the petition to get their signatures on. These groups challenged the validity of the signatures and were largely rebuffed. There has been a court order handed down that the initiative must be put on the ballot. (I don't remember whether the order said anything about the specific language to be used in the initiative). Got your answer? Good. If you're Michigan's Legislature, you draft a bill to dissolve the board of canvassers and force the two Democrats to resign, all in the name of "taking partisan politics out of things". There are currently two Republicans and two Democrats on the Board of Canvassers.
But government is not the only thing that's been batshit-insane today - apparently a hospital in Florida told a woman she'd have to sue them to get the records of why she became a quadruple amputee after checking in and giving birth to her child. (Something about "other patients records" being involved, and thus things like HIPAA applying) If there are other people involved, that suggests something seriously wrong. Still, it's like saying "Uhh... we accidentally replaced your son's heart with a potato. He has three seconds to live. But we can't tell you how it happened."
Last frothing rant for tonight - there was a piece in the student newspaper's weekend magazine about a guy who was part of the College Republicans. He put in a day in his life, in his own words, and it sounded somewhat surreal. His first mistake was casting himself in the "poor oppressed conservative on a hateful liberal campus" role, which soured me immediately to his description. He seemed to take delight in the repeated times that he was heckled and harassed for being a conservative, apparently having his intelligence called into question by other students on campus many times because of his shirt professing his preferences. I'd like to think that the average student on this campus is better than that, but I've seen enough from both sides to know it's quite possible that did happen. It still doesn't endear me to him much, though. He was similarly dismissive of his professor for making Bush jokes as he was to the campus news for not printing anything resembling a similar opinion of his. His account was even complete with a finding of a fellow disciple of Conservatism, and being told that it was nice, because she felt ostracized for being a conservative. A very nice, compact account of the "poor conservative". To which I cry bullshit. Some people may be immature, but it's not like this campus is actively telling you "No, you can't go here, you're conservative. No, you're wrong, you conservative. Categorically wrong, because I say so and I don't have to accept any of your arguments if they're not convenient for me to twist. I only see you as a stereotype, conservative." I wonder if he'd have the same snarl about politics were it Clinton jokes being made. But don't take my word for it. Read his account yourself, and tell me whether I'm off-base in thinking he's overreacting. I wonder if he'd fit right in with the UCLAprofs group, who are, in their own words, exposing UCLA's Radical Professors, constructing profiles of the liberal professors and offering students money to tape/transcribe lectures of the suspected terror-- professors. There are probably quite a few firmly entrenched conservatives in teaching and administration positions. If the liberal view outnumbers them, perhaps there is something fundamentally liberalizing of the political viewpoint about giving instruction to students. At all levels, teachers are supposed to instruct their students in their subject, but also to prepare them for the world. Leaving out and not acknowledging things in the world that affect them is useless and detrimental to the student population. We have much more time to spend out in the world than we do in the classroom. So long as the professor is also teaching their subject and doing it well, having and expressing a political view is not something to be frowned at. Most of the professors are also quite willing to take up the discussion with you - perhaps not on class time, but somewhere else. So when this article writer asks "Is there a reason why politics should be brought up in an aerospace class?" I'd say, "Yeah. Because learning doesn't stop outside the classroom." (Bit of a non-sequitur, admittedly, but it encapsulates the idea best for me.) If you like, I can say, "Because if you expect that everyone at your workplace will leave their politics out of the workplace, you're crazy." Either way, the "pity me, for I am an oppressed conservative" shtick is something I want to spit fire at them for.
Okay. Rant mode done.
There were some good things, today, though. A short discussion of Girl Genius in #fleet touched off inspiration inloweko's head, and before we blinked three times, we'd made an entire Jungle Explorer-type movie, complete with Prussian Barons with More Money, Legions, and Zeppelins than God, Dark Goddesses of the Jungle, Secret Societies with London Offices (The Brotherhood of the Lame - I'll be Chief Priest for that), Square-Jawed American Pilots (who happen to be ancestors of Square-Jawed American Atomic Rocketship Pilots), Angsthotep, the mummy, Salty Sea Dogs with paddleships, plenty of stereotypical Information-and-other-things-Dealing Darkies, plenty of Strange and Exotic Monsters (possibly with a trainer), Bankers Without a Clue, Local Scholars (who are a little too knowledgeable) and a Dashing Young English Hero with his somewhat less charming Rival/Partner (who sets the whole thing off when his Mentor gets axed by the Brotherhood of the Lame for bringing home a very valuable object to us) It was a riot to watch unfold. If we actually had money, time, and the facilities, I think we'd turn it out on the cheap.
Also, finished and turned in a project - hope that it's good enough to make the grade. One more paper due up for next Thursday, along with doing readings and writings and stuff. Going to go see the professor on her office hours on Monday for help on the paper, and possibly to meet, too, with my group so that we can figure out how to lead the discussions. Although if I'm doing that, that means I'm spending a lot of Sunday and Monday reading. Blech. Not that it matters. So, now far too late in the morning, I go to bed.
Warning - frothing rants, links the government would rather you didn't see, and other wonderful things to draw Big Brother's Eyes contained within. If you don't want to be associated with liberals (terrorists), then you can stop now.
There was plenty to parade around today on the War on Civil Liberties front.
przxqgl's "I am a Terrorist" tags are great for catching up on the latest in Bush-boneheadedness. In addition to the possibly fabricated bin Laden tape to distract people, Bush was illegally wiretapping before 11 September 2001, of which there is a 1972 Supreme Court decision explicitly stating the Executive does not have the power to conduct warrantless wiretaps. We've had enough evidence to make serious inquiries into the President's actions. It's time to draft articles of impeachment and make a very full investigation. If the investigations confirm even fractions of what we've heard, then the requirement of "high crimes and misdemeanors" has already been fulfilled many times over. There's also this bit about why neo-conservative tactics don't work for liberals. (Because many people don't buy it when a liberal makes a reference to an ideology, but will swallow it whole if a conservative does - especially if it has the name "God".) Apparently, neoconservative reality-making is the standard anymore - if they don't want to hear it, they don't have to, and nothing you say can convince them that you're right. The article itself is actually about the wiretapping fiasco, and why people seem so eager to sign over their privacy in return for a sursanure. (There. Now I know that I'm safe. Polysyllabic arcane word. Either that, or I just threw up a red flag.) Speaking of Bush's idiocy, not only does he claim to speak for the country, but he also claims to speak for his wife, saying for her that she's not interested in politics. What a dick... oh, wait, that's his vice president.
Ohio's legislature has taken a strong foot forward, setting themselves up for an abortion showdown with the Supreme Court. If this bill is being drafted as to be unconstitutional, and the legislature is going to pass it, knowing full well it's unconstitutional, with it's only purpose being to draw the challenge and then see if it will be made constitutional by the Supreme Court, I think upon passage of the bill the entire Ohio Legislature should be dissolved and elections held. To do something like that is to pervert the legislative, and quite possibly the judicial, process in my opinion. Now, if this bill actually has useful merits and wasn't actually designed strictly as a challenge to Roe v. Wade, then the legislature can keep their seats, although I might recommend each of them be seated with warming pads set at 90 degrees Celsius.
Oh, yes. And another reason why No Child Left Behind sucks - it lets the military gain access to every high schooler's name, address, phone number, and all their permanent record and test score data. They'll figure out who's a likely candidate for the military and try to pressure them into throwing their life away. (I have the utmost respect for people who willingly go into military service, mind you. But I'm beginning to suspect that a large number of military recruits weren't told the whole truth, were pressured into making a decision, or the military has no intent of ever settling accounts with them until they come home with a flag on their coffin. Which may be the only thing the military decides to give their family.)
Not to mention things going on in my own state. Here's a question: What do you do, as a Legislature, if your state board of canvassers listens to protests about the language of a proposed affirmative-action banning ballot initiative? This same initiative has some groups are claiming the petition circulators lied to people about the intent of the petition to get their signatures on. These groups challenged the validity of the signatures and were largely rebuffed. There has been a court order handed down that the initiative must be put on the ballot. (I don't remember whether the order said anything about the specific language to be used in the initiative). Got your answer? Good. If you're Michigan's Legislature, you draft a bill to dissolve the board of canvassers and force the two Democrats to resign, all in the name of "taking partisan politics out of things". There are currently two Republicans and two Democrats on the Board of Canvassers.
But government is not the only thing that's been batshit-insane today - apparently a hospital in Florida told a woman she'd have to sue them to get the records of why she became a quadruple amputee after checking in and giving birth to her child. (Something about "other patients records" being involved, and thus things like HIPAA applying) If there are other people involved, that suggests something seriously wrong. Still, it's like saying "Uhh... we accidentally replaced your son's heart with a potato. He has three seconds to live. But we can't tell you how it happened."
Last frothing rant for tonight - there was a piece in the student newspaper's weekend magazine about a guy who was part of the College Republicans. He put in a day in his life, in his own words, and it sounded somewhat surreal. His first mistake was casting himself in the "poor oppressed conservative on a hateful liberal campus" role, which soured me immediately to his description. He seemed to take delight in the repeated times that he was heckled and harassed for being a conservative, apparently having his intelligence called into question by other students on campus many times because of his shirt professing his preferences. I'd like to think that the average student on this campus is better than that, but I've seen enough from both sides to know it's quite possible that did happen. It still doesn't endear me to him much, though. He was similarly dismissive of his professor for making Bush jokes as he was to the campus news for not printing anything resembling a similar opinion of his. His account was even complete with a finding of a fellow disciple of Conservatism, and being told that it was nice, because she felt ostracized for being a conservative. A very nice, compact account of the "poor conservative". To which I cry bullshit. Some people may be immature, but it's not like this campus is actively telling you "No, you can't go here, you're conservative. No, you're wrong, you conservative. Categorically wrong, because I say so and I don't have to accept any of your arguments if they're not convenient for me to twist. I only see you as a stereotype, conservative." I wonder if he'd have the same snarl about politics were it Clinton jokes being made. But don't take my word for it. Read his account yourself, and tell me whether I'm off-base in thinking he's overreacting. I wonder if he'd fit right in with the UCLAprofs group, who are, in their own words, exposing UCLA's Radical Professors, constructing profiles of the liberal professors and offering students money to tape/transcribe lectures of the suspected terror-- professors. There are probably quite a few firmly entrenched conservatives in teaching and administration positions. If the liberal view outnumbers them, perhaps there is something fundamentally liberalizing of the political viewpoint about giving instruction to students. At all levels, teachers are supposed to instruct their students in their subject, but also to prepare them for the world. Leaving out and not acknowledging things in the world that affect them is useless and detrimental to the student population. We have much more time to spend out in the world than we do in the classroom. So long as the professor is also teaching their subject and doing it well, having and expressing a political view is not something to be frowned at. Most of the professors are also quite willing to take up the discussion with you - perhaps not on class time, but somewhere else. So when this article writer asks "Is there a reason why politics should be brought up in an aerospace class?" I'd say, "Yeah. Because learning doesn't stop outside the classroom." (Bit of a non-sequitur, admittedly, but it encapsulates the idea best for me.) If you like, I can say, "Because if you expect that everyone at your workplace will leave their politics out of the workplace, you're crazy." Either way, the "pity me, for I am an oppressed conservative" shtick is something I want to spit fire at them for.
Okay. Rant mode done.
There were some good things, today, though. A short discussion of Girl Genius in #fleet touched off inspiration in
loweko's head, and before we blinked three times, we'd made an entire Jungle Explorer-type movie, complete with Prussian Barons with More Money, Legions, and Zeppelins than God, Dark Goddesses of the Jungle, Secret Societies with London Offices (The Brotherhood of the Lame - I'll be Chief Priest for that), Square-Jawed American Pilots (who happen to be ancestors of Square-Jawed American Atomic Rocketship Pilots), Angsthotep, the mummy, Salty Sea Dogs with paddleships, plenty of stereotypical Information-and-other-things-Dealing Darkies, plenty of Strange and Exotic Monsters (possibly with a trainer), Bankers Without a Clue, Local Scholars (who are a little too knowledgeable) and a Dashing Young English Hero with his somewhat less charming Rival/Partner (who sets the whole thing off when his Mentor gets axed by the Brotherhood of the Lame for bringing home a very valuable object to us) It was a riot to watch unfold. If we actually had money, time, and the facilities, I think we'd turn it out on the cheap.Also, finished and turned in a project - hope that it's good enough to make the grade. One more paper due up for next Thursday, along with doing readings and writings and stuff. Going to go see the professor on her office hours on Monday for help on the paper, and possibly to meet, too, with my group so that we can figure out how to lead the discussions. Although if I'm doing that, that means I'm spending a lot of Sunday and Monday reading. Blech. Not that it matters. So, now far too late in the morning, I go to bed.
