Sunpony's LJ!

I Can't Believe This is Happening (Graphic, Read With Caution)

2007-06-13T22:12:34Z

"They're Everywhere" just doesn't cover it.

I'm in the bathroom up on the top floor, looking out over the Commons through broken windows. Carefully looking. I think their vision is lousy but I can't take any chances. The last chance I took got two people, well, not killed, but worse than killed. I still can't get that high school kid out of my head. He took a bullet for one of them, his mom I think, and by the time they got to him he was back up and joining them. She was my fault too; I was shoving one of them back and he landed on her unconscious body. She got up missing an ear and an eye, and leapt on top of one of the German tourists I was trying to get into the store. The boy and his Mom are like a tag-team out there now. One of her legs got crippled when one victim buried a busted broom handle into her knee, so now he runs them down and she catches up and takes a share like a cadeverous lioness. The goths who used to hang out on the Pavilion are wandering aimlessly, sometimes stopping at a corpse stripped to the bones and dropping down to nuzzle a fragment of flesh from the remains. There are maybe thirty or so unmoving corpses, and maybe twice that still moving.

Yeah, THAT's what's going on.

They aren't slow, and they don't just take a bite. They rip their victims apart, shred flesh with inhuman strength. I never thought I'd write THAT line, but that's what it is; a man in a blood-soaked suit grabbed a woman's shoulder and pulled the skin right down past the elbow. They can tell a deader from one of them; if a victim starts twitching, they back off. Apparently, they aren't into strict cannibalism. . . .

I want to laugh, but I think a few are out in the big room; I shouldn't even be typing on this stolen laptop, but I am hoping someone sees this and knows that we are here, still alive. The barricade out front just could not hold; once they broke the display windows it was over. We couldn't patch all the gaps. Earlier we tried to break out, running out towards an idling bus in a wedge. 24 people went out, 11 came back in. Everything we do fails. Even our plan for what to do when they got in broke down: everyone just ran, including me. It's hard to not flee after a few hours of watching neighbors rending each other apart and slurping down the entrails of screaming victims. They have no emotion except when they eat; then, a sort of feral joy creeps over their faces. They pause and enjoy the moment. And then, you find out why they are so voracious: their stomaches rumble, their flesh flushes and seems to be invigorated, and then they shit out a brownish mess of partially-digested human. And then they are off looking for more.

Three of us are left in the building: Heather made it to the crow's nest and managed to wedge a desk in the stairwell, but I can hear it creaking, even this far away. I hope she remembers to go out the office window and over the roof, and I hope that they haven't figured out how to climb anything other than stairs. In the fire escape stairwell a young man with dreadlocks and a torn white t-shirt (he literally lost his pants getting away from one of them, and chose a bad day to go commando) has wedged the ladders against the doors, but for him there is no way out. I can hear them pounding on the doors and making the whole stairwell ring with howls and crashing blows. I can hear a high, insane giggling rise up over the din; sounds like he is not taking his impending sorta-death very well.

I wonder how I'll take it when they finally find me.

If I sound blithe, it is the only way I can deal with some of this. I can't take it all in; this is not supposed to happen. The initial reports were vague; it sounded like a bizarre sort of rioting. But there seemed to be a news blackout or something, because any reporter sent to one of the scenes stopped reporting pretty quickly. By early afternoon, as the rain from the south came, we began to learn that something was seriously wrong. But then it was too late. The rain came, tawny, fetid, acrid drops falling suddenly and completely in a downpour that lasted less than a minute. But all it took were a few drops, and your boyfriend was gorging on your neck and your lunch buddy was tearing open your hips to get to the juicy stuff. Just like that: I was selling someone a copy of The Fountainhead, looked up to see the necrotic deluge fall, and watched two people turn to the folks next to them and start feasting. I got the doors closed, and in less than a minute they were throwing themselves against the glass. A couple of the customers helped me push display cases and bookshelves against the doors, and less than four minutes after the rainfall we were huddled in the area where the registers used to be wondering what the fuck to do.

When I say that they're everywhere, it's not that they came in droves out of nowhere, it is not just that they are now in the building hunting, knocking down doors, feeding, crapping out the effluent of other humans. They are everywhere because you can hear them, smell them, and out of the corner of your eye see then all around. Even in this small room I jump at any noise or movement. A buzzing fly startles me; a creaking window frame makes me burst briefly into tears. They are always just along the edge of your vision. And I think they are inside us too; I have watched people do things in the past few hours that must come from whatever corruption started this. I watched a woman decapitate her healthy husband when he suggested they commit suicide. . . and then fall on the sword she had killed him with, the one he had fished out of the window of the head shop. I heard a noise in the bathroom and a couple of us burst in to find three guys pinning a female one down and . . . well, doing things they deserved to be eaten for.

I won't talk about what we did to them, or the rest of it.

I can't write anymore; I can hear scratching at the door. Again, top floor bathroom. If you approach from outside, signal and I will drop down on a bundle of wires I've fixed to the big industrial sink in here. I just want to go. Please let me go. . . .

Okay, NOW are people worried?!?!?!

2006-05-11T13:56:42Z

NSA collecting phone call data on Americans. . . with the full complicity of the telecom corps. These are DOMESTIC calls, and not of people suspected of terrorist or other criminal activity. This has been going on for the past several years under Air Force Gen. Michael Hayden, who is now up for director of the CIA. And the NSA could be sharing this info with other agencies, without informing people that their records are being shared.

PLEASE, someone tell me that his worries them!!!

How Not to COPE with the Internet

2006-05-11T12:48:42Z

I was talking to my friend CardWizard yesterday and he told me a bit about a new bill wending its way through Congress called the COPE Act, which stands for "Communications Opportunity, Promotion, and Enhancement Act of 2006." Perhaps not surprisingly, the opportunity, promotion, and enhancement are all for major telecom corporations to gain more profit from and control of content on the Internet. My friend was telling me about how it will demolish electronic publishing for small publishers (such as himself), but there are lot of other ramifications as well. So, I did some pokin' around, and came up with some useful information on the Act. Common Cause has a summary and useful information on the bill. Here is another summary from the Technology Law Journal, which is somewhat more neutral in its summary, but does provide this gem: "This policy statement relates to guaranteeing for consumers the freedom to use their internet connections to access some of the content, use some of the applications, and attach some of the devices, that they choose." The Association for Community Networks also has information and a lot of good links and recommended actions.

As FreeMarketNews.com put it:

"COPE ACT MOVES FORWARD
Monday, May 01, 2006 - FreeMarketNews.com

Federal legislation to change the way the Internet works as we know it made another step towards becoming a law. Last week a House Committee voted 42 to 12 in favor of the Communications Opportunity Promotion and Enhancement (COPE) Act and simultaneously voted against an amendment created to protect Internet user’s rights, according to Axcess News and other reports.

The COPE Act, which has been heavily lobbied for by big communications companies, would redefine the way that Internet Service Providers, communications companies, and customers transfer information between each other. It would allow large telecommunications companies to give preferential networking treatment to certain customers and for certain content, while also letting them charge extra fees for different customers. Up until now all Internet participants have given counter parties equal treatment. An amendment to the bill, known as the Net Neutrality Amendment, proposed to preserve equal treatment amongst Internet users. However it was voted down in a 34 to 22 decision. Consequently, if the bill becomes law large Internet companies will be given the power to decide which users receive access to information, and charge different fees for giving that access.

While the legislation is considered a big win for communications companies, it is considered a loss for everyone else that uses the Internet. It will likely pave the way for mass distributions of commercial data such as standardized video feeds. However, critics of the COPE Act argue that it will create an unstable Internet in which everything is either commercialized or considered second class. At the will of large corporations, small companies and users sharing controversial information or trying to express freedom of speech may find themselves blocked out of the Internet altogether."

As far as I can tell, this bill is all about ceding control of the net to telecom corporations so that they can squeeze as much money out of consumers as possible. Congressman Ed Markey tried to put in an amendment preserving net neutrality, but it looks like it got shot down in committee.

Some companies, such as EarthLink, have come out in favor of the bill. In a statement by XVP Christopher Putala, I found on Yahoo Finance, he says: "EarthLink applauds today's action by the House Energy and Commerce Committee to ensure the continued growth of municipal Wi-Fi networks throughout the United States by rejecting efforts that would have restricted municipal networks in more than a dozen states.

The Communications Opportunity, Promotion and Enhancement (COPE) act of 2006 is a win for cities and towns that want to build these wireless networks for their residents, businesses and government agencies and helps ensure a competitive marketplace for broadband services."

The most important thing is to let people know about this bill, which seems to be pretty hidden in the major media, and to act if you disagree with its provisions. Common Cause has a page with a sample letter on it that may be useful for mining for info for a leter of your own; it is here. My take on it is that it will give corporations a free hand to determine what consumers can see and do on the internet. This is probably not a good thing. . . . I think I will be writing a letter or two today. . . .

Because I had to know. . . .

2006-01-27T19:52:54Z

I am 56.21302% Geek, and thus an Extreme Geek!

Here is the test!

A few things what are up

2006-01-27T15:50:56Z

Mmmm. . . mangled syntax!

I am feeling a little addled this morning, but I wanted to post and let folks know what's going on, in random, yet numbered, fashion:

1) Last Sunday, part of the ceiling to our bathroom caved in. dansr was showering and a chunk of drywall plunked into the tub behind her. We have shucked it out and are cleaning up and putting plastic over the whole, but we are going to need a roofer to come and check it out. We are working on finding a good person for this job. Guh.

2) My diss is making progress. With the help of my awesome friend thebiggest, I have divined a central point that pulls my diss together pretty tightly. I am envisioning a somewhat shorter, much more pointed project, and the opening chapters are coming together. Ahhhhh. . . . Even better, she is not going to far-off China for the semester, but will be coming back here, so we can work together. We have sketched out a schedule to produce defendable drafts by the end of March. I honestly, finally feel a glimmer of inspiration about my diss! I am even encouraged when I work on it, as it begins to become something pertinent and useful to read. YAHOOOOO!!!!

3) Our only working car is sad. It works, but it is sad. And we haven't the money to make it happy. Not sure what to do about this long-term, since we got the loan to buy it only 9 months ago. . . .

4) So, I am selling stuff on Ebay, and getting some money, enought to plug some holes. I will keep working on that, and keep whittling away at my gaming collection. At least my room is slowly clearing out.

5) Cats are out to get me. I left my office door open and one of them peed on a pile of Vampire cards and a D&D book. Grrrrrr. . . . I am now totally paranoid about my stuff. . . .

6) I am doing little bits of writing. No new work on the novel, but I am doing some good work on my Duncala campaign, and I have decided to run a sort of historical re-enactment for my game world at the next Get-Your-Geek-On-Athon, which is taking place on the 25th of February. Here is the blurb:

Game: True d20 (Blue Rose system, GM’s own world)
Name: John H. Stevens
Min/Ma # of Players: 4/8
Ages: 16+ preferred

Premise: In the Court of the Garnet Raven

It is the year 817 of the Auric calendar, and the end of a year of mourning and sacrifices for the dead Empress Despi Aura, daughter of the ascended Ontos Aurin, Emperor Deity of the Auric Empire.

The Thronewarden, Sire Piais T’yr the Clutching Claw, must now step down from stewarding the Demon-Maw Throne and pass it on to his half-nephew, Jussin Llaric, daemonkin godling and grandson of Ontos. But according to the edict of Ontos himself, only one Imperial Order can be the Gage of the Maw and follow a new Emperor to the throne in glory.

The Garnet Ravens held that position for centuries under Empress Despi, but who now can claim this position?

Players will take on the roles of confederates of the two orders, the Knights Voracious and the Incinerants Eclipsant, who now vie for this honor, which includes electing a regent to oversee the Empire for the young Emperor.

Which side can outwit, outmaneuver, and out-duel their foes to gain the esteem of the Garnet Ravens and the immature Emperor and become the most powerful Order in the Empire?

If anyone is interested in playing, you can go the GYGOathon section of the Forum at www.ithacagamers.com and check out the thread, where there will be more info soon. Thanks as always to judd_sonofbert for organizing this kewl event!

7) I have once again backed into a good assignment for the semester. The Dept. changed my TAship at the very last minute to a class that requires about 3-4 hours of work per week. I will be on retainer for other tasks, but this means I can work from home, keep taking care of the pup (she is HUGE!!!), and keep feeding my paycheck to the Bills Monster.

So, a mixed bag, but I am much less stressed about it than usual. I feel that, despite the stumbling blocks, things are gonna turn this year.

I hope that feeling continues!

Apparently. . .

2006-01-27T15:09:29Z

. . . I know less about beer than I thought, but a LOT more about liquor! Must be all that burgundy-cask Glenmorangie. . . .

And yes, I am alive. So is dansr.

Bourbon

Congratulations! You're 118 proof, with specific scores in beer (20) , wine (100), and liquor (113).

Screw all that namby-pamby chick stuff, you're going straight for the
bottle and a shot glass! It'll take more than a few shots of Wild
Turkey or 99 Bananas before you start seeing pink elephants. You know
how to handle your alcohol, and yourself at parties.

My test tracked 4 variables How you compared to other people your age and gender:

You scored higher than 33% on proof
You scored higher than 35% on beer index
You scored higher than 75% on wine index
You scored higher than 84% on liquor index

Link: The Alcohol Knowledge Test written by hoppersplit on Ok Cupid, home of the 32-Type Dating Test

A weird little meme. . .

2006-01-19T14:19:43Z

. . . in which I somehow tied for a spot on three crews, and had to answer a tiebreaker to get this answer:

You scored as Serenity (from Firefly). You like to live your own way and do not enjoy when anyone but a friend tries to tell you that you should do different. Now if only the Reavers would quit trying to skin you.

Coming on December 1, 2005:

Your Ultimate Sci-Fi Profile: which sci-fi crew would you best fit in? The Sequel

</td>

SG-1 (from Stargate)

81%

Moya (from Farscape)

81%

Serenity (from Firefly)

81%

Galactica (from Battlestar: Galactica)

69%

Enterprise D (from Star Trek)

63%

Millennium Falcon (from Star Wars)

63%

Nebuchadnezzar (from The Matrix)

56%

Bebop (from Cowboy Bebop)

44%

Which sci-fi crew would you best fit in? v1.0
created with QuizFarm.com

Cool, but strange.

Just call me Mr. Bummer. . . .

2006-01-18T15:09:32Z

Your 2005 Song Is

Boulevard of Broken Dreams by Green Day

"My shadow's the only one that walks beside me
My shallow heart's the only thing that's beating"

In 2005, you bummed everyone out. Like you care.

What Hit Song of 2005 Are You?

Um, huh?

2006-01-17T20:41:45Z

Androgynous
You scored 53 masculinity and 60 femininity!

You scored high on both masculinity and femininity. You have a strong
personality exhibiting characteristics of both traditional sex roles.

My test tracked 2 variables How you compared to other people your age and gender:

You scored higher than 26% on masculinity
You scored higher than 47% on femininity

Link: The Bem Sex Role Inventory Test written by weirdscience on OkCupid Free Online Dating, home of the 32-Type Dating Test

Okayyyy. . . . I was hoping for "metrosexual" personally. Today is the day of not getting the quiz results I really wanted. . . :-)!

Drat! I wanted to be Gnostic or Nestorian!!!

2006-01-17T15:24:13Z

You scored as Pelagianism. You are a Pelagian. You reject ideas about man's fallen human nature and believe that as a result we are able to fully obey God. You are the first Briton to contribute significantly to Christian thought, but you're still excommunicated in 417.

</td>

Pelagianism

67%

Socinianism

50%

Donatism

50%

Gnosticism

42%

Nestorianism

33%

Adoptionist

25%

Monophysitism

25%

Monarchianism

25%

Apollanarian

17%

Docetism

17%

Arianism

Albigensianism

Chalcedon compliant

Modalism

Are you a heretic?
created with QuizFarm.com

And just for fun. . .

2006-01-12T03:13:58Z

. . . a new icon! "With big, pointy teeth!"

Come and see the violence inherent in the system!

2006-01-12T03:07:05Z

BWAHAHAHAHAHA!!!

Because dansr would want me to. . .

2006-01-10T21:32:16Z

. . . I present the results of the following meme:

Which Fairytale Tarot card are you? MANY cards and great fairytale pictures.
brought to you by Quizilla

From corsetress:

2006-01-10T15:29:37Z

ELL ME ABOUT YOU

1. name:
2. birthday:
3. place of residence:
4. what makes you happy:
5. what are you listening to now/have listened to last:
6. an interesting fact about you:
7. are you in love/have a crush at the moment:
8. favourite place to be:
9. favourite lyric:
10. best time of the year:
11. best album of 2005:
12. where would you take me/where would you like me to take you on a date:

RECOMMEND
1. a film:
2. a book:
3. a band, a song and an album:

PLUS
1. one thing you like about me:
2. two things you like about yourself:
3. put this in your lj so i can tell you what i think of you.
4. POST A PICTURE OF YOU:

The quiz knows all!

2006-01-09T03:28:07Z

Snagged from kirvin3:

9/9 Genius
You are 82% knowledgable and 80% intellectual.

Amazing! You have an incredible brain (intellect) and a powerhouse of
information (knowledge)! Keep up the impressive work-- we all bow to
you.

My test tracked 2 variables How you compared to other people your age and gender:

You scored higher than 85% on knowledge
You scored higher than 32% on intellect

Link: The Knowledge vs. Intellect Test written by rattytintinface on Ok Cupid, home of the 32-Type Dating Test

Thinking About Worlds

2006-01-08T14:18:37Z

So, I had a meeting with my friend thebiggest the other day, so that we could go over some of our diss work together. Once that was done, we started chatting, and I found out that she has written a long journal entry about the theory of DMing that I had completely missed a few weeks ago! So, I just went and read it, and I urge those on her flist to do the same. It is a very thought-provoking discussion of how RPGing works.

She said several things that are making me seriously examine how I DM. Interestingly enough, this comes at a time when I am about to lose a third of my players in the Duncala campaign in one session (and one more in late February!). One of these characters is the key PC of the campaign, and I have been laboring over how to exit her from the game. Doing this has made me consider the direction of the campaign, and how to use the departure of these characters as an opportunity to re-ignite the campaign and bring less-involved players into the game dynamic. The question becomes: how simple or complex do I make this departure? I LOVE ramifications; it's a real kick to me to see how decisions and actions ripple across the fabric of a narrative and a game group. But sometimes, things just need to happen and resolve so that you can move on. The big question for me is: what is the best route to take for the game and the players?

I am off to ponder some more.

New Year, New Icon, New All Sorts of Stuff

2006-01-03T21:41:42Z

So another year begins, and we are on our way! Neither dansr nor I have been online much since a few days before Christmas; we have been enjoying each other's company and doing lots of useful things. Most of the downstairs of the house has been cleaned, sorted, and rearranged, and the same thing is happening to our offices. Dansr has done most of the work downstairs, and it is quite incredible.

We did not make any New Year's resolutions about such things; instead, we just went to it, knowing what we wanted to do. Same thing for weight loss; despite it being a time of gluttony and indolence, we both lost weight over the holidays. Of course, being dead-ass broke helps limit your food choices :-). I however was sure that I would gain since I messed up my hip while at my Mom's and spent most of the week unable to do much more than sit or lie down. Fortunately, I have mostly recovered, and had a lovely walk with Keeva this morning.

Our Christmas was good overall. We went to my Mom's and, despite the gaudiest white plastic tree I have ever seen, got into the spirit of the holiday pretty well. My mom is surviving, although I had to spend a full day reviewing her finances and reorganizing her bills. She is very lonely, pretty bored, and I am sure somewhat depressed. The season is a reminder to her of my father's absence, especially since the last holiday that he was alive we could not bring him home for the holiday. She is surviving, but not really thriving.

I will not bore y'all with the list of presents (my apologies to thebiggest for doing so earlier in the week), but we gave and received some nice things. Dinner was a great lasagna that, while it irritated my holiday palate a bit, was delicious and much easier than with all the holiday trim. The time there was a little odd, but it really cheered my mom up. Keeva was super-good; I have never seen her so well-behaved! She even spent an afternoon with my dog-hating mom and was quiet and obediant. Weird. . . .

Anyway, just a little post for now. Perhaps more later in the week as time permits. I have a submission to finish for my diss and lots more tossing out of useless stuff to do! I just wanted to let folks know that I was alive, and show off my spiffy new icon!! This is from a montage that Dansr made in grade school of desert animals; when I saw the tertel, I knew it had to be an icon! :-)

May blessings fall on us all in this new year.

Am I off-base here?

2005-12-22T14:45:35Z

So, this whole thing with the President and spying has popped up in all sorts of places. One of them is a listserve called "warriornet," which back in the late '90s was a great source for discussion of indigenous rights issues. I posted a number of my reports from the field on the list, and it was a very useful medium for networking with activists. In the past few years, the list manager has been chronically ill, and the list has very little traffic now. And when there is traffic, usually one or two people get snippy and shut down the discussion.

Yesterday someone posted about the current controversy over the President's surveillance program, and one of the snipers responded somewhat patronizingly. So, I foolishly got into the debate, and First, this is the post from yesterday afternoon that started the ball rolling. eZ was responding to someone who posted about what Conyers is doing in Congress:

> Evan: case law on the NSA is pretty well set. if Conyers listens to
> Boxer
> and Schumer on this impeachment gaffe he will reap a whirlwind. does the
> political Left read anything but "opinions" when it comes to
> Constitutional law and
> the executive branch? you crack me up, dude.
>
> eZ

So I responded:

> In a message dated 12/21/2005 1:31:05 PM Pacific Standard Time,
> jhs14@cornell.edu writes:
> Well, I for one would be interested in an explanation of this, since the
> last time I checked the President was not allowed to supercede the courts
> and permit spying on individuals domestically.
>
> Cheers,
>
> J

His counter was:

> and you checked this where? i'll spare my fingers and mouse from clicking
> this subject to death. if you care to alter your information inflow about
> what
> the President did and did not do, go to www.powerlineblog.com.
>
> non-alcoholic salutation,
>
> eZ
>

My response last night:

Hey eZ:

Well, I checked this in the Findlaw archives, in www.senate.gov, pulled
some stuff from a few sources in my library's electronic archives, and
yes, even read some human rights discussion about this subject. Heck, I
even used Google! I did not just slavishly follow one blog's party line.
I even read the actual opinion that the powerlineblog cites. It's very
funny how the bloggers pull the statement about presidential authority out
of a larger decision that is not actually about the president's authority,
but about problems of case precedent in a decision by FISA to put
restrictions on a warrant THAT WAS ASKED FOR BY THE FBI, in line with the
legislation that created FISA in the first place.

The referenced review is about inconsistencies in case precedent not
providing sufficient substantiation for FISA's decision to restrict the
FBI's warrant. More than once the review discusses problems with
jurisprudence on the matter, and acknowledges that the post-9/11 landscape
has created some issues. For example, wholesale, extended electronic
surveillance is not the same as a physical search, and in the review
itself the writer acknowledges that electronic surveillance is much more
intrusive to one's privacy. In the end, the decision allowed the FBI an
unrestricted warrant, a decision that is considered by some frothing
liberal groups such as the American Bar Association to be controversial.

So, pulling a few lines out of a single court decision to do things like
pester a New York Times reporter (which is basically what one of the
bloggers did) is not my idea of getting to the heart, or the complexity,
of the matter. Even if we just take this statement at face value, the
President's "authority" is never absolute, and it seems pretty certain
that this program exceeds his Article II powers. Checks and balances are
supposed to be in place even in the exercise of Presidential authority.
The FISA review case was not a defense of this, but a review of the very
system put in place to restrain government encroachment on civil
liberties. What brought this review about in the first place was the
destabilization of the FISA legislation by the Patriot Act and its
combination of excesses and incongruities with existing legislation.

Such a case seems like a poor source for substantiating the President's
power to grant the NSA surveillance powers over American citizens in the
US, and most likely will not provide sufficient defense for his actions.

Slan,

J

His retort to this was:

> In a message dated 12/21/2005 8:07:57 PM Pacific Standard Time,
> I did not just slavishly follow one blog's party line.
> I even read the actual opinion that the powerlineblog cites.
> oh no, of course not. as a soon to be neutered doctoral candidate you
> wouldn't do anything that could be construed as slavishly following
> anything now
> could you?
>
> ambiguity favors the President.
>
> next.
>
> eZ
>

My response earlier this morning:

Wow. You just cannot countenance anyone disagreeing with you, can you? Thanks for taking the time to "respond" to what I said, and prove my precise point at the same time. In regards to your need to resort to insults, all you do is demonstrate what a snippy little list-troll you are. I would be offended, but I'm not even sure what a "soon to be neutered (sic) doctoral candidate" is. Given your responses, I will in the future treat your posts with the same level of respect.

Slan,

J

This is it for me, in terms of responding to this guy. I have made my point, he apparently can't engage it, and that's about it.

So, my question is, did I over-react? Was I off-base? Does what I said not make sense? I'm just looking for other opinions about this. No one else on the list responded (which is typical when this guy hops on), so I'm curious how this discussion looks to others.

A first step towards making the Administration accountable

2005-12-21T19:01:02Z

This article from Democracy Now discusses the latest developments in the spying case, and also summarizes John Conyers' efforts to get a censure procedure rolling again Bush and Cheney. Check out the website linked at the end of the article if you are interested in hearing more about this effort.

It is time. . .

2005-12-21T14:40:24Z

. . . to start bugging our elected officials to, for once, do the right thing when those deluded with power decide that they can whatever the hell they feel like.

I urge folks to read

The following OpEd comes from Marty Luster, Tompkins County (NY) former
Assemblyman for 14 years, on why *now* is the time we must work for Bush's
impeachment. But first, a few ideas from Jane Marie Law.

IMPEACHMENT: Making the idea stick

We need to get the idea of impeachment out into the world. People need to see the
word, not just hear Fox news spin it away. The president admitted yesterday and
over the weekend to an impeachable offense: spying on Americans without any
clearance whatsoever, in spite of the fact that FISA clearance is easy to get.

Here is what to do; thanks to Kagro X on Daily KOS and The Last Hurrah for the idea;
see his post, with links at: http://www.dailykos.com/story/2005/12/19/17374/325#332

Print a sign on your computer with the word IMPEACH on it. Upsize the font as big
as you can. print it out.Put it on your door, on a vending machine, anywhere people
will see it. Put it on your backpack as you walk to work.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ENOUGH
from Marty Luster

As if the lies that took us to Iraq were not enough. As if the knowing use of bad
intelligence wasn’t enough. As if the ever- shifting justifications for this war
were not enough. As if the use of torture by and at the behest of the U.S. was not
enough. As if the disclosure of classified information to retaliate against a
critic of the war policy was not enough. As if the shroud of secrecy that binds
this administration was not enough. As if the squandering of hundreds of billions
of dollars in support of this war at a time when we can’t find the money to
rebuild one of our great cities, when millions of us go without health care and
when the federal government has reneged on its commitment to public education was
not enough. Now, after all that, now we have the disclosure that the president
personally ordered and continues to order the interception of telephone and email
communications of thousands of U.S. citizens and residents on U.S. soil without
search warrants, withou
t court
authorization of any sort and without any basis in the constitution or laws of this
land.

Now we have had enough.

The president has defended his action in signing repeated executive orders
directing the spying upon U.S. citizens by his National Security Agency on the
ground that such activities are only used in cases were the subject has a “known
link” to terrorist organizations abroad. However, he is silent when it comes to
identifying the process for determining if a subject of eavesdropping is part of
such link and he is infuriatingly vague when challenged on the legal and
constitutional authority for those actions. He has assured us that his actions are
both legal and protective of our civil liberties, but somehow many Americans, of
all political parties, take little comfort in those assurances.

That discomfort is not only warranted by this president’s history of deception,
distortion and manipulation, it is compounded by the outright obfuscation of his
fast-taking secretary of state. When asked on “Meet the Press” on December 18 for
the legal basis for the president’s actions, Ms. Rice offered, in her usual glib
and slick manner, the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA). Based upon
that response, one might expect to find in that legislation some clear directive
that permits the president to spy upon U.S. citizens in the U.S. Surely Attorney
General Gonzales, and before him, Attorney General Ashcroft, as well as ace
presidential counsel, former Supreme Court nominee Harriet Myers, studied FISA, or
at least looked at it, before advising the president that he was free to look at
our emails and listen to our telephone conversations without the inconvenience of
applying for a court order permitting such intrusions. Sadly, it appears that that
was not the case.

FISA was enacted in 1978 in reaction to the over-reaching of the federal
government in spying on Americans during the Viet Nam War. Its purpose was to
erect a “wall’ between criminal prosecution, on the one hand, and the collection
of ‘foreign intelligence” on the other. The asserted reason for this distinction
is that in criminal prosecutions the Fourth Amendment’s prohibition against a
search or seizure without a court ordered warrant controls, whereas, in
non-criminal intelligence operations, the bounds of the Fourth Amendment are less
clear. Instead of a warrant executed by the usual court having jurisdiction, FISA
established a secret court to review the Attorney General’s applications for
authorization of electronic surveillance targeted at foreign intelligence
information. These applications come nowhere close to the detailed and
well-established standards for the issuance of search warrants (e.g., there is no
requirement for a finding of “probable cause”), they are
processed secretly and are sealed from public view.

As bad as FISA might be from a civil liberties perspective and as dubious as its
constitutionality may be in particular cases, nowhere does FISA permit the
interception of any telephonic or electronic communication within the U.S.
without, at the very least, a FISA court authorization. This president has, at
worst, ordered the circumvention of our constitutional protection against
unreasonable searches and seizures and its insistence that no warrants be issued
except upon probable cause, and at best, directed, by executive order, the clear
violation of the minimal protections of FISA in intelligence gathering cases. In
doing so he has violated his oath of office by failing to “preserve, protect and
defend” our Constitution and has violated the law of this land by ignoring the
strictures and limits of FISA.

The House of Representatives and the Senate have both begun to show in recent
weeks an ability to look beyond partisan struggles when confronted by an arrogant,
messianic and dishonest president. They have refused to extend the USA Patriot Act
without significant changes. They have, despite the president’s VETO threat,
insisted upon a clear prohibition of the use of torture by our government. They
have resisted his cuts in basic governmental services to finance the president’s
tax cuts for the wealthy. They have (so far) refused the president’s demand to
savage the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. And, most significantly, leaders of
both parties have expressed their shock and outrage at George Bush’s orders to his
agencies to spy upon fellow Americans.

This presidency has three more years to run. We cannot afford to wait that long
for a change in leadership. We can no longer risk our values, our history and our
liberty.
We have, finally, had enough.

It’s time for Congress to begin proceedings under Article II, Section 4 of the
Constitution to impeach and remove George W. Bush and his Vice President from
office.
Marty Luster and seriously consider what he is saying. What Bush did is, despite all the spin his minions are perpetrating, a crime, and it is seriously time for him to be held accountable. If we can impeach a president for a fling with an intern, we can impeach one who has seriously eroded our civil liberties and ignored the laws that check his power.

Memeing

2005-12-20T18:49:16Z

FOUR JOBS YOU'VE HAD IN YOUR LIFE:
1. Plumber's Assistant
2. Dry Cleaner
3. Pizza Chef
4. Research Assistant

FOUR MOVIES YOU COULD (AND DO!) WATCH OVER AND OVER:
1. THe Fellowship of the Ring
2. Dodgeball
3. Armageddon (no, I don't know why!!)
4. Mystery Men

FOUR CITIES YOU'VE LIVED IN:
1. Dunbarton, NH
2. Boston, MA
3. Spiddal, Co, Galway, Ireland
4. Spokane, WA

FOUR TV SHOWS YOU LOVE TO WATCH:
1. CSI
2. Simpsons
3. World Series of Poker
4. Good Eats

FOUR PLACES YOU'VE BEEN ON VACATION:
1. Toronto, Canada
2. Western Ireland
3. Scottish Lowlands
4. Lake George, NY

FOUR WEBSITES YOU VISIT DAILY:
1. LJ
2. Ebay.com
3. Yahoo.com (mail)
4. CNN.com

FOUR OF YOUR FAVORITE FOODS:
1. colcannon
2. applesauce
3. Oreos
4. super nachos

FOUR PLACES I'D RATHER BE RIGHT NOW:
1.No idea!

Riffing off a post from thebiggest . . .

2005-12-19T20:59:27Z

. . . I present to you more fun facts about recent developments in civil rights and American jurisprudence.

My friend TheBiggest posted a brief story from Democracy Now in her journal about a troubling provision of the recently voted-on Senate torture legislation. Basically, the Senate voted to remove certain basic protections from Gitmo detainees as part of a ban on "torture." For the full story take a look at this. This story from Human Rights Watch fills in a few more details. Joanna Mariner, the deputy director of the Americas division of HRW, published an opinion here that talks a bit more about the legal background and ramifications. Her Findlaw column has a lot of good perspective on a number of recent human rights issues related to the so-called war on terrorism.

The Graham-Levin Amendment seriously undermines the value of any renunciation of torture that the larger provision asserts. It is sad that there is so much struggle over denouncing torture and inhumane treatment of prisoners, and that despite all this debate hundreds of prisoners still suffer at the hands of the U.S. government.

The 20 Questions Thing. . .

2005-12-19T20:27:59Z

. . . because, well, why not?

20 Questions, Courtesy of contentedmoo and tidewatcher:

1. IF YOU COULD BUILD A SECOND HOUSE ANYWHERE, WHERE WOULD IT BE?

Ireland. No doubt. If Eire was full then Scotland. I would not build a house, I would buy something old that is already there. Even a summer cottage on Inish Mor would work for me.

2. WHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE ARTICLE OF CLOTHING?

Currently my new barn coat. It is quite warm and manly. In general, my earth wizard T-shirt is my fave, but right now the coat wins out.

3. THE LAST CD YOU BOUGHT?

Wow, it's been some time since I did that! I think it was The Young and the Hopeless by Good Charlotte.

4. MORNING OR NIGHT?

Morning.

5. WHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE KITCHEN APPLIANCE?

Feh!! Appliances!! Who cares about appliances? The stove is useful because then I can use one of my nice pans to make dinner. The electric kettle allows me to fill my french press with delicious coffee. They are merely a means to a sublime end.

6. IF YOU COULD PLAY AN INSTRUMENT, WHAT WOULD IT BE?

Bodhran. I own one. I should learn to play it someday. . . .

7. FAVORITE COLOR?

Deep green. No, not spruce or hunter or blah-di-di-blah, just a deep, soulful green.

8. WHICH DO YOU PREFER, SPORTS CAR OR SUV?

I'd prefer a frikkin' horse, in all honesty. But generally, a nice station wagon is my vehicle of choice.

9. DO YOU BELIEVE IN AFTERLIFE?

No. But that doesn't mean that there isn't one.

10. FAVORITE CHILDREN'S BOOK?

Haroun and the Sea of Stories for the older kids, The Saggy Baggy Elephant for the younger.

11. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE SEASON?

Autumn. Aíocht. The season of ending so that we can start all over again.

12. IF YOU COULD HAVE ONE SUPER POWER, WHAT WOULD IT BE?

Omniscience.

13. IF YOU HAVE A TATTOO, WHAT IS IT?
I lack painted skin. I am not sure if that will ever change.

14. WHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE DAY?

I don't think I have one. Friday is cool because it's Games Night, and Sundays, which used to be my bane, are nice when I can spend them with my wife.

15. WHICH DO YOU PREFER, SUSHI OR HAMBURGER? WHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE FOOD?

Hamburger!!! My favorite food?? I have many, from apple salsa to colcannon to Oreos. How can you only have one?!?!?!?

16. HORROR OR COMEDY?

Horror. Comedy is fine and dandy, but horror gets under the skin of our world and reveals parts of it that we would like to ignore. It's more honest, in a weird way.

17. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE PASTIME?

Writing.

18. WHAT DO YOU DREAD?

Dying. That and being caught scratching my balls in public.

19. WHICH IS MORE REJUVENATING - SPENDING TIME WITH PEOPLE OR WITHOUT?

I re-energize best when alone. I like people, and can find company stimulating sometimes, but to really recharge I need time to myself.

20. WHAT ANIMAL ARE YOU MOST LIKE?

As a previous respondent said: "Human, silly." If one thinks totemically, I would have to say turtle.

Huh.

2005-12-19T20:02:27Z

You are the Hanged Man

Self-sacrifice, Sacrifice, Devotion, Bound.

With the Hanged man there is often a sense of fatalism, waiting for something to happen. Or a fear of
loss from a situation, rather than gain.

The Hanged Man is perhaps the most fascinating card in the deck. It reflects the story of Odin who offered himself as a sacrifice in order to gain knowledge. Hanging from the world tree, wounded by a spear, given no bread or mead, he hung for nine days. On the last day, he saw on the ground runes that had fallen from the tree, understood their meaning, and, coming down, scooped them up for his own. All knowledge is to be found in these runes.

The Hanged Man, in similar fashion, is a card about suspension, not life or death. It signifies selflessness, sacrifice and prophecy. You make yourself vulnerable and in doing so, gain illumination. You see the world differently, with almost mystical insights.

What Tarot Card are You?
Take the Test to Find Out.

OK. . . why?

Okay. . .

2005-12-18T22:03:30Z

. . . NOW is everyone terrified? Will this be the incident that finally gets people off their asses and gets Bush in genuine trouble?

President approves secret domestic wiretapping; people upset . Um, yikes???

Combined with the recent revelation that the U.S. military has been monitoring and keeping files on peace protestors, it looks the the war on civil liberties should be of much more concern to us than the War of Christmas. It would be nice if more news media did stories on this and less on attempts by radical Christians to push their holiday on everyone else.