(no subject)
Jan. 26th, 2011 03:41 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
gwydion* Because of scheduling issues, I had a different dentist today. Instead of half dozing while the Spanish burbled over my head, I had two Native English speakers and couldn't help but listen to the content. Sigh. I really prefer the not having to follow the gossip etc. about people I don't know. The hygienist was having trouble with her Maine Coon. As the problems were familiar to me as someone living with a Birmin, when I had all the equipment out of my mouth, I mentioned a few tips for making living with an extremely busy long hair cat. She got all excited because the prospect of getting a good night's sleep was a novel and exciting one.
* I'm not going to talk about the State of the Union, as it's been chewed over ad nauseum in the media already, except to say, that dismantlement medicare as the Republicans are suggesting is a recipe for large scale death and misery and a big step backward. Asking 70 year olds to buy private insurance in the open market won't work and I think if you are a member of the reality based community, it's really obvious why. The Presidents statements suggest that while he's not okay with the proposed complete dismantling, he is okay with negotiating about it, which frankly worries me.
* Why is it, that only the deficit that is good for the country as a whole counts as bad deficit, but deficit created by give aways to the rich doesn't count as deficit at all to Republican eyes. Shouldn't the give aways to the rich that don''t help the economy count as bad deficit and things actually good for the economy count as necessary? I mean, from a practical perspective, the economy should be what matters, not kick backs to friends. I think it's bill shit that Mr. Ryan's plan is all about forcing the poor to sacrifice even more when they have so little, when the plan doesn't involve the rich sacrificing at all. Shouldn't sacrifice be proportional, if it's for the good of the country?
* I zipped through Sharpe's Skirmish, as it's due Thursday. I still have Sharpe's Enemy and Altered Carbon to do by the. I'll finish Enemy, but likely won't finish Carbon, or the non-fiction thing that's due Saturday. I got fuck all done today besides the dentist, really. It's been fascinating seeing the difference in quality between various Sharpe books, depending on when they were written.
* Thank you John Stewart for pointing out the heartlessness of the local news reporter exploitting those poor homeless women.
* Worth pondering: http://blackdjinn.livejournal.com/30888.html?mode=reply&style=mine
Related thought: I am so tired of being told I'm not a real American, not patriotic because I consider insuring the general welfare to be more important than making a handful of already extremely rich people richer. I take the Founders at their word, and feel that they wouldn't have put "ensure the general welfare" right up there in the preamble if it weren't important. I don't see anything in the preamble saying the purpose of government is to redistribute wealth from the people to the oligarchs. Yet because I think the first is way more important than the second, folks like Bachman and Palin label me UnAmerican. Because I value the first Amendment, I am told I'm not patriotic, because a real patriot would shut up and do whatever the republicans tell me to. I am told I am not a real American because I'm not rural, I'm queer, I value things like the founding documents over whatever the right considers expedient this election cycle. Because I think the general welfare trumps the needs of the corporations. I'm tired of them getting to wrap themselves in the flag while pissing on the constitution. I'm tired of them claiming that everyone who isn't exactly like them isn't a "real American." It seems to me that they shouldn't get to decide what American is, or patriotic is.
* Re Halal: I don't give a shit if someone prayed over my food. What I care about is that everything be carefully labeled for cross contamination risk. I don't eat meat, so how things are slaughtered doesn't apply to me, but it seems to me that offering options is always a good thing and if food can be made as inclusive as possible, fewer people go hungry. For me, if something is kosher or Halal or made by a company that caters to members of other religions with food restrictions, such as Hindus, my food is less likely to have surprises that make me sick. That doesn't mean I don't eat food from all sorts of cuisines and styles, but if I'm not doing well, I look for food from the groups with the stricter labeling practice, because it seriously ups the odds that nothing I eat will make things worse. I don't see why folks are so up in arms about people wanting options they can eat being offered in shops or hospitals. Why is it okay to demand people go hungry over someone's religious prejudice against that group?
It's like the people whining about this have never walked in to a school cafeteria and seen nothing they could eat. There are all the other students munching away, but not a single thing for them. For a lot of people for medical or religious reasons, this is an iconic moment of exclusion. No soup for you!
They keep doing things like this in the name of Christianity. Two months ago, it was "Let's not let the Jewish kids enjoy the civic parade!" Now it's "Let's not let the Muslims eat in the hospital if they get sick or shop in the grocery stores Christians use!" I wonder what book all these Christians are reading, because last I checked Jesus was pretty into feeding the multitude and being loving and inclusive at least according to the New Testament. Somehow, I don't think he'd be any more in favour of letting sick people starve than he would be in favor off barring Jewish kids from civic festivals, and yet people keep claiming they are doing this in Jesus' name.
* "Attempts to help gay youth – met with bigotry, hatred, the Tories and the Daily Mail:" http://sparkindarkness.livejournal.com/380047.html?style=mine
* RM found, They are trying to take away marriage rights in Iowa: http://advocate.com/News/Daily_News/2011/01/25/Iowa_House_Committee_Backs_Marriage_Ban/
* "Faith based health care:" http://deusabscondidum.livejournal.com/196985.html?mode=reply&style=mine
* I'm not going to talk about the State of the Union, as it's been chewed over ad nauseum in the media already, except to say, that dismantlement medicare as the Republicans are suggesting is a recipe for large scale death and misery and a big step backward. Asking 70 year olds to buy private insurance in the open market won't work and I think if you are a member of the reality based community, it's really obvious why. The Presidents statements suggest that while he's not okay with the proposed complete dismantling, he is okay with negotiating about it, which frankly worries me.
* Why is it, that only the deficit that is good for the country as a whole counts as bad deficit, but deficit created by give aways to the rich doesn't count as deficit at all to Republican eyes. Shouldn't the give aways to the rich that don''t help the economy count as bad deficit and things actually good for the economy count as necessary? I mean, from a practical perspective, the economy should be what matters, not kick backs to friends. I think it's bill shit that Mr. Ryan's plan is all about forcing the poor to sacrifice even more when they have so little, when the plan doesn't involve the rich sacrificing at all. Shouldn't sacrifice be proportional, if it's for the good of the country?
* I zipped through Sharpe's Skirmish, as it's due Thursday. I still have Sharpe's Enemy and Altered Carbon to do by the. I'll finish Enemy, but likely won't finish Carbon, or the non-fiction thing that's due Saturday. I got fuck all done today besides the dentist, really. It's been fascinating seeing the difference in quality between various Sharpe books, depending on when they were written.
* Thank you John Stewart for pointing out the heartlessness of the local news reporter exploitting those poor homeless women.
* Worth pondering: http://blackdjinn.livejournal.com/30888.html?mode=reply&style=mine
Related thought: I am so tired of being told I'm not a real American, not patriotic because I consider insuring the general welfare to be more important than making a handful of already extremely rich people richer. I take the Founders at their word, and feel that they wouldn't have put "ensure the general welfare" right up there in the preamble if it weren't important. I don't see anything in the preamble saying the purpose of government is to redistribute wealth from the people to the oligarchs. Yet because I think the first is way more important than the second, folks like Bachman and Palin label me UnAmerican. Because I value the first Amendment, I am told I'm not patriotic, because a real patriot would shut up and do whatever the republicans tell me to. I am told I am not a real American because I'm not rural, I'm queer, I value things like the founding documents over whatever the right considers expedient this election cycle. Because I think the general welfare trumps the needs of the corporations. I'm tired of them getting to wrap themselves in the flag while pissing on the constitution. I'm tired of them claiming that everyone who isn't exactly like them isn't a "real American." It seems to me that they shouldn't get to decide what American is, or patriotic is.
* Re Halal: I don't give a shit if someone prayed over my food. What I care about is that everything be carefully labeled for cross contamination risk. I don't eat meat, so how things are slaughtered doesn't apply to me, but it seems to me that offering options is always a good thing and if food can be made as inclusive as possible, fewer people go hungry. For me, if something is kosher or Halal or made by a company that caters to members of other religions with food restrictions, such as Hindus, my food is less likely to have surprises that make me sick. That doesn't mean I don't eat food from all sorts of cuisines and styles, but if I'm not doing well, I look for food from the groups with the stricter labeling practice, because it seriously ups the odds that nothing I eat will make things worse. I don't see why folks are so up in arms about people wanting options they can eat being offered in shops or hospitals. Why is it okay to demand people go hungry over someone's religious prejudice against that group?
It's like the people whining about this have never walked in to a school cafeteria and seen nothing they could eat. There are all the other students munching away, but not a single thing for them. For a lot of people for medical or religious reasons, this is an iconic moment of exclusion. No soup for you!
They keep doing things like this in the name of Christianity. Two months ago, it was "Let's not let the Jewish kids enjoy the civic parade!" Now it's "Let's not let the Muslims eat in the hospital if they get sick or shop in the grocery stores Christians use!" I wonder what book all these Christians are reading, because last I checked Jesus was pretty into feeding the multitude and being loving and inclusive at least according to the New Testament. Somehow, I don't think he'd be any more in favour of letting sick people starve than he would be in favor off barring Jewish kids from civic festivals, and yet people keep claiming they are doing this in Jesus' name.
* "Attempts to help gay youth – met with bigotry, hatred, the Tories and the Daily Mail:" http://sparkindarkness.livejournal.com/380047.html?style=mine
* RM found, They are trying to take away marriage rights in Iowa: http://advocate.com/News/Daily_News/2011/01/25/Iowa_House_Committee_Backs_Marriage_Ban/
* "Faith based health care:" http://deusabscondidum.livejournal.com/196985.html?mode=reply&style=mine
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
(no subject)
Date: 2011-01-26 06:14 pm (UTC)B) I agree completely with your annoyance about being labled UnAmerican. I really wish that sort of thing had stayed in the history books along with McCarthy.
(no subject)
Date: 2011-01-27 04:37 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2011-01-26 09:10 pm (UTC)On a slightly related note, I came across in interesting verse in Mark 7:6-8 as I was reading...
(no subject)
Date: 2011-01-27 04:46 am (UTC)I keep thinking of the Pharasees, scolding Jesus for healing the sick on the sabbath.
It's not my religion, so I know it's sort of devil quoting scripture, but it seems to me if they are calling themselves christian, they ought to be following the gospels.
(no subject)
Date: 2011-01-26 11:34 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2011-01-27 04:51 am (UTC)