a whole bunch of rants...

August 1968

Wed, 24 Jun 2009 04:53:21 GMT

The Ogre does what ogres can,
Deeds quite impossible for Man,
But one prize is beyond his reach:
The Ogre cannot master speech.

About a subjugated plain,
Among it's desperate and slain,
The Ogre stalks with hands on hips,
While drivel gushes from his lips.
-- W.H.Auden

Dad, how does electricity work?

Thu, 11 Jun 2009 15:09:25 GMT

Well son, let's go watch some derby and I'll explain it to you. (SFW)

dakini_grl !!!!!

Tue, 05 May 2009 02:10:28 GMT

Oh My God

Fri, 01 May 2009 22:06:17 GMT

It's music time boys and girls!

Ida Maria is here with some sweet noisy blasphemy, to celebrate May Day, International Labor Day, Beltane, The 8 Hour Work Day, Legalizing Gay Marriage in Sweden and the anniversary of me becoming a father!

Survey: Support for terror suspect torture differs among the faithful

Fri, 01 May 2009 18:34:18 GMT

(And by "differs" they mean, "supported")

http://www.cnn.com/2009/US/04/30/religion.torture/

Here's a positive message about atheism: atheists are LESS likely to support the use of torture on terror suspects than people who profess faith.

More music from my id.

Mon, 20 Apr 2009 23:05:53 GMT

(NSFW naughty words)

Yeah it's like that.

things I like

Tue, 07 Apr 2009 21:55:34 GMT

You know what I like about

He follows a very simple and successful formula:
1) Be a really, really good poet
2) Make fun of everybody, especially yourself, but mostly pop culture figures who get way more air time than they deserve.
3) Have Dr. Dre play Captain Kirk in your videos.

Eminem - New Music - More Music Videos

With great power comes great responsibility

Wed, 01 Apr 2009 20:22:59 GMT

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29875894/

(I love me some real goddamn superheroes)

What a week. This puppy always makes me feel better.

Sat, 21 Mar 2009 15:39:28 GMT

Great Pic!

Tue, 10 Mar 2009 04:40:23 GMT

"whiteknot.org" is a website that is trying to bring visibility to the issue of marriage equality (think "Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Old Oak Tree"). Although this may seem like thin gruel in relation to the immensity of the cause (2000 years of homophobia vs. a lump of ribbon) here is a wonderful image of the people who informed my (and maybe your) childhood. Yes. Bob, Linda, Maria, Gordon and Luis all support marriage equality. (Bert, Ernie, Elmo and Big Bird were unavailable for comment, but I bet you can guess as to their sentiments).

Je suis athée, parce que je ne suis pas idiot.

Wed, 04 Mar 2009 22:04:48 GMT

http://www.prayforfrance.org/

(this one for flonkbob)

A concise description of the Prop 8 arguments being heard by the CA Supreme Court

Tue, 03 Mar 2009 19:37:02 GMT

Prop 8 For Dummies: What to Expect During Thursday's Court Hearing by
Emma Ruby-Sachs
Civil litigator

On Thursday morning, the long awaited Proposition 8 arguments will be delivered to the California Supreme Court. For those who were outraged or saddened by the vote on election day, this three hour window is a chance to get back some of what was lost.

I will be watching the oral arguments on live feed and wanted to set out a little background for those readers who are also interested in tuning in, but have the good sense not to study law for a living.

A few opening points: this argument will actually touch upon a number of cases all surrounding the same issue and all petitioning the same man (Mark Horton, State Registrar of Vital Statistics). The most well known of these cases is referred as Strauss v. Horton. The arguments don't vary much from case to case.

As well, there are a ton of interveners - civil society groups making submissions in writing (briefs) to the Court in support of one side or the other - hoping to alert the court to the impact this decision will have on the lives of people not named as a party to the actions. Each of those briefs raise novel arguments that might not form the center of the challenge to Proposition 8.

The argument against Proposition 8 has two main assertions.

The first - the big picture fundamental rights approach - argues that, once the California Supreme Court found that unequal marriage rights constituted a violation of the equal protection clause in the California Constitution, taking away marriage rights from same-sex couples would constitutionally enshrine a violation of the right to equality. This would create severe internal contradictions in what is the fundamental legal document for the State of California. In other words, equal treatment under the law is so fundamental that you can't take it away, even by amending the Constitution.

This idea of fundamental rights has been recognized in some jurisprudence, but there certainly is no consensus about the existence of these kinds of rights (Although it does make you sleep easier at night thinking that the right to free speech can't just be voted away on a whim).

This leads into the smaller technical argument: Proposition 8 created such a fundamental shift in the fabric of the Constitution that it can't be approved by votes alone and requires a secondary legislative approval process. Amendments to a Constitution are, according to a very old Supreme Court decision, an addition or change to the original legal document. Revisions, on the other hand, are a substantial alteration of the underlying principles of a legal document.

Revisions require approval by two thirds of the state house after a majority vote before they become law.

When determining whether a proposition is a revision or an amendment, the court looks to the qualitative changes (how much of the document is affected) and the quantitative changes (how many words are added, how many different provisions are effected, etc.). Proposition 8 was very short and only affected one section of the Constitution. That said, if you buy the fundamental rights argument, Prop 8 caused a great shift in constitutional guarantees in California. The opposition to Prop 8 is hoping to convince the Court that the gay marriage ban was significant enough to constitute a revision and must be referred to the state house.

If you're feeling good about these arguments, don't start planning your big gay wedding quite yet. The Proposition 8 supporters have some pretty convincing law on their side (they also have Ken Starr who writes like he's running for office - it's pretty entertaining to read).

First, a large part of the argument against Proposition 8 relies on the notion that parts of the Constitution are so fundamental they cannot be altered even if those alterations are legally executed. Unfortunately, although that makes intuitive sense, no court has stated affirmatively that parts of the Constitution are safe from alteration. Those courts that have hinted at these rights haven't been too clear about what is included in those rights. Perhaps it's just the freedom from unreasonable search and seizure rather than the broad notion of equality.

The broader the sphere of fundamental rights, the less power the people have to control their own lives. Americans are kind of touchy about giving their democratic powers away. You need to be sure you are right when you carve out a section of law and tell citizens they have no effect on its application.

Without a hierarchy of rights that preserves some from amendment, when two provisions within one legal document conflict, the Court usually finds that the specific provision (in this case Proposition 8) overrides the more general provision (the equal protection clause).

Second, the fact that Proposition 8 was passed by popular vote according the amendment requirements means that the Court must assume it is valid. That leaves the petitioners with the burden of proving that the amendment is actually a revision.

Burden is important because when there is a presumption of validity you need to clearly prove your argument to have any chance at success.

Historically, revisions have been long amendments (as in provisions with a lot of words) or additions that affect a large number of provisions. They also might affect the basic governmental structure. It's a break from certain precedents to read the possible effect of a short specific addition as being so fundamental that the amendment is reclassified as a revision.

The single most important element of the Prop 8 supporter's argument is that the amendment represents the will of the majority of the California population. While you can rhapsodize about the tyranny of the majority as much as you like, American history has created a nation of people that value the will of the people over the will of a centralized governing body. Courts are aware of the importance of democracy and accountability and they will need a very convincing argument to override a popular vote.

While courts have a rich history of activism - a history that has led to some of the greatest civil rights progresses of our time - they are often loathe to interfere in the democratic process. Because of this, I think the strongest argument Prop 8 opponents have is that characterizing Proposition 8 as a revision underscores the fundamental change of removing equality rights from a discrete group and also leaves the final decision in the hands of elected representatives.

This compromise may be the best hope for gay marriage in California. Until, that is, the next ballot.

Welcome Eleanor!

Thu, 26 Feb 2009 19:11:29 GMT

Jordan just called, Katrina has delivered a 7lb 8oz baby girl!!! Mom and baby are doing well. Jordan was understandably excited and exhausted, so our best estimate at the spelling of the baby's name is: Eleanor Jaina.

In Honor of Darwin's Birthday

Thu, 12 Feb 2009 17:17:03 GMT

...and anyone who ever argued with their Creationist relatives:

"People who are incompetent not only have an inflated sense of their own competence, but are also incapable of even recognizing competence. Take for example this figure from the paper. It's pretty self-explanatory:

What's even more amazing is that when (the people who did the study) then shared the performance of other participants with the people who performed poorly (hoping that they would then adjust their self-perception downward) people who scored poorly failed to adjust their self-perception of their performance. In other words, they are completely unaware of their own competence, and can't detect competence in others.

Now, doesn't this explain a lot?"

Something amusing

Thu, 12 Feb 2009 00:56:04 GMT

Isn't politics and economics fascinating? OK, maybe not. But this video will tell you everything you need to know about the Stimulus Package. Don't click this if you are at work.

Funny Videos | Funny Cartoons | More Video Clips

Denialism defeated by replication and journalism. Yay Science!

Wed, 11 Feb 2009 01:27:13 GMT

It seems the ASD MMR link was made up from the very beginning:
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/booster_shots/2009/02/british-doctor.html

Which surprises no one who actually works in the field but is going to piss off a lot of people who exploit the developmentally disabled and their families by selling them snake oil, false hope and pseudoscience.

In celebration of 'Science Will Win if Religion Doesn't Fucking Kill Us All First' Day, here is a link to a really great article on denialism and crankery. Warning: if you haven't eaten your sacred cows yet, you may want to avoid.

http://scienceblogs.com/denialism/about.php

In the UK there were 56 cases of Measles in 1998 and last year there was over 1300, including 2 deaths. Of fucking measles! Measles! In the UK, not some African demilitarized zone! WTF?

Lux Interior Rest In Piece

Thu, 05 Feb 2009 01:07:21 GMT

To cap off an otherwise poop of day, Lux Interior died of a heart condition.

Farewell Teenage Werewolf, Human Fly, Mad Daddy. Where will I turn for a vicarious expression of my id now?

TONIGHT!

Sat, 31 Jan 2009 00:57:42 GMT

This is not a paid advertisement, this is me promoting for something unique and worthwhile.

Back in the day (the 80s!), I did some Rocky Horror. I am not afraid to admit it. I played Frank. I loved it and gave it my all, as did some of you reading this. We had a great cast and a great time and it is hard to know in my mind which came first: my love of do-it-yourself no-spectators temporary autonomous zones, my love of kink and kitsch, or my love of group shouting. "A-GENTS!!!"

Across town at the other theater was a tall fellow who went by the name "Lurch." Lurch was highly dedicated to cult cinema and presented a loud and fantastic Frank. Rather than become rivals we became friends. Lurch's girlfriend DeeAnne (sometimes Trixie, sometimes Mag, perhaps Columbia on occasion) worked at Birdcage Cinema with some of us. If you don't remember the name, you will probably remember a really cute girl with extremely HIGH HAIR, the kind that requires a case of aquanet and tremendous patience. DeeAnne, Lurch and I would hang out on occasion, even after the glory days of Rocky passed. But as the demands of life and college (the 90s! the 00s!) pressed in, we lost touch. :-(

At any rate, fast forward to the Facebooky now where you will never lose another friendship (mixed blessing). Where, thanks to Action Hero Chris Arnold I have found DeeAnne and Lurch again! (Happy Dance!)

Guess what they do? They run "Movies On A Big Screen." A microcinema that happens every Friday night in West Sacramento!!! Two screening a night 7:00 and 9:30, $5 a pop. Tonight it's:

Sonic Outlaws
"Within days after the release of Negativland's clever parody of U2 and Casey Kasem, recording industry giant Island Records descended upon the band with a battery of lawyers intent on erasing the piece from the history of rock music. Craig "Tribulation 99" Baldwin follows this and other intellectual property controversies across the contemporary arts scene. Playful and ironic, his cut-and-paste collage-essay surveys the prospects for an "electronic folk culture" in the midst of an increasingly commodified corporate media landscape."

Unfortunately, I can't go tonight, but you can! You know you want to!

This is what cinema should be! DIY! The new, the old, the cult and culture!

More here:

http://www.shiny-object.com/screenings/

and here:

http://www.myspace.com/moviesbigscreen

Now, aren't you glad you read all that?

I (heart) Dan Savage

Thu, 29 Jan 2009 22:02:33 GMT

http://saddlebacking.com/

Caption Time!

Thu, 22 Jan 2009 00:18:27 GMT

"You wanna go play frisbee?"

Tue, 20 Jan 2009 18:34:34 GMT

Help Define Saddleback!

Wed, 14 Jan 2009 22:19:01 GMT

Great American Dan Savage has called for a vote! Just like "peg" and "santorum" it is time to add a new word to our lexicon!

http://www.avclub.com/articles/savage-love-january-14-2009,22256/

Go vote kids, it's your duty as an American!

What's that you say? You don't like his candidates? Write your own in here!

Saddleback: doing it in reverse cowgirl, on a pew.

The Independent!!!

Sun, 19 Oct 2008 14:41:00 GMT

General Powell, all is forgiven. I knew I couldn't stay mad at you forever.

(Watch the video)
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3032608

Dr. Hawking

Wed, 08 Oct 2008 20:35:19 GMT

In case you don't get bedpimp's LJ, what Stephen Hawking has to say to Senator McCain:

http://www.whatwouldyousaytothepresident.com/politix/videos/view/60

LATER EDIT: As it turns out this is a fake and I (big sucker that I am) reposted it. This will teach me to believe the intrarnets.

Rather than delete the entry I am going to leave it up so that people can continue to discuss it as they like. There are some pretty good comments here and I am not the type to squash dissent. Unlike some politicians I could mention...

Mama said knock you out!

Fri, 06 Jun 2008 20:28:35 GMT

Three minutes and fifty-five seconds of alien punching goodness:

http://io9.com/5013523/when-humans-punch-aliens-the-video-remix