Never Enough Unfulfilled Ironies Department

I know this is a month late. Life and all. Plus somehow, despite my better instincts, I've been sucked into the Facebook maelstrom. But I was reminded by this Zaius Nation posting of an odd fantasy I had running through my head on Inauguration Day.

There we have President Barack Obama, freshly sworn in, giving his speech to the nation:

"On this hopeful occasion, one must yet recognize certain realities. Now, I know I have been compared to Superman by some of my supporters. This, of course, is nonsense. For you see...."

And here he rips off his rubber mask -- "I am actually LEX LUTHOR. BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!"

Why, oh why, is it that something that'd suck that bad would also be incredibly awesome? Probably for the same reason it's far-fetched, and it's just as well. Superman had his work cut out for him too.

Never Enough Blunt Talk Department

DemFromCT got it right on the DailyKOS front page. We're not dealing with terrorists that are easily demoralized with a single show of force. Indeed, our own failures to live up to our own promises of swift victory are more inspiring to them than any extremist rhetoric. We said that we'd have Iraq "liberated" quickly, only to find ourselves having to dig in. We said we'd make Iraq into a model for the entire Middle East, only to make it the worst possible example. WE did this, not terrorists or insurgents. Our elected officials--who we elected, as a nation, no matter who you individually voted for in 2000 onwards--make pie-in-the-sky claims without any backing in reality, and we act surprised and disgusted at how it turned out. WE as a nation are to blame for enabling extremists to call us on our own bullshit. We say it'd only take a couple years; they say that they'll make it last a decade. We admit it'll take a decade, and they say they'll make it last half a century. And on it goes. Why not? The very people inspired to fight us in Iraq are generally impoverished with bleak prospects and a future rife with oppression and brutality, in part because of our enabling their leaders in the name of "realpolitik"--itself as much a conceit as any neocon pipe dream. They have nothing to lose, but we do.

Cut and run? Sure--cut our losses and run for office.

Never Enough Double Standards Department

"Are you an Al Sharpton Democrat, or a Bill Clinton Democrat?"

Translation: "Do you support the founder of the glorious DLC, or do you support that uppity black guy that embarrasses me?"

And the Lieberman campaign claims that the "angry left" is going against him as a test of ideological purity. How much more of their own hypocrisy will they blithely expose, and how much do they really think avoids notice?

Never Enough Renamed Food Department

No more Freedom Fries--it's back to french fries (named after the way you cut them, NOT after the country) and french toast (because "pain perdu" sounds more like torture, EVEN IF YOU KNOW FRENCH. "Lost bread"--how Gallic can you get?!?)

So now I gotta dump all those damn Freedom Ticklers I was selling to College Republicans. Maybe someone can rename them something--I don't know what, offhand.

Never Enough DUH Moments Department

My blogpal belledame222 hits the proverbial nail right on the head:

If one keeps talking and talking and talking about the almighty Penis (and its straight, oppressive owners), one is implicitly suggesting that it is, in fact, more important than anything else. Even if one does it in exclusively negative ways. [her emphasis]

I tell you, belledame222, that took balls. Um, I mean vulvas. I mean to say, that your ovaries hang low. Er, no, what I'm trying to say is, you've got a big set of, uh, tits?

GUTS. Yes, you have guts.

Ever get a feeling that it's going to take a lot of language evolution, just to get metaphors that don't keep us talking and talking about O Phallae?

Never Enough Outraged Mothers Department

Brendan Nyhoff has noticed that Rep. Nancy Pelosi is using the metaphor of a lioness to describe being tough as a woman. Apparently Brendan thinks it's silly. I'm not so sure. While not a huge fan of Pelosi, I do know that I relate to that metaphor greatly. Indeed, I've used the "mama bear" metaphor for many years now to explain how women are not automatically submissive or weak on defense. After all, you wouldn't dare breathe hard on a bear cub for fear that its mother will tear your throat out. The only difference between a human mother and a mama bear is that humans are socialized--domesticated, I'd go as far as to say--and so are not immediately prone to resolve dangers through pure violence. But don't presume that this domestication means we won't use violence when necessary. History is laden with examples to the contrary.

Brendan, I'd be careful calling Pelosi's metaphor "silly". :)

Never Enough GOP Spasms Department

Democracy has long been a delicate dance on the fine line between anarchism and fascism. On one hand, a nation must be united in order to be effective in meeting its own needs and in working in tandem with other nations; on the other hand, the individual spirit must be respected and nourished for a nation's citizens to best express its union in their own unique way.

The Republican version of this dance over the past half-decade has been, to be blunt, spastic. They approach totalitarianism by declaring that the President has unilateral power during times of undeclared, pre-emptive war, and claiming that all who object are sympathizers with terrorists, or worse, outright traitors. And yet, they also show a disdain towards democratic rule and its prerequisites--including but by no means limited to taxation. This they do by stripping away progressive taxation; weakening protections for consumers, workers, soldiers, and the environment; creating security mechanisms that do not work at best, and hinder or prevent actual security at worst; holding prisioners without charges in violation of federal law and international treaty; allowing torture; and ignoring the Constitution when convenient. In short, they respect power and abhor governance--they allow for obscene concentrations of power while disregarding the rule of law.

I'm not saying that all problems will be resolved by voting Democratic. Indeed, even if the Democratic Party won a majority in one or both houses of Congress, the fight would merely be joined--remember the vicious way the Republicans acted while Clinton was in office. But it'd at minimum be a much better balance than the current situation, and maybe, just maybe, some traction on truly important issues can be gained.

Never Enough Prostitution Insights Department

I'm glad that Pat Oliphant noticed the parallel between the GOP's growing prostitution scandal, and the GOP's answering high gas prices with $100 checks. They really do think everything is for sale, don't they? Well, who am I to shatter their illusions? OK, Republicans: My vote is for sale. Here are my terms:

• $1,000,000,000,000 (yes, one trillion)


• lifetime dictatorship over the GOP--no Republican politican can make any statement without checking with my viziers and voivodes first.


• $1 million/year paychecks for my chief advisors, Suzie Bright and Robert Anton Wilson


• a eco-friendly, sustainably-powered palace next to the Capital Building


• 1000 black metal CDs


• a huge sound system for blasting said CDs at the Capital Building

Pretty humble requests, no?

Update: Apparently Rush Limbaugh agrees. Let me repeat: Rush Limbaugh agrees with Pat Oliphant.

THIS IS A SIGN OF THE ENDTIMES.

Never Enough Health Insurance Department

I know this week is going to be a big, busy one for a lot of progressive groups. But as for myself, I plan on participating in Cover the Uninsured Week. If you've ever been without health insurance during a major illness or while suffering from a chronic condition, you know how important universal health care can be. So please take time this week to write your members of Congress and your local newspapers, share your stories if you have them, and make your voices heard.

Never Enough Blogging Against Heteronormativity *GASP* Department

Saturday, April 22 is Blog Against Heteronormativity Day. I plan on making a post then, and I encourage others to join in if they have chafed against the presupposition of heterosexuality in our culture.

It is being hosted by blac(k)ademic but you can find more information, along with BAHD badges, at Bitch | Lab.

Never Enough Court Philosophy Department

When I was in high school, we once read A Separate Peace by John Knowles (summary here) and, being intrigued by the mock trial at the end of the novel, our teacher had us conduct our own mock trial. Was Gene, who was responsible for Finny's leg-breaking fall, ultimately responsible for Finny's refracturing his leg, which led to his death? Was Gene guilty of manslaughter?

I took the challenging and unpopular role of defense attorney. It was quite difficult, given how most of the class was convinced of Gene's guilt prior to the mock trial. Members of the senior class were selected to form the jury; they too had read the book but were more detached, and therefore more impartial. There were times when I thought the classmate playing the judge was nearly disgusted with my role. There was a bit of tension, to be sure, between myself and much of the rest of the class. But in the end, the jury reached a verdict of Not Guilty.

The response of the class: It showed them how "flawed" the "court system" was. Excuse me? What court system? Our mock court was less sophisticated than any court drama on TV. There were no rules of evidence; the jury knew about the "case" in detail and in advance; the judge was hostile towards the defense; there was no concept of "innocent until proven guilty"; and we were all ignorant of even the basic precepts of law. So, what "flaw" in the system was exposed? The only similarities between our mock trial and the real thing was the basic structure: a judge, a prosecutor, a defense attorney, and a jury. Which was flawed? The presense of a defense attorney? A jury that could be convinced of the defense's case What, exactly, was the objection?!? Alas, none of my classmates could tell me what was wrong with this--a mock trial.

I really have to wonder how they would have reacted--or how they did react--to the real thing. Justice, like democracy, is messy, contentious, and highly frustrated. To paraphrase Winston Churchill, it's the worst system possible--with the exception of all the others. But we've allowed horror stories of shyster lawyers and runaway civil cases to color our vision, and lead us to see more corruption and injustice than actually occurs. The best we can do is to remind ourselves that, for all the hassle and heartache that comes from judges, juries, and attorneys, we can only do our damnest to make sure justice is served with fairness and impartiality.

And yes, this has everything to do with the trial. It's over, and our verdict has been served. But more on that later--I'd rather digest things before posting.

Never Enough Jury Observations Department

Today I was selected to serve on a jury--and of course I cannot comment on the case itself. But, I was intrigued with two elements of being on a modern jury in Washington State. First, jurors are allowed to take notes during the trial, as long as they do so using the notepad provided by the court. You must leave the notes behind when leaving the courtroom, but the jury gets to use the notes during deliberation. That's an incredible addition to the jury's resources. But, that's not as great as the ability to write questions for witnesses. The bailiff gathers the questions--written on sheets with cover sheet, so other jurors can't see the questions--and then the judge shares the questions privately with the attorneys before deciding which questions should be allowed. Aside from clearing up any questions we might have about the case, the interactivity certainly makes one feel much more involved.

I'll mention the case itself later--once there's a verdict. (No names.)

Never Enough Human Nature Schmuman Nature Department

Daily Dose of Queer reported that the religious right group American Family Association is protesting the upcoming NBC series "The Book of Daniel" due to the fact that it dares show human beings as, well, human beings. Apparently the portrayal of a drug-dependent Episcopal priest with a lush wife and a gay Republican son, among other things, is disrespectful to the kinds of Christians the AFA wants seen on TV. Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't realize that depicting people's foibles, failings, and dramas was always and automatically a bad thing. I must've missed that verse in Leviticus that talked about boycotting TV networks if they show real life situations in their shows--it must've been sandwiched in-between the verses regulating slavery and separating menstruating women from everyone else for a week.

Ah, what a wonderful vision the AFA must have, of an America full of Mrs. Grundys. Of course, I guess it'd be too much trouble to keep the TV on PAX or ABC Family. Take pity on them--they only want what's best for their own limited, sad notions of morality.

Never Enough Conservative Necromancy Department

I don't believe in magick in terms of it affecting the physical world in any direct way. You can make changes in your own consciousness through magick, but changing lead to gold, or causing Ralph Reed to spontaneously combust, just ain't gonna happen. I know, I've tried.

That's a shame, too, because I'm sorely tempted to perform necromancy on Barry Goldwater. Yes, he's a conservative. Yes, he was borderline racist. Yes, he was opposed to any attempts by government to create a more equal society. But, more to the point, he was staunchly against using the military for "regime change", deeply distrustful of the religious right, and wary of giving political power to big business. In short, he'd be livid to see what his party, and the movement that claimed him as its figurehead, has done in the past few years.

Extremism in defense of liberty is no vice," Goldwater said. And what could be more extreme than bringing the dead back to life, seeking revenge? Plus, you must admit, Zombie Barry would be a delight to watch. The only downside is if, following the stereotype, he craves human brains. Even after he was done with both houses of Congress, he'd be starving, and probably a little nauseated to boot.

Never Enough Cognitive Dissidents Department

Jaye Ramsey Sutter's blog inspired me:

I can understand cognitive dissonance wearing people out. But by the same token, I must admit it doesn't bother me much. In fact, it seems like I've been awash in cognitive dissonance my entire life--that my life, in fact, is a large, dissonant cognition, if you will.

When Ronald Reagan promised in 1980 to cut taxes and increase military spending, I sat up and noticed.

When the Sunday School teachers at my Assembly of God told me, in all earnestness, that all men have one less rib than women do, I took note and puzzled over the fact.

When the Iran-Contra scandal broke, and a small army of government officials claimed that the assassinations, drug-running, and deals with dictators were all done in the name of American freedom and democracy, you bet I caught that.

When I began to be exposed to perceptual psychology, and came across the realization that we can't always trust our perceptions, and that our very brains will trick us in order to make sense of what we perceive--I gave that fact a big red "URGENT" stamp.

When quantum mechanics revealed a world utterly alien to common sense, and yet too accurate in its predictions and too consistent in its logic to be dismissed, I acknowleged it as another piece of the puzzle.

When post-modernism became the vogue, and people started using the phrase "Reality isn't what it used to be" with decreasing irony, I was ready to say, "Duh."

When a Bush aide (Rove, maybe?) stated that "we create our own reality," I was not in the least surprised. I was prepared for it in ways the Democratic Party is only now starting to realize.

But that doesn't change the wisdom that there are certain externalities that cannot be brushed off by creating one's own reality, no matter how thoroughly imposed that reality might be upon the masses. Everything you perceive about, say, a mountain--its seemingly eternal size, its color, its solidness--might be questionable. You may realize that mountains are heaved upwards over millions of years, or built up from ash cones and lava flows over hundreds of years. You may realize that the mountain's color is due to light reflected off its surface atoms, filtered through the eye, and interpreted by the brain, and that therefore its "color" is not "real". You may even stop to contemplate that 99% of the volume of that mountain is empty space, with colliding electrons giving the illusion of solidness. But don't be hasty to conclude that the mountain is not real. If you try to fly an airplane through it, you will crash.

And so, in an age of cognitive dissonance, where it is easy to manipulate facts to start a war but impossible to manipulate your way out of the war, I can say with confidence:

MY REALITY CAN BEAT UP YOUR REALITY.

Never Enough Breathtaking Changes Department

The old map:



The new map:



Data for the new map taken from Survey USA; map rendered by dreaminonempty of DailyKos.

Quite impressive, no?

Never Enough Election Victories Department

Here in Washington State, by and large the populace sided with progessive politicians and initiatives, and rejected attempts by the GOP to get their petty revenge against Governor Gregoire. You can see the election results here here.

I wonder if the right wing will reach the wisdom that the main character of Emperor's Prometheus album reached:

He realised that the cheering cries of worship
Were but echoes of his harsh outspoken word
Reflecting back at him from cold and naked walls
In hollow circles fled illusions of wisdom he had heard

"From nothing came all I ever knew"

And he beheld the ruins
Of an empire torn apart
Yet, no grief nor rage did bind him
Just silent and bewildered
By the emptiness
He stumbled off his throne

Just sayin'.

Never Enough FCC Outrage Department

I've seen it happen before: A radio station that serves the community gets taken over by a better-funded Christian group. It happened in Dallas back in 1988 when the Criswell Bible Institute claimed non-commercial station KNON was not serving the community by upgrading to its maximum allowed wattage for that frequency. (Search for "90.9" on the above linked page to read the story in more detail.)

But apparently the Christians can take away your radio station if you do upgrade your wattage, as WAVM, a small high school station in Maynard, MA, has found out the painful way.

If you want to help, you can get more info from the station's web site.

And it is worthwhile to help. In KNON's case, the Criswell Bible Institute was forced to give up its old, but lesser-powered frequency and swap it directly with KNON, which then held a pledge drive to upgrade its wattage to the maximum allowed. KNON is alive and well today, and you can even listen to it over the Internet.

Never Enough Gratitude For The Fallen Department

(No, I'm not talking about the dead in Iraq--although I am quite grateful to them as well....)

I'm excited that the Hate Crimes Bill cleared the House. I'm doubly excited that, for the first time, such a bill includes gender identity as a protected category.

From Rep. Nancy Pelosi's comments, it sounds like the murder of Gwen Araujo was a catalyst for this inclusion. If only the hundreds dead before were enough. If only simple outrage at one trans murder was enough. If only such brutality was not necessary to stir souls.

Transgender deaths are not rare--they happen all too frequently--so what was so special about her death? Was it because it happened in tolerant California? Or, as I sometimes suspect, was it that Gwen was a young and beautiful woman? That suspicion sickens me, and yet I cannot rule it out in the light of a media that focused on Natalee Holloway's rape and murder while largely ignoring similar plights among women of color.

That said, I am glad that Araujo's tragedy has motivated change, while still wishing that compassion, not tragedy, was the source of that change.

Never Enough Long Distance Interventions Department

Does America suffer from Battered Wife Syndrome?