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Shuts and Failures

by Michael Maiello

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2 years 38 weeks

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You know it's going to be a movie someday.

by erica20 6/12/2013 - 4:19 pm

All I can say is, if James Van Der Beek and Krysten Ritter's (of don't trust the B in apartment 23) agents are not shopping them as possiblities to play Edward Snowden and Laura Poitras in the eventual movie to be made about this NSA story, then James Van Der Beek and Krysten Ritter have the dumbest agents in the history of Hollywood.

My prediction is that Van Der Beek's career will be revitalized by the (eventual) film in the same way that John Travolta's was revitalized by Pulp Fiction, and that he will cause a minor poopstorm by proclaiming "Thank God for government overreach!" during his Golden Globe acceptance speech. [Read more]

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Let Freedom Ring: Freedom to Marry in all 50 States

by erica20 5/17/2013 - 3:15 pm

Hopefully this video will attach--I came up with a visual to support freedom to marry in all 50 states and am looking for feedback. Also maybe shares...I haven't done anything to get it out there yet.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X-lnWj6otzg

I also couldn't figure out how to attach the jpg file I made. Technology is hard.

Tsarnaev opens strong with Full Keanu

by erica20 4/23/2013 - 4:41 pm

I had been trying to decide how D. Tsarnaev would describe his activities in his discussions with authorities and the press. I thought he'd be quiet for a few days but apparently he's already begun to talk with authorities. I'll post a link as soon as I find a good rundown.

Update: Regarding that link posting business, I'm very skeptical about the articles discussing Tsarnaev's "initial interviews" as released by "government sources, and am not going to post them. The kid spoke one word yesterday, and it was "no" in response to the question of whether he could afford a lawyer. So I strongly suspect that these "initial interviews" are not what they seem. With that giant salt lick delivered, here are my thoughts. [Read more]

From Sandy Hook to Boston: America's love affair with Extremism must come to an end.

by erica20 4/22/2013 - 3:54 pm

Stories. They've been around for a long time, and sometimes they help us figure out trends and events that seem mysterious.

In the days after Sandy Hook, I thought a lot about the story of the Pied Piper, in which citizens thought they had found a permanent solution to their rat problem, only to discover that the price of that solution was...their kids. (Uh-oh, it turns out that preparing our children for some sort of theoretical disaster by teaching them to ride and shoot and hate America might have its drawbacks.)

Now, thinking of two 19-year olds (so impossibly, foolishly young) whose lives have been effectively sacrificed on twin altars of extreme thinking, I keep coming around to the last scene of Romeo and Juliet, with the two kids  from families who had a lot in common but chose to hate each other, laid out on funeral biers and the prince (a dull guy but you know, he was right) trying to connect the dots for them. [Read more]

Colin Small voter registration form disposal: Late update

by erica20 4/15/2013 - 11:01 pm

 

Info regarding upcoming trial. (Tomorrow.)

If I were the prosecutor, I'd want to know this. But you never know....:^) [Read more]

Conspiracy is in the details, but nobody likes details.

by erica20 4/12/2013 - 3:39 pm

I’ve been following the story of Colin Small, a young Republican who was seen throwing out completed voter registration forms in Harrisonburg, VA, and got arrested for it. Turns out Small was employed by the oft-renamed firm sometimes and formerly known as Strategic Allied Consultants, sometimes and formerly run by disgraced Republican consultant Nathan Sproul.

http://www.wtsp.com/news/national/article/278836/81/Man-arrested-for-tos...

Allegations have been made, predictably, that Small’s act was part of a larger Strategic Allied conspiracy, but no solid proof has emerged. Small’s bosses fired him and offered the usual “bad apple” explanation.

In addition, a rather weak explanation for Small’s behavior was offered up by an “unnamed source close to the story” who said Small panicked because he couldn't file the forms by the deadline, and solved his problem by ditching them. [Read more]

Are Gays the New Seniors?

by erica20 3/27/2013 - 11:41 am

Ok, this question has been burbling around in my mind for awhile, especially now with actual Senators coming out in favor of same sex marriage.

Are LGBTs and their supporters the new senior citizens? And by that, I mean a block of people who will reliably vote as predicted, and moreover work for their candidates of choice, encouraging their many friends to come out and do the same?

It seems to me that it has suddenly dawned on everyone that the long-term ROI of a gay vote is huge. Acknowledge their equality, deliver same sex marriage to this group, and expect them to vote for your party FOREVER--forget that problem of people turning more conservative as they get older and switching to the GOP. [Read more]

How Not to Rape My Daughter

by erica20 3/22/2013 - 4:55 pm

So....fair? Unfair? Effective? Dumb?  What would you change?

This material would probably be better performed by comedian Louis CK, but you have to do what you can in this world.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5dVURXznJGU

 

 

Did Cheney and the Decider misunderestimate assurances from the Saudis? And how bad was it?

by erica20 1/23/2013 - 2:51 pm

It has always seemed to me that we weren't getting (duh!) the full story on 9/11. But so many of the smooth, pat, party-line conspiracy theories about it just seem wrong.

Personally, I like my conspiracy theories like I like my men--smart, funny, a little rough around the edges, and just unpredictable enough to keep me interested. (Fortunately I finally found a lovely guy who fits the bill.) But enough about me.

One freakishly admirable thing about the NeoCon thinking that dominated the Bush administration is that those NeoCons didn't sweat the small stuff. They had a big PNAC plan to transform the world and make the US its sole superpower--but they were willing to be somewhat flexible about how that sausage got made and adjust to whatever inconveniences reality would throw at them. In their Strauss--influenced worldview, truth, logic and right action took a backseat to the greater "good" of how much of a difference you could make. (It's fundamentally unlike Liberal/Democratic thinking, in which stuff actually matters.) [Read more]

Turning it back on the NRA and Gun Industry: Control your own criminals!

by erica20 1/16/2013 - 2:28 pm

  [Read more]

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