flipping rationality

I've been grumpy for a while about this whole "academic freedom" thing. For those of you not in the academy, there's a push, led by the Usual Suspects, to increase "diversity" in the academy. By "diversity" they mean, not subjugated minorities, but those poor, beleaguered straight white males. They're just so misunderstood! When they call someone a "fag" in a classroom, it's not because they hate the sinner! They're just expressing their commitment to free speech and encouraging "diverse perspectives" in the classroom! (This and other nonsense can be seen on the Students for Academic Freedom website, which categorizes such complaints as "I took a women's studies course and it was totally biased towards feminism." (that's a quote.) So it has gotten me to think about the ways in which our hard won victories are being used against us. This isn't a happy line of thought, so I wouldn't recommend it. Today, however, a little victory, a little table-turning.

The Administration had sought to deny federal funds to universitites that barred military recruiters from campus (in this case, law schools who found that the military's anti-gay policy was discriminatory). A U.S. Court of Appeals (PA--5th Circuit, I think) ruled against the government, using the Boy Scouts case as precedent. Yes, that was the case that gave the Boy Scouts the right to discriminate against gay scout leaders. So, in a neat twist, the judge (Judge Ambro) wrote: "Just as the Boy Scouts believed that homosexual conduct is inconsistent with the Scout oath, the law schools believe that employment discrimination is inconsistent with their commitment to fairness and justice."

UPDATE: on Daily Kos, a great, and extremely disturbing, read on this:
"[T]his is a massive and dangerous expansion of the principles underlying the Boy Scouts decision. In that earlier decision, it was held that the government could not force a completely private organization to accept as a leader a person who's public views were at odds with the organizational principles. It's not even clear that the Boy Scouts under that decision are allowed to exclude gays who keep their views quiet, so it could be a limited precedent. However, this Third Circuit decision is far more expansive. Not only can a university refuse to hire peoples whose views they disagree with, they can exclude them altogether from their physical property. And the government is REQUIRED to fund such exclusionary organizations.
By the logic of the case, if the Klu Klux Klan sets up a university to teach hate speech, they would be within their organizational free speech rights to exclude blacks and the government would be required to fully fund that university in the same way as all other colleges."

Shit.

60% of Americans Support Roe

A Yahoo! News/AP story reports that most Americans want a pro-choice Supreme Court nominee.

"The preference for Supreme Court nominees who would uphold Roe v. Wade could be found among both men and women, most age groups, most income groups and people living in urban, suburban and rural areas. Fewer than half of Republicans, evangelicals and those over 65 said they favored a nominee who would uphold the abortion ruling."

This is the most interesting part of the story to me--that this belief cuts across normal political divides and is expressed by members of widely disparate groups. We'll see what impact, if any, this has on Bush's selection.

poesis

W.H. Auden (from friend A.'s blog):

Faces along the bar
Cling to their average day:
The lights must never go out,
The music must always play,
All the conventions conspire
To make this fort assume
The furniture of home;
Lest we should see where we are,
Lost in a haunted wood,
Children afraid of the night
Who have never been happy or good

I've been reading so much more poetry lately--even memorizing pieces of it, that I repeat to myself, mantra-like, at odd times. Something about poetic consciousness feels undomesticated, unclaimed and unrepentant.

on elitism

I've been reading a friend's blog lately and have realized that rather than post scathing comments which would probably damage our relationship in the long run, I'd come over here and rant to myself, where no one (except A. ;) can hear me.

I am an elitist. And this is why: I've earned it. I have spent the better part of my adult life in classrooms and libraries. I have read hundreds of thousands of pages on topics ranging from astronomy to physics to quantum mechanics to buddhism to postmodernism to marxism to feminism. I have studied the Holocaust, Western European politics, revolutions, nationalism, globalization, social movements, welfare states, and ancient, classical, modern, postmodern and recent political theory. I have talked with better minds than mine about these topics, and I have tested and refined my ideas in the company of others. I have changed or modified my position when presented with better evidence. I have also, it must be said, refused to change my position on certain issues: on the fundamental interconnection between humans and the Earth, on the need for justice, on the need for compassion, on the need for beauty and truth and community. On any given day I spend up to 2 hours reading from a variety of news sources about the state of the world. Unlike Our Glorious Leader, I have travelled outside this country and have an insatiable curiosity about other cultures. I write my representatives. I march. I chant. I rant. And all of these things distinguish me from the much glorified, long lamented, "Average American."

It is possible for me to recognize that I have greater and wider knowledge of the world than 90% of the people in this country and to refrain from being condescending. Indeed, my belief in compassion as part of a life of integrity and justice commands me to do as much. I don't run around, for God's sakes, telling people what dumbshits they are. I don't walk up to any one of my students (or, for that matter, my Republican relatives) and tell them that they don't know what the fuck they're talking about, even when they clearly don't.

I am, I admit, very, very, very angry about this election, and it has shaken my belief in the goodness of Americans to the core (and it was one of my central beliefs, long defended in the face of some other 'liberal elitists' that my friend likes to decry so frequently). Because voting for Bush meant, to me, voting for Abu Gharib. Voting for ongoing, neverending war. Voting to cut young men and women's lives short. Voting to get rid of women's rights and roll back the clock on civil rights. People DIED for those rights, and Bush, Cheney, Scalia et.al. could give exactly one rat's ass (as long as Halliburton gets the profit from the rat's ass). It's a vote for rabid Christianity and the end to the separation of church and state. And it's a final Fuck Off to the entire world, who will not be forgiving us any time soon.

So I am an elitist, and I'm goddamned tired of apologizing for it. Recognizing that I am one of the Fortunate Ones does not mean that I think all Americans should be stripped of their right to vote. I am not claiming moral superiority over these people (honesty moment: well, okay, occasionally) but I am comfortable with asserting that I know more about politics than they do, and am probably more capable of making an informed decision. 70% of the people who voted for Bush believe (as of November 2nd) that we found WMDs in Iraq. Come on, now.

no sunshine patriots

We're going to stay and fight. As my friend D. said the other night, "They'll get their Second Coming over my dead body."

That's pretty much how I feel about it. And, to be fair, probably how the "Christian" "Right" feels about it as well.

I haven't recommended them before, but check out wonkette! (wonkette.com) and Bob Harris (bobharris.com). My linking doodad isn't working at the moment, but I know you're capable people who can type an address into a search engine.

What else to report? I mean, besides the end of the world, that shit gets old. Apparently Vincent D'onofrio has made life such hell on his set (of whatever spin off it is--CSI? Law and Order? Who can keep track? And why are we so fascinated with lab work when we hate scientists?) because of his "crazy liberal" views that they've forbidden political discussion on set. Kind of like Christmas with my Orange County relatives.

Yasser Arafat? Still dead.
Middle East peace process? Still dead.

U.S. Marine shoots unarmed, wounded Iraqi on national TV? Not to worry, according to Our Moral Guardians, such as Rush, Ann, and Rommel, he was "under a lot of pressure." Certainly he won't be coming home to beat his wife!

Lots of people getting kicked to the curb. Colin Powell can leave unencumbered by integrity or legacy. Come to think of it, so can everyone else, though that supposes that they're leaving it in the White House, which is clearly not the case.

And, finally, White House orders "purges" of "disloyal" CIA agents. Compassionate conservativism means that you send insubordinate underlings to Cuba, instead of Siberia; you're still in a cage, but the weather is better.

jesus christ!

Seriously, he has got some explaning to do. A letter from Bob Jones III (the "third" Bob Jones is part of what needs to be explained; surely one was enough):

"In your re-election, God has graciously granted America—though she doesn't deserve it" [ed.: because she's one uppity bitch]"—a reprieve from the agenda of paganism" [ed: which will continue as long as we rev up the Inquisition again]. "You have been given a mandate" [ed: who would have thought there would be so many references to MANdates. Suggestive, for a bunch of homophobes]. "We the people expect your voice to be like the clear and certain sound of a trumpet" [ed: that's not the noise that comes to my mind when I think of Bush's voice]. "Because you seek the Lord daily, we who know the Lord will follow that kind of voice eagerly." [ed: excuse me, but in my Catholic confirmation classes I was told that the Lord doesn't really "follow" any human, no matter how "clear and certain" his voice is. But, as we all know, Catholics aren't "really" Christians.]

"Don't equivocate. Put your agenda on the front burner and let it boil. You owe the liberals nothing. They despise you because they despise your Christ." [ed: too fucking angry to speak...teeth grinding...jaw popping...then something comes to mind...what was it...oh, yes, "Judge not, that ye not also be judged." Who said that again? I think there was something about forgiveness, too, and charity, and love...damn, any minute now I'll think of it...]

you don't think they'll stop at abortion, do you?

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specter's head on a platter

or...overturning filibuster rules in the Senate Judiciary. Or both.

NY Times today:
"As they ['conservatives,' a word that will always appear in quotes on this blog from now on] try to keep Mr. Specter, a centrist PA representative who supports abortion rights [not for long! I feel the winds of Jesus blowing toward Mr. Specter] from heading the Senate judiciary committee, they are demanding a steep concession: support for changing a century-old Senate rule that permits judicial nominations to be blocked by filibuster."

Ponder THAT stroke of genius for a while. Go ahead, start pondering...

P.S. If Mr. Near Miss pats me on the head ONE more FUCKING time, he may not be able to produce Little Near Miss-es.

Further Insanity

Scott Petersen's jury might be hung. Apparently, someone on the jury actually BELIEVES this scenario: a homeless man/ruffian/black person wandered into/deliberately stalked Laci Petersen, waiting until she was nine months pregnant to abduct her. He then killed her, waited for the police to announce Scott Petersen's "alibi" then drove to San Francisco and dropped off Laci's body at that exact spot in order to frame Scott Petersen ("you have to believe me! I look like Ben Affleck! Celebrities are never bad!). Uh-huh, that's plausible.
As opposed to this scenario: Scott Petersen is cheating on his wife, who is pregnant with a baby he allegedly didn't want. His business is in the crapper and he's borrowed a ton of money to maintain that prosperous-All-American look. He claims to have gone fishing, in winter, on the Bay, with the wrong kind of equipment for the kind of fish he wanted to catch. He has a receipt from the dock near where Laci's body was found. Now, while this is a strange conceit, to use the receipt from possibly dumping your wife's body, and then use it as an alibi, it is not unheard of in the annals of mystery fiction.

Am I missing something here? I mean, besides why the media is so fucking fascinated with a man who in all likelihood killed his wife and son and dumped them in the bay so he could carry on with his bottle-blond girlfriend? And, further, why doesn't the media ever connect the dots on this story? Why not give some fascinating statistical information, such as this: "Men often become violent after their wives become pregnant, and the leading cause of death among pregnant women is homicide."

honestly, people: our incompetent citizens, part 2

Part 1 happened last week. Here's this, from the AP:

WASHINGTON - As President Bush mulls what to do after winning re-election, voters say his first priority should be resolving the situation in Iraq, where the fighting is growing more intense. They also want Bush to cut the deficit, which ballooned under his watch, rather than pushing for more tax cuts, according to an Associated Press poll taken right after the election.

Well, if wishes were nickels...we'd all be benefitting from the Bush tax cut.

A Prayerful Nation

Interesting piece in the Sunday Magazine (of the NY Times, naturally--I have my liberal elitist bona fides) about a nation at prayer: Eight out of 10 Americans say they pray daily, or at least weekly. I can't tell if that average is skewed by the thousands of prayers I prayed before the election, all of them some variation of "God Help Us." Apparently their God IS bigger than my God, as General Boykin so memorably asserted. My God must be an ambiguous fellow with a taste for obscure stories--your classic lefty pushover. Why, he doesn't even seem to be a good capitalist--he exhorts people to be like lillies of the field, unaware that people must toil and spin in order to buy stuff at Wal-Mart. And then, he encourages people to love one another, and to take care of children, and to cast the beam from their own eye: yep, the Republican party certainly embodies those ideals. The 100,000 Iraqis we've killed since the invasion, and the 1000 Americans who will never come home again, should certainly be feeling righteous about now. They may be dead, but they too had God On Their Side.

And Here We Are

A quote from Tennyson that has gotten me through the days:

"Tho' much is taken, much abides; and tho'
We are not now that strength which in the old days
Moved earth and heaven; that which we are, we are;
One equal-temper of heroic hearts,
Made weak by time and fate, but strong in will
To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield."
- Tennyson, "Ulysses

Planets Align for Kerry

So we needn't worry:

The Planets Have Made Up Their Mind: Kerry Wins


NEW DELHI (Reuters) - Surveys in the United States may be showing the race for president as too close to call but top Indian astrologers say the planets have clearly made up their mind: John Kerry will win.

Planets governing President Bush are eclipsed and in an uncomfortable position, making his tenure controversial and his re-election bid unsuccessful, the soothsayers said on Friday, four days before the vote.

On the other hand, the planets of Democratic challenger Senator John Kerry were in the ascendant, ensuring him success in competitions.

"Saturn, which is the lord of health and fortune for President Bush, has been eclipsed by the Sun, which is unfortunate and gives him a clear defeat," Lachhman Das Madan, editor of a popular astrology magazine, told Reuters.

"Kerry will win," said Madan, who is also known as "the emperor of astrologers." "It is cosmic writ that George W. Bush cannot become president of United States again."

Ajai Bhambi, a senior astrologer and author of several books on the science of predictions, agreed.

"Kerry is likely to beat Bush in the final verdict," he told the New Indian Express newspaper.

Bejan Daruwalla, another top astrologer, told Reuters he had yet to calculate who would win Tuesday's election. But Bush, even if he won, would not be allowed by his planets to complete a full term, he said.

In EVERY State

An October AP analysis of the most up-to-date figures from across the country found that, in every state where complete data is available, the Democrats have registered more new voters than Republicans

Here's My Call

Kerry in a landslide.

I first heard that at a moveOn conference in May, and I believed it for two weeks until the Swift Boat Veterans for "Truth" ads came out and got so much play, after a fairly lame (let's face it) Democratic convention. Then, like the rest of the left, I spent my time hyperactively watching polls and discussing polling methodology with my equally wonky, lefty friends (who bear sole credit--and possibly responsibility--for my current, mostly sane state). But I think we can do it. Then we have to remember the lessons of this election and not back down; stay organized and focused, building the spine of the Democratic party, one vertebrae at a time.

Anyway, I can't bear to think of the alternative. All I could do in that case is stockpile pharmaceuticals.