Republican-Sith crossover

I’m not saying that Darth Baras really is Karl Rove in Sith armor, but I couldn’t resist a little joke in my latest Daily Kos diary about Republican obstructionism. Wherein Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) of the Senate is mulling over a push to block future presidential nominations for Obama making recess appointments while they were not in recess. Except that he has to wait until later in the month, when the senators return to Washington. But they’re not in recess. Absolutely not! Gaveling in for ~ one minute every few days counts!

Nasty and false!

That was the first comment on my latest DKos posting, about the pope. Not that the commenter had anything more to say…I think perhaps he just wanted to stifle discussion with the overt negativity.

Shouldn’t have bothered, really. Most of my diaries/posts don’t garner much attention, although one of them inexplicably did. I credit that one to a slow day.

Anyway, just another rant about a believer employing the ‘atheists caused Hitler!’ argument and thus, pulling a Godwin. After reading about the pope doing it and then some others doing it through an article on Pharyngula, I couldn’t resist the urge to counter.

DKos vacation

My latest posting on Daily Kos is about taking a break, ironically. The purge (of black folks) didn’t go so well as advertised. Since I’m not there, but here (where even fewer read what I write!) I think I can safely say that the P.O.P. (pissed off progressives) were making their lists, and checking them twice, and when Markos announced open season a bunch of saved-up info got handed over. They are always the ones demanding evidence for every accusation. I am sure some of them spent the time gathering data, and so one flaming progressive ass got the boot while a bunch of the BKos community either got the boot or got their privileges yanked. It would be about privilege.

Twits.

And to think, I still consider myself a critic! I hardly have to write diaries/posts about it, though. When it comes to the negative waves on DK, there is plenty to go around. Ah well. A week off suits me fine.

The next generation of skeptic?

Although the letter is a few days old now, I only spotted it today and was glad to see it. In the Beaver County Times, where I still rake muck on occasion, I found a skeptic — writing about a U.S. House resolution, intended to have ‘In God We Trust’ as the nation’s motto. The writer brings up E Pluribus Unum as a reasonable and more inclusive alternative, and she sees the crass political stunt by Republicans for what it is. Not that they make it difficult to see.

As if this wasn’t silly enough, it seems that this motto has already been done — back in 1956, when they replaced E Pluribus Unum — and this resolution is just a reaffirmation of existing law. I have little doubt that the Republican-majority House would pass this if they can find the time. I wonder if the Senate would do the same; Democrats may still hold it, but they can be a bit spineless at times. It is obvious that the GOP just wants to score some cheap points with the religious right. And the believers would have to be foolish or ignorant enough to not even realize how unnecessary the resolution is.

I’ll place my bet on ignorant.

Meanwhile, the motto stands…and while I don’t like to see it, the fact that it’s printed on our money is some cause for amusement. Clearly, money is god to the GOP.

Currently hanging in there

So I found, naturally, that Cox Cable doesn’t carry Current TV as Countdown with Keith Olbermann restarts on Current. Fortunately there are a few temporary measures to use until Cox never carries it, or puts it on some expensive tier that I can’t afford to get. Today I am watching a live stream; tomorrow, well, who knows.

Since it’s on at 5 my time, I’ll probably be on the lookout for online recordings to download or stream.

On lesser evils

As a bona fide liberal moonbat, most political decisions for me revolve around choosing the lesser evil. Very rarely do I find a candidate whose positions and goals match my own to the point that I actually feel good about supporting them. Fortunately, out here in the desert, I have such a kindred spirit serving my congressional district. Raúl M. Grijalva does it for me.

Late last night, while the east coast was watching the late shows or sleeping, he was at it again. I don’t even have to ask why this vote to pass Obama’s extension of the Bush-era tax cuts took place at midnight. It was too shameful a capitulation to see the light of day. Arizona sends several Democrats to the House, surprised me, too, to see how many; but all the rest of them voted for the tax cuts. Gabrielle Giffords of course did, no surprise there. Whatever; I already didn’t like her. The House leadership went from ‘no deal’ to ‘deal’ with as much stealth and silence as they could manage.

I salute President Obama for getting in the bill what is in there.  I am sorry that the price that has to be paid by our children and our grandchildren to the Chinese government to pay for the increase in the deficit that the Republicans insisted upon. — Nancy Pelosi on the House bill

And here I thought she had some measure of control over what bills get called up for a vote.

Meanwhile, we have the comedy of Obama sucking up to big business, where the lie and the proof of it appear so close together as to be bleedin’ obvious.

“I want to dispel any notion we want to inhibit your success,” President Obama told 20 CEOs this morning, according to a source in the room. “We want to be boosters because when you do well, America does well.”

…

Of primary concern to the president is the $1.8 trillion in corporate wealth currently sitting in banks and equivalent places not being spent on job creation. The 20 companies in the room represent at least $200 billion in cash and equivalents as of the 3^rd Quarter.

So, no. When big business does well (to the tune of $1.8 trillion) the country does not necessarily do well. They do not bring us along with their prosperity and record profits. It is not inevitable, they are not tied together. Big business and the rich can do just fine while the rest of us suck it.

So, about that lesser evil thing…I’m not seeing it. Instead I am looking at maybe not voting for President in 2012, not bothering. That’d be the first time since I gained the right to vote. That is the measure of my apathy, of my disillusionment, of my not believing in the ‘lesser evil’. Obama nominates centrist judges and allows the other side to push everything to the right. Obama caves to Republican obstructionism and pushes legislation to the right. Obama allows Guantanamo and rendition and war criminals and profiteering to linger on and embraces the moral bankruptcy of the right, makes it a Democratic policy.

I know he’s accomplished some good in the past couple years, but today, well…I’m not feeling it. Grijalva continues to enjoy my full support, though. If I put any effort or activism or money into politics in the next cycle, it can go to him and not the President. Because this is what I get from the President.

I understand the point about compromise to save some of the poor and unemployed the pain of tax increases and unemployment benefit cuts (not that it saves them all). But this caving-in teaches the Republicans that it works. Worse still, it sets up the same situation to happen again, next time during the next presidential election. Worst of all, it teaches me that Obama et al are surrendering the political fight, the spin war, before it even begins.

Why should I go on voting for that?

Irresistible nonsense

Today I could not resist the urge to respond to a letter to the editor in the Beaver County Times, the newspaper from my old hometown (one I used to deliver around town, too). Hopefully they will publish it as Martin Schulte Jr. Otherwise Dad will be in for it. That’s what you get! Shouldn’t have named me after you eh? Heh. One might think the response a bit harsh; it is possible that I have become more strident in my old age. But this is what I read:

I agree with Wednesday letter writer Carol Lindley (“What’s happening to our country?”), but I think we need more:

• Women with children at home (under 18) should be there.

• Men should have the jobs.

• There wouldn’t be any need for big fancy homes, two new cars and all news furniture, hot tubs and pools.

The children would be happier (and they don’t need everything they ask for), marriages would be stronger and a man would feel like a man again.

Maybe our country would be better if people weren’t greedy for money that they didn’t care what they did to get it.

Nancy Winters

Monaca

I added the bullet points myself; I think that’s what they were after but it didn’t look quite right in my browser.

Now, I may have emotional scars from women’s liberation, so to speak. But I would still defend a woman’s right to get out there and live, as opposed to being barefoot in the kitchen, or whatever passes for a worthy life in Nancy Winters’ estimation. Besides, it’s not as if our family had the perks that Winters thinks it should have. You see that, Mom? We were supposed to have a pool. I didn’t mind the cars, we were all busy wrecking them…

Best I can tell, Nancy Winters is just some elderly widow from Monaca, probably has nothing better to do with her time. Obviously, neither do I!    I can perhaps console myself with the notion that this old, dying generation might take some of that old, sexist nonsense with it.

The problem reminds me of religion, ethics, skepticism. Mrs. Winters has this traditionalist notion of what makes a man or a woman, just like religion has its notions of what is good, right and true. And none of them hold any objective value or quality. Just as I require no xian commandments to behave in society, a man need not feel ashamed for caring about — and for – his children. What makes a man ‘feel like a man’ is just an idea, and one I don’t mind attacking if needs be.

It may be a bit much to call some grandmotherly type sexist, but I laid the rhetorical smackdown anyway. Look at that letter she wrote. Mollycoddle that? Feh. It’ll give the neighbors something to talk about. The paper has already called, to tell me that they’ll publish it next Wednesday or Thursday.

Tee hee. Mayhem!

On consolation prizes

After the summer’s almost hopeful stories and jokes about flaming hurricanes devastating the Gulf Coast, I did finally spot this video from Hawaii the other day, and tracked down a link for posterity. And the lulz.

Not much else to report on the personal front, it’s been monsoony and my leg bothers me and …feh, who cares. I endure.

Observations on burnout

Although I have largely removed the disease of burnout from my WoW playtime, I still run into it while waiting to die. Raiding becomes waiting. More discussion, after weeks of it in game and on forum sites. More internet problems. More waiting. People say they know what to do, until they don’t. More discussion; more waiting. What is left to discuss? What question has been left unasked? What video unwatched? How long has it been? How long have you had to do these simple prep tasks?

Let’s go die already.

Aside from that boredom aspect, it’s nice to be rid of most of the burnout. Instead, I get to see it in others. I see it in the people trying and failing to offer advice and they don’t get listened to. I’ve learned that there is a time to offer advice, and a time to not bother. For the most part I don’t bother. If you don’t get listened to, then don’t bother. Why add to the frustration? They don’t want your help. They shouldn’t need your help. They chose to lead. Let them.

I see it in the internet problems that make us all wait and wait, and wait some more. Yeah, we have people with dicey connections. They’re working on it. Why are we waiting on them now? We can’t do X encounter without them. And yet, it’s no one’s fault, but they’re unreliable. We really can’t do X encounter. So what are we doing here, trying anyway? Well, someone else is leading. Let them. It’s their choice.

I see it in the raiding-time split my alliance pals have made, to allow for some different folks or different toons to run the early, easier encounters. As a practical consequence my tank has been badly limited in gear upgrades, but someone else is leading. I’m not going to fret over someone else’s choice. It’s not important to them.

Seems I’ve traded burnout for detachment. It’s not quite good, but it’s an improvement. I’m left with a couple hours of waiting and occasionally holding a raid boss while everyone else learns. Someone else could do this. A robot could do this. Seems like nearly anyone else could do this. Maybe they should.

Despair…so delicious…

Ah well. When it’s this bad, they had better be good friends. Fortunately, they are! And this summer of discontent will pass.

Adventures in motoring

As part of the running theme of life as an adventure…

This past week I had to spend some money on my venerable, yet relatively trustworthy automobile. At this point I can’t recall exactly when it was paid off, and that’s cool. I am not looking forward to inevitably having a new car payment at some point in the future. Hopefully will have some more debts paid off by the time that happens. Anyway…

A few hundred bucks spent on electrical repairs. The center of the instrument panel went dead on the way to work last Saturday. This was the speedometer/odometer. You can imagine it being a bit creepy driving along and not knowing how fast you’re going. I kept the driving minimal and was able to get it repaired on Monday, fortunately. No need to rent a car or look up bus schedules. Took all day, but it was a day off. As far as car expenses go it’s livable. Still far cheaper than a new/new-ish car. (gently used? pre-owned? feh)

I missed a great opportunity to speed and get stopped by a cop. It would have been the one time I could honestly say I didn’t know how fast I was going. I doubt the cops would appreciate the joke.

So, the old station wagon must be 12+ years old now, has far less miles than it ought as I mainly use it to commute to work, and it’s hanging in there. The A/C was worked on last year and it’s working. Air conditioning. Gotta have that. Past that, I don’t much care. The cassette player gave out some time ago.

Cassette tapes, ha! Will I have to explain that ancient technology to the kids? Here you go. I still have the set of tapes I brought with me for the cross-country drive, back in 2002. Although, even then I was using CD players with a tape-player adapter. Naturally, I haven’t listened to them in many years…but I could look into getting them on CD.