A Meerkat's Bolthole

It's seriously warm outside, but doesn't feel quite as OMG Must Die Now hot as it did earlier in the wave. Still feeling lethargic and generally miserable, as per usual for 90-degree-plus days, tho (and when I'm in an air conditioned room, I feel less lethargic but more sore-throated and sinus-itchy, so it's a bad trade-off). It's been, what, five days? Six? This can all end now, thanks.

However, this lifted my spirits somewhat, so I share it with you -- Help Send Karl Rove to Jail. No, seriously. Click and connect.

Anyway, despite the heat, I'm moving through the re-write for HARD MAGIC, incorporating beta-reader notes and my own comments-to-self into what will hopefully be a stronger final draft for Madame Editrix to see. So far, the only major rewrite has been *spoiler* and *semi-spoiler.* Plot, characterizations and pacing all seem to be hitting their marks. Meanwhile, Pandora is going through a Bitchy Abyssinian phase, as opposed to her Aloof Tabby Wench phase. The main difference is in pitch -- my normally silent sweetie is Talking. Nonstop. Not yowling, not stridently mrowing, but constant mrew, mrew, mrew, mrew?... Yes, sweetie, I know. I don't care. It's too hot to snuggle.

one of the things I've always loved about PP is the fact that their name says it all. Not "pro-choice" or "pro-life" but planned parenthood. Isn't that something we all should be able to agree on, that parenthood is something you should plan for, look forward to, anticipate, not an "oh, whoops, oh shit, what do we do now?" moment? "

George W Bush doesn't seem to think so. Quelle surprise! While I'm not about to say "one and only one kind of anything" should get federal funding, this move seems designed to specifically attack multiple-option clinics to benefit specifically anti-abortion groups. So let's block him, one last and hopefully final time....
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Dear Concerned Citizen:

We have just received news that President Bush is trying to
sell-out women's health in the most unbelievable way. Here's
how:

The Bush administration is about to release a rule that will
make it possible for federal funding that is specifically
designed to prevent unintended pregnancy and promote
reproductive health to now be used for anything but that.

If it happens, it will be a massive betrayal of women and
families, and we must stop it. We need you to
speak out. Please let President Bush know that this change is
very wrong:
http://www.ppaction.org/campaign/spp08adv2?rk=xdqKFl41fKDNE

A little background on this outrageous situation...

We've known for some time that anti-choice extremists have
wanted President Bush to deliver them some sort of "gift" before
he leaves office. This rule change is just that gift. And here's
what one of the most egregious results could be:

Right now, anti-choice groups run so-called "crisis pregnancy
centers" in communities all around the country -- often a block
or two away from Planned Parenthood affiliate health centers.
These facilities look like health centers, but in reality are
run by anti-choice zealots who deliver only the reproductive
health care options that fit their agenda. No birth control, no
abortion -- and no choice for women and families who need it.

If this rule takes effect, they're likely to receive a massive
influx of our tax dollars to expand their deceptive operations
and to attract hundreds of thousands of women who think they'll
be getting medical care but instead will receive a large dose of
anti-choice ideology.

I believe that tricking women when they are most vulnerable is
wrong -- and the federal government shouldn't pay people to do
it.

It gets worse. The rule would also require entities that receive
family planning funding, like Planned Parenthood, to certify
that we will not refuse to hire nurses and other providers who
object to abortion and even certain types of birth control.
Between deceptive "crisis pregnancy centers" delivering woefully
incomplete care and legitimate health centers with extremely
limited funding, hundreds of thousands of women are at enormous
risk.

We have a chance to stop it. So, beginning right now and with
your help, we are:

:: Launching a massive public outcry against the president's
rule:
http://www.ppaction.org/campaign/spp08adv2?rk=xdqKFl41fKDNE

:: Raising as much money as we possibly can:
https://secure.ga0.org/02/spp08/nTpqKFl41fZU7?source=spp08e1dppol

One more thing -- Planned Parenthood Federation of America has
been standing up for and serving women, men, and families in
this country for more than 90 years. The next few days and weeks
will be an immense challenge, but know this: We are here for
this fight. We need you here with us.

Thank you in advance. More soon.

Sincerely,

Cecile Richards, President
Planned Parenthood Federation of America

When in the course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the laws of nature and of nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

( We hold these truths to be self-evident: )


The part that resonates, the past few years...
We have warned them, from time to time, of attempts by their legislature to extend an unwarrantable jurisdiction over us. We have reminded them of the circumstances of our emigration and settlement here. We have appealed to their native justice and magnanimity; and we have conjured them, by the ties of our common kindred, to disavow these usurpations which would inevitably interrupt our connections and correspondence. They too, have been deaf to the voice of justice and of consanguinity. We must, therefore, acquiesce in the necessity which denounces our separation...

From the Dallas News:

"At the Republican state convention, a booth hosted by Republicanmarket.com was selling a pin Saturday that says: 'If Obama is President will we still call it the White House?'"
http://trailblazersblog.dallasnews.com/archives/2008/06/stick-a-pin-in-it.html

If you go to their website (don't bother, I did it for you) you'll also see the full flower of Rebublican mysogeny on display with buttons like "KFC Special: 2 fat thighs, 2 small breasts, left wing." and "Life's a bitch, don't vote for one"

There are a few that are possibly acceptably rude -- the one of Teddy Kennedy asking Obama "if I drive her home, can I be VP" is worthy of a political satire license [EtA from comments -- tacky and distasteful, but fair grounds of satire], and "I will hold my nose when I vote for McCain" shows a remarkable amount of self-awareness if not party unity. But overall, this is a perfect display of the proudly-ignorant yokelish behavior that makes much of the world cringe when Ugly America takes the stand...

The members of the Texan Republican state convention should be ashamed that these buttons were sold at their event, much less that anyone wore even one. Is there nobody within the party ranks willing to come forward and loudly, publicly say "not acceptable!" Anyone? Bueller?

I may not be entirely enthralled with Senator Obama. But many of his attitudes -- and his actions -- are those of a civil, progessive leader. More, the thought of not voting for him -- or allowing my vote to lay fallow and possibly reward More of the Same McCain and a party that embraces homophobia, racism, and sexism as acceptable mores -- is just not in my nature. And if I saw anything similar at a convention I was attending, I'd be damn sure to make my distaste known, yes. Thankfully, although Skiffians aren't always the most, erm, socially adept of folk, we do tend to be more inclusive than exclusive.

This makes me feel a rant coming on about why I am not now nor ever have been affiliated with any political party or voting bloc organization....

EtA: Oh look. And here's the rant. Possibly incoherent, but heartfelt. ( As always YMMV, etc. )

and for those who missed this in the news:

ALBANY — Gov. David A. Paterson has directed all state agencies to begin to revise their policies and regulations to recognize same-sex marriages performed in other jurisdictions, like Massachusetts, California and Canada.

In a directive issued on May 14, the governor’s legal counsel, David Nocenti, instructed the agencies that gay couples married elsewhere "should be afforded the same recognition as any other legally performed union."

I <3 the Guv. And I think that's the first time in more than a decade I've been able to say that, in any state I've lived in...

Woke up late. Wrote 1200 words. Went to the gym. Came home. Found money in the mailbox. Settling down to write another chunk o'words, and make up some neat and hopefully plausible ways to make magic echo off-site storage. Soon I will make dinner.

And I will, at 8pm local, turn out all the lights for Earth Hour. Come on, let's all sit in the dark together, and see how many stars we can see...

Yelp if you're participating!

(and mind your hands, there! I can't see you, but I can still find ways to identfy you!)


EtA@11pm: 2189 new words total, and a pause needed to rethink the order of some action. But now, sleep,

Make with the clicky, go read something important

Me? I'm not here for a while...

not funny:
Bringing the War on Terrorism Home: Congress Considers How to `Disrupt` Radical Movements in the United States

[ Many observers fear that the proposed law will be used against U.S.-based groups engaged in legal but unpopular political activism, ranging from political Islamists to animal-rights and environmental campaigners to radical right-wing organizations. There is concern, too, that the bill will undermine academic integrity and is the latest salvo in a decade-long government grab for power at the expense of civil liberties.

David Price, a professor of anthropology at St. Martin's University who studies government surveillance and harassment of dissident scholars, says the bill "is a shot over the bow of environmental activists, animal-rights activists, anti-globalization activists and scholars who are working in the Middle East who have views that go against the administration." Price says some right-wing outfits such as gun clubs are also threatened because "[they] would be looked at with suspicion under the bill." ]
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very damn funny, via neadods: Peter Petrelli/Chris Eccleston emo-a-thon in macros.

Eccleston FTW!
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Right. Working. Me. Gone!

the willful (and often culpable) stupidity in the world is making my brain hurt.


please stop.



I'm too annoyed to rant any more. The bitch-slapping will soon commence.

Have you heard about the New Rules According to Six Apart's Morality Police?

"Thousands of LiveJournal customers are rebelling against the company's recent decision to censor hundreds of sex-themed discussion groups, a broad swath that has led to the removal of literary critiques and fan-written fiction about Harry Potter.

LiveJournal, which is owned by San Francisco-based Six Apart, confirmed Wednesday that it deleted around 500 journals this week in hopes of better "protecting children." It said the deletion was prompted by activist groups, including one called Warriors for Innocence that claims to track sites promoting pedophilia, the sexual abuse of minors, and other illegal activities."

The article then goes on to point out that

"Legal experts say LiveJournal is clearly not liable for fictional stories and related discussions posted by its users, thanks to a 1996 federal law immunizing Web-based discussion forums from lawsuits. 'If the content is otherwise legal, then LiveJournal has no obligation to police its site or remove any legal content it finds,' said Eric Goldman, who teaches at the Santa Clara University School of Law. "

(emphasis mine)

EtA: mind you, if something crosses the boundries into illegality, I agree it should go. But using a broadsword instead of a scalpel just proves you're a moron, and defending the broadsword means you're a moron without a PR person.

etA2: this post hasn't been verified yet, but it suggests that the so-called "Warriors For Innocence" have ties to several radical and extremely racists 'Christian militia" groups. You know, the kind that say if you're anything other than Them, you're a god-hating, child-abusing, liberal-voting, devil-worshiping....

hey. Has anyone told this group that LJ's mascot is a goat? And that they're based in San Francisco?



Anyone else really tempted to list "highly sexualized goat-pr0n" as an interest, to see how long it takes to get their account deleted as being "bad for the CHILdren?"

I'm not going to jump ship just yet -- I'm digging in and fighting back the only way I know how -- with words here, and a hit to their wallet there. I encourage everyone else to do the same. Leaving just makes these anally troubled organizations think they've taken the field without resistence. Hell no, I won't go. And if it takes posting explicit pr0n to this journal to make a point, well, my family's always been a big fan of civil disobedience....