While the nation continues to argue over the outcome of the vote on Proposition 8 in California and criticizes Florida and Arizona for passing similar referendums (are we really surprised about Arizona?), the passing of Arkansas’ proposition to forbid unmarried co-habitated couples from adopting or fostering children has gone widely unnoticed.            From the New York Times’ Dan Savage:

That state’s Proposed Initiative Act No. 1, approved by nearly 57 percent of voters last week, bans people who are “cohabitating outside a valid marriage” from serving as foster parents or adopting children. While the measure bans both gay and straight members of cohabitating couples as foster or adoptive parents, the Arkansas Family Council wrote it expressly to thwart “the gay agenda.” Right now, there are 3,700 other children across Arkansas in state custody; 1,000 of them are available for adoption. The overwhelming majority of these children have been abused, neglected or abandoned by their heterosexual parents.

Even before the law passed, the state estimated that it had only about a quarter of the foster parents it needed. Beginning on Jan. 1, a grandmother in Arkansas cohabitating with her opposite-sex partner because marrying might reduce their pension benefits is barred from taking in her own grandchild; a gay man living with his male partner cannot adopt his deceased sister’s children.

Social conservatives are threatening to roll out Arkansas-style adoption bans in other states. And the timing couldn’t be worse: in tough economic times, the numbers of abused and neglected children in need of foster care rises. But good times or bad, no movement that would turn away qualified parents and condemn children to a broken foster care system should be considered “pro-family.”

Most ominous, once “pro-family” groups start arguing that gay couples are unfit to raise children we might adopt, how long before they argue that we’re unfit to raise those we’ve already adopted? If lesbian couples are unfit to care for foster children, are they fit to care for their own biological children?

The loss in California last week was heartbreaking. But what may be coming next is terrifying.

            I really don’t have anything additional to add from this op-ed because I believe Dan Savage is right on the money here.  Worse than failing to give the right to gays to marry, we are taking away their ability to legally adopt or foster children who desperately need a stable and loving home.  In tough economic times, some sort of phony absolute Christian morality is taking priority over what I know to be right.  Perhaps my secular humanism is getting the better of me, but shouldn’t we be demonstrating true concern over the well-being of children, in contrast to the feigned concern the LDS have used to push their anti-gay agendas?

I would love to see the Bushes and Cheneys of this world in stocks in our public square but I am not sure it is the best move.

While we probably have enough of a majority now that we can push whatever agenda we want, that sort of vindictive behavior is not going to help our cause.

Let’s put more stringent regulations and accountability in place, punish the Ken Lays of the economic crisis, and make sure that no Bush ever gets elected again. We need to make the wealthy lobbyists and supporters of the regime insignificant enough in influence that they are no longer relevant in politics . Make life better for the working class and help them realize their folly in being a sucker to the propaganda that Bushians have used to manipulate them into doing their bidding.

Losing relevancy is more than enough punishment for those bastards.

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How many stores does Starbucks actually have? Over 15,000 as of November of last year including their joint ventures with places like Barnes and Noble. That’s a lot of coffee houses. And Starbucks portrays themselves as earth-friendly, consumer-friendly, and an allaround warm and fuzzy experience. But it’s just another corporate beast.

People might like the slightly over roasted and highly addictive extra-caffeinated coffee’s bitter aftertaste, but it’s average coffee at an above average price. The fad is starting to pass. Mom and pop coffee shops are so much better. And I personally prefer Caribou Coffee when it comes to coffee chains. I’m not going to lose a wink of sleep over them closing a few stores (less than 1.5% after they open the other new stores). The economy is in the crapper and I’m happy to see some corporations struggle as much as the common man is.

Will you miss Starbucks?

Please don’t hesitate to respond accordingly . . .

This isn’t a self-pity rant, but once again, I’m a realist.  I burn people and nobody really cares what I am doing these days, so why would they be interested in reading about my life?   I am ok with this fact, but I just wanted to say ‘Yay for Obama!’ because he is the first candidate to whom  I donated money and I feel like he has a shot at becoming our next president.

Incidentally, I am seriously considering attending his inauguration with my mother and any other family/friends who would like to attend.  If you feel interested when January rolls around, I have a really uncomfortable fold-out couch, and lots of floor space.  It could be fun. . .  And you’ll be  a part of history.  I’ll broadcast this again in January.

So donate to Obama, register to vote, and please, please, stop wasting your time at my blog.

I know hundreds, if not thousands of people all over the US and the world. I can talk to a complete stranger and have their life story and their contact information in a matter of minutes, yet nobody ever thinks to contact me back. Am I so offensive that nobody wants to deal with me? Or am I just too intimidating for people to want to reach out to me? Or perhaps I am just plain unpleasant, even forgettable?

This is just a moment of curiosity. I have been told that I am mean, intimidating, abrasive, and hard to deal with at times, but yet I am complimented in the same breath. Being intellectual and brutally honest makes me regarded articulate, fascinating, amazing, evil, hateful, and unpleasant. I have also been told that certain moments of verbal outburst are acceptable in a man, but things that I say are just unappealing from a woman. So tell me, why does nobody post on this blog?

This is not a trick, you don’t have to sign up and post, just take my survey.

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On December 5, 1997 he dropped me off at school. I was in 10th grade. That morning was the last time I ever saw my father. Tragically, he had a stroke several hours later. While he was on life support for those few hours before they determined his brain was dead, I could have seen him. But I knew there were only two possible outcomes, he would survive or he wouldn’t. If he survived, I would see him again. If he didn’t, I wanted to remember him from that morning.

Now, looking back over ten years, I remember the living moments. And I try not to mourn him too much. Life is for the living, they say. But on Wednesday I remembered a story by Ray Bradbury called “There Will Come Soft Rains” about a house that continues living long past when all life is gone. Life does go on, with or without us. And from that title I also recalled this other poem, a rather morose and suicidal number, that gets to me sometimes. So I thought I would share it

I Shall Not Care

When I am dead and over me bright April
Shakes out her rain-drenched hair,
Though you shall lean above me broken-hearted,
I shall not care.

I shall have peace, as leafy trees are peaceful
When rain bends down the bough;
And I shall be more silent and cold-hearted
Than you are now.

-Sara Teasdale

Share your favorite poem, story, movie, etc.. with me.  What inspires you?  What moments in your life define you?  We could all use a little enrichment and academic indulgence.

Huckabee and McCain welcome the announcement as Huckabee stated “I think it always would probably pull votes away from the Democrats and not the Republicans, so naturally, Republicans would welcome his entry into the race.”

Now, Green Activists might argue that our country is in need or a revolution. And some liberals might say that it is in the spirit of the democratic process to allow for independent or outside party candidates to run for presidency. But lets be pragmatic, Nader is educated and intelligent and he knows, both based on previous runs, and polls, as well as other indicators, that he has a snowballs chance in hell of receiving a significant share of votes anywhere in this country. He also knows that the majority of his votes come from the more pro-environment party of democrats.

So why exactly is Nader running?

My conclusion is ego. This man enjoys the fame, attention, and the opportunity to speak to the press about his various issues. And he is a selfish son of a bitch for doing it this way. He could well make deals with the Democratic Party to rally his voters around a democratic candidate and have a more active role within our government to improve environmental legislation, but he won’t.

So my advice to Green Party members, don’t be selfish. Don’t vote for Nader to create some kind of message. You will end up putting McCain in office. Work with our system and try to slow and reverse the damage. And if you want to help more, think Global and act local. Try to lobby for local candidates that might help represent the environmental issues for your area.

Please help the environment and vote Democratic, let’s not give the Republicans another four years in office.

While this is interesting and you can probably find 100s of articles about both the Hadron Collider, and its porn counterpart the Hardon Collider, I am more interested in the safety message from CERN itself.

To summarize:

1. The Large Hadron Collider can reach energies that no other particle accelerator has reached before.

2. The cosmic collisions found in space are much more powerful than the ones being created in the accelerator.

3. The total energy in the beam is that of a 400 ton train traveling at 150km/h like the French TGV.

4. Supposedly, only a very small portion of this beam will actually be used in a single collision, less than that of a person swatting a swarm of mosquitos.

5. In theory “microscopic” black holes could be created in this process. They will be so fleeting that only their decay will be detectable.

6. Scientists may also create “strangelets” which repel normal matter and will decay on their own.

Okay, so for those of us that don’t really understand physics, this seems like a fair safety message. The scientists say they know what “could” happen and it is so small in energy it is not a threat. But since they don’t know for sure if Higg’s particles exist, and some of these conclusions are theoretical/hypothetical, will that safety message really help you sleep at night?

Be afraid. Be very afraid.

Turns out she’s right, I do travel a lot.

• Create your own travel map or travel blog
• Visit TripAdvisor.com

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