Bad BP! Bad! Bad!

I'm saddened and angered by recent events caused by the laxity of a certain oil company. They're irresponsible and shortsighted, and should be ashamed of themselves. According to a number of news sources, the oil has now begun to reach as far as Key West, Florida; the ecological ramifications are horrendous. 

I will no longer buy gas from British Petroleum stations and encourage you to do likewise. Boycott BP!

Banners

One last political post, and then I'm depoliticizing this thing and fumigating it to get all the political mites to go away, which means it'll be back to knitting, cooking, reading, and being reclusive--i.e. my version of normalcy.
I finally got around to getting the pictures from Leesburg developed, and here they are; Apologies in advance for their fuzziness.


Furthermore, let us be magnanimous in victory and not treat the vanquished foe less than honorably, because to do so diminishes us and infuriates them.

Precident Elect

Two thoughts:

1. To Senator McCain: You fought hard and you pulled dirty tricks, sir, but you did your best, and for that I commend you.

2. To President Elect Obama: My hat’s off to you, sir. May the wind at your back bring you nothing but good, sound advice and keep your feet on the path of wisdom, compassion, and justice.

We can. And we did.

Don't Forget!

Please vote!

Halloween Addendum

And this is how I spent my Halloween. Ate way too much candy, had way too much fun. It's all for a good cause, though. ;)

Yellow Press

Question: What is your earliest political memory?
Answer: Being about two years old, wearing a yellow romper and enormous sunglasses while sitting on a chair in the living room with one of those plastic Fisher-Price telephones. According to family stories, I sat on this chair while wearing said romper and enormous sunglasses, and made numerous telephone calls to Ronald Reagan, denouncing him as “Wonald Weagan, you naughty Pwesident!” Mom has photographic evidence of me doing this, by the way…
For those of you who don’t remember Reagan, he was President from 1980 to 1988, so my phone calls would have been sometime during 1982. Mom suggests that this had to do with the trickle-down philosophy popular with numerous Republican politicians. Ahem.. Gads… that’s a long time ago. Is that the creaking of my knees I hear?

Unacceptable!

Unbelievable, but unsurprising. Unacceptable. Absolutely unacceptable.

Yet another day at the races

Today was the deadline for voter registration, so it was pretty busy all afternoon with people coming in to register. Toward the end of the afternoon, shortly before mom and I left--she's started going with me since I've been pressuring her--an African American couple came in to register.
The wife looked a little worried, but her husband patted her on the shoulder and said, "It's okay, don't worry."
I approached them and said rather cheerfully, "Hi there! What can we do for you?"
"I.... would like to register to vote?"
"You've come to the right place. Would you like to sit down? Here's the form and a pen, and if you have any questions, feel free to ask."
The lady and her husband sat down and she filled out the form, then pulled a folded paper out of her purse and looked a bit nervous. She did have some questions, but soon got everything filled in properly; it wasn't until she unfolded the paper that the reason for her anxiety became apparent.
"I've just gotten my Naturalization papers," she said. "I wanted to make sure I'd be able to register to vote."
The only thing I could think to do was beam at them and say, "Congratulations! How wonderful!"
She was afraid, I think, that even though she's been naturalized, she wouldn't be able to vote, even if she registered. I assured her that since she was now officially a citizen, had the papers to prove it, and the registration form was all filled out, she was certainly able--and welcome!--to do so; just to make extra sure, I asked if she'd like to speak to what I jokingly call "one of the grown-ups". The boss looked at her form, gave her the nod, and told her we'd drop her form off at the courthouse, and that she could expect to get her registration card by a certain date. Her husband, who had begun their visit to the office as looking rather dour--perhaps he, too, was worried she wouldn't be able to vote--immediately brightened up and became much more cheerful.
I was really happy for them: Here they've made a huge change by moving here from another country, they've gone through all the paperwork and other adjustments to become bonafide citizens, and now they're both registered to vote. Does one's heart good to see something like that and to help allay their fears. :)

Posting the Offices

I went to the post office to–surprise–get the mail. There were some people handing out leaflets for one of the men running for a position on the county commission; one of the ladies pounced on me and tried to give me a leaflet while she talked about how the current county commission was trying to tell her what to do with her farm.
Well.. I don’t know anything about the ordinance she was talking about, so I just said,"I’m sorry…”
The candidate she’s supporting, from what I’ve heard, has been putting an enormous van downtown; this van has, according to what people at my office have been saying, a huge sign on it saying that the Bill of Rights is being trampled by the current commission, and is also decorated with coffins and various other dramatic images to further drive this notion home. I think, but am not sure, that this has something to do with zoning; since I’ve been working at the office in the next town, I’ve been a bit remiss in keeping up with the issues in my own county, which is exactly what I told her.
“Are you a registered voter?”
“Yes, ma’am. I’m a Democrat.”
“So am I! But that doesn’t mean you have to vote Democrat!”
I said nothing to this and tried to change the subject… which ended up changing again to the subject of Sarah Palin.
“I hear that she’s coming to West Virginia,” I said in some despair.
The woman’s sunglasses took up about 2/3 of her face, so I couldn’t see much of how she reacted; the look on her face didn’t seem to express great glee, so I added, “You don’t seem exactly thrilled… or are you?”
“I really like her,” she said. “I like that she shoots from the hip. We really need to get a woman in there to get those men under control and clean out the corruption.”
I digested this for about 30 seconds and said, “But Alaska is one of the most corrupt states in the Union.”
“What?!”
I repeated myself and waited for the nuclear meltdown to start: the calmer I stayed, the more worked up the woman got.
“That stopped when she got in there! She cleaned it all up!”
“Um… I’m not sure that’s the case… But…. good luck. Have a nice day,” I said as I started edging away from her.
“Wait! Tell me about your cats!”
She started walking after me. *headdesk* My…. cats…..?

Addendum: There seems to have been a slight change of plan. Either the titans have been listening and rumbling in their rocky abodes, or you-know-who has temporarily given up. I will now go light the candles. ;)

What the Dickens?

This Dickens quote sums things up pretty well: "Their names are Ignorance and Want. Beware of them. For upon their brow is written the word doom."

I'm proud to be from a state where courage and fortitude and character are so deeply ingrained in the people. Finally, after a lot of hard work and an uphill fight, we've become a swing-state with a decidedly blue tinge. Someone is extremely worried about this, which is no surprise; that someone is sending another someone to try to save his bacon. I think you know of whom I speak.
We've come this far. Don't give in and let them take away what we've all worked so hard for. May the powers that be grant us the strength and courage to see through the lies and hatred and fear, and to make the right decision. Be strong, West Virginia, be strong.

Slandered!

I was slandered today, which was something I've never in my life had happened. If you're going to insult me, I occasionally joke, do it with panache; I won't descend to your level, though, however enraged I might become.
Today was mostly good, barring the immaturity of the People Across the Street. People registered to vote; a few of them offered anecdotes about their woes as justification for registering and wanting to volunteer. One of the people who registered counted herself among the People Across the Street, so since the boss was out running errands, I offered to take it across myself--several people have registered similarly, and their forms were trotted across the street as a courtesy. Yes, we could just as easily take them to the courthouse ourselves, which is what we were doing before this debacle.
So... I got across the street without being squashed by any passing cars, put the form on the table and said, "I believe this is one of yours."
Well. To make a long story short, I was sent back out with the registration form, and one of the people in the Office Across the Street had the temerity to suggest that I would engage in fraud by altering the person's registration form. I didn't reply, but instead drew myself up, became very icy and formal, thanked them, and left.
I'd be committing fraud if I did that, which is obviously illegal. By suggesting that I'd do such a thing, the person who said it was committing slander, which is also (obviously) not very good behavior. So, if you're going to insult my association with good people and insult my political beliefs, at least do it with some style instead of trying to bait me and bring me down to your level... 'cause it just doesn't work.

Mining

This was shared by a fellow Raveler. Read and cringe, kids, read and cringe. This is, as the author suggests, getting closer and closer to territory covered by science fiction. There will probably be an awful lot of women getting bear traps installed in some very funny places, and I think I might be one of them.

William Blake To Mod Debate?

"Raisin, Raisin burning bright, in the tellies late at night. What immortal hand or eye dare frame thy fearful sinistry?"

That about sums it up.

In Which There Are Chickens

I like my boss. He was overheard to remark, "I smell chicken" in reference to a certain announcement today. Shortly afterward, the entire office ground to a halt so we could watch Obama's press conference. Every time that man opens his mouth I find a new reason to respect him.

In Which There Is General Pettiness

There have been rumors flying around the office that an Important Personage would be visiting us to see how things are progressing. Today, while I was at the post office, I bumped into the boss and found that yes, there was indeed an Important Personage due to visit the office, and that said visit would be occurring this very day. I beetled my brows and considered heading home to change into something a bit more businesslike. No, said the boss, that wouldn't be necessary.
The appointed hour approached, and at three o'clock the office was abuzz with activity. A whole four people doing phonebanking, and yet another four doing the requisite geeky stuff required to keep things going, and... me... manning the front desk to get people registered and/or signed up to volunteer. If the IP had arrived when she was supposed to, she would have arrived during a peak period of activity. If she'd arrived when she'd been supposed to, it would have been a heartening sight. She arrived, however, three hours late, which meant there was no one doing phonebanking (the volunteers aren't chained to their oars, after all) and there were only three of us in the office, and those of us who remained were lurking around in various stages of relative relaxation while we waited for the IP to appear.
I was not impressed by her tardiness, but I said nothing. While I'm not accustomed to being the center of attention, neither am I being accustomed to being completely ignored; I appreciate slight acknowledgement of my presence as a human being, so it further irked me that she failed to appear as anything but rude. She may indeed be a nice person, but I require more evidence than what was given me this afternoon. After about five minutes of what sounded like utter twaddle, I ascended from the couch--ladies, even ladies wearing jeans and cardigans, ascend--and approached with what is my version of icy hauteur. This consists of an absolutely calm expression, a change from my usual slouch to my full height, and a change in tone of voice. I'm not tall, so it's rare that I get the feeling that I'm actually looming over people, especially when they're of a similar height; I definitely got the feeling that I loomed. :P No, I'm not being petty. Promise!
"I don't believe we've been introduced," I said.
"I'm blah-de-blah-de-blah," she answered. "I'm the (insert impressive title here)."
"I'm (insert my name here). How nice to meet you. I really must be heading out."
And so saying, I scooped up my things and swept out of the office. If I were capable of doing something eerily supernatural, I suspect there would have been swirls of dead post-it notes fluttering in my wake. Preferably post-it notes with mean little faces drawn on them.
Okay. Maybe it is petty to be irritated by a rude twelve-year-old with a briefcase. And maybe it is petty to have wished for a swirl of demented post-its. But I'm not the one who was three hours late and acted like a twerp. That's not the best way to make a good impression on the people who are working for the person who works under you while we're all working toward a common purpose.

On a different note, I dealt with my first veteran today. A Vietnam vet came in to sign-up for volunteering; he expressed outrage at how many people are buying into certain stories while the economy is faltering and so many are struggling to make ends meet. How, too, he wanted to know, could a veteran be so against giving other veterans access to things like education and other benefits that they earned? Y'know, I'd like to know those answers myself, but I don't think they'll be forthcoming. I was so moved by the man's concerns that I got a bit teary-eyed. For his sake, and for all our sakes, I hope his fears do not come to pass.

Another Day At the Races

I suffered a shock while I was at the office today. I found out that there are indeed some West Virginians who are awful, rotten, racist jackasses.
At around 3 o'clock, a pickup truck roared past the office with a squeal of tires, a blast of the horn; the driver, mature and thoughtful man that he was, shouted, "Fork Obama!" Or something very like it. I stuck my head out from behind the curtain that partitions the office and said, "I doubt, sir, that you're his type."
Such maturity. I'm so ashamed. *sigh*
The second shock I got today was that the women who think highly of the.. um.. VP pick for a certain elephantine party... aren't actually figments of someone's imagination. One of them came into the office today to register to vote. I was in the back printing out more walk-lists when I overheard a very cheerful voice announcing that someone liked... this person. I sauntered out from behind the curtain and said sweetly, "Did I hear someone say they like Sarah Palin?"
Claudette*, who was helping the woman fill out the registration form answered that yes, this lady did like so-and-so. I looked at the woman and smiled.
"Do you mind if I ask why?"
"She's just so personable to me. She's just like the rest of us, the kind of person you could sit down and have a cup of coffee with."
My first thought was, And so was MUSSOLINI.
Instead, I asked, "If, god forbid, something should happen to John McCain while he's in office, do you think she would be qualified to run the country in his stead?"
Dead silence. It would appear madame hadn't thought that far ahead, let alone even considered the possibility. I further pointed out that Ms. Palin seems disinclined to remember the events of the Women's Rights Movement--if it weren't for that small blip in history, she'd never have been a governor, let alone a city council woman, and certainly wouldn't be doing what she's doing--and also seems uninterested in people's civil rights... aside from.. a certain amendment to the Constitution.
The conversation then veered to why the woman felt that voting was against everything she believed in. This struck me as odd, since even that kind of statement expresses an opinion, so I asked her to elaborate.
"I'm completely against the war, you know. I've lost a lot of relatives over there."
I pointed out that, as this is obviously a serious concern for her, she might consider voting for that very reason. If nothing else, opposing people who continue to favor certain behaviors will give her a chance to express that concern to the powers that be. I left her to mull that over for a while, and just as I got back behind the curtain I heard her say she was registering as a Democrat. I won't say I had anything to do with it, but at least I put in my two cents.

The good news, though, far outweighs any bad stuff that happened today. I got a box in the mail from a certain friend who lives in Florida. *ahems* Miss Rachael, you rock with absolute and total style. She sent me a jar of her homemade fig preserves with--squee!--vanilla. I am so looking forward to trying it! She also sent me a skein of handspun yarn in the most amazing shade of blue (she spun and dyed it herself. Most impressive, young Skywalker). I'm floored. The texture is fabulous. The color is fabulous. AND IT'S CORRIEDALE! And.. and... I'm in a state of woolly ecstasy.
She also sent me Season 3 of Supernatural. Ooooh, I'm looking forward to that, too. Gah... figgy jam, gorgeous yarn, and a new way to get my Brothers Winchester fix.
Miss Rachael, you rock. With style.

* The names have been changed to protect the owners' privacy. ;)

A Day At the Races

Well, today was certainly interesting! Got up, showered, got geared up to make a batch of soap, then trotted myself off to the next town. The town I live in isn't really a political black hole; the college has student organizations, but I haven't seen much evidence of any politicking except for signs on people's lawns or in their windows. That means that the regional headquarters is in the next town, and that's where things are happening.
I discussed it with mom yesterday, then called dad and discussed it with him, too. Both of them thought it was a good idea, but I grouched at dad and said, "And why aren't you doing something, too?" His excuse is that he doesn't want to be stuck doing phone-duty. I don't blame him. I wouldn't want to be stuck on phone-duty, either! Turned out there was enough to do that didn't involve people, and that was exactly what I was fortunate enough to do.
It turned out, furthermore, that the directeur regional was a former classmate. I didn't know him except by name while we were in college, and was astonished he even remembered me.
"What would you like to do?" he asked.
"Something that doesn't involve people," I answered. "I can do paperwork if there's any that needs doing."
Paperwork wasn't exactly what I ended up doing, but it did involve an awful lot of paper. I was given the task of cutting turf in one of the voting precincts in the next county. This was done with the aim of making things easier for the people who are canvassing on foot; lots of paper involved here, since the lists of voters have to be printed out along with little maps of each chunk of the precinct. So, for three hours, barring about a 20 minute interval during which the printer decided to be extremely uncooperative. By that point, we were about ready to throw it out the door and let passing traffic destroy it; luckily there was an old inkjet printer in the back, and that, while awfully slow, did get things done.
So.. get out there and do something, dammit!

Obfuscate +5

Okay. Every time you turn on the television, every time you look in the paper, every time you turn on the radio, what do you hear about? A certain person said this, a certain person refused to do that, a certain person danced with a yellow cat. I think you know who I mean.. ahem.
Brilliant move by the GOP: By tapping someone who's cute, fluffy, and appealing, you've managed to get everyone's minds off the major issues like the war and the economy, thus diverting attention from where it should be.
This, as far as anyone over the age of about 20 knows, has never been done in a campaign before. Previously, the burning issues were what got candidates elected.
I'll say it again: way to obfuscate. The issues are still there, folks, and you're still going to be affected by them, no matter how cute, fluffy, annoying, or despicable people are.

Εχθροί

I'm reluctant to make any political statements, but since this banned book thing has come up and I do read, I have to say it: only someone who is either too lazy or incapable of independent thought would ban books that aren't the equivalent of mental popcorn. Lady, I name you εχθρός[Echthros], for that is what you are.