putting my time where my mouth is

just in case you are wondering, i really am active in politics. i participate in rallies, anti-war ones mostly - but i have also worked in clinic defense and protested for/against various causes. i am part of a few different email lists and today i received a notice that barbara boxer would be speaking in burbank tomorrow about the samuel alito nomination.

i am going. ms. boxer is one of the few senators who dares speak out against the things she finds morally reprehensible. she also voted against the iraq war.

before it was cool.

here is sample of her positions on foreign policy issues, courtesy of wikipedia:

In 1997 the Senate passed a Boxer resolution calling on the United States not to recognize the Taliban as the official government of Afghanistan because of its human rights abuses against women. In October 2001, Boxer successfully authored a resolution calling for the inclusion of women in the temporary government of Afghanistan.

Senator Barbara Boxer meets Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon. (3/30/2005)

In March 2005 the Senate Foreign Relations Committee passed Boxer's amendment to the Foreign Affairs Reauthorization Bill strongly urging Saudi Arabia to permit women to run for office and vote in all future elections.

Boxer is a cosponsor of S. 495, or the Darfur Accountability Act of 2005, which would impose sanctions against perpetrators of crimes against humanity in Darfur. Sanctions under this legislation include imposition of a military no-fly zone in Darfur, a coordinated effort between the U.S. and Sudanese governments to track down and prosecute individuals in Sudan in any way involved with genocide or other war crimes in Darfur, a call for the Sudanese Government to take an active roll in combating Janjaweed forces within its borders, and a policy of sanctions against the Sudanese government, including sanctions which will affect the petroleum sector, and individual members of the Sudanese government whose actions support the crimes of violent militias in Darfur.

On April 5, 2005, the U.S. Senate passed by 52-46 votes an amendment by Senators Boxer and Olympia Snowe (R-ME) that would repeal the Global Gag Rule, which President Bush established by executive order on his first working day in office in 2001. The Global Gag Rule denied U.S. international family planning assistance to organizations that use their own privately raised funds to counsel women on the availability of abortion, advocate for changes to abortion laws, or provide abortion services.

if i had my druthers, she would be my choice for 2008. i think that boxer and barack obama would make an excellent ticket for the democrats to put forth. many other people are for hillary clinton, but i have a much higher regard for the words/action ratio and the bravery and intelligence that would be represented by obama/boxer.

why i feel this way and how disappointed i am in hillary clinton and her pandering to conservatives is a subject for another entry.

since i am not working, i responded to the email and found to my delight that i have a space. i take this as an opportunity to fufill my duties as a citizen. i consider it a responsibility to take part in the government and polticial issues.

if you don't, someone else will do it for you.

team kinky

instead of spending all my time complaining, i will also tell you about things that i think you should know about. things that don't suck.

like kinky friedman:

Dear Kinky supporters,

Please tune in this Sunday evening, Jan. 22nd, to CBS’ “60 Minutes” at 6:00 p.m. CST (check your local listings). Kinky’s interview with veteran journalist Morley Safer will air, along with footage of Kinky on the campaign trail and our mega-fundraiser at Willie Nelson’s private ranch and golf course.

We hope you’ll be watching. And telling your friends to watch. And telling your friends to tell their friends to watch … you know the drill!

Happy viewing!

Team Kinky

"may you be blessed by the god of your choice"

speaking of texas, not everything there is bad. a favorite musician/author/provocateur/jewish dude of mine is running for governor of texas in double ought six.

his name: kinky friedman.

apparently, his fundraising has outstripped that of the local democratic candidate. his platform is for, get this, "the de-wussification of texas". he has many slogans, one of which adorns the title of this blog entry. another is "no teacher left behind". the best ones are "how hard could it be?" and "why the hell not?".

there is lots of carping about the difficulty of getting on the ballot in texas and questions about how serious he really is. i think this comes mainly of the tendency of the general public to think anyone with a sense of humor could not possibly be serious about anything. this bespeaks a guileless innocence of the essence of comedy. comedy is the truth, dressed up in a funny bow.
all those blazing terrors that live in our hearts and minds set free with a punch-line in an attempt to get people to listen. if you laugh, you just accepted the trojan.

the relevant quote is from don marquis [thanks, uncle harlan]: "if you make people think that they are thinking, they'll love you; but if you really make them think, they'll hate you."

another quote to further explain, from "mary poppins": "a spoonfull of sugar helps the medicine go down."

here is his campaign website.

he has merch and the sale of the merch helps the man who might indeed be able to restore texas to its ideals, whatever those were in the first place. since this man believes in them, i'll give it the benefit of the doubt.

at the very least, the whole campaign strikes a blow to the heart of the political establishment in a place that desperately needs it. it infuriates and shames those in power. the more that happens, the more likely it is that things might change.

and change is good.

his gall knows no bounds

the scumfuck from texas, no, not dubya; bush isn't really from texas, that putrid land of delusional nutbags who think they control the world in the name of god. the lone star state of conservative bullshit that loves its own stench [with the possible exception of the city of austin, potentially.] has just lost another battle today. the citadel of the closed mind has been handed another defeat at the hands of a servant of that treacherous judicial branch. bully for him that he, ronnie earle, is one of the renegade texans who has some fucking common sense. the charges were filed in travis county, whose capital is the city of austin, naturally.

tom de lay, he who "controls his image" when being hauled down to the police station to be fingerprinted wearing his sunday best and his cheesiest smile. do yourself a favor, don't bother next time. no matter how shiny your shoes are, pardner, the ink smears on your fingertips tell the real story. it merely points out how completely out of touch with reality you are. tell me, is there something in the state's water? or do they just slam your head against the pavement when you are born to correct your "thinking"?

here is the new york times article.

here is the ap write-up

as a review, here is the mugshot.

"don't mess with texas". fuck you, i'll mess with your texas ass any fucking time i want. i'm a mexican.

remember the alamo, motherfucker.

america, my friend

dick cheney is being nice. that doth not bode well for the boss man.