8 posts tagged “the polis”

Over at Shakesville (which I sometimes read) they're asking this question:

Is there a presidential vote you regret casting?

This is my third presidential election, and my fifth election in general.  I turned 18 in 2000, and voted for Gore in part because I couldn't bring myself to vote for Bush, ever.  In '04 I did vote Kerry, although since I lived in Illinois I wish I had voted Independent, since that state was going to go democratic anyway.  I had no qualms about voting for Obama this year, natch, since I've been rooting for him since '04.  I register as an Independent although I generally vote for Democrats. 

I didn't vote Democrat in the Senate this year, because I don't think Franken is a good choice -- he makes a great pundit but I think he'd be a lousy senator.  I voted Barkley.  I couldn't bring myself to vote Coleman, even though I do respect the guy.  We disagree on a few fundamental areas and I just couldn't vote for him.  I do feel, however, that he's balanced out nicely by Klobuchar.  Also, Norm Coleman is my pen pal.  I send many emails of protest to his office and he sends me nice emails back disagreeing with me, unless the issue is the environment, on which issue he doesn't absolutely blow.  So if he's our senator again this term, I have a feeling our correspondence will continue.  That's democracy, bitches.

Heigh ho, heigh ho, it's off to work I go...

CBS Nightly News

Katie Couric:  OK, fuckers, apparently the world's discovered sexism all of a sudden.  News to me, as I didn't think you assholes cared about what was said about me after I left that douchebag Matt Lauer the Today show and came over here.  Whatever.  Anyway, guess what the fuck's up?  Apparently, I'm going to get the chance to talk to Sarah Palin now. Needless to say, it was the most awkward thing I've ever been a part of, and I had a camera up my butt on a morning talk show.  Roll the fucking tape

*scene cuts to a beach for some reason, where Sarah and Katie are pedeconferencing*

Katie: So the economy collapsed last week.
Sarah Palin: Um, that it did.
Katie: Hey, what about the campaign staffer on Senator McCain's campaign who got a payout from Freddie Mac even while that ship was sinking? 
Sarah: As far... as I know he... um.. recused himself from that?  And, um, so it shouldn't matter?
Katie: ... Ok, I'll bite  Define "recuse."
Sarah: It means... he... recused himself.
Katie: Oh, well that sure clears everything up.  Christ.  This beach smells like garbage. 

*scene cuts to comfortable, intimate setting in the studio*
Katie: Ok.  So let's stay on topic here.  The economy is in the crapper, what do you think we need to do about it right now?
Sarah Palin: Oh, well, you know I think America is just really waiting to see what John McCain has to say... um.. about all this.  You know, America is watching John McCain.
Katie:  Sure they are.  While we're on that subject, let's look at the polls and -- oh!  Oh dear, a direct result of this collapse is that Barack Obama is up in the polls.  So, why would America be watching John McCain yet voting for Barack Obama?
Sarah: Um.. Um...
Katie: *glowers*
Sarah: Well... I think at this time what America wants is experience, you know, and they want to know what an experienced candidate would think...
Katie: You sure you want to go down this path?
Sarah: And, you know,  this one time, Senator McCain called for stricter regulations
Katie: Oh, that's true.  While we're on THAT topic, let's look at his voting record.  Oh, oh my goodness.  Twenty-seven years of voting for lighter regulations, and then one time, when shit starts hitting the fan, he votes in favor of stricter regulations.  Kinda like voting for the war before voting against it, hmmmm?
Sarah: But he did vote then!   That's proof right there!"
Katie: Ok, I'll bite again.  That's proof.  Now, tell me, what else is proof that he's the man to take care of this?
Sarah:  Well, there was that thing that we just talked about...
Katie: Covered, move on...
Sarah: And, um... well, there's the other thing... you know, John McCain is a maverick! 
Katie: You've got to be fucking kidding me.
Sarah: He takes shit from his own people, so, you know.  He... um.. is takin' punches from... other.  republicans.
Katie: Uh-huh.
Sarah: He's... a... maverick.
Katie: Drop the maverick shit and answer the fucking question.
Sarah: Can I get back to you on that?
Katie: *narrows eyes*
Sarah Palin: *nervous giggle*
Katie Couric: I.  Am going. To eat.  Your.  Heart.  

In response to my blogpost yesterday about marriage, my sister-in-law Beep sent me a thoughtful email that I'm just going to post here because it's just so good. She wanted to comment on my blog but had trouble doing so, so I'm putting it here.

 Beep and my brother, Professor Hermano, have been married for seven years and are expecting their first child in less than a month (my second niece or first nephew!  i'm stoked!)  Beep is a smart cookie -- she's clerk for a judge in Pennsylvania and she's passed the bar in two states (and counting).  She will be a judge someday, this is just a fact, and I for one would want her making decisions for this country as  a Supreme Court judge.  She refers to a few things:

1) "Marriage to a White Dude,"  Beep is Bengali, Professor Hermano (like me) is Irish/Polish.
2) "Two persons in Milwaukee" A friend of ours from college and her very longtime girlfriend, who are getting married in Canada next year.
3) "Indoor and Outdoor plumbing":  Vaginas and Penises.  Or, hoo-hahs and wangs.

Here's Beep:

From Bride and Groom...soon to "Plaintiff" and "Defendant" in a Complaint in Divorce.

I love the irony of "traditionalists" who claim they are doing it to save the "institution" of marriage. Hate to point out a lot of us Heteros are pulling it down with some of the highest divorce rates in recent times.

Yet people still get married...so as far as I am concerned the "Institution" of marriage is healthy...it just needs to expand to include all persons who want to be in a committed relationship and be considered married.

None of this would matter except for the part where "marriage" is tied into so many rights...the least of which is health care. Think about it...if a husband or wife dies without a will, the remainig spouse has an AUTOMATIC right to the estate in ALL 50 states, in ALL 50 states husband and wife have AUTOMATIC and EQUAL parenthood and custody rights to their children (including adopted children), in ALL 50 states BOTH parties have the EQUAL rights to powers of attorney, guardianship etc. in the event either spouse is incapacitated,

 
These are just some of the rights that under the law are AUTOMATIC to any hetero couple simply on the basis of indoor & outdoor plumbing and a piece of paper from the state citing said plumbing.

 
I guess what galls me is that two persons (you know them too...they are in Milwaukee and they will be getting married in Canada) who have loved each other for so long will get none of these rights automatically in the grand ol' state of WI even if they consider themselves married.

 So called "traditionalists" think all they are doing is "saving" some heavenly fluffy pink concept of marriage...not realizing marriage has always existed for exceptionally practical reasons of stability in wealth sharing, familial arrangements and what happens next when the life of either spouse ends. Marriage does this as a practical answer to questions like..who gets the money now, who gets the kids or who makes the decision to pull the plug. Not because of some concept of "happily ever after!" Love is happily ever after...marriage is the practical expression of love if you want to look at it that way.

 
So I feel blessed to have fallen in love and I feel fortunate that my marriage is recognized especially since I understand that a mere 40 years ago (when Loving v. Virginia was decided) my marriage to a White Dude would not be recognized in at least 45 states in the US. Some darn concept of how "traditonalits" back then believed interracial marriage would, and this is the best part, corrode the institute of marriage because its just too hard to raise biracial kids...because bi racial kids simply did not fit into being just white or black!

 
These same "traditionalists" have surivived and now have a new cause...indoor and out door plumbing only no same sex plumbing pleez...it hurts marriage.Ironically, if I told them their prejudice is no different than what it was 40 years ago...I would probably be lynched, b/c discrimination based on sexual orientation and skin color is like TOTALLY different.
 So the only thing to do..is VOTE for the people you believe will protect those you love.

I don't think there's a Hillary supporter in his or her right mind who would vote for McCain based on Palin.  If they aren't voting for Obama, they're voting third party, and I for one am OK with this because we are ostensibly a democracy. 

Goddamn silly season. 

We here in Saint Paul are on day four of the RNC, so guess what.

Here's the thing.

It's kind of the average talking point of a (social) conservative to say, "But you're being intolerant of MY views," when someone says, "You have made a racist/sexist/homophobic/utterly ignorant/intolerant statement and that shit don't fly around here."  This, to me, is completely disingeniuous.  That bumper sticker that says "ONE MAN ONE WOMAN = MARRIAGE" is shutting down conversation and yes, it is intolerant.  And if it makes you uncomfortable to hear that, well, is that my problem?  If you think it's not fair, well, sugar, life ain't fair and neither are you.  You are being intolerant, so you better get used to having your fee-fees hurt if you're going to talk way in company. 

God.  The whole RNC was like the festival of the disingeniuous, and yesterday was like someone poured haterade in the Xcel center.  I clearly went off my rocker yesterday, as the blog last night proves.  But it was just... so much smug hateration.  Rudy alone made me feel slimy, ugh.  K-Jo said that the whole event was like a caricature of conservativism, especially when they started the chant of "Drill, baby, drill." 

Festival of the Disingeniuous.

It somehow reminded me of a scene in the John Adams series I watched with my dad.  J-Ads goes to France to ask the French for more help STAT, and he and Ben Franklin are trying to "drum up" support for their cause by selling replicas of the oh-so-darling American flag (Ben's idea, John Adams just looks totally disgusted), and all these French aristocrats are laughing and singing Libertas, Libertas!  And John Adams looks around like, "Are you fucking serious?  When their revolution comes, these assholes will be the first against the wall."  I think he even wrote that in a letter to Abigail. 

Well, tonight was the last night of it, and tomorrow my city will be mostly back to normal, and I won't have a bunch of rich white oligarchs chanting about how downtrodden they are not two miles away from City Acadamy.  You know, the first charter school, the one that's run by educators and community organizers and works to provide an education for the "unteachable" students, the ones that are really, really, really in crisis mode. 

Fuck you very much.

This guy was on The Sound of Young America a few weeks ago, and I've seen his Vlogs before.  They are rad, and everyone probably already visits his website, but I don't care.  He says this... so much better than I do.

Project Runway over, we switched over to the RNC convention.  BECAUSE WE'RE GODDAMN MASOCHISTS.

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAHG.

DID RUDY GIULIANI JUST ACCUSE SARAH PALIN'S CRITICS OF MISOGYNY.

EAT MY POO GIULIANI.  EAT MY POO.

In future news, I'll be arrested by my city of Saint Paul for pooping on the car of the former Mayor of New York.  Screaming, "I DON'T EVEN HAVE TO GO.  THIS IS PURE HATE."

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AHG.

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Also, is Cindy McCain wearing a recycled green screen?  Can we project an image onto that dress?  Holy balls.

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In positive news, K-Jo, my friend who is a former republican, is watching this with us, and said, "I was hesitant to call myself a Democrat.  Until tonight."

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SARAH PALIN JUST INSULTED MY FORMER BOSS (a community organizer).  EAT MY POO SARAH PALIN.  MY FORMER BOSS RULES.  KISS MY ASS SARAH PALIN. AHHHG.

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Pineapple: "I can feel an aneurism coming on.  I swear to God*."

*Trust her.  She's a direct conduit to God.

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Who is the old lady they keep showing?  BIDDY!

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Three good lines so far, but all passed off as jokes.

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Pineapple "So, you take a dump on somebody's car, Sarah Palin just took a dump on habeas corpus."

K-Jo: "Um, I'm kind of worried about all people knowing their rights when detained."

We're changing to the Daily Show now before I hurl off the Orch.

Karl Rove is resigning!  Hear that?  It's the chorus of flying monkeys, and they sing, "Ding, Dong!  The witch is dead!"