It keeps getting worse

This divide in our country - you know, the big one about our freedoms, what they are, who can exercise them, etc - just keeps getting bigger. I offer a hearty tip o' the hat to the American Legion(biggest veteran's group in the world according to their website) and its 2.7 million members for their enthusiastic support of our country and its government. As they say “The American Legion fully supports the president of the United States, the United States Congress and the men, women and leadership of our armed forces as they are engaged in the global war on terrorism and the troops who are engaged in protecting our values and way of life.”

So does that mean they're going to expand the ranks of the French Foreign Legion when it's finally revealed that America is the biggest terrorist nation on earth? What on earth is possessing these people? Do they not understand that the current administration DOES NOT CARE AT ALL about veterans except for the occasional media demo? If our current admin cared, why are they cutting vet's benefits and refusing to honor those killed in the war by not allowing publicity around the returning coffins?

Is there some unwritten law that says "When you become a vet, you are instantly and forever blinded to any potential stupidity, lack of ethics, corruption, or or downright murderous behavior of the government of the United States?" I know there are also vet groups that oppose the war and Bush's policies but good grief - how could an organization whose members stand to lose so much possibly support that conniving bastard?

Isn't she lovely?

You really, really, really need to check out these lovely Vintage Hilda Prints. Believe it or not, I found them while looking at some of the w4m ads on the local craigslist. No, I wasn't cruising for a date but I was curious as to what other women post. I have to admit to some jealousy towards the woman who not only had posted one of these adorable pics on her ad but who also wrote some really great stuff!

Maybe I should hire her to write an ad for me. I think I'm done with appreciating my aloneness...

Who says men don't feud & gossip?

So my (somewhat nominal) boss is on vacation again this week and once again, here come the office politics and gossip. Apparently, some of the people in the office don't like Boss so they have been avoiding his presence for the last 3-4 weeks since he got back from his other week off. What I find somewhat funny but also annoying is that they try to pump me for information about Boss and what he thinks or has said about them. Of course, I say nothing because I'm not getting in the middle of some man-fight over who did or didn't do what.

It's interesting that I've always said that I don't "get" office politics but that isn't true. I get them alright, I'm actually pretty good at sussing out the power structure and general dynamics. What I am NOT interested in is getting drawn in - especially here, where I'm a temp. In some ways, it isn't about politics but about relationships and I try to be careful to maintain a fairly neutral relationship with those I come into contact with. Anyway, I'm refraining from any comment beyond what's absolutely necessary to help these guys get their work done.

Don't let anyone tell you that gossip is the sole purvue of women cause it ain't so.

Good Christian role models

I'm so angry I can barely breathe. I just heard about Robertson's call (however mindless) for Chavez' assassination. Do you realize what this is? Do you realize the importance of those statements? A leader in the mainstream Christian community openly advocated killing another human being. That's aside from the entire assassination of a democratically elected offical/international incident/terrorist activity angle.

I realize that the Bible (and various other iterations of God's word) have all been used to justify mass slaughter at any number of times throughout history - including now (even though we don't talk about it as such). I think I'm just shocked that he would be so cavalier and open about it. Lots of people think things like that - I know I've had similar thoughts about a different leader more than once. However, using violence NEVER works. Not to mention that killing someone because you don't like the way they do things is just flat out wrong.

What scares me (and I use the word "scare" deliberately) is that Robertson will probably not receive any backlash from his comments. He will more than likely not have to bear any sort of responsibility or even be questioned by his followers about his remarks. In fact, it's highly possible that large numbers of people won't even make the connections between calling for Chavez' death, murder of an elected official, and terrorist activity. They possibly won't even remember that there is an ENTIRE COMMANDMENT dedicated to not killing!!!!

I don't know enough about Chavez' regime to say whether or not he's a good leader. He could be the most corrupt bastard on earth for all I know. His failure to be a good leader never has and never will give anyone the right to kill him.

Democracy Now!'s show on Pat Robertson's call for Hugo Chavez' assassination. Media Matters article on Robertson's outrageous statements.

I would also like to comment on the following excerpt from Democracy Now's show:
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"The president of the National Association of Evangelicals, the Reverend Ted Haggard, was questioned on CNN yesterday afternoon by Kyra Phillips.

KYRA PHILLIPS: I'm curious, is this religion leader -- did he go a little too far here with his comments, from a Christian perspective?

REV. TED HAGGARD: Well, from a Christian perspective, yes, but you’ve got to remember this is a political commentary portion of his show. It is his television show, and essentially what he's saying is that he's scared about some of the developments going on in that section of the world, and he wants them minimized. He wants them taken care of in the most efficient way that he can. So he’s not speaking for evangelicalism. He's not speaking for Christians. He's just saying from a political point of view and from a social point of view, somebody needs to contemplate how to minimize this, so we don't end up in a full-scale war."

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Unless there's a mass protest, then OF COURSE he's speaking for his mainstream Christian followers you doof!!! He's a LEADER in the mainstream, conservative Christian media and Christian culture and that's what a leader does - they speak for their followers. The initial scrambling for distance has begun, although it's likely that few will actually criticize or rebuke him for what he said. Bunch of scabby hypocrites.

Give me a break

I recently had the opportunity (in a doctor's office) to quickly peruse the June 2005 issue of the Oregon Peaceworker. I was enjoying some of the pieces, especially since the issue contains a number of articles addressing a theme I feel is important - how we in the peace movement think about ourselves. I have long thought that defining ourselves in the positive holds far greater potential for the kind of change we seek as opposed to defining ourselves in the negative.

What I mean is that we should stand FOR something instead of only standing AGAINST something. This is not a new idea, nor am I the first or best person to mention it, and I was happy to see the Peaceworker's contribution to the discussion. However, when I read of the articles I found myself with a bitter taste in my mouth. A good friend and mentor of mine wrote an article named Shall We Be a Peace Movement or an Antiwar Movement? and when I read it, I found myself puzzled and angry.

The line that I found so disturbing is this: "There is a reason that many make fun of holding hands and singing “Kumbaya.”" "Why was this so distressing?" you may ask. It's distressing because holding hands and singing together IS a way to address the violence in the world. It IS a valid way to build more peaceful and loving societies and should not be scoffed at - even unintentionally - and certainly not by such a respected and credible member of the peace and nonviolence movement.

What's even more puzzling is that I KNOW that Tom knows this - I know this because I've seen him offer prayer, hold hands and sing, and heard him speak about the importance of these things. He lives this idea - that everything we can do to add a little peace to the world is valuable. That's why I was so upset when I read what he wrote - that he would openly scorn something I know he believes is important to make a point just rings false for me.

I understand what he's trying to say, I understand that he is stressing the importance of nonviolent direct action and emphasizing how important it is that we not only talk about our beliefs but that we also DO something about them. I understand all of those things. I just don't agree that one form of taking action is more important or more valuable than the other. For some, maybe standing in a circle, holding hands, and singing IS a revolutionary act.

My point is that we shouldn't scoff at any attempts to add to the peace in our world, no matter how trivial or unimportant we may personally think they are.

I just realized

that I used to blog A LOT!! Not only did I blog a lot, I blogged about a lot of things and talked a lot about my education, what I was doing, and all kinds of other neat stuff. Now I'm feeling slightly loser-y because I haven't been blogging at all for the last six months or so. I like going back and reading my old blogposts and seeing where I was, remembering what I was thinking and so on. I think part of my blogslack has been because I've done so much writing, research, and thinking at school. I just don't have the energy or the desire to do it once I'm home.

The joys of a temp job

are fleeting and short-lived. Well, actually, temping is kind of fun but it's seriously getting a bit old. I like where I'm working, like the people I work with, but the work is so far from challenging it's laughable. Developing the little database was fun but that's pretty much done (except some minor cleanup work before I leave) and now it's all boring, routine data collection and entry. ugh. Repititious and tedious. Are those words synonyms, redundant in their concurrant usage? Probably.

I'm turning to writing as my only avenue of escape from the boredom. My friends all work jobs that keep their attention and they don't have the endless stretches of tedium I do so I can't foist myself onto them for entertainment. I am enjoying having the summer off from school though. In fact, I've lately been wondering if I'm even going to be capable of doing another year. The thought of going back and plunging back into coursework and mentoring is unimaginable at the moment.

Maybe the tedium of this job will make all that other work seem desirable...

Movies on the "must buy" list

Monsoon Wedding
Napoleon Dynamite
Death to Smoochy
Buffy Seasons 5 & 6
Angel Season 5
Hero (with Jet Li)
Bend It Like Beckham
Any MST3K I can get
The Princess Bride
Toy Story (1 & 2 maybe)
Fight Club
Finding Nemo
Mystery Men
Undercover Brother

Please note that there are no "serious" films listed. I'm not sure I want to part with my hard-earned cash and be constantly depressed...