It’s a new day

Update:  Here’s the chirpstory as promised between Glenn Greenwald and Angry Black Lady (see #2  below) regarding a discussion of habeas corpus as specified in the NDAA and the use of rape as a debate tactic.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!

Well it’s new years somewhere back East but I’m still waiting in AZ.  By the time midnight gets here I will be snug as a bug in a rug in bed.  However I wanted to throw some thoughts out there and see what sticks.

1.  I resolve to write more in 2012 because I find it therapeutic (even if no one else reads it) AND its one of the few things I happen to be good at.  I actually posted 246 times, with a 39 pics uploaded–not quite what I wanted but it’s a darn good start.  Here’s a link to the online WordPress report that they gave me to summarize my blogging year.  Wordpress totally rocks y’all!!!!!

2.  So twice in the last few weeks I’ve heard/read someone use Rape as a metaphor during a debate (one I hope will be a chirpstory–which is a screen capture timeline report of a Twitter debate between Angry Black Lady and Glen Greenwald (expatriate, Pres. Obama hater and new Ron Paul defender¹).  Let me give forewarning  and a bit of advice to anyone who wants to have any convo with me or women in general.  NEVER EVER use rape as a metaphor or joke….not in reference to women, to men, to a politician, to anyone EVER.   You never know if a rape victim will read or hear that metaphor (and victims are legion²) and be offended….it’s not too much to ask that you refrain.  And if asking you to be empathetic enough not to do it isn’t enough, consider this….the minute you use that term nothing you say or do afterward will be heard.  I’m not asking you never to offend or to be politically correct….Lord knows I am not.  However, this is a particular thing that is extremely prevalent in our culture and it is something very painful to millions of women (and even some men).  And if that isn’t enough for you….don’t even bother talking to me, cuz I will be deleting your comments…that’s how I roll on my blog.

3.  I will be skiing two days hence for the first time in 20 years.  Pray to God, Mother Nature, FSM, and any other god or goddess you fancy that I do not break anything.

4.  AZ is doubling down on stupid.  The state legislature is pushing, again, to allow people to carry weapons concealed and unconcealed on school campuses.  Yes, the most violent age group³…they want to give easy access to weapons to AND allow them to carry them to campus.  I will henceforth not be going anywhere near college campuses, not to teach or be a student.  It’s online classes only for me!

5.  What is up with New Year’s Eve fireworks?  They sell them like candy in AZ.  Why can’t they just shoot off their unlicensed AK-47′s, Glocks, Uzi’s, etc that they purchased at the local gun show from an unlicensed dealer like everyone else in this god-forsaken sh*thole of a desert?!

6. #5 being said, for every negative thing I write in 2012, I resolve to write something positive as well.  My glass will probably never be half-full but perhaps I can pretend that it is.  ;)

I think that’s about enough for now, don’t you?

Notes:

1.  I know!  Greenwald calls himself a liberal?!  And he’s gay so Ron Paul thinks he’ll burn in Hell but hey, go ahead defend him what do us other liberals care……part of me hopes that Paul does win the Presidency so that 1) once disaster strikes the country we liberals can say “I told you so!” and 2) asshats like Greenwald would rue the day they turned their backs on a centrist like Pres. Obama.
2. Some stats say that 1 in 5 women have been the victim of rape or attempted rape. Of college age women that figure is worse, 1 in 4. Worldwide that percentage rises depending on country. For example in the Congo, 48 women are raped every hour. Do the math, it is horrific. Even using US stats, 1 in 5 means 20%. Remember this every time you’re at work in a meeting or at a party….look around, count out 20% of the women…there you go. Look at their faces….then go ahead and use that rape metaphor…..and all the shame is on you.
3. I am writing a much longer post about this now…will post in the next few days.

Pet Paranoia

I heard on the radio today that gun sales were up 25% this holiday season in Arizona.  When interviewed a gun dealer said that customers “were anticipating a shortage in the near future” and the announcer summarized by saying customers feared pending gun legislation from the Obama Administration.

Let me say something very important…lean in close because you really need to hear this….THERE IS NO PENDING LEGISLATION TO RESTRICT GUN OWNERSHIP AND USE RIGHTS….NONE, NADA, NICHT, NESSUNO, NENHUM…..and there wasn’t any last year or the year before that or even the year Pres. Obama was elected.  None were discussed by the White House, none were proposed to Congress and none were debated.

In January 2011 the White House DID tell Congress about its intention to create a new ATF rule  that gun dealers in border states be required to report within 5 days of the sale of two or more semiautomatic rifles using greater than .22 caliber ammunition and that have detachable magazines.  Someone could buy ONE of these and nothing would happen.  If they bought a bunch of them, their info would be sent to the ATF.  How many people do you know that actually go out and buy such weapons in mass like that?  Does your neighbor who likes to go hunting buy Uzi’s, M-16′s, AK-47′s, etc to kill Bambi?  Regardless of what the customer wants to use the weapons for, there is nothing illegal in purchasing such items.

The idea was shot down in Congress and opposed by the NRA (no surprise here).   After about 6 months of input from the various stakeholders, the President authorized the ATF to issue the new rule on July 11, 2011.  The NRA planned to sue (and I would wager that there is a court case pending now).  So far the system is working as it should.  The judicial branch is being used to balance of the executive branch–that’s all the good and exactly how it is supposed to work.

The important question here is if the purchase of such weapons is not illegal, why would the ATF care?  The answer is because there is a major problem of guns originating in the U.S. ending up in Mexico and being used in a rash of violent crimes.  The ATF hoped to get possible investigatory leads into what is known as “straw man” buys.  Some studies indicate about 70% of all gun violence in Mexico is committed using a gun from Arizona.  That’s a hell of a lot of “straw man” buys and that’s what the White House was trying to gather information on in order to stop it.

However, the Administration’s willingness to alert all the stakeholders to the rule 6 to 7 months in advance of its implementation hardly seems like some vast conspiracy and cover-up to take away Billy Joe Bob’s hunting rifle.  Moreover, the rule is only to assist in the investigation of known illegal buys that are occurring every day and directly result in the deaths of both Mexican and U.S. citizens.  It does not say they can’t make those purchases or that they can’t use those weapons.  The state and local laws govern that kind of thing and that’s how the President has indicated he would like to keep it–locally, NOT federally, controlled.  Again, that doesn’t sound like some big federal government takeover, does it?

Ultimately I predict that the rule will be struck down in court, but we’ll have to wait and see. I’m not arguing that it is right or wrong, I am saying it isn’t the big scary thing that many want to say it is.    The irony is that while many on the right are running around scared buying up every handgun they can get their hands on, those on the left think just the opposite–that President Obama isn’t doing enough to curb gun violence in the U.S.  The Brady Campaign To Prevent Gun Violence, a left wing organization that grades politicians on their support and implementation of gun control laws, gave the President a failing grade.  The President can’t win for losing on this issue, can he?

Furthermore, I think it’s very convenient as we enter next year’s Presidential Election that these rumors are once again surfacing and that gun dealers are helping to spread those rumors–not to mention the MSM.  Not only will the Republican party benefit, so will all the legitimate and illegitimate gun dealers out there.

If you’re actually interested in the truth, here’s a link to what the President said in 2008 about gun control while running for election…..again, no bans….just better enforcement of laws that are already on the books, laws that have stood the test of time and many court challenges.

Sources:

http://www.bradycampaign.org/media/press/view/1214/

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2011/01/15/obama-administrations-new-proposed-gun-regulation-border-states-met-bipartisan/

http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics/2008/02/obama-common-se/

http://blogs.phoenixnewtimes.com/valleyfever/2011/06/70_of_guns_used_in_mexican_cri.php

http://articles.cnn.com/2011-06-14/us/mexico.guns_1_mexican-drug-drug-cartels-drug-gangs/2?_s=PM:US

http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/gun-dealers-will-have-to-report-multiple-semiautomatic-rifle-sales/2011/07/11/gIQAy3SI9H_story.html

Winter Wonderland Wrap-Up

What does a icy snow and a 25 lb toddler add up to?  A very sore back.

I completely underestimated the amount of effort it would take to both keep an eye on my daughter while she was sledding and sledding with my son.  Since he just learned to walk, he’s a little unsteady on his pins. So he was precariously stumbling across icy slopes until I realized I would have to carry him almost everywhere.

We’d sled down and he would be thrilled.  Then we’d get up and hike back up the slope.  Repeat process about 200 times.  Did I mention that Flagstaff sits at 8,000 feet of elevation and I live at or below Sea Level in Phoenix?  You wouldn’t think that would make much of a difference but oh does it ever!  In addition, I wore tennis shoes and as a result managed a spectacular fall right on my ass while he was in my arms.  Luckily I dropped him from only a couple of feet in the air and he landed on his well padded bottom.  Unfortunately, he still bonked his nose on my knee.  My butt is slightly black and blue.   His nose was fine.  He and I ended the day exhausted.

The baby and I spent yesterday recovering and my daughter whining.  So what else is new?  I thought I had photos on my phone but they are not there today, so all we will have is memories.  Next year I am either not taking Liam or taking the right gear (AND being in better shape) to make it less onerous.

Next Monday I am going skiing without the kids, so Mommy can play in the snow all on her own.  Even Mommies need a snow day once in a while.

 

Winter Wonderland

Have you ever noticed that it is never the things you expect to spend money on that cost you the most?  Instead it is the unanticipated costs that really hit you.

I spent quite a bit on the kids this Christmas because it is the first time I’ve had the opportunity in quite some time to shop for them.  And I really enjoyed finding presents that would surprise them.  My daughter was thrilled to get an easel, a small guitar for her small hands, and some pretty cool Lego sets.  And my son was easy to please with a firetruck that makes some hellacious noises, a bunch of cars, and tons of building blocks.

It was, however, the day after Christmas when things got expensive.  I spilled chai latte on my daughter’s DS XL i, required a replacement (although the wet one is currently sitting in a bag of rice with the hope that it is recoverable).  On top of that I had planned a trip up to Flagstaff to go sledding in the snow.  I thought it would be easier to get a hotel so I went to Kayak.com to book a room for tonight-the 26th.  Afterward I had a question, so I called the hotel directly and they had no record of the reservation.

I called Kayak to find out what the heck  was wrong.  Turned out that the booking was for January 10th and I was mystified as to how that happened.  Later I realized that although I had searched for the current date, the site defaulted to January 10th because that was the earliest date it had an opening.  The site did not warn me that “hey the date is set to Jan. 10th” so I completed missed it.  Ultimately it was my fault for not being more thorough when reviewing the purchase.  To make matters worse the purchase was non-refundable.

I ended up just getting a rental car because my car doesn’t have the clearance to get onto snowy roads and giving up the idea of staying overnight.  It will be an early day for us tomorrow but I think it will be okay.  Just so long as the kids sleep for most of the trip, that is.

Keep your fingers crossed that all goes well tomorrow.  If all goes as planned, we’ll leave the dry desert far beyond and will be in Winter Wonderland by 8 am.  Snow here I come!

 

Glib and Sophisticated

“All that is necessary for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing”
- Edmund Burke

Andrew Sullivan is at it again….he’s gone and endorsed Ron Paul who would not hesitate to take away Sullivan’s same sex marriage certificate, not to mention outlaw homosexuality if given the chance.  Sullivan appears to be defending Paul against charges of racism and his logic is a bit faulty.

He admits that Paul associated with some people with vile positions and that isn’t good.  However, he balances out this “turning of a blind eye” by holding up Paul’s character in the three presidential elections in which he has participated.  Noting that one doesn’t have to ferret out the other GOP candidates racism is small comfort.  So that’s our choice according to Sullivan–open bigots or the secret bigot?  Wow,  I am almost speechless.

Furthermore Sullivan hints that a vote for Paul would turn the GOP away from it’s aggressive foreign policy stance.  Again, Paul doesn’t just want to pull us out of other nations’ conflicts, he wants a retreat to the isolationist policies of…well….there has never been a President or time period that I can even compare to what Paul is advocating.  And finally Sullivan makes the argument that too many people confuse the libertarians stance on allowing people to do things with the acts of what other people actually do.  And this is the key to his entire argument…it’s a common defense of libertarianism itself.

Here’s a brief example.  Ron Paul believes that the states should not be subject to judicial review on the federal level.  If the states choose to act tyrannically by passing laws that discriminate against minorities, women, gays, etc. Sullivan is arguing that you can’t blame Paul for removing judicial review, the last remedy that we have as Americans to stop local and state tyranny.

Technically he’s right. Ron Paul did not actually DO the tyrannical acts and although he might have facilitated the environment that allowed that to happen, Sullivan believes he cannot be held responsible because Paul’s position is a “philosophical position”.  By using the phrase “philosophical position” Sullivan is implying that Paul is standing on principle and he is absolutely correct.  More importantly Sullivan is also implying that because he is standing on principle, Paul’s intent is beneficent.  And that may be true too, but remember its very hard to read someone’s intent….as any criminal prosecutor can tell you, you can’t read people’s minds or hearts.  The only thing we have to go on to judge intent is their individual behavior.

But we’re not talking about the law.  We’re talking about right and wrong in the very real world.  When trying to determine if something is the right thing to do, looking at your intent is important but so is looking at the probable consequences.  Since we see states and governors already passing legislation that outlaw gay marriage, restrict voter rights, treat state employees like serfs, bust up unions, interfere between women and their doctors, discriminate against minorities, etc, all while STILL under federal judicial review, the likelihood that many of these things would be even worse if the states WEREN’T under judicial review is a very real possibility.

So, I have to call Sullivan’s BS here.   If you’re interested here is the email I sent to Sullivan, which I am sure he will not post.

___________________

In re: to the post titled “The Circumstantial Evidence Against Paul” you said:

“Much of the left and a great deal of the right has no interest in putting liberty before justice. But I do not believe that that philosophical position renders one a bigot.”

True the philosophical position does not render one a bigot.  However, the actual outcome of putting such a position into action more often than not results in the believer’s inaction to stop bigotry (i.e., an omission), which is an argument you made in the previous paragraph –”…inherently indifferent to injustice (although it may often, in practice be).  Your own logic is defeats your thesis.

So you’re wrong….the position can and often does render one as a bigot.  From an ethical standpoint we get no free passes by saying but “it’s only my philosophical position” when actual people are being hurt in reality by one’s inaction.  You’re making too fine a distinction on this point (not to mention a glib one), which libertarians often do (and often from their cozy offices, living rooms, etc).  The rest of us cannot afford to be as “sophisticated and philosophical” and we certainly can’t afford to be glib.

Tina M. Rhodes, a daily reader