The national debate raised by the admitted pregnancy of sixteen-year-old Jamie Lynn Spears has yet again opened a national discussion on teen pregnancy and abortion. Ms. Spears, much to the delight of Focus on the Family and other conservative groups, has chosen to keep the child. I can't help thinking about what hollow victories we claim in this debate. The decision Spears made does not disguise the fact getting pregnant at such a young age is a product of irresponsibility and of making poor choices. Had she instead chosen to terminate her pregnancy, Planned Parenthood or a related group might consider refraining from sounding joyous. Another young teenage girl knocked up should not be a cause for celebration.
Due to Jamie Lynn's relative youth, commentators of all stripes have largely given her the benefit of the doubt, instead focusing more of the blame onto her mother or lifting this up as an example of the failings of abstinence-only education. I do not disagree, as certainly these are valid points. However, I would be far more willing to cut Ms. Spears a break if she wasn't wealthy beyond belief and privileged beyond the scope of most Americans. The girl from a working class or impoverished family who ends up pregnant is far more likely to simply not know any better or to have an utterly insufficient role model for a parent. Wealth does not always correlate to knowledge but it certainly makes it a great deal easier to obtain. Neither does wealth correlate to good parenting, but it certainly makes it more difficult to excuse.
Some have taken this a step further and decided to make this into yet another opportunity to have a widespread dialogue on abortion. Perhaps we need to evaluate where we stand on this every now and again, but I have to say I regret it when little more than celebrity gossip is the impetus. But while we're at it, I have a few words to say on the matter.
We on the left often justify our position by taking great pains to separate fetus from child. My personal beliefs reflect this line of thinking as well. Through manipulation of language, we soften the impact. Fetuses are terminated, not killed. The movement's chosen nomenclature is "Pro-Choice", an emphasis made to switch the focus onto the decision rather than the nature of what it entails.
The reality is that hormones and body chemistry create a strong bond between mother and child, even fetus and child. Abortion, although often the only viable alternative, is a brutal, painful procedure. This ought not to limit its scope, but rather we ought to refuse to present any false pretenses to a woman in the awful situation of deciding whether or not she ought to terminate her pregnancy. It's no easy choice and so long as abortion is an option on the table we should respect the inevitable decision made by any woman, even if we may not agree with it. I see abortion as a necessary evil but as such it must always remain available.
In this instance, I'm reminded of a poem that powerfully discusses the sort of ambivalent desperation and utter agony involved in making a decision like this.
the mother
by Gwendolyn Brooks
Abortions will not let you forget.
You remember the children you got that you did not get,
The damp small pulps with a little or with no hair,
The singers and workers that never handled the air.
You will never neglect or beat
Them, or silence or buy with a sweet.
You will never wind up the sucking-thumb
Or scuttle off ghosts that come.
You will never leave them, controlling your luscious sigh,
Return for a snack of them, with gobbling mother-eye.
I have heard in the voices of the wind the voices of my dim killed children.
I have contracted. I have eased
My dim dears at the breasts they could never suck.
I have said, Sweets, if I sinned, if I seized
Your luck
And your lives from your unfinished reach,
If I stole your births and your names,
Your straight baby tears and your games,
Your stilted or lovely loves, your tumults, your marriages, aches, and your deaths,
If I poisoned the beginnings of your breaths,
Believe that even in my deliberateness I was not deliberate.
Though why should I whine,
Whine that the crime was other than mine?—
Since anyhow you are dead.
Or rather, or instead,
You were never made.
But that too, I am afraid,
Is faulty: oh, what shall I say, how is the truth to be said?
You were born, you had body, you died.
It is just that you never giggled or planned or cried.
Those of us who are pro-choice need to use care to not transform a woman's right to choose into a kind of arid, sterile argument that doesn't take into account the biological reality. The traditional feminist viewpoint which states that terminating a pregnancy destroys only a group of congregated cells and not a baby does not take into account that the cellular life inside a womb is just that--life. Lest we come across as cold and inhumane, we must not concede the facts of the matter to the pro-life crowd. Doing so provides them with additional ammunition and gives rise to accusations of "baby-killer" or worse. The three oft-cited precepts are still applicable: safe, legal, and rare.
Friday, December 21, 2007
Thursday, December 20, 2007
Beware the Democratic Process
Let's vote on it.
How many times have you heard that old familiar suggestion? A decision needs to to be made, clearly there are conflicting opinions among members, no one position is in firm agreement with all parties, and so someone suggests taking a vote.
Sound reasonable enough, doesn't it? Seems in keeping with egalitarian, democratic principles, namely the one that states every member of a free society ought to have an equal say in dictating policy. How would decision-making be totally fair otherwise?
I remember a year ago the church I attended at the time brought in a consultant to aid us in the transition process. Bitter feelings all around had characterized the departure of the previous minister, and so the consultant, armed with a PowerPoint presentation and a wealth of experience in speaking to a variety of different denominations methodically trotted out his recommendations. One of the bullet points of the talk he gave struck me upon first glance as deeply insulting. It instantly connoted some kind of statement restricting individual liberty.
Beware the Democratic Process.
Upon further contemplating, however, I understand the point he was trying to make. The Democratic process has a way complicating matters. In catering to individual demands out of a spirit of being accommodating and open minded, what often occurs instead is that unnecessary layers of complication are added. Routine, simple matters of policy which could be quickly dealt with become strung out, protracted affairs. Voting can often politicize membership to its detriment, creating opposing factions. An entitlement mentality can often result as well, by which a few people with private agendas insist that all of the desires must be incorporated. This often creates resentment and bad tidings.
In response to this, I have always favored keeping individual gatherings small whenever possible. With every additional person added to the mix, so too arrives unique concerns and complications. If most church members know each other, they bring a vested interest and mutual understanding of individual desires that is often not present in larger gathering just as a matter of course. Sometimes restraining growth simply isn't feasible and sometimes growth occurs of its own accord.
When we derisively decry churches who actively resist growth, the implication in the criticism is often that they don't wish to add additional members because the often self-proclaimed leaders do not wish to entertain anything resembling challenges to their authority or to have their methods actively questioned. Criticisms like these, sadly, do often have validity. Let me say that it doesn't have to be this way, either. This is the other extreme, the totalitarian, autocratic approach. Inevitably, in circumstances like these power is wholly equated with seniority, as though somehow length of membership trumps any other factor in determining who gets final say.
The Quaker Way of dealing with situations like these is rather novel.
Questions are not decided by majority rule. The presiding clerk tries to be sensitive to the meeting's search for truth and unity. Strongly opposed views are often reconciled through suggestion of a Third Way; or decision is held over to a later meeting, awaiting further insight, information, understanding. No vote is taken. Unity, although, not unanimity is the intended goal.
Perhaps a better way to define the crux of my argument is to say, rather, use the democratic process sparingly and only for matters which simply cannot be resolved in any other fashion.
How many times have you heard that old familiar suggestion? A decision needs to to be made, clearly there are conflicting opinions among members, no one position is in firm agreement with all parties, and so someone suggests taking a vote.
Sound reasonable enough, doesn't it? Seems in keeping with egalitarian, democratic principles, namely the one that states every member of a free society ought to have an equal say in dictating policy. How would decision-making be totally fair otherwise?
I remember a year ago the church I attended at the time brought in a consultant to aid us in the transition process. Bitter feelings all around had characterized the departure of the previous minister, and so the consultant, armed with a PowerPoint presentation and a wealth of experience in speaking to a variety of different denominations methodically trotted out his recommendations. One of the bullet points of the talk he gave struck me upon first glance as deeply insulting. It instantly connoted some kind of statement restricting individual liberty.
Beware the Democratic Process.
Upon further contemplating, however, I understand the point he was trying to make. The Democratic process has a way complicating matters. In catering to individual demands out of a spirit of being accommodating and open minded, what often occurs instead is that unnecessary layers of complication are added. Routine, simple matters of policy which could be quickly dealt with become strung out, protracted affairs. Voting can often politicize membership to its detriment, creating opposing factions. An entitlement mentality can often result as well, by which a few people with private agendas insist that all of the desires must be incorporated. This often creates resentment and bad tidings.
In response to this, I have always favored keeping individual gatherings small whenever possible. With every additional person added to the mix, so too arrives unique concerns and complications. If most church members know each other, they bring a vested interest and mutual understanding of individual desires that is often not present in larger gathering just as a matter of course. Sometimes restraining growth simply isn't feasible and sometimes growth occurs of its own accord.
When we derisively decry churches who actively resist growth, the implication in the criticism is often that they don't wish to add additional members because the often self-proclaimed leaders do not wish to entertain anything resembling challenges to their authority or to have their methods actively questioned. Criticisms like these, sadly, do often have validity. Let me say that it doesn't have to be this way, either. This is the other extreme, the totalitarian, autocratic approach. Inevitably, in circumstances like these power is wholly equated with seniority, as though somehow length of membership trumps any other factor in determining who gets final say.
The Quaker Way of dealing with situations like these is rather novel.
Questions are not decided by majority rule. The presiding clerk tries to be sensitive to the meeting's search for truth and unity. Strongly opposed views are often reconciled through suggestion of a Third Way; or decision is held over to a later meeting, awaiting further insight, information, understanding. No vote is taken. Unity, although, not unanimity is the intended goal.
Perhaps a better way to define the crux of my argument is to say, rather, use the democratic process sparingly and only for matters which simply cannot be resolved in any other fashion.
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
Christian in Practice, Christian in Deed, Christian in Intent, but not Christian in Identity
The first words out of my mouth this morning are "Wow!" A mention at an active blog aggregator has a ways of doing fantastic things for one's daily hits. This site received 80 hits yesterday and nearly fifty the day before that. As such, thanks are in order to the good folks at Quaker Quaker. I take this good news as a challenge to keep my posts at a consistently high quality.
________
I was in search of a starting point this morning and one arrived in the form of a comment I received to Monday's post. In it I am reminded to contemplate that the message of Jesus, that of love and stewardship towards one fellow person, ought to be separated from the religion about Jesus to which so many of us object. It's an excellent point and one I made reference to in a series of posts a few months back.
Perhaps the region of the country where I live has much to do with it. Here in the Bible Belt South, the overpowering nature of Evangelical Christianity often renders progressive "loyal opposition" faith traditions/denominations not specifically Christian passionately opposed to any and every mention of Jesus of Nazareth. There is, however, a great danger in this sort of approach. Taken to an extreme, what remains is a faith tradition that gives preferential, even glamorizing treatment to other faiths, all faiths, that is, except Christianity. The irony, of course, is that the underlying message preached is often Christian in practice, Christian in deed, Christian in intent, but not Christian in identity.
No religion or faith tradition is perfect. Being that all are conceived by humans and that human are intrinsically flawed beings, it would stand to reason that they would have problems. What I object to is the line of logic that supposes that if a human being y has had a negative experience with x tradition, then it should be removed from all discourse. No doubt there are people who have been scarred by the perversion of Islam, particularly the sort of militant fundamentalism advanced by terrorists. No doubt there have been people adversely affected by all of the world's faith traditions. Discounting, if not altogether avoiding the historical context and intrinsic basis of any movement, however, is hardly a good strategy.
I admit to being caught between two viewpoints when I contemplate this matter further. One claims that the message of Jesus has been so thoroughly co-opted by the right over the years that, despite my best efforts, it has been forever tainted. If I assert that I am a Christian (which I do) then what I stand for is bound to be misinterpreted. Furthermore, this point of view argues that religion has evolved far beyond Christianity and as such, couching faith in such terms is, at best, a counter-productive activity.
The other part of me, which speaks to my fighting spirit, is not content to surrender so easily. I am far more comfortable in the context of a Christian movement or at least one which is unwilling to remove scriptural references at the risk of offending someone's sensibilities. Emasculating a faith tradition in such fashion caters to a sort of victim mentality unfortunately prevalent in today's discourse. Dwelling on one's own past hurts is helpful insofar as it spurns us to right the wrongs which created them. The grieving process ought to be temporary, not permanently institutionalized as policy. The ultimate goal, as I see it, is to strive towards empowerment, which works within the confines of reality, not at cross-purposes with it.
________
I was in search of a starting point this morning and one arrived in the form of a comment I received to Monday's post. In it I am reminded to contemplate that the message of Jesus, that of love and stewardship towards one fellow person, ought to be separated from the religion about Jesus to which so many of us object. It's an excellent point and one I made reference to in a series of posts a few months back.
Perhaps the region of the country where I live has much to do with it. Here in the Bible Belt South, the overpowering nature of Evangelical Christianity often renders progressive "loyal opposition" faith traditions/denominations not specifically Christian passionately opposed to any and every mention of Jesus of Nazareth. There is, however, a great danger in this sort of approach. Taken to an extreme, what remains is a faith tradition that gives preferential, even glamorizing treatment to other faiths, all faiths, that is, except Christianity. The irony, of course, is that the underlying message preached is often Christian in practice, Christian in deed, Christian in intent, but not Christian in identity.
No religion or faith tradition is perfect. Being that all are conceived by humans and that human are intrinsically flawed beings, it would stand to reason that they would have problems. What I object to is the line of logic that supposes that if a human being y has had a negative experience with x tradition, then it should be removed from all discourse. No doubt there are people who have been scarred by the perversion of Islam, particularly the sort of militant fundamentalism advanced by terrorists. No doubt there have been people adversely affected by all of the world's faith traditions. Discounting, if not altogether avoiding the historical context and intrinsic basis of any movement, however, is hardly a good strategy.
I admit to being caught between two viewpoints when I contemplate this matter further. One claims that the message of Jesus has been so thoroughly co-opted by the right over the years that, despite my best efforts, it has been forever tainted. If I assert that I am a Christian (which I do) then what I stand for is bound to be misinterpreted. Furthermore, this point of view argues that religion has evolved far beyond Christianity and as such, couching faith in such terms is, at best, a counter-productive activity.
The other part of me, which speaks to my fighting spirit, is not content to surrender so easily. I am far more comfortable in the context of a Christian movement or at least one which is unwilling to remove scriptural references at the risk of offending someone's sensibilities. Emasculating a faith tradition in such fashion caters to a sort of victim mentality unfortunately prevalent in today's discourse. Dwelling on one's own past hurts is helpful insofar as it spurns us to right the wrongs which created them. The grieving process ought to be temporary, not permanently institutionalized as policy. The ultimate goal, as I see it, is to strive towards empowerment, which works within the confines of reality, not at cross-purposes with it.
Tuesday, December 18, 2007
The Purpose of Reform
Editor's Note: I will sometimes cross-post my entries to Street Prophets out of a desire to increase my hits and get additional exposure. Yesterday's post created a minor firestorm of negative comments and thus I felt compelled to write a response.
-CK.
If I erred, I erred in phrasing my criticisms in terms of us versus them. I meant no disrespect to Unitarian Universalism, nor individual Unitarian Universalists. When I was a member, I know I would have taken posts such as mine in the spirit of constructive criticism and out of a desire to affect change and make needed reforms. Indeed, I spent many a national con in lusty conversation with other UUs who had identified similar problems and at the time I listened with a rapt ear to their own unique pet theories regarding the ways things ought to be. Several of them blog and use their own personal weblogs as a launching pad by which to best extrapolate their ideas.
-CK.
Had I known my previous diary would have created so much fuss and so many negative responses, I would have tried to couch my argument in much more diplomatic, tactful terms. Do allow me this opportunity, if you will, to defend myself and to furthermore emphasize what I was attempting to say.
I feel that I have been misunderstood. Please allow me the ability to set the record straight.
In doing so, I would also invite you to take a second look at my earlier entry. In your haste to criticize me, I daresay you some of completely missed my point altogether.
Our desire in doing so was be to improve the faith, maintain its membership, and furthermore patch the trouble areas. Or to put it simply, the reason we even bothered to waste our breath is because we loved our church. We saw spirituality and especially organized religion, any organized religion, as an evolving process constantly in need of being modified to suit changing times.
Perhaps I'm different than a lot of people. I'm a reformer by nature and to me, even the supposedly most perfect system ever created leaves room for improvement. I feel the same way about anything I hold dear. This goes equally for music, the written word, films, and my favorite sports team. None of us live in a vacuum or immune from the passage of time and as such I believe we are constantly in search of perfecting ourselves. Thus it's not surprising that the elements in our life which we hold dear reflect this own innate sense of striving for perfection.
In reading back over what I wrote earlier today, if I had it to go over again I would have made a point to add a few well-placed qualifying statements. These would have made a point to mention that my criticisms noted problems I have observed in the whole of liberal religion. The main idea, namely, that in a desire to be as inclusive as possible we have progressively whittled away more and more the meat of that which we believe. In a comment posted today to my blog, a Quaker blogger pointed out that the same issue exists to some degree in Quakerism as well, which is to say that no liberal movement, even the one I currently hold in favor, is immune to this same sort of quandary.
In conclusion, please hear this. I put my heart and soul into being the best Unitarian Universalist I could possibly be for eight years. Then my priorities changed. Then I changed. I found that I had serious problems with a faith which I had once been so committed. It broke my heart and I felt deeply disappointed. In time and with the insight of maturity, however, I have realized that no faith journey is static and that my time as a Unitarian was another journey along the way--merely another knot on a rope that exists next to the one I label Methodism.
I'm not sure where my faith journey leads me. Rest assured, however, that if Quakerism is the path by which God is leading me, you'll likely hear one, if not several of my theories of what it needs to work on. Think of that in terms of that of a Mentor or a Parent offering constructive criticism, the implication not to tear down, but to reveal the truth in an effort to build up.
Monday, December 17, 2007
What a Difference Sensible Doctrines Make
This past weekend I attended a Quaker meeting and found it much to my liking. I noticed some similarities between its philosophy and the Unitarianism I practiced for eight years, but also recognized some crucial differences. By differences, I mean adherence to sensible doctrines that had Unitarian Universalism taken more strides towards adopting I'm very sure I would not have left it behind. Yet, upon further contemplation, I recall that I do know enough of change and the inevitable human tendency to resist it to have come to this conclusion--namely, that the needed reforms may not be forthcoming for quite some time to come, if they arrive at all, and I for one am not willing to sit around and play the game of wait-and-see.
Returning to Quakerism---upon my visit, I was handed the obligatory newcomer's packet, full of introductory materials. These I read through with no small degree of interest. One passage in particular caught my eye.
Quakerism is here described in terms of its ideals, not necessarily its attainments. In avoiding one form, Friends sometimes slip into another. Forms and creeds are inevitable. They have important uses, especially in education, where forms are used to show what ought to be their real content, and even, sometimes, to create the content. Our Christian religion would be weak and vague without the doctrines which undergird it. Quakerism does not aim at formlessness and undiluted mysticism (emphasis mine).
Unitarianism in its current incarnation purports to be a creedless faith which openly shuns dogma and doctrinal requirements. In reality, such a position often leaves it rudderless. The church adopted the Seven Principles as a means of addressing this lack. However, as the UU blog The Socinian recently pointed out, "[The Seven Principles] may be sound rules to live by, but they aren’t our creed or a statement of our highest truths. They are no more than a transitory statement of broad propositions that all of us in our wide theological diversity were at one time willing to support, a lowest common denominator."
I am not uncomfortable with doctrines when they serve a purpose, for I have observed for myself the sort of formless nihilism which results when they do not exist at all. The wording of the passage above takes into account several important precepts.
a) Human imperfection has a ways of reducing ideals to rougher, imperfect reality
b) Attempts to avoid creedal statements often inevitably become creedal statements in spite of themselves
c) Without some degree of underpinning, religion suffers from a lack of substance and strength
My other concern regards the unfortunate tendency that often Unitarians take in looking first, foremost, and sometimes only within their own ranks for the source of ultimate truth; this implies strongly that only we can understand us. Doing so produces a myopic, short-sighted tunnel vision which often discounts the usefulness of other faiths traditions. It's a circle-the-wagons, insular, bubble mentality that reminds me a little of a Soviet Propaganda film. This defensive posture couches all events, identities, policies, and daily minutia in cloying, self-referential terms of purpose and esoteric phrasing.
By contrast, I refer to the above passage one final time and note that that Quakerism makes a point to refer to itself as a Christian faith, even citing passages in The Bible to emphasize its roots. I do understand that some Friends do not self-identify as Christian but I daresay they are probably not as squeamish with scriptural references as UUs. When Unitarianism jettisoned itself from Christianity, the results rendered it closer to a cult of wounded souls in a state of suspended uncertainty. I am pleased to know that Quakers have not acted in kind.
Sunday, December 16, 2007
Happy Birthday to Bill Hicks
Bill Hicks would have been forty-six today.
A singular talent who passed away in relative obscurity before he reached the age of thirty-five, Hicks' uncompromising, unflinching style and simultaneous disdain of the trappings of fame ensured that he remained widely unknown during his lifetime. Better known in the UK than in his native America, he was nonetheless adored on both shores by an appreciative cult audience who immediately took to his acid-tipped satire. Hicks deliberately shunned widespread fame by refusing to lend his name or image to endorse any product and actively incorporated anti-consumerist rhetoric into his fiery routines.
His rants reveal a keen grasp of human nature, particularly in its darker elements. Typical targets include the soullessness of mainstream culture, the evil of marketing and advertising, and the exploitive power of religious hypocrisy. Yet, in spite of the raw anger inherent in his standup, his basic message remained that of transcendence-- as he frequently reminded audiences, "The truth will set you free."
Since his 1994 death from pancreatic cancer, the legend of Bill Hicks has grown by leaps and bounds and the ranks of his admirers swells every more with the passage of time. His often-philosophical routines cater particularly to a demographic of disaffected, malcontented liberals, particularly the so-called angry young men of the left, who see in him an effective anti-hero prophet. It's easy to see why. His views reflect those of the chronically misunderstood and disenfranchised. Raised Southern Baptist in Texas, he left behind his conservative upbringing and spoke darkly and critically of the unthinking masses, their superstitions, and their failings.
Like most visionaries, his words seem ever more applicable with time. One wonders what he would have to say about our current state of affairs.
Fans have put together a MySpace Music page which features some of his best routines. Check it out if you're curious. See the below video for Hicks in action.
Saturday, December 15, 2007
Plug
Please visit the newest member of the Comrade Kevin's Blogroll!
What are You Reading?
Dragon reviews a variety of different books from a multitude of genres.
What are You Reading?
Dragon reviews a variety of different books from a multitude of genres.
A Few Lessons in Safe Logic
Here, another in a long series of lessons in safe logic. Namely, thou shalt not resort to hyperbole when an accurate portrayal of the facts deserves to be told. I've seen evidence of similar histrionics in the prose of many members of the mainstream media and from both the right and left. No one side is any more or any less guilty of said offense, only that either side uses a different mechanism in going about it.
First, an event from our racist past.
In 1956, popular Black entertainer Nat King Cole played in front of a sold-out, adoring crowd at Birmingham, Alabama's Boutwell Auditorium. While in the middle of a song, a group of three extreme racists made an ill-advised invasion of the stage and managed to awkwardly topple Cole from his piano bench. Their efforts might have been more fruitful had not they been almost immediately intercepted by several white police officers who quickly took charge of the situation. A fourth man who had participated in plotting the event was later arrested in connection with the crime. All four were eventually tried and and convicted.
However, subsequent accounts often refer to this event as "Cole attacked on stage by white mob". I hardly think three people constitute much of a mob. The event is shocking enough on its own and thus there's no need to distort the truth. Many of the violent events of the Civil Rights Movement are shockingly brutal enough on their own without the need to resort to hyperbole. In attempting to use a broad brush to paint an account of our past, the mainstream media often sensationalizes situations like these.
Furthermore, an eyewitness account of the event recently provided by a Mr. Jim Felts, who was in the auditorium at the time, states that, in his words, "this phrase [white mob] is a gross misrepresentation at best, and leads the reader to infer that that a large part of the audience participated in, or approved of the attack."
He continues to say "it is safe to say the white audience would have happily lynched the four idiots who attacked an entertainer [they] loved". After all, the crowd of several thousand, most of whom were white, had paid almost one day's wagers to see Cole, who was at that time one of the most popular artists in the nation.
He concludes by saying that "The [media]...constantly bemoans "code words" and hyperbole that inflames racial attitudes. If I were a black person reading about this "white mob" attacking a black entertainer, I would surely react different than if I read about four racists who committed this idiotic crime".
Second, an account from everyone's favorite right-wing curmudgeon, Cal Thomas.
I read Mr. Thomas' often smarmy invective out of a desire to see how what the other side is thinking. Case in point, Faux News has been currently jumping up and down reporting how, yet again, Christianity is under attack. When asked to produce evidence of it, they refer to the recent church incident in Colorado, where gunman Mathew Murray's stated objective in killing members of the New Life Church were to punish Christians for their role in creating most of the problems of the world.
Thomas writes, "Does that qualify as a 'hate crime'? Probably not, as such designations are usually given only to "oppressed minorities."
The logic in these statements, if one can call them that, is two fold.
1. It assumes that all liberals have secret desires to destroy Christianity by violent methods and that the religion at a whole is under attack.
Let's back up a bit here. This a man who, if facts of the case serve me correctly, came OUT of the community itself. He's hardly some outside invader. Murray was clearly a very troubled soul and his statements ought to be taken as the ramblings of someone with severe mental illness. It frankly troubles me the line of thought that says that the ramblings of the disturbed somehow are indicative of the viewpoints one's opposition as a whole.
2. Justice is some commodity that is rapidly becoming the sole domain of protected minorities. Either that, or there's some sort of base inequality in the justice system that does not extend equal protection to Christians and violent attacks upon them.
However, incidents like this fly in the face of that sort of logic.
Muslim helps Jews attacked on NYC Subway.
The supreme irony of course is that a *gasp* Muslim intervening on behalf of Jew serves as a far better example of upholding the Christmas spirit then any so-called believer. This is the same Christmas currently under attack, if one believes the rhetoric.
Your humble narrator identifies as Christian, but he also identifies as a free-thinker. He feels that faith, spirituality, and religion as a whole ought to evolve with the times. Furthermore, he is made uncomfortable when anyone attempts to take religion, any religion, and use it as a rhetorical ace-in-the-hole. I'm remind of that in particular when I consider the so-called religious litmus test one must apparently pass in order to secure the GOP's nomination for President in 2008.
First, an event from our racist past.
In 1956, popular Black entertainer Nat King Cole played in front of a sold-out, adoring crowd at Birmingham, Alabama's Boutwell Auditorium. While in the middle of a song, a group of three extreme racists made an ill-advised invasion of the stage and managed to awkwardly topple Cole from his piano bench. Their efforts might have been more fruitful had not they been almost immediately intercepted by several white police officers who quickly took charge of the situation. A fourth man who had participated in plotting the event was later arrested in connection with the crime. All four were eventually tried and and convicted.
However, subsequent accounts often refer to this event as "Cole attacked on stage by white mob". I hardly think three people constitute much of a mob. The event is shocking enough on its own and thus there's no need to distort the truth. Many of the violent events of the Civil Rights Movement are shockingly brutal enough on their own without the need to resort to hyperbole. In attempting to use a broad brush to paint an account of our past, the mainstream media often sensationalizes situations like these.
Furthermore, an eyewitness account of the event recently provided by a Mr. Jim Felts, who was in the auditorium at the time, states that, in his words, "this phrase [white mob] is a gross misrepresentation at best, and leads the reader to infer that that a large part of the audience participated in, or approved of the attack."
He continues to say "it is safe to say the white audience would have happily lynched the four idiots who attacked an entertainer [they] loved". After all, the crowd of several thousand, most of whom were white, had paid almost one day's wagers to see Cole, who was at that time one of the most popular artists in the nation.
He concludes by saying that "The [media]...constantly bemoans "code words" and hyperbole that inflames racial attitudes. If I were a black person reading about this "white mob" attacking a black entertainer, I would surely react different than if I read about four racists who committed this idiotic crime".
Second, an account from everyone's favorite right-wing curmudgeon, Cal Thomas.
I read Mr. Thomas' often smarmy invective out of a desire to see how what the other side is thinking. Case in point, Faux News has been currently jumping up and down reporting how, yet again, Christianity is under attack. When asked to produce evidence of it, they refer to the recent church incident in Colorado, where gunman Mathew Murray's stated objective in killing members of the New Life Church were to punish Christians for their role in creating most of the problems of the world.
Thomas writes, "Does that qualify as a 'hate crime'? Probably not, as such designations are usually given only to "oppressed minorities."
The logic in these statements, if one can call them that, is two fold.
1. It assumes that all liberals have secret desires to destroy Christianity by violent methods and that the religion at a whole is under attack.
Let's back up a bit here. This a man who, if facts of the case serve me correctly, came OUT of the community itself. He's hardly some outside invader. Murray was clearly a very troubled soul and his statements ought to be taken as the ramblings of someone with severe mental illness. It frankly troubles me the line of thought that says that the ramblings of the disturbed somehow are indicative of the viewpoints one's opposition as a whole.
2. Justice is some commodity that is rapidly becoming the sole domain of protected minorities. Either that, or there's some sort of base inequality in the justice system that does not extend equal protection to Christians and violent attacks upon them.
However, incidents like this fly in the face of that sort of logic.
Muslim helps Jews attacked on NYC Subway.
The supreme irony of course is that a *gasp* Muslim intervening on behalf of Jew serves as a far better example of upholding the Christmas spirit then any so-called believer. This is the same Christmas currently under attack, if one believes the rhetoric.
Your humble narrator identifies as Christian, but he also identifies as a free-thinker. He feels that faith, spirituality, and religion as a whole ought to evolve with the times. Furthermore, he is made uncomfortable when anyone attempts to take religion, any religion, and use it as a rhetorical ace-in-the-hole. I'm remind of that in particular when I consider the so-called religious litmus test one must apparently pass in order to secure the GOP's nomination for President in 2008.
Friday, December 14, 2007
There's No Atmosphere on the Moon
In making this post, I'm going against one of my blogging rules, which reads: The Blogger Shall Never Post About Sports. It's nothing personal, folks. Please allow me to make that quite clear to all of you rabid sports fans out there. Admittedly, I have already broken this rule once this year already. What's once more?
Readership, you must understand that I feel that sports are a fun distraction from the increasingly heavy, negative times in which we live, but neither by any stretch of the means do I think that they're a matter of vital importance. Any sort of congressional investigation of sports is time wasted which could be spent on much better things. To wit, this is one of those times where I feel compelled to speak not because I find it important, but because so many other people find it important. Here, yet another lesson in safe logic.
The moral lesson to be pulled from this mess of across the board flagrant usage of steroids by Major League Baseball players seems to be cut and dried. This is the price we pay for coddling and vastly overpaying an elite group of prima donnas who play a child's game for a living. Can anyone really be surprised? Am I saying anything particularly new or novel when making this statement, the general sentiment of which must be on the lips of so many people at this exact instant.
Over the past thirty years it has been well-documented how the price of a ticket, parking, concessions, and souvenirs have risen to obscene levels. Why anyone would wish to pay $6 for a 50 cent cup of stale tap beer or shell out $35 for a replica jersey of one's favorite player is beyond me. Why we would want to pay so dearly for our entertainment is still another, and reveals rather pointedly that we must be desperate to escape our humdrum existence of day to day living. Perhaps this is a fallacy of the human condition, albeit one that can be easily addressed in the name of personal responsibility but only as long as we, individually, make the effort.
Still, one can't help recalling that it did not use to be this way. Forty years ago baseball players made a decent leaving at the sport but certainly not enough by salary alone to constitute extreme wealth. It could easily be argued that domineering owners were the ones who profited most and made pots full of money off the backs of their players. The move to correct this and spread the wealth out more equitably amongst all those involved went way too far in the other direction. I often make a point that this is one of the paradoxes of human behavior. The pendulum never seems to reach happy medium point, but instead swings from pole to pole.
Here's what I propose and do take this with as many grains of sand as you wish. I would recommend highly that everyone should undertake and put into action the lost art of creating something worthwhile and substantive, or at minimum adding something intrinsically positive to the world. Doing so has always been a far more satisfying endeavor than passively watching any ballgame for me, at least. By "creating", allow me to expand the definition to include many things. Volunteer at a homeless shelter. Talk to an old friend. Read a book. Exercise. Make something with your hands.
Sports have their place in society. They can be remarkably unifying, egalitarian, and cross-cultural. They are a fun outlet and a hobby for many people. However, like everything else in this world, taken to excess they are damaging.
___________________________
Read the Full Report, here.
Readership, you must understand that I feel that sports are a fun distraction from the increasingly heavy, negative times in which we live, but neither by any stretch of the means do I think that they're a matter of vital importance. Any sort of congressional investigation of sports is time wasted which could be spent on much better things. To wit, this is one of those times where I feel compelled to speak not because I find it important, but because so many other people find it important. Here, yet another lesson in safe logic.
The moral lesson to be pulled from this mess of across the board flagrant usage of steroids by Major League Baseball players seems to be cut and dried. This is the price we pay for coddling and vastly overpaying an elite group of prima donnas who play a child's game for a living. Can anyone really be surprised? Am I saying anything particularly new or novel when making this statement, the general sentiment of which must be on the lips of so many people at this exact instant.
Over the past thirty years it has been well-documented how the price of a ticket, parking, concessions, and souvenirs have risen to obscene levels. Why anyone would wish to pay $6 for a 50 cent cup of stale tap beer or shell out $35 for a replica jersey of one's favorite player is beyond me. Why we would want to pay so dearly for our entertainment is still another, and reveals rather pointedly that we must be desperate to escape our humdrum existence of day to day living. Perhaps this is a fallacy of the human condition, albeit one that can be easily addressed in the name of personal responsibility but only as long as we, individually, make the effort.
Still, one can't help recalling that it did not use to be this way. Forty years ago baseball players made a decent leaving at the sport but certainly not enough by salary alone to constitute extreme wealth. It could easily be argued that domineering owners were the ones who profited most and made pots full of money off the backs of their players. The move to correct this and spread the wealth out more equitably amongst all those involved went way too far in the other direction. I often make a point that this is one of the paradoxes of human behavior. The pendulum never seems to reach happy medium point, but instead swings from pole to pole.
Here's what I propose and do take this with as many grains of sand as you wish. I would recommend highly that everyone should undertake and put into action the lost art of creating something worthwhile and substantive, or at minimum adding something intrinsically positive to the world. Doing so has always been a far more satisfying endeavor than passively watching any ballgame for me, at least. By "creating", allow me to expand the definition to include many things. Volunteer at a homeless shelter. Talk to an old friend. Read a book. Exercise. Make something with your hands.
Sports have their place in society. They can be remarkably unifying, egalitarian, and cross-cultural. They are a fun outlet and a hobby for many people. However, like everything else in this world, taken to excess they are damaging.
___________________________
Read the Full Report, here.
Thursday, December 13, 2007
Classes Which Need to be Taught
I got this from Blue Gal by way of Dr. Zaius
"Write about 5 classes you would like to take if you could make up your own curriculum. AND - and this is important, ONE of them must come from your tagger's list."
I believe that some of these were meant to be light-hearted but I seem to be in a more serious mood today. Suppose I'll roll with it rather than fight it.
GS 114. Critical Thinking (3 credits) MWF 11:00 am-12:30 pm
This mandatory class for all incoming Freshman encourages students to be able to think for themselves. This hands-on class forces students to formulate their own opinions separate from personal bias, spin, and baseless prejudice. A wealth of alternate points-of-view will be actively discussed. This course will also include a weekly series of outside speakers who will speak on a variety of diverse topics. These talks will pull from a wide cross section of different cultures, religions, and political persuasions. Prepare to have your world view expanded and your heretofore unquestioning opinions called to task.
SOC 42DD Teh Hott For Any Weight (3 credits) Tu Th 8:00 pm-9:00 pm
Learn the ways by which our culture encourages people, particularly women, to conform to unrealistic standards of physical beauty for the sake of making maximum profit for corporations. Learn how few people are capable of looking like models. Be exposed to alternate cultural expectations of body shape that do not conform to the current model proposed by looks-obsessed Western culture. The point will be hammered home when students will watch a series of mind-expanding and utterly unsettling documentaries. Final paper topics in past have included titles such as Why I'm Happy with the Way I Look Now and No Wonder I Used to Have an Eating Disorder.
Upon completion of the class, students often find their sense of satisfaction with their own bodies to be at an all-time high.
EC 200 Rudimentary Economics (3 credits) Tu Th 2:00 pm-3:00 pm
Learn how to balance a checkbook, avoid taking out credit cards, make wise decisions with their personal income, and how to avoid falling into risky lending schemes created by unbridled, unregulated greed. This information should have been dispensed by parents around the dinner table, but research has recently revealed that this information is rarely taught by parents and that most young people no longer sit around dinner tables with the rest of the family.
Students will learn the disquieting reality of where money really comes from, how it is created, and how to use that knowledge to their own benefit.
Warning. This class might make you a communist.
HE 230 Effective Sex Education MWF 12-1:30
This hour and a half course will be taught in an spirit of open-minded discussion free from scorn or doses of shame. Lies and misinformation, particularly those advanced by Fundamentalist teachings, will be education actively refuted. Slides showing diseased genitals in advanced stages of syphilis will not be shown. Abstinence-only curriculum will not be advanced. Students will learn a variety of different means of contraceptives, none of which involve the phrase You CAN pull out, right? Romanticizing one's virginity will not be allowed, since no one's first sexual encounter has any sort of aesthetic purity, unless by pure you really mean extreme awkwardness.
AS 300 Deflating the Cult of Celebrity Th 3:00 pm- 5:00 pm
Students will learn the virtues of ignoring soft news and the behavior of dysfunctional, drug-addicted stars. This course will make a point of encouraging students to create their own drama if they're really that desperate for salacious gossip. The reality of celebrity will be discussed, particularly the pitfalls of wealth. The fallacy of living a life of quiet desperation will be exposed.
This course is a fine companion with GS 114. (See above).
"Write about 5 classes you would like to take if you could make up your own curriculum. AND - and this is important, ONE of them must come from your tagger's list."
I believe that some of these were meant to be light-hearted but I seem to be in a more serious mood today. Suppose I'll roll with it rather than fight it.
GS 114. Critical Thinking (3 credits) MWF 11:00 am-12:30 pm
This mandatory class for all incoming Freshman encourages students to be able to think for themselves. This hands-on class forces students to formulate their own opinions separate from personal bias, spin, and baseless prejudice. A wealth of alternate points-of-view will be actively discussed. This course will also include a weekly series of outside speakers who will speak on a variety of diverse topics. These talks will pull from a wide cross section of different cultures, religions, and political persuasions. Prepare to have your world view expanded and your heretofore unquestioning opinions called to task.
SOC 42DD Teh Hott For Any Weight (3 credits) Tu Th 8:00 pm-9:00 pm
Learn the ways by which our culture encourages people, particularly women, to conform to unrealistic standards of physical beauty for the sake of making maximum profit for corporations. Learn how few people are capable of looking like models. Be exposed to alternate cultural expectations of body shape that do not conform to the current model proposed by looks-obsessed Western culture. The point will be hammered home when students will watch a series of mind-expanding and utterly unsettling documentaries. Final paper topics in past have included titles such as Why I'm Happy with the Way I Look Now and No Wonder I Used to Have an Eating Disorder.
Upon completion of the class, students often find their sense of satisfaction with their own bodies to be at an all-time high.
EC 200 Rudimentary Economics (3 credits) Tu Th 2:00 pm-3:00 pm
Learn how to balance a checkbook, avoid taking out credit cards, make wise decisions with their personal income, and how to avoid falling into risky lending schemes created by unbridled, unregulated greed. This information should have been dispensed by parents around the dinner table, but research has recently revealed that this information is rarely taught by parents and that most young people no longer sit around dinner tables with the rest of the family.
Students will learn the disquieting reality of where money really comes from, how it is created, and how to use that knowledge to their own benefit.
Warning. This class might make you a communist.
HE 230 Effective Sex Education MWF 12-1:30
This hour and a half course will be taught in an spirit of open-minded discussion free from scorn or doses of shame. Lies and misinformation, particularly those advanced by Fundamentalist teachings, will be education actively refuted. Slides showing diseased genitals in advanced stages of syphilis will not be shown. Abstinence-only curriculum will not be advanced. Students will learn a variety of different means of contraceptives, none of which involve the phrase You CAN pull out, right? Romanticizing one's virginity will not be allowed, since no one's first sexual encounter has any sort of aesthetic purity, unless by pure you really mean extreme awkwardness.
AS 300 Deflating the Cult of Celebrity Th 3:00 pm- 5:00 pm
Students will learn the virtues of ignoring soft news and the behavior of dysfunctional, drug-addicted stars. This course will make a point of encouraging students to create their own drama if they're really that desperate for salacious gossip. The reality of celebrity will be discussed, particularly the pitfalls of wealth. The fallacy of living a life of quiet desperation will be exposed.
This course is a fine companion with GS 114. (See above).
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
Wrong, Wrong, Wrong
Readership, I found this yesterday on Blue Gal's page, so those of you who have been to her site might find this a bit extraneous. I wanted to add my own two cents.
Apparently the fine folks at WalMart want our young teenage girls to never forget this.
This is wrong on so many levels. I don't know where to begin. This would be not nearly as offensive on a t-shirt or a wallet, but on a pair of panties clearly designed for TWELVE TO SIXTEEN YEAR OLD GIRLS this suggests something absolutely appalling. It's still wrong no matter how old the women in question happen to be. The age thing just adds an even more sinister edge to it. Nothing like the suggestion of underage girls selling their intimate areas for cash, but certainly not plastic.
Read more, here.
I discussed this with a friend of mine who lives in Australia. She wrote this in response.
I have a hard time finding decent clothes for my seven year old girl. she's seven! She does not need midriff baring tops, tops with slogans on them, skirts that are ridiculously short. not just short skirts but RIDICULOUSLY short. Items promoting all sorts of fucked up shit. I get so mad about this.
But then again, no one said WalMart had good taste. This shirt was recently featured on the racks as well.
What's next? "Some say it's rape, I call it hot sex"? Or: "Some call it domestic violence, I say I'm just teaching her a lesson"?
While you're there you can also pick up my personal favorite, Bratz dolls. These are some of the tamer variety. I wasn't able to find the ones that look like 100% harlot.
Not that the name itself isn't appalling enough. These dolls, clearly designed for the tween, early teen set wear short, midriff revealing clothing, globs of makeup, and apparently delight in looking like borderline prostitutes. What a great example for impressionable young girls to aspire to be! Don't worry about being reasonable or unselfish, girls, because remember it's all about you and how good you look in front of the boys!
Let's not also forget the thong for Preteen girls. This item speaks for itself.
Random Factoid: 90% of all people shop at WalMart.
Comrade Kevin is glad to be in the 10% who don't.
Apparently the fine folks at WalMart want our young teenage girls to never forget this.
This is wrong on so many levels. I don't know where to begin. This would be not nearly as offensive on a t-shirt or a wallet, but on a pair of panties clearly designed for TWELVE TO SIXTEEN YEAR OLD GIRLS this suggests something absolutely appalling. It's still wrong no matter how old the women in question happen to be. The age thing just adds an even more sinister edge to it. Nothing like the suggestion of underage girls selling their intimate areas for cash, but certainly not plastic.
Read more, here.
I discussed this with a friend of mine who lives in Australia. She wrote this in response.
I have a hard time finding decent clothes for my seven year old girl. she's seven! She does not need midriff baring tops, tops with slogans on them, skirts that are ridiculously short. not just short skirts but RIDICULOUSLY short. Items promoting all sorts of fucked up shit. I get so mad about this.
But then again, no one said WalMart had good taste. This shirt was recently featured on the racks as well.
What's next? "Some say it's rape, I call it hot sex"? Or: "Some call it domestic violence, I say I'm just teaching her a lesson"?
While you're there you can also pick up my personal favorite, Bratz dolls. These are some of the tamer variety. I wasn't able to find the ones that look like 100% harlot.
Not that the name itself isn't appalling enough. These dolls, clearly designed for the tween, early teen set wear short, midriff revealing clothing, globs of makeup, and apparently delight in looking like borderline prostitutes. What a great example for impressionable young girls to aspire to be! Don't worry about being reasonable or unselfish, girls, because remember it's all about you and how good you look in front of the boys!
Let's not also forget the thong for Preteen girls. This item speaks for itself.
Random Factoid: 90% of all people shop at WalMart.
Comrade Kevin is glad to be in the 10% who don't.
Tuesday, December 11, 2007
Quote of the Day
"I love America, but I don't like it."
-Sinclair Lewis.
This keeps getting truer and truer for me by the day.
-Sinclair Lewis.
This keeps getting truer and truer for me by the day.
Evolution or Bust
When I was in grad school, one of the topics we discussed concerned the onward pace of humanity. One school of thought, the fatalistic side, argued that we humans were evolving at a rate of speed far beyond our own ability to correctly perceive it. The other side, the optimists, argued instead that we were instead on the path towards telepathy.
I find myself more inclined to the former viewpoint, but let me qualify it slightly by saying our technology is evolving at a rate of speed beyond our ability to make ethical decisions regarding it. The pace of technology which grows more hyperactive by the moment doesn't provide us much time to reflect, contemplate, or ponder. What was new yesterday becomes antiquated and outdated today and I doubt seriously we can get our minds around much of anything that progresses in such a fashion.
A different but related matter comes to mind. Regarding human evolution as a whole, I was directed today to a link in National Geographic Magazine.
Human Evolution Speeding Up
It makes sense, when you think about it. Evolution is, as we know, a process expedited by exposure to stimuli. With more stimuli and more people comes more evolution. As our human population swells, so with it comes evolutionary mutations to bacteria and animal alike. The article points out that the rapid pace of evolution is a recent phenomenon. Perhaps the problems of modern society are a response to a reaction wholly unprecedented in the history of man.
Not only are we evolving at a faster clip, but we are evolving far beyond each other. Africans are evolving in totally different fashion that Europeans. Asians are evolving differently than Europeans. With such much evolutionary friction and cross-pollination, one wonder what end results will be created by the process of exponential growth. By the year 2050, the planet Earth which will contain fully 12 billion residents.
I find myself more inclined to the former viewpoint, but let me qualify it slightly by saying our technology is evolving at a rate of speed beyond our ability to make ethical decisions regarding it. The pace of technology which grows more hyperactive by the moment doesn't provide us much time to reflect, contemplate, or ponder. What was new yesterday becomes antiquated and outdated today and I doubt seriously we can get our minds around much of anything that progresses in such a fashion.
A different but related matter comes to mind. Regarding human evolution as a whole, I was directed today to a link in National Geographic Magazine.
Human Evolution Speeding Up
It makes sense, when you think about it. Evolution is, as we know, a process expedited by exposure to stimuli. With more stimuli and more people comes more evolution. As our human population swells, so with it comes evolutionary mutations to bacteria and animal alike. The article points out that the rapid pace of evolution is a recent phenomenon. Perhaps the problems of modern society are a response to a reaction wholly unprecedented in the history of man.
Not only are we evolving at a faster clip, but we are evolving far beyond each other. Africans are evolving in totally different fashion that Europeans. Asians are evolving differently than Europeans. With such much evolutionary friction and cross-pollination, one wonder what end results will be created by the process of exponential growth. By the year 2050, the planet Earth which will contain fully 12 billion residents.
Monday, December 10, 2007
New Songs
I've been experimenting with a multi-track recorder and have set down two songs.
1. Motion Pictures
2. At The Zoo
___________________
In other news, I am pleasantly surprised that Barack Obama has made substantial gains on Clinton's lead. This is from someone who volunteered to help with campaign before bowing out over serious disagreements with the strategy. He has come out swinging in recent days but I still hold serious doubts. Hillary Clinton has shown herself to be a candidate with serious flaws. Had they been exposed before now, I doubt she could have effectively solidified her base of support.
What almost goes without saying is although Obama has made great strides in recent weeks, she still leads him overwhelmingly in all but a few states. Obama has set himself up on a course to take the nomination in a fight on the floor of the Convention, which ironically I find much more likely a scenario in the GOP convention.
1. Motion Pictures
2. At The Zoo
___________________
In other news, I am pleasantly surprised that Barack Obama has made substantial gains on Clinton's lead. This is from someone who volunteered to help with campaign before bowing out over serious disagreements with the strategy. He has come out swinging in recent days but I still hold serious doubts. Hillary Clinton has shown herself to be a candidate with serious flaws. Had they been exposed before now, I doubt she could have effectively solidified her base of support.
What almost goes without saying is although Obama has made great strides in recent weeks, she still leads him overwhelmingly in all but a few states. Obama has set himself up on a course to take the nomination in a fight on the floor of the Convention, which ironically I find much more likely a scenario in the GOP convention.
Sunday, December 09, 2007
Saturday, December 08, 2007
Friday, December 07, 2007
Thursday, December 06, 2007
The Story Meme
FranIAm tagged me, so I'm going to continue.
I'm not much of a tagger and am sort of opposed to it on principle, so if any of you lot wish to continue the story, go for it.
I woke up hungry. I pulled my bedroom curtain to the side and looked out on a hazy morning. I dragged myself into the kitchen, in search of something to eat. I reached for a jar of applesauce sitting next to the sink, and found it very cold to the touch. I opened the jar and realized it was frozen. (Splotchy)
"That's strange," I said out loud to no one in particular. My fingers slowly reached towards the jar again. My body experienced a wave of apprehension as weighted blanket covering me as I did so. The jar was completely frozen.
I picked it up and stared at it, my fingers stung with little knives of chill. "What the..." again I spoke aloud. Then I realized what had happened with a shock. Suddenly the jar flew from my hand. It shattered creating a collage-like mixture of frozen applesauce and glass shards on my kitchen floor, the lid lazily rolling to a stop across the room.(FranIam)
"Goddamn it," I yelled, cursing my bad luck and my lack of co-ordination. Oafish is a word that has been used to describe me from time to time. If I don't fall on my face at least once a week, I know there's something wrong with me.
Snapping back to reality, I took stock of the situation. Though I was not wearing shoes, I was lucky enough that the mess was several feet away and thus not close enough to have cut me. The worst thing I had to worry about was cleaning up a spiraling trail of mushy, clotted applesauce and globs of glass. Most of it lay in one big sideways vomit across the linoleum floor, about two feet from the refrigerator. I sighed and walked towards the closet where I keep the dustpan and broom. (Comrade Kevin)
I'm not much of a tagger and am sort of opposed to it on principle, so if any of you lot wish to continue the story, go for it.
I woke up hungry. I pulled my bedroom curtain to the side and looked out on a hazy morning. I dragged myself into the kitchen, in search of something to eat. I reached for a jar of applesauce sitting next to the sink, and found it very cold to the touch. I opened the jar and realized it was frozen. (Splotchy)
"That's strange," I said out loud to no one in particular. My fingers slowly reached towards the jar again. My body experienced a wave of apprehension as weighted blanket covering me as I did so. The jar was completely frozen.
I picked it up and stared at it, my fingers stung with little knives of chill. "What the..." again I spoke aloud. Then I realized what had happened with a shock. Suddenly the jar flew from my hand. It shattered creating a collage-like mixture of frozen applesauce and glass shards on my kitchen floor, the lid lazily rolling to a stop across the room.(FranIam)
"Goddamn it," I yelled, cursing my bad luck and my lack of co-ordination. Oafish is a word that has been used to describe me from time to time. If I don't fall on my face at least once a week, I know there's something wrong with me.
Snapping back to reality, I took stock of the situation. Though I was not wearing shoes, I was lucky enough that the mess was several feet away and thus not close enough to have cut me. The worst thing I had to worry about was cleaning up a spiraling trail of mushy, clotted applesauce and globs of glass. Most of it lay in one big sideways vomit across the linoleum floor, about two feet from the refrigerator. I sighed and walked towards the closet where I keep the dustpan and broom. (Comrade Kevin)
Wednesday, December 05, 2007
Birmingham Disappointment
White flight decimated the City of Birmingham, scattering the majority of its wealth and white population over Shades and Double Oak mountain. Motivated partially out of racism, partially out of a failure of white and black leadership to reach any sense of consensus, the past thirty-five years have produced the rise of the suburbs and the slow death of the city. This is not an particularly original story. It's no different here than in many other cities in the United States. The history of major metropolitan areas North and South, East and West, will show the same tale.
The predominantly white, affluent suburb in which I live is named Hoover. Some twenty years ago, under the premise of if you build it, they will come a plethora of wealthy white businessmen pooled their money and funded the then-largest shopping center in the Southeast. The Galleria transformed a sleepy little community into a thriving city of 80,000 residents. The success of Hoover moved Birmingham's population further and further away from the city center. What remains worthwhile in Birmingham is the Southside, home to the University of Alabama at Birmingham, the largest employer, a few good restaurants, and a shopping center called The Summit. Most of the city is impoverished, overwhelmingly African-American, and a cesspool of run-down eyesores.
When Larry Langford was elected Mayor of Birmingham three months ago, I knew trouble was on the way. Known for no small lack of ambition and a flair for the dramatic, Langford proceeded to push a large tax increase through the City Council. It was overwhelming approved yesterday. As of 1 January, the sales tax for the city itself will be increased to ten cents upon every dollar for the next six years and the tax upon businesses will be effectively doubled from now on.
What I object to most is the heavy-handed way by which this matter was handled. When business leaders protested, Langford and a few devotees on the Council caustically dismissed them. "If you leave, someone else will come," they said. "If you sell your dealership, we'll find someone else who will buy it."
Our local paper, The Birmingham News, came out strongly against the proposal. Letters to the Editor were resounding against the proposal as well. I estimate that they ran 70% against to 30% for the proposal. No specifics of this increased tax revenue have thus been spelled out, which is an accountability nightmare. Furthermore, sales taxes are not "fair and equitable", no matter what the spin doctors say. They are the most regressive taxes of all, which punish the poor to a much larger degree than they affect the wealthy. The much fairer way to resolve this situation would be to rise property taxes but doing so would have required a county-wide vote, a vote which would likely have failed.
The tax revenue is supposed to be raised to improve public transportation and build a domed stadium. Count me as someone who would love to not have to rely on his car to get everywhere, but I have a feeling that money itself is not going to be sufficient in and of itself. Effective public transportation would take into account the suburbs as well as the city of Birmingham and one gets the feeling that the public transportation system proposed would halt at the city limits.
A domed stadium has been proposed for fifteen years. The intent is to attract a big name sports program and to draw more civic and sports events to the city. I do not see the NFL, NBA, NHL, or MLB coming to call at any future date. I see instead a domed stadium which sits empty most of the time and when it is built is filled to, at best, half capacity. It's a panacea, at best, a dream which will likely be deferred forever.
Really, when you get down to it, the whole point of this tax is to try to save Birmingham. Instead, I think the net result will be the final nail in the city's coffin. I see a wide spread boycott of the few remaining Birmingham businesses which are solicited by patrons who live outside the city itself. I see the few remaining business mainstays who have remained within the city limits uprooting and moving to the suburbs. I see the destruction of the up and coming small businesses and entrepreneurs that the city desperately needs to stay competitive with the suburbs.
The predominantly white, affluent suburb in which I live is named Hoover. Some twenty years ago, under the premise of if you build it, they will come a plethora of wealthy white businessmen pooled their money and funded the then-largest shopping center in the Southeast. The Galleria transformed a sleepy little community into a thriving city of 80,000 residents. The success of Hoover moved Birmingham's population further and further away from the city center. What remains worthwhile in Birmingham is the Southside, home to the University of Alabama at Birmingham, the largest employer, a few good restaurants, and a shopping center called The Summit. Most of the city is impoverished, overwhelmingly African-American, and a cesspool of run-down eyesores.
When Larry Langford was elected Mayor of Birmingham three months ago, I knew trouble was on the way. Known for no small lack of ambition and a flair for the dramatic, Langford proceeded to push a large tax increase through the City Council. It was overwhelming approved yesterday. As of 1 January, the sales tax for the city itself will be increased to ten cents upon every dollar for the next six years and the tax upon businesses will be effectively doubled from now on.
What I object to most is the heavy-handed way by which this matter was handled. When business leaders protested, Langford and a few devotees on the Council caustically dismissed them. "If you leave, someone else will come," they said. "If you sell your dealership, we'll find someone else who will buy it."
Our local paper, The Birmingham News, came out strongly against the proposal. Letters to the Editor were resounding against the proposal as well. I estimate that they ran 70% against to 30% for the proposal. No specifics of this increased tax revenue have thus been spelled out, which is an accountability nightmare. Furthermore, sales taxes are not "fair and equitable", no matter what the spin doctors say. They are the most regressive taxes of all, which punish the poor to a much larger degree than they affect the wealthy. The much fairer way to resolve this situation would be to rise property taxes but doing so would have required a county-wide vote, a vote which would likely have failed.
The tax revenue is supposed to be raised to improve public transportation and build a domed stadium. Count me as someone who would love to not have to rely on his car to get everywhere, but I have a feeling that money itself is not going to be sufficient in and of itself. Effective public transportation would take into account the suburbs as well as the city of Birmingham and one gets the feeling that the public transportation system proposed would halt at the city limits.
A domed stadium has been proposed for fifteen years. The intent is to attract a big name sports program and to draw more civic and sports events to the city. I do not see the NFL, NBA, NHL, or MLB coming to call at any future date. I see instead a domed stadium which sits empty most of the time and when it is built is filled to, at best, half capacity. It's a panacea, at best, a dream which will likely be deferred forever.
Really, when you get down to it, the whole point of this tax is to try to save Birmingham. Instead, I think the net result will be the final nail in the city's coffin. I see a wide spread boycott of the few remaining Birmingham businesses which are solicited by patrons who live outside the city itself. I see the few remaining business mainstays who have remained within the city limits uprooting and moving to the suburbs. I see the destruction of the up and coming small businesses and entrepreneurs that the city desperately needs to stay competitive with the suburbs.
Tuesday, December 04, 2007
The Music Meme, Ganked From Damn Near Everyone
The rules:
1. Put your music player on Shuffle
2. For each question, press the next button to get your answer.
3. YOU MUST WRITE THAT SONG NAME DOWN NO MATTER WHAT (this is in capital letters, so it is very serious.
1. IF SOMEONE SAYS “IS THIS OKAY” YOU SAY? Get Back- The Beatles
2. WHAT WOULD BEST DESCRIBE YOUR PERSONALITY? Panic- The Smiths
3. WHAT DO YOU LIKE IN A GUY/GIRL? (Straight To Your Heart) Like A Cannonball- Van Morrison
4. HOW DO YOU FEEL TODAY? Something in the Way- Nirvana
5. WHAT IS YOUR LIFE’S PURPOSE? The More You Ignore Me, The Closer I Get- Morrissey
6. WHAT IS YOUR MOTTO? Fuckin' With My Head- Beck
7. WHAT DO YOUR FRIENDS THINK OF YOU? Now Mary- The White Stripes
8. WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR PARENTS? Glory Box- Portishead
9. WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT VERY OFTEN? Lord Only Knows- Beck
10. WHAT IS 2+2? Everybody Wants You- Sloan
11. WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR BEST FRIEND? This is a Low- Blur
12. WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE PERSON YOU LIKE? Sleep To Dream- Fiona Apple
13. WHAT IS YOUR LIFE STORY? I am the Mob- Catatonia
14. WHAT DO YOU WANT TO BE WHEN YOU GROW UP? Walking Down The Highway- Graham Coxon
15. WHAT DO YOU THINK WHEN YOU SEE THE PERSON YOU LIKE? Remember- John Lennon
16. WHAT DO YOUR PARENTS THINK OF YOU? Poor Boy- Nick Drake
17. WHAT WILL YOU DANCE TO AT YOUR WEDDING? Rip It Up- Orange Juice
18. WHAT WILL THEY PLAY AT YOUR FUNERAL? I'm Not Like Everybody Else- The Kinks
19. WHAT IS YOUR HOBBY/INTEREST? In Love- The Raincoats
20. WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST SECRET? Care of Cell 44- The Zombies
21. WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR FRIENDS? Glass Onion- The Beatles
22. WHAT SHOULD YOU POST THIS AS? Anyone Can Play Guitar- Radiohead
Monday, December 03, 2007
Sunday, December 02, 2007
Updates, Updates
Parnate has produced some low-grade nausea for the past couple days. This is a merely temporary side effect that I'll easily fight through. My appetite is minimal at best, and I can already clearly visualize the pounds dropping off of me. If this keeps up, I'll be thirty pounds lighter by February/March.
I appreciate your words of support, Readership. Dealing with this for years and years has made me tough, resilient, and persistent. What I'm dealing with now is hardly anything new. As a matter of fact, things have been much worse before. I'm very glad you did not know me in my late teens, which were a nightmare combination of constant bouts of hospitalization and trauma unthinkable.
I was a nervous, high-strung, fearful child. The onset of my first bouts of depression occurred when I was sixteen and I developed full-blown bipolar when I was in my early twenties.
I'm looking forward to perusing your blogs, leaving comments, and getting back to politics as usual.
I appreciate your words of support, Readership. Dealing with this for years and years has made me tough, resilient, and persistent. What I'm dealing with now is hardly anything new. As a matter of fact, things have been much worse before. I'm very glad you did not know me in my late teens, which were a nightmare combination of constant bouts of hospitalization and trauma unthinkable.
I was a nervous, high-strung, fearful child. The onset of my first bouts of depression occurred when I was sixteen and I developed full-blown bipolar when I was in my early twenties.
I'm looking forward to perusing your blogs, leaving comments, and getting back to politics as usual.
Friday, November 30, 2007
Frustration
As I'm sure you've noticed, I've had to put blogging on hold to a large extent while I'm getting my health into order. Still, I did want to update you out there who read this blog on a regular basis. Once I get myself stabilized, I will take up the mantle with the eloquence I have shown in months before.
First, the news.
Due to the fact doing so would cause a medication interaction, I cannot eat pizza anymore. Nor can I eat most cheeses. For an Italian food junkie like yours truly, this is a major adjustment, but one that I am willing to make. First coffee, now cheese. *sad face*
I had a minor reaction two nights ago that I believe was due to the fact I had eaten lasagna the night before, and apparently enough undigested tyramine still lingered in my gut to cause a reaction. Six hour long headaches are not pleasant, but I had enough of a taste of what a medication interaction will be like to make me never want to have another one. It was one of those frustrating headaches that force you to constantly switch positions from lying on one's side to lying on one's back, repeat, repeat, repeat, all night long.
The other interaction of note has been with Seroquel, my sleeping medication. It has magnified the drowsiness to the point that I was sleepy most of the day. I still am.
I've been on Parnate now for three days. Tomorrow I increase the dosage to 30 mg.
I already feel the change in appetite. When enough of it is in my system, I know my appetite is going to be greatly affected. This is not a bad thing because I've gained so much weight. And, with the dietary restrictions combined with the medication itself, I'm pretty sure in a few months I'm going to lose most of the pounds I've put on in the last couple months.
First, the news.
Due to the fact doing so would cause a medication interaction, I cannot eat pizza anymore. Nor can I eat most cheeses. For an Italian food junkie like yours truly, this is a major adjustment, but one that I am willing to make. First coffee, now cheese. *sad face*
I had a minor reaction two nights ago that I believe was due to the fact I had eaten lasagna the night before, and apparently enough undigested tyramine still lingered in my gut to cause a reaction. Six hour long headaches are not pleasant, but I had enough of a taste of what a medication interaction will be like to make me never want to have another one. It was one of those frustrating headaches that force you to constantly switch positions from lying on one's side to lying on one's back, repeat, repeat, repeat, all night long.
The other interaction of note has been with Seroquel, my sleeping medication. It has magnified the drowsiness to the point that I was sleepy most of the day. I still am.
I've been on Parnate now for three days. Tomorrow I increase the dosage to 30 mg.
I already feel the change in appetite. When enough of it is in my system, I know my appetite is going to be greatly affected. This is not a bad thing because I've gained so much weight. And, with the dietary restrictions combined with the medication itself, I'm pretty sure in a few months I'm going to lose most of the pounds I've put on in the last couple months.
Thursday, November 29, 2007
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
Finally!
I got the proper medication. It took twelve fucking days.
Since I am starting out on the MAOI pill
, dietary restrictions immediately go into place. Foods containing tyramine are strictly out.of.bounds.
These include, in particular:
Major side effect hooray: As tranylcypromine has a strong tendency to cause weight loss, it is not generally recommended for patients with a low BMI in an outpatient setting.
Since I am starting out on the MAOI pill
, dietary restrictions immediately go into place. Foods containing tyramine are strictly out.of.bounds. These include, in particular:
- Meats and Fish
- Liver of all kinds
- pate
- Pickled herring and other pickled fish
- Game (venison, etc.)
- Caviar
- Snails (escargot)
- Salted fish (lox)
- Pastrami
- Corned beef
- Sausages (salami, etc)
- Boveril
- Fruits and Vegetables
- Pods of broad beans
- English beans
- Chinese pea pods
- Miso and miso soup
- Fava beans
- Overripe fruit (especially bananas and Avocados)
- Raisins and other dried fruits
- Pickles of any type
- Sauerkraut
- Canned Figs
- Dairy Products
- All cheeses (Except for cream, cottage, farmer and ricotta)
- Frozen yogurt (Fresh yogurt is OK up to the expiration date on the container)
- Sour cream
- Beverages
- Red wine
- Beer and ale (including alcohol-free)
- Champagne
- Sherry
- Brandy
- Liqueurs and fruit brandies
- Cognac
- (Truly moderate amounts of white wine, gin or vodka are OK)
- Over four servings of caffeine-containing drinks such as coffee, cola drinks, etc.
- Miscellaneous
- Soy sauce
- Brewers yeast (Bread, cake, cookies etc. are OK as they do not contain brewers yeast)
- Marmite
- Licorice
- Over one ounce of chocolate
Major side effect hooray: As tranylcypromine has a strong tendency to cause weight loss, it is not generally recommended for patients with a low BMI
in an outpatient setting.
The Jackassery Continues
Medicaid, as I suspected, would not agree to cover the price of the MAOI patch. It balked at the $495 price tag. Now onto Plan B. At the moment, I am waiting for my psychiatrist to call back and prescribe the pill version, which costs $350 less.
As a cost-cutting method, Medicaid requires that I have failed (their nomenclature, not mine) two generic forms of conventional antidepressants. In times past, when I had excellent health insurance, I was prescribed brand name, top of the line medications, so as such I did not fit the criteria.
This is a pitfall we must avoid if Universal Coverage is implemented. Budget surpluses force these sort of loopholes into effect. If it is to be successful, its coffers must always be well-stocked.
As a cost-cutting method, Medicaid requires that I have failed (their nomenclature, not mine) two generic forms of conventional antidepressants. In times past, when I had excellent health insurance, I was prescribed brand name, top of the line medications, so as such I did not fit the criteria.
This is a pitfall we must avoid if Universal Coverage is implemented. Budget surpluses force these sort of loopholes into effect. If it is to be successful, its coffers must always be well-stocked.
Monday, November 26, 2007
Economic Woes
From Shakespeare's Hamlet, 1603:
LORD POLONIUS:
Neither a borrower nor a lender be;
For loan oft loses both itself and friend,
And borrowing dulls the edge of husbandry.
A Word of Thanks
Thanks to all of you who prayed for me. Please know you are loved.
I am a bit speechless at the moment. Whatever you said, folks, it worked. My pain did not subside altogether, but it did reach a manageable level; it subsided enough for me to get in several hours needed slumber.
Wow. I'm amazed.
________________________
My fear is that I'm going to end up like this guy.
The Culprit
I am a bit speechless at the moment. Whatever you said, folks, it worked. My pain did not subside altogether, but it did reach a manageable level; it subsided enough for me to get in several hours needed slumber.
Wow. I'm amazed.
________________________
My fear is that I'm going to end up like this guy.
The Culprit
Sunday, November 25, 2007
A Simple Request
Readership,
Feeling that politics and other such banter are the sole domain of this blog, I deliberately try to keep my personal feelings out of this.
So pardon me this once when I break my own rule. To wit, today is day thirty-four of discontinuation. With every subsequent day, the withdrawal is more and more intense. Keeping it together has been a huge endeavor. There's little to nothing I can do about it other slog and claw and scrape and fight my way through it, which is what I have done consistently in my life. All is not doom, but I'm feeling very discouraged at the moment.
The best way I can put it to you is this: contemplate the worst bout of the flu you've ever had. Remember, if you dare, the worst day of it. Remember the sort of desperation you felt that you would never get better. Yet, all the time you told yourself that this was likely the worst day; you knew full well the next day would not nearly be as painful.
For those of you who are the praying sorts, I ask you kindly for your prayers. I need strength in times like these.
Feeling that politics and other such banter are the sole domain of this blog, I deliberately try to keep my personal feelings out of this.
So pardon me this once when I break my own rule. To wit, today is day thirty-four of discontinuation. With every subsequent day, the withdrawal is more and more intense. Keeping it together has been a huge endeavor. There's little to nothing I can do about it other slog and claw and scrape and fight my way through it, which is what I have done consistently in my life. All is not doom, but I'm feeling very discouraged at the moment.
The best way I can put it to you is this: contemplate the worst bout of the flu you've ever had. Remember, if you dare, the worst day of it. Remember the sort of desperation you felt that you would never get better. Yet, all the time you told yourself that this was likely the worst day; you knew full well the next day would not nearly be as painful.
For those of you who are the praying sorts, I ask you kindly for your prayers. I need strength in times like these.
Saturday, November 24, 2007
Thursday, November 22, 2007
A Grim Little Anniversary
In between your Turkey and Dressing, do remember this silent anniversary.
EDIT:
A few interpretations.
1. In Dealey Plaza where JFK was assassinated, they have a museum set up in the book depository where the supposed shot was fired from. The window where Oswald was supposed to have fired from is set up to look exactly like it did on that day. It's called the Sniper's Nest, and the museum is called the Assassination Museum.
The Sniper's Nest is a very accurate reconstruction.
One of the main reasons it is so accurate is because Oswald isn't in it.
-Bill Hicks
2. JFK's death 44 years later and the big 'what if?'
by Frank James
Today is not only Thanksgiving but also Nov. 22, 2007, the 44th anniversary of President Kennedy's assassination on Dealey Plaza in Dallas.
Like 9/11 or Dec. 7, today is one of those anniversaries in American history that, for those old enough to remember the tragedy itself, still delivers a certain chill and a sadness. Even for many born afterwards there is a sense of loss, like what we feel for Abraham Lincoln.
Nov. 22 is a day for private remembering. Evidently, the Kennedy family has never wanted large public remembrances of the assassination. Better to remember the president's life than the way he died.
As Dallas Morning News columnist Jacqielynn Ford noted this week, it's also a day for conspiracy theorists to again get ginned up, with something of a spectacle occurring at the site of the assassination.
But for those of old enough to remember, the Kennedy assassination marked the start of the time of tumult that the 1960s were to become. Vietnam. Riots. Anti-war and civil-rights protests. More assassinations.
It is said that America lost its innocence that day 44 years ago. In truth, America was never innocent, could never be innocent.
What America really lost was a chance to see how the Kennedy story, allowed to play out naturally, would've ended. Would he be as highly regarded a president as he is today by so many? Or would his have been another failed presidency?
What would he have done about Vietnam? Would he have done as much for civil rights as his successor, Lyndon Johnson? Would Medicare exist? With his Addison's Disease resulting from adrenal insufficiency, would he have even survived a second term?
Perhaps more than any other event in modern American history, what happened in Dallas forty-four years ago today left us with one of the greatest collective "what if" questions of our time.
EDIT:
A few interpretations.
1. In Dealey Plaza where JFK was assassinated, they have a museum set up in the book depository where the supposed shot was fired from. The window where Oswald was supposed to have fired from is set up to look exactly like it did on that day. It's called the Sniper's Nest, and the museum is called the Assassination Museum.
The Sniper's Nest is a very accurate reconstruction.
One of the main reasons it is so accurate is because Oswald isn't in it.
-Bill Hicks
2. JFK's death 44 years later and the big 'what if?'
by Frank James
Today is not only Thanksgiving but also Nov. 22, 2007, the 44th anniversary of President Kennedy's assassination on Dealey Plaza in Dallas.
Like 9/11 or Dec. 7, today is one of those anniversaries in American history that, for those old enough to remember the tragedy itself, still delivers a certain chill and a sadness. Even for many born afterwards there is a sense of loss, like what we feel for Abraham Lincoln.
Nov. 22 is a day for private remembering. Evidently, the Kennedy family has never wanted large public remembrances of the assassination. Better to remember the president's life than the way he died.
As Dallas Morning News columnist Jacqielynn Ford noted this week, it's also a day for conspiracy theorists to again get ginned up, with something of a spectacle occurring at the site of the assassination.
But for those of old enough to remember, the Kennedy assassination marked the start of the time of tumult that the 1960s were to become. Vietnam. Riots. Anti-war and civil-rights protests. More assassinations.
It is said that America lost its innocence that day 44 years ago. In truth, America was never innocent, could never be innocent.
What America really lost was a chance to see how the Kennedy story, allowed to play out naturally, would've ended. Would he be as highly regarded a president as he is today by so many? Or would his have been another failed presidency?
What would he have done about Vietnam? Would he have done as much for civil rights as his successor, Lyndon Johnson? Would Medicare exist? With his Addison's Disease resulting from adrenal insufficiency, would he have even survived a second term?
Perhaps more than any other event in modern American history, what happened in Dallas forty-four years ago today left us with one of the greatest collective "what if" questions of our time.
Wednesday, November 21, 2007
The Pitfalls of Reduced Cost Health Insurance
We need to avoid pitfalls like this if we want Universal Health Care in this country.
Those of you who crave a real-life example to back up your arguments, allow me to submit myself.
To wit, I should have started the MAOI patch six days ago, but the Walgreens near my house lied to me twice.
Oh, we'll have it in tomorrow, Mr. Camp.
LIE.
Oh, we're sorry. We didn't get it in today, but we will have it in Tuesday.
LIE.
We didn't get it in, and we're not sure when it will arrive.
After being lied to twice, I took my prescription and my business to CVS.
CVS had my prescription in on time, true to their word, but I still don't have it in my hands yet. Here's why.
It's stuck in Physician Authorization (PA) status. This means that my psychiatrist's nurse will be forced to speak to my psychiatrist personally, get his okay, call the Medicaid office, give specific authorization to Medicaid by citing a precise reason WHY I need the patch and not a lower cost alternative, and then and only then will the medication be prescribed to me. Without insurance, it costs $495.
Look how poor people get screwed. Do you think most chronically ill people would have the persistence necessary to jump through all these hoops?
Here's the reason for all the fuss. Medicaid wants to save as money as it can, so by irritating doctors and forcing them to go through all this additional work, it hopes it can get them to prescribe lower cost prescriptions that won't drain Medicaid's general fund. Medicaid's general fund is always low and often it runs deficits.
One hopes that if universal health care comes to this country, it will not nearly be this complicated. I suspect, however, that it will be.
Those of you who crave a real-life example to back up your arguments, allow me to submit myself.
To wit, I should have started the MAOI patch six days ago, but the Walgreens near my house lied to me twice.
Oh, we'll have it in tomorrow, Mr. Camp.
LIE.
Oh, we're sorry. We didn't get it in today, but we will have it in Tuesday.
LIE.
We didn't get it in, and we're not sure when it will arrive.
After being lied to twice, I took my prescription and my business to CVS.
CVS had my prescription in on time, true to their word, but I still don't have it in my hands yet. Here's why.
It's stuck in Physician Authorization (PA) status. This means that my psychiatrist's nurse will be forced to speak to my psychiatrist personally, get his okay, call the Medicaid office, give specific authorization to Medicaid by citing a precise reason WHY I need the patch and not a lower cost alternative, and then and only then will the medication be prescribed to me. Without insurance, it costs $495.
Look how poor people get screwed. Do you think most chronically ill people would have the persistence necessary to jump through all these hoops?
Here's the reason for all the fuss. Medicaid wants to save as money as it can, so by irritating doctors and forcing them to go through all this additional work, it hopes it can get them to prescribe lower cost prescriptions that won't drain Medicaid's general fund. Medicaid's general fund is always low and often it runs deficits.
One hopes that if universal health care comes to this country, it will not nearly be this complicated. I suspect, however, that it will be.
Tuesday, November 20, 2007
Pre-Thanksgiving Ritual
For the past several years, I make a point to watch the movie The Ice Storm at this time of year. No, it's not a particularly heartwarming film, I'll admit, but I've never wanted to celebrate most holidays in the conventional fashion.
A final note. Yes, adolescent sexual encounters are usually this awkward.
A final note. Yes, adolescent sexual encounters are usually this awkward.
Monday, November 19, 2007
The Disquieting Reality of Money
Most people don't have a clue where money really comes from. Nor are they taught in schools the nature of simple economics. I would even go so far as to argue that not making people aware of the basic principles of economic theory is a deliberate measure to pull wool-over-the-eyes of the common citizen. More people would be up in arms if they realized the discomforting fact that money, in its current incarnation, is purely speculative; it is based on supply, demand, and imaginary concepts in much the same fashion as the value of the stock market at any point in time.
Money doesn't exist in any conventional sense. It can't be perceived with any of the five senses. A gross oversimplification would be to say that money is fake. A more accurate description would be to say that money exists in a state of perpetual ebb and flow. In mathematical terms, our fiat money system is akin to an imaginary number, merely a construct created to explain something that exists outside the realm of substantive reality.
The disinterest of most people regarding Economics is understandable, at least to these eyes. The mere mention of the word Economics brings up images of grey, leaden type, numerous esoteric bar and line graphs, and a smattering of important-sounding, intimidating ten dollar words that make the discipline seem frigid and impenetrable. No effort is made to make Economics interesting and as such only those devoted to the subject find it worth their time to wrap their brains around it. It really doesn't have to be that way. Yet, in matters such as this, it's not hard to understand why the powers that be don't want the average citizen to understand.
I am moved to point this out due to the current currency woes our country is experiencing, particularly regarding the deflation of the dollar compared to the British Pound, the Euro, and even the Canadian dollar. The United States and most industrialized nations haven't been on a gold standard for decades. This means that if, at any point in time, all of our creditors wanted hard currency in exchange for their debts, we simply couldn't provide it. We'd be forced to declare bankruptcy.
Lest I seem to pander for the good old days of the Gold Standard, let it be known that we couldn't return to such a system if we wanted to. What I do propose is a return to some sort of system whereby where our currency is backed by something finite.
Instead, we are beholden to a fiat currency system.
For seventy years, our entire economy has rested upon an elaborate scheme, created by the wealthy elite, a scheme which extracts maximum profit from minimum effort. I might go a step farther and say that it caters to human nature, particularly the regrettable tag-team of sloth combined with greed. Lest we forget, this scheme has formed the basis of the banking industry, and has repeatedly led to the same conclusion, financial collapse perpetrated by unrestrained greed.
How long can the best minds money can buy keep this house of cards piling higher before it collapses? Fiat money schemes, in previous reincarnations, have lasted less than ten years. Ours has lasted seven times longer than that, though it has had some very close calls over the years. And if it does collapse, you can be sure that the wealthy could absorb the hit much better than most of us could. The majority of us would be thrust into the sort of poverty of which only our grandparents can conceive.
Saturday, November 17, 2007
El Vomito
Those of you who were alive then... were the 1960s really like this?
If so, I can see why it failed.
Methinks you were taking yourselves A LITTLE BIT too seriously.
Now we're all just tourists.
If so, I can see why it failed.
Methinks you were taking yourselves A LITTLE BIT too seriously.
Now we're all just tourists.
Thursday, November 15, 2007
$100 a Barrel
Find the cost
of freedom
buried
in the ground
mother earth
will swallow you
lay your body down.
-Stephen Stills
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
Monday, November 12, 2007
The Fierce Urgency of Now
Dear Readership,
I received this e-mail in my inbox today.
So allow me to respond.
Comrade Kevin
I received this e-mail in my inbox today.
Kevin --
Barack Obama gave what could be the most important speech of the campaign to more than 9,000 Iowa Democrats in Des Moines this weekend.
Here's how Iowa's top political analyst, David Yepsen, responded yesterday:
Should he win the Iowa caucuses, Saturday's dinner will be remembered as one of the turning points in his campaign, a point where he laid down the marker and began closing on Clinton, the national frontrunner.
So allow me to respond.
Barack--
I'm not drinking the kool-aid. As a blogger, I don't particular feel like regurgitating spin or toting party line at the expense of reality. Nor is it really my duty.
Good luck to you on your second place finish.
Comrade Kevin
Sunday, November 11, 2007
Saturday, November 10, 2007
Friday, November 09, 2007
Game Time
Specifically, it's called NAME THAT RIFF. I have played seven opening riffs from a variety of recording artists. Some are more challenging than others.
Kindly name the tune and the composers.
Winners receive a dose of smug gratification. All ready? Good, let's begin.
Your subject is 1960s Rock and Roll.
Please post your answers in comments below.
1. Example One
2. Example Two
3. Example Three
4. Example Four
5. Example Five
BONUS:
6. Bonus Song
EXTRA SUPER BONUS:
7. Extra Super Bonus
Kindly name the tune and the composers.
Winners receive a dose of smug gratification. All ready? Good, let's begin.
Your subject is 1960s Rock and Roll.
Please post your answers in comments below.
1. Example One
2. Example Two
3. Example Three
4. Example Four
5. Example Five
BONUS:
6. Bonus Song
EXTRA SUPER BONUS:
7. Extra Super Bonus
Thursday, November 08, 2007
Videotape
When I'm at the pearly gates
This will be on my videotape, my videotape
Mephistopheles is just beneath
and he's reaching up to grab me
This is one for the good days
and I have it all here
In red, blue, green
Red, blue, green
You are my center
When I spin away
Out of control on videotape
On videotape
On videotape
-Thom Yorke
Slap-dash
Today is the most labor intensive day of my training, so I don't even have time to have my appendix out at the moment.
Please enjoy today's video.
Please enjoy today's video.
Wednesday, November 07, 2007
Tuesday, November 06, 2007
The Politics of Panic
(click to enlarge)
The above cartoon underscores my point.
I've taken time out to address a matter I've seen all over the place. Such behavior is evident both in liberal circles and in conservative circles, though each side takes great pains to blame the other for its own sins. Liberals see the imminent rise of Fascism in the form of George the Worst and his gang of neo-thugs. Conservatives fear a Democratic president in 2008 will institute policies that rival the excesses of the Bolsheviks.
These are hyperbolic times, but we cannot afford to resort to cheap theatrics in the process. Yes, I understand the temptation to make a big stink of things in the hopes it will rouse people out of their collective stupor. However, such behavior often backfires.
We humans love to be entertained. A flair for the dramatic lives within most of us. As regards attention from fellow beings some of us, as O.Henry so cleverly put it, take the form of outfielders, and some of us pick them off the bat instead.
Likewise, this flair for the dramatic has some fine old company throughout history. Eschatology appeals to that mad prophet in the wilderness in all of us. We are all Howard Beales and John the Baptists, to some degree or another. At least we think we are, anyway.
Monday, November 05, 2007
Ex-People Talk
Here's how conversations with Exs would go if we were a bit more
honest with each other.
CK: Fucking shame we had to make eye contact with each other.
EX: I know. Every time we bump into each other we kind of fall into
this groove of pretending we like each other.
CK: Together we sort of surf the waves of social paranoia, don't we?
EX: Let's pretend we didn't see each other next time, okay?
CK: I think it's time for your Houdini impression, whatd'ya say?
EX: Sounds good. So, I'm going to get a drink from the bar.
CK: And you're with friends, right?
EX: Look forward to seeing you!
CK: Yeah, like an illness.
EX: Don't get run over, k? *smiles*
CK: Die!
EX: Die!
EX: *turns away* Wanker.
CK: Wanker.
honest with each other.
CK: Fucking shame we had to make eye contact with each other.
EX: I know. Every time we bump into each other we kind of fall into
this groove of pretending we like each other.
CK: Together we sort of surf the waves of social paranoia, don't we?
EX: Let's pretend we didn't see each other next time, okay?
CK: I think it's time for your Houdini impression, whatd'ya say?
EX: Sounds good. So, I'm going to get a drink from the bar.
CK: And you're with friends, right?
EX: Look forward to seeing you!
CK: Yeah, like an illness.
EX: Don't get run over, k? *smiles*
CK: Die!
EX: Die!
EX: *turns away* Wanker.
CK: Wanker.
And how!
Click to enlarge.
I will gladly take this role. It DOES feel this way sometimes, doesn't it?
News from the Home Front
Posts are going to be scanty for the next few days. Comrade Kevin is participating in a training course which, if successfully completed, would net him a job as an online instructor at a local community college. It runs from today until 16 November.
Thus, he has packed up his digital camera and his sense of righteous indignation for the time being. But, he has enough videos in reserve to keep the readership entertained, he hopes.
Thus, he has packed up his digital camera and his sense of righteous indignation for the time being. But, he has enough videos in reserve to keep the readership entertained, he hopes.
Sunday, November 04, 2007
Saturday, November 03, 2007
Alabama Man!
File under wrong, wrong, wrong.
Sadly, there are grains of truth to this.
As Chris Rock pointed out, most people in America are poor-ass white people living in trailers, eating mayonnaise sandwiches, listening to John Cougar Mellancamp albums.
So this could be America Man.
The Unpleasant Reality
Rules of Life
1. Wealth and power grant a person the ability to be taken seriously.
2. Small potatoes will always be taken advantage of.
My apologies. I'm a bit peeved at the moment. Comrade Kevin was a victim of identity theft back in August. Someone hacked into his checking account and after doing so, rang up charges at an Atlanta area strip club and a gas station. Either his card was stolen from the mailbox of the apartment where he once lived... or someone hacked into his account via the internet. The latter scenario is more likely.
I hope this someone enjoyed the two lap dances as well as the pack of cigarettes.
Four months later, my former bank wrote to tell me that yes, I was not responsible for those charges. No shit, Sherlock. That's what I said. I resent that it took you four months to discover the obvious.
However, the letter informed me, I would still be responsible for the overdraft charges that resulted from this "error". Need I remind you that the only reason the overdrafts happened in the first place are because of the identity theft. That's like saying, well, we realize that you weren't at fault for being hit by a car, but the impact of your body hitting the car caused some damage so we're taking that money out of your account to cover the expense. Absolutely ridiculous. This is when I really become Comrade Kevin. More like Communist Kevin.
If I had more money, I could threaten the bank with a lawsuit. If I had a big enough account, I could threaten to close my account and go to another bank, and I bet this matter would be dealt with in about two seconds. But since I have a small account, they can pull this kind of shit.
I know money isn't everything, but at times like this, it'd be a big help.
I think I wanna be rich now. Anyone want to contribute to my fund?
The Comrade Kevin Wants to Have Money and Influence Fund.
*Don't worry. Comrade Kevin would an enlightened despot.
1. Wealth and power grant a person the ability to be taken seriously.
2. Small potatoes will always be taken advantage of.
My apologies. I'm a bit peeved at the moment. Comrade Kevin was a victim of identity theft back in August. Someone hacked into his checking account and after doing so, rang up charges at an Atlanta area strip club and a gas station. Either his card was stolen from the mailbox of the apartment where he once lived... or someone hacked into his account via the internet. The latter scenario is more likely.
I hope this someone enjoyed the two lap dances as well as the pack of cigarettes.
Four months later, my former bank wrote to tell me that yes, I was not responsible for those charges. No shit, Sherlock. That's what I said. I resent that it took you four months to discover the obvious.
However, the letter informed me, I would still be responsible for the overdraft charges that resulted from this "error". Need I remind you that the only reason the overdrafts happened in the first place are because of the identity theft. That's like saying, well, we realize that you weren't at fault for being hit by a car, but the impact of your body hitting the car caused some damage so we're taking that money out of your account to cover the expense. Absolutely ridiculous. This is when I really become Comrade Kevin. More like Communist Kevin.
If I had more money, I could threaten the bank with a lawsuit. If I had a big enough account, I could threaten to close my account and go to another bank, and I bet this matter would be dealt with in about two seconds. But since I have a small account, they can pull this kind of shit.
I know money isn't everything, but at times like this, it'd be a big help.
I think I wanna be rich now. Anyone want to contribute to my fund?
The Comrade Kevin Wants to Have Money and Influence Fund.
*Don't worry. Comrade Kevin would an enlightened despot.
Friday, November 02, 2007
Music Friday
Dear Readership,
Comrade Kevin at times gets overwhelmed by how much information is out in the world. He could spent six hours at a time just reading the daily news.
More music therapy forthcoming.
Here's the age old musical question.
forget about
your house of cards.
P.S. Thanks so very much for the love and appreciation. I'm not worthy! I'm not worthy!
Comrade Kevin at times gets overwhelmed by how much information is out in the world. He could spent six hours at a time just reading the daily news.
More music therapy forthcoming.
Here's the age old musical question.
forget about
your house of cards.
P.S. Thanks so very much for the love and appreciation. I'm not worthy! I'm not worthy!
Thursday, November 01, 2007
The Times in Which We Live
I thank my readership from the bottom of my heart for their kind comments. Know that you are all loved dearly. *blows you a kiss*
Rest assured that in another few days, I will get back to commenting on your blogs. Comrade Kevin is feeling the guilt of not giving back more to his friends. I just have to slog through another few days of this withdrawal hell. Life has taught me a lot of lessons, and patience is perhaps the most important one.
Transition:
I hardly ever comment upon, much less acknowledge such things, but the recent Heather Mills banter has grabbed my attention. Paul McCartney's soon-to-be ex-wife speaks the truth, though I wonder if it's not a self-serving tactic. She has articulated perfectly the sort of indignation at our celebrity-obsessed culture that many of us bloggers have been saying for years. Count this as another instance where truth dribbles out even when it's presented as a means of pandering for sympathy. My fear is that such theatrical banter cheapens the truth. Her defiant, pushy attitude, while understandable in this context, has massively backfired. I don't know if she even bothers to contemplate the way she comes across to the rest of us. Self-awareness is a gift that that some people lack. Self-awareness requires a person to put himself or herself in an introspective, and yes, vulnerable position.
That being said, if Heather Mills acted like a contrite, humble, woman-done-wrong-by-man, then the public would sympathize more. Her behavior, dear readership, might be evidence of a double standard against women, particularly those which come across as strong and forceful, but let me remind you there's a difference between narcissism and courageousness. I daresay any man who exhibited similar behavior would be lambasted for different reasons, particularly this wide-eyed, why-is-the-world-so-unfair kind of banter.
Mills says the media is too obsessed with celebrities and pays too little attention to important issues.
We are all a bunch of voyeurs, delighting in the freak show but living in fear that someday the cameras might be turned upon us.
Rest assured that in another few days, I will get back to commenting on your blogs. Comrade Kevin is feeling the guilt of not giving back more to his friends. I just have to slog through another few days of this withdrawal hell. Life has taught me a lot of lessons, and patience is perhaps the most important one.
Transition:
I hardly ever comment upon, much less acknowledge such things, but the recent Heather Mills banter has grabbed my attention. Paul McCartney's soon-to-be ex-wife speaks the truth, though I wonder if it's not a self-serving tactic. She has articulated perfectly the sort of indignation at our celebrity-obsessed culture that many of us bloggers have been saying for years. Count this as another instance where truth dribbles out even when it's presented as a means of pandering for sympathy. My fear is that such theatrical banter cheapens the truth. Her defiant, pushy attitude, while understandable in this context, has massively backfired. I don't know if she even bothers to contemplate the way she comes across to the rest of us. Self-awareness is a gift that that some people lack. Self-awareness requires a person to put himself or herself in an introspective, and yes, vulnerable position.
That being said, if Heather Mills acted like a contrite, humble, woman-done-wrong-by-man, then the public would sympathize more. Her behavior, dear readership, might be evidence of a double standard against women, particularly those which come across as strong and forceful, but let me remind you there's a difference between narcissism and courageousness. I daresay any man who exhibited similar behavior would be lambasted for different reasons, particularly this wide-eyed, why-is-the-world-so-unfair kind of banter.
Mills says the media is too obsessed with celebrities and pays too little attention to important issues.
“Why are we so obsessed with celebrity culture?” she asked. “We have front-page news about divorces instead of front-page news about global warming, about women being abused, about children being abused. We’re going on a downward spiral.”
Marx said religion was the opiate of the masses. Nowadays, it seems like celebrity gossip and the cult of celebrity serves that role. My first cousin, my mother's sister's daughter, quit being a television anchor on the local news because of the dramatic shift in the news media in which it was decided to focus more on soft news garbage at the expense of hard news.We are all a bunch of voyeurs, delighting in the freak show but living in fear that someday the cameras might be turned upon us.
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