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Wednesday, March 31, 2004
Out of the mouths of the Kids Yesterday after work, I was sitting on the back porch holding Alec, watching Drew and Franny clamber around on their playscape. Drew called me over to ask a question, and I replied that I'd rathernot, as I was tired and enjoying a chance to sit down and relax. He asked me to come over again, and I again asked him to come to me. Finally, he sighed dramatically and said, "Da-aaad, it's not like you're making a pilgramage to JERUSALEM or anything!" Nice to know he's inherited my sarcasm. posted by Adam C. Lipscomb at 10:50:00 AM   | Monkeys am funny And these commercials are, too. Trunk Monkey. I gotta get me one o' them. posted by Adam C. Lipscomb at 9:27:00 AM | Help for East Texas Well, specifically Stephen F. Austin University in Nacogdoches. Got an email from Amanda at Mouse Words (to be added to the Blogroll today) - she stated her case better than I can, so here's her post verbatim: One small step My little sister is a student at Stephen F. Austin University. Stephen F. is a large state university with a diverse student body. They have on campus health facilities, but those are hardly comprehensive, so the university invites Planned Parenthood onto campus to sponsor events like free HIV testing. The service Planned Parenthood provides the university students is probably immeasurable in terms of education and health services. The university is under alot of pressure from their state representative Wayne Christian to ban Planned Parenthood from campus, and it looks like the school is going to buckle under the pressure. Christian feels like another organization could provide better services, but he hasn't offered up any real alternatives as of yet. My guess is that he doesn't intend to. From his own biography: Christian is extremely active in the community as a member of the First Baptist Church of Center, Lions International, Gideons International, Promise Keepers and the Christian Coalition. Call it a stretch, but I have a funny feeling that this is just another method of using public institutions to force fundamentalist Christian beliefs on the public. An educational institution has no business participating in a religious effort to keep their students from being educated. A public university especially does not exist to push anyone's religious beliefs. This is how the culture war is being fought. The religious right knows that they can't push too hard on a national platform. Instead, they install their allies in local and state governments and use them as tools to push their beliefs on everyone else. The health of the students of SFA has been reduced to a political tool to be wielded by people so deluded by their own religious beliefs that they think that they can simply legislate sex out of college life. Take a moment out of your day to register your opinion on this situation. It's just another brick in the wall, but that brick represents thousands of students put into peril by misinformation about their own health. Please contact Wayne Christian, representative of District 9 in Texas: http://www.house.state.tx.us/members/email.php?dist=9&rep=wayne.christian Please contact Stephen F. Austin University and let them know that there is support for the pro-education, pro-sexual health point of view: osa@sfasu.edu To get more information on how to help: http://www.sfasu.edu/index.html Texas taxpayers, let's make sure Mr. Christian knows that there are better priorities for him to attend to. If any of my readers are in his district, please be so kind as to give him an extra dose of Hell. Dunno if this'll help, Amanda, but keep me posted, 'K? posted by Adam C. Lipscomb at 8:14:00 AM | Tuesday, March 30, 2004
Way to go, Tom Daschle! Looks like Dr. Dean's spine transplant for the Democratic Party is taking effect. Tom Daschle took Dumbya to task from the Senate floor today. Richard Clarke did something extraordinary when he testified before the 9-11 Commission last week. He didn't try to escape blame, as so many routinely do. Instead, he accepted his share of responsibility and offered his perceptions about what happened in the months and years leading up to September 11. We can and should debate the facts and interpretations Clarke has offered. But there can be no doubt that he has risked enormous damage to his reputation and professional future to hold both himself and our government accountable. The retaliation from those around the President has been fierce. Mr. Clarke's personal motives have been questioned and his honesty challenged. He has even been accused, right here on the Senate floor, of perjury. Not one shred of proof was given, but that wasn't the point. The point was to have the perjury accusation on television and in the newspapers. The point was to damage Mr. Clarke in any way possible. This is wrong and it's not the first time it's happened. Boo-yah! But wait - there's more! When Senator McCain ran for President, the Bush campaign smeared him and his family with vicious, false attacks. When Max Cleland ran for reelection to this Senate, his patriotism was attacked. He was accused of not caring about protecting our nation -- a man who lost both legs and an arm in Vietnam, accused of being indifferent to America's national security. That was such an ugly lie, it's still hard to fathom almost two years later. There are some things that simply ought not be done, even in politics. Too many people around the President seem not to understand that, and that line has been crossed. When Ambassador Joe Wilson told the truth about the Administration's misleading claims about Iraq, Niger, and uranium, the people around the President didn't respond with facts. Instead, they publicly disclosed that Ambassador Wilson's wife was a deep-cover CIA agent. In doing so, they undermined America's national security and put politics first. They also may well have put the lives of Ambassador Wilson's wife, and her sources, in danger. When former Treasury Secretary Paul O'Neill revealed that the White House was thinking about an Iraq War in its first weeks in office, his former colleagues in the Bush Administration ridiculed him from morning to night, and even subjected him to a fruitless federal investigation. When Larry Lindsay, one of President Bush's former top economic advisors, and General Eric Shinseki, the former Army Chief of Staff, spoke honestly about the amount of money and the number of troops the war would demand, they learned the hard way that the White House doesn't tolerate candor. This is not "politics as usual." In nearly all of these cases, it's not Democrats who are being attacked. Senator McCain and Secretary O'Neill are prominent Republicans, and Richard Clarke, Larry Lindsay, Joe Wilson, and Eric Shinseki all worked for Republican Administrations. The common denominator is that these government officials said things the White House didn't want said. Oh, yeah. That's what I like to see - not tit-for-tat, but a stirring defense of principle. He winds it up thusly: Senator McCain, Senator Cleland, Secretary O'Neill, Ambassador Wilson, General Shinseki, Richard Foster, Richard Clarke, Larry Lindsay ... when will the character assassination, retribution, and intimidation end? When will we say enough is enough? The September 11 families - and our entire country - deserve better. Our democracy depends on it. And our nation's future security depends on it. posted by Adam C. Lipscomb at 2:26:00 PM | Update on the Atlanta assualt Sunday night, I blogged about a vicious assault on a gay artist in Atlanta. Further research has indicated this seems to be a bogus story. Atlanta PD sources and journalists in the metro area haven't heard about it, and there's nothing else in the press about it that I've been able to find. I was initially skeptical, but several different online acquaintances claimed they knew the individual, and they felt he was on the level. This, combined with the fact that, sadly, hate crimes against members of the GLBT community occur with distressing frequency, inclined me to drop my skepticism. Which, as it now appears, may have not been a wise choice. Still, how many of you read the description of the assault and thought to yourselves, "It's happened again."? Sadly, there's always mentally disturbed individuals that'll get their jollies from beating senseless someone that's different - be they gay, black, Muslim, Jewish or what have you. On the one hand, I'm a little miffed that I seem to have been suckered, but that's my own error, and I know where and how I erred. On the other hand, I'm glad that no one has been hurt in this. On the gripping hand, the cynical misanthrope in me is just waiting for news like this to be real, 'cause that part of me isn't exactly what you call trusting of the good nature of its fellow humans. So, unless I come across some info that indicates the story is true, we'll call it a hoax, and points to Rogo for her skepticism. posted by Adam C. Lipscomb at 10:33:00 AM | And now for something a little sappy Today is my 13th wedding anniversay. I've been lucky enough to be with Melissa for almost 15 years, 13 of them in a marriage that has been at time difficult, others smooth but always enlightening and wonderful. 13 years, 3 kids and she hasn't beaten me to death and left me in a ditch by the road. That's love, baby. posted by Adam C. Lipscomb at 9:28:00 AM | Monday, March 29, 2004
I've always had a soft spot for Jesse Ventura in my heart And not just because he was in "Predator". The man's no idiot, and he's got an innate sense of theatre and how to use it to his advantage. I don't agree with many of his political positions, but he seems to me to have actually thought through them in a relatively logical fashion. Which is why I was so pleased to see this article. My favorite quote from it: "How is my marriage under attack if two gays or lesbians down the street want to make a lifelong commitment to themselves?" Ventura, a one-term governor elected on the Reform Party ticket, added: "Love is bigger than government. Think about that." Hats off, Mr. Ventura. Well said. posted by Adam C. Lipscomb at 1:35:00 PM | By the way... To the individuals googling me for "big lactation" and "fucking granny", you'll find none of that here. posted by Adam C. Lipscomb at 12:23:00 PM | Belated, but... Last week, I furiously blogged right past my first anniversary as a blogger. 365 days of blogging (more or less - when you factor in my usual 3+ posts per day, it averages out). So. Happy birthday to me, happy birthday to me. Now where's my goddamn cake? posted by Adam C. Lipscomb at 12:17:00 PM | Sunday, March 28, 2004
I'm tempted to start the culling soon, and it looks like Topeka's the place to start Found this little piece of uplifting news today. Seems a bunch of small-dicked cowards got offended that a young gay man in Atlanta had photoshopped an image of Dumbya and inserted him in KKK regailia addressing a Klan rally. What did their God-fearing patriotic spirit inspire them to do? They found out who and where this artist was, then stole a van in Topeka, KS and drove to Atlanta, where they cornered him in an alley, hit him in the head, cut his hand deeply enough to cause nerve damage and then sodomized him with a sawn-off broomstick. Big men, these. Some speculation from morons.org: From what he could remember, authorities were able to locate a van that had been stolen from a used car lot in Topeka, Kansas in which his blood was found. If Topeka sounds familiar to you, it may be because that's where Fred Phelps and his Westboro Baptist Church who bring us GodHatesFags.com are located. It's far too early to say whether Phelps and his clan had anything to do with this assault, but detectives have found his name posted on several sites of similar ilk. This was a hate crime, and I sure as shit hope they catch the scumsuckers that did it. I'd love to hear the squeals of fear they let out when they get dropped into the Big House, and get to meet their state-sponsored sodomizers for the next 15-20. I've written and deleted quite a bit before posting this, because I'm just too angry about this. I don't normally like comparisons to the Nazis, as I think they too often trivialize the enormity of their crimes, but I can't help reading this and thinking about all the violence directed against the Left over the last several years - abortion clinic bombings, assassinations of doctors, gay-bashings, Oklahoma City (carried out by a couple of the Gundamentalist nutjob bigots the Rethugs have courted in recent years), simple assaults, vandalism and threats. I think about that, and I wonder how far it's going to go, and how much we as a nation have learned from the past, because I gotta tell ya, I'm not thinking it's a whole lot, not at this juncture. I can tell you this, though - the Know-Nothings and the thugs won't win, not if I can do anything about it. And you guys better bust your asses, too. posted by Adam C. Lipscomb at 11:59:00 PM | Saturday, March 27, 2004
Lying bastards, craven cowards and The Divine Right of Kings Condi Rice thinks the peasants shouldn't hear what she has to say about 9/11, well, at least not under oath, where she'd be compelled to tell the truth. Sure, she'll go on the talk shows and spout her line of bullshit about how Dumbya is the bestest presidon't EVAH, and how Clarke is a Bad Man, because he, um, worked for Clinton, and he wrote a book that said mean things about the Chimp in Chief, and she's pretty sure he's French or something, but she's Too Important to actually go before the 9/11 Commission and answer their questions in public and under oath. The Usual Suspects, of course, were trying to explain this: "I don't know necessarily what the difference is'' between a private interview and public testimony, presidential spokesman Scott McClellan said. "She's going to tell it exactly how it happened,'' he said. Gee, Scotty, you don't see the difference? How 'bout this: If she's not in public, under oath in front of that commission, we, the PEOPLE SHE GODDAMN WORKS FOR, don't know what she's saying, and we for some odd fucking reason have serious doubts about the way in which she and her boss have "protected" us from terror. The hubris of this misAdministration just keeps leaving me almost speechless - as well as flat-out pissed off. Someone oughtta remind 'em what happened to the last European monarch that insisted God had given him the right to rule.... posted by Adam C. Lipscomb at 5:19:00 AM | Friday, March 26, 2004
J. Bradford DeLong is a damn smart man As well as one that goes to considerably more effort than I do in preparing blog posts. He's got a delicious summary of the Bu$h misAdministration's attacks against Richard Clarke in his entry It's a Circular Firing Squad of Flying Attack Monkeys!. Another blog you oughtta read at least once a day, if not more. posted by Adam C. Lipscomb at 11:20:00 AM | Who do you believe? In April of 2001, CNN reported the following: "The State Department officially released its annual terrorism report just a little more than an hour ago, but unlike last year, there's no extensive mention of alleged terrorist mastermind Osama bin Laden. A senior State Department official tells CNN the U.S. government made a mistake in focusing so much energy on bin Laden and 'personalizing terrorism.'" So, do you believe the Bu$h liars, or do you believe Richard Clarke? Let's not forget that Clarke testified publicly and under oath to the 9/11 Commission, while Condoleeza Rice has insisted upon secret, unsworn testimony. The intensity of personal attacks upon Clarke, who has admitted his own failures in this in a moving apology to the families of 9/11 victims, strikes me as morally reprehensible, dishonest and downright sleazy. Not really a surprise from these folks, but still disappointing. posted by Adam C. Lipscomb at 9:32:00 AM | Emergency Backup Friday 5 Topic If you could change five events - historical or personal - from the past, which ones and how? What outcome would you hope for? Hurm. I'm rather fond of the way things have worked out for me personally, and I'm always aware of the Law of Unintended Consequences when meddling with the past. I'll treat this as an academic topic and address some interesting "What-If" questions: (1) The Battle of Hastings - King Harald's army had marched over 400 miles by the time they got to Hastings. Granted, they'd kicked the ass of the Danes whilst doing so, but they were exhausted. Had they been able to rest, and had they made some better strategic choices, I'm curious as to what the result would have been had the Normans been defeated. My speculation: England remains one kingdom among an island of several, and remains strongly Saxon in character, growing closer to Scandanavia i the process. The Normans spend more energy going east, and we have a longer-lasting Norman kingdom in Jerusalem, a Norman-Byzantine Empire, and, ultimately, a Medieval three-way cold War in the Mediterranean. (2) Thermopalye - Had the Spartans not held that pass for 3 days, I don't think the Greek city-states would have united as effectively, and the Athenians would have been more likely to use their fleet to simply flee Greece instead of fight at Salamis, which is where Persia's back was finally broken. Result: Persian control of Greece, no Rome, no Byzantium, no Europe. (3) Any of a dozen lottery drawings in Texas - Six numbers go my way instead of the way of some trailer-park-dwelling, toothless hick. I have tens, if not hundreds, of millions of dollars, which I spend throwing good parties and keeping $hrub from being elected in the first place. I also use my wealth to push legislation through making it legal to open up a can of Whup-Ass on Holocaust deniers. (4) The Cuban Missile Crisis - The closest, I think, we've come to serious all-out nuclear war. Again, I'm just curious as to the result had Kruschev not blinked. Prediction: Cuba, Florida, NYC, DC, Chicago, Moscow, Minsk, Leningrad and dozens of other cities are gone, Europe isn't in too good a shape, and Brazil is a major power. (5) Franny's wake-up time today - Yeah, 4 is still too damn early. I think 7 would be a better time for her to have awakened today. Much better. The other Fivers have fled to the wastes of Siberia to fight the squid-men from Lake Baikal, but their blogs are listed to the left. posted by Adam C. Lipscomb at 5:19:00 AM | Thursday, March 25, 2004
Fascinating words from 1900 years ago Tacitus, the great Roman historian, wrote: For all the greatest villains, distrusting the present , and dreading change, look for private friendship to shelter them from public destruction, caring not to be free from guilt, but only to ensure their turn in impunity. Kenny-boy Lay, anyone? posted by Adam C. Lipscomb at 2:49:00 PM | Courtesy of Ray....  You are The Dread Pirate Roberts. Your combination of boyish good lucks and eyes like the sea may be irresistable to women. After all, they are only human. Just remember that fantasies can't last forever and that you should always keep in mind a woman's inner beauty. Even fairy tale princesses can get stretchmarks! Which Sexy Rogue Are You? brought to you by Quizilla So first I'm Inigo Montoya, now I'm the Farm Boy? As you wish. posted by Adam C. Lipscomb at 9:03:00 AM | And the next F5 This one from Gord, a man with a tendency to ask questions that are discomfiting in their depth. The other day I had a talk I had with a co-worker, Shawn, at my workplace. I was talking about an experience at the swimming pool and how I realized, through that experience, that I was actually an adult; I mean, I felt it clearly at that time. It wasn't the first time that I felt clearly the reality of my adulthood, though. Those kinds of moments come at funny moments, don't they? My baby sister, who is engaged to be married this summer, commented that she wonders when she will feel grown-up. I was only a little surprised at that; I think many of us feel not-quite-grown-up for most of our lives. How about you? Assuming you have had such moments, what were the five experiences during which the reality of your adulthood struck you the most powerfully? At what five moments in your life have you felt most clearly that you were, indeed, an adult? And if you can't think of five moments at which the reality of your adulthood struck you full-on, you could alternately include moments where the lack of such a feeling struck you most poignantly or significantly. Like I said. Deep, man. Makes me think too much. (1) I've told the story several times here, but there was a moment in 5th grade when I (with the aid of a rock in my fist) put a bully that had tormented me for three years down on the ground with one good haymaker to the crotch. I stood up, clothes torn, lip bleeding, eyes blurred from dust, sweat and getting punched in the head, and for that moment, I knew I couldn't get pushed around any more unless I let them. For that moment, I was John Carter of Mars, Jomo Kenyatta, Sgt. Rock and The Lone Ranger, all rolled up into one. I knew that I had made a crucial step into being an adult, into being my own person. I was 8 years shy of voting and 11 years shy of being legally allowed to consume alcohol, but I was on my way there. Even the serious ass-kicking I got from the bully's friends about 30 seconds later couldn't wipe the self-satisfied smirk from my face. (2) I was standing at the altar, my best friend standing next to me, my father in his ministerial robes clutching his bible in his hands so hard his knuckles were white, and I was wondering if the shots of bourbon the three of us had done just prior to coming out into the church filled with friends and family were going to stay down, worried that I was going to make some error that would screw up the entire wedding. My mind was racing, and then the march started, and the doors at the other end of the church opened, and I saw Melissa and her father walking down the aisle. Something clicked, and I knew this was something I needed to do, something that nothing would be the same afterwards. I was right. You can't help but know you're an adult once you're married. (3) Three children later, I feel like an adult every time I put a kid to bed, wake one up, clean a smelly diaper, get a sticky hug and kiss, help with homework, yell for quiet, feed 'em, clean up after 'em, read to 'em, play "Go Fish" with 'em and every other thing I do. I gripe sometimes (like this morning, when the kids woke up at 9AM London time [somewhere between 3AM and "Oh-Dear-God-Is-That-The-Time o'clock]), but you can't be a parent without being an adult to somedegree, and I wouldn't trade it for anything. Not even an army of robot ninja monkeys. (4) I feel like an adult every time I fill out my taxes and pay bills. (5) When I realize I have opinions about the following: wine, politics, literature, and whatever kind of yang-yang-screech rock and roll those damn kids listen to, with their long hair and their dope, what, it could kill them to get a haircut, and maybe to wear some pants that don't fall down every time they move, and my God, the way those girls today dress, it was different in my day, we were more respectful of our elders, and what are they teaching those kids in school, I think nothing, certainly not manners, and maybe they could stop with the support for the careers of Mr. Justin Timberlake, like he's actually talented, I think not, they call that music, why in my day, we had guys that bit the heads off of bats on stage, now that was entertainment. The other Fivers are listed to the left, you should maybe call your mother, she misses you. posted by Adam C. Lipscomb at 8:47:00 AM | Catching up on Friday Fives First, Gina's entry from March 12th: So, going back to the original source material responsible for "The Friday Five," Nick Hornby's High Fidelity, (and its source material, Desert Island Discs the show), What are your top 5 "desert island" discs? (1) The Clumsy Lovers - Still Clumsy After All These Years. I cannot get enough of those guys, it's celtic/bluegrass with a wry punk sensibility, catchy tunes and reels that'll keep your feet tapping and make you want to shake what your mother gave you. Speaking of, the Lovers'll be in Austin on April 1 at Fado downtown. (2) "Les Miserables", the full orchestra version. A damn fine musical, nicely complex and satisfying. (3) "Assassins" by Stephen Sondheim. It's my favorite Sondheim musical (a shock to those of you who thought it was "Sweeny Todd", if there are any of you that care), chock-full of all of Sondheim's little tricks of melody and rhythm. (4) Bill Hicks "Arizona Bay". Gotta have me some Bill Hicks, and this album still has the capacity to make me scollapse in hysterical laughter. "Yesterday, some hooligans knocked over a dustbin in Shaftesbury!" (5) I've got a CD set that has Beethoven's 7th, 8th and 9th Symphonies. Gotta include that one, as the 9th is one of those pieces of music that you've got to be utterly disassociated from reality to not enjoy. We used to play the 9th for Drew as an infant (and when he was still in Melissa's womb) to calm him down. The rest of the Fivers...yadda yadda yadda... left side...yadda yadda yadda...blah blah woof woof. posted by Adam C. Lipscomb at 8:11:00 AM | Good times, good times Got an invite to a game party last night at the home of a good friend in town - the incomparable Julie and Mr. Spiffy himself, Dutcher, were there, as was the stunning Mediawench, Maggie, visiting from the wilds of Nebraska (where the "N" stands for "Knowledge"). It was a treat meeting Maggie, as I've been a fan of her blog for some time, and owed her a hug in recompense for past bandwidth-hijacking. Lots of fun, although I would've liked to have more time to hang out and drink some good wine. Curse you, adult sense of responsibility!!!! Late edit, Maggie is a frickin' HOOT. Loads of fun. So go read her blog, already. posted by Adam C. Lipscomb at 7:48:00 AM | Wednesday, March 24, 2004
Lemme know when you get tired of me blathering about the UK, awright? Things we didn't get to do on this trip that we'll have to go back to do: (1) Glastonbury - We had to pare Glastonbury from the trip in the interest of time & money, next time we go, we'll book a room there so I can do my dawn hike to the top of the Tor. (2) Isle of Angsley - We saw Beaumaris Castle, but the rest of the island is covered with neolithic circles and dolmens, and I really want to see all that. (3) Pembrookshire - The Garcias went, and I'd like to get out there. Time, money and energy kept us away this time. (4) Hiking - I want to hike throught the Cotswolds and up in the mountains of Wales. (5) Warrick Castle - Yeah, it's touristy, but the kids would really dig it. Yeah, I might enjoy it a little, but it's not just for me. Really. (6) Bath - Been once, didn't have near enough time. (7) Canterbury - Love the Cathedral. It's breathtaking. (8) Scotland - All of it. (9) Ireland - All of it. (10) Dover. (11) Coventry (12) Tintagel (13) Dartmoor. I want to understand what wuthering is, and why it's so important. I also want to pretend to be chasing the Hound of the Baskervilles, 'cause I'm a big, fat geek. (14) Everything else. I cannot say enough how breathtakingly, heart-achingly, stop-and-wipe-the-tears-from-your-eyes beautiful the mountains of south Wales are. posted by Adam C. Lipscomb at 1:32:00 PM | Thanks, Gina!  Which Princess Bride Character are You? this quiz was made by mysti posted by Adam C. Lipscomb at 11:19:00 AM | Overall trip stuff Or What We Learned (1) Our kids are good travelers. They did great on the plane, and weren't too much hassle while we were there (and that can be ascribed to youthful enthusiasm). (2) Driving in London is scar-eeeee. Not gonna do that again. I won't even begin to go into the parking situation. (3) Wales has an independence movement. (4) This independence movement is more than 2 guys, a bucket of paint and a case of beer. (5) They got a lot of damn castles over there. (6) Use of the word "Howdy!" marks you as a Texan over there. (7) I want to live in the UK, not permanently, but for a while. (8) Brits and the Welsh (and, presumably, the rest of the UK, probably Europe) feel sorry for us that we're stuck with $hrub. (9) "Starsky and Hutch" is BIG NEWS over there. (10) George Bush International Airport in Houston SUCKS SERIOUS, HARDCORE, STINKY ASS. The car rental stuff on the first day was a huge hassle - due to faulty research on our part, we had to make panicked calls back to the States to secure assistance from Melissa's parents to pay for the car rental and that process ate up most of our first day. We didn't get out of London until that evening, then drove to Salisbury, where we found there was No Room At The Inn. We ended up driving on down to Bournemouth, spending the night there, then driving back up through Salisbury (and looking at the beautiful cathedral AND a copy of the Magna Carta [brought tears to my eyes, it did]). We stopped at Stonehenge, and had dinner in Avebury (a village smack dab in the middle of a very large stone circle) and our second night was spent outside of Oxford. We spent the day in Oxford and got a nice tour from Will and Merideth of where they met and the sites of their courtship. From Oxford, we drove straight over to Gloucester, then into Monmouth, Abergavenney and Crickhowell (where, we found out, John Malkovich and Johnny Depp had been just a week or so before filming a movie). Our cottage was about 6 miles away from Crickhowell, in a tiny village named Pengenfford, right at the foot of the hill housing the ruins of Castell Dinas, smack dab in the middle of the Brecon Beacons. Lots of damn sheep out there. Melissa commented that she'd never before understood the meaning of the phrase "landscape dotted with sheep" until we got to Wales. Day 4 took us to Tintern Abbey, with some impressive ruins set in a gorgeous landscape (and gave us a better understanding of the Early Romantic Poets), then to Caerleon, site of an impressive Roman amphitheatre (it was the site of the fortress town of Isca), where we saw the amphitheatre, a very nice museum devoted to the II Legion and the ruins of the Baths. We also saw the birthplace of Arthur Machen (shout out to any Lovecraft fans), which meant nothing to anyone but me. Bedtime was late that night, but we got up early the next morning and drove out to Raglan Castle (the last castle taken in the Civil War) and then back to Abergavenney so Melissa could check her email while the kids and I looked at the ruins of the Norman castle there. A little bit about the cottage: It was called Upper Panteg House, and it's fabulous. The hosts were very amiable, and the cottage was beautifully appointed, warm and snug. There was an Aga stove in the kitchen (google that for an idea of how impressive that is) which made for a nice warm setup. We cooked dinner there every night, which was both nice on the budget and nice to have after a cold day tramping around Wales. Day 6 we drove to North Wales, and saw Comwy Catle (with the most complete set of medieval town walls in England), Beaumaris (uncompleted, but with an impressive moat and view) and Caernefon castle (where HM the Prince of Wales was Invested). Will stopped in Portmarion (where they filmed "The Prisoner"), but the kids were wiped out at that point and Mel & I decided to get on home. Day 7 was a trip to Llanthony Priory, followed by a drive along a ridge in the Beacons that literally took my breath away, then a stop in Hay-on-Wye (a town full of bookstores - w00t!) and a brisk walk around Brecon. Day 8 - The Garcias took Franny with them and they drove to Castle Coch (19th Century hunting lodge, looks like a fairy tale castle), while Melissa, Drew, Alec and I stopped at Caerphilly to see a castle there with some really impressive restored water defenses and some nifty seige weapons (which the rotters wouldn't let me play with), then we drove on into Cardiff, where we toured the National Museum of Wales (nice art AND terrific history exhibits), then Melissa met with a friend of hers from online who gave her the poop on the Wales Nationalist Party. Day 9 - The Garcias took a drive West to the Pembrookshire coast, while Mel, the kids and I took a lazy day driving almost completely at random through the countryside, stopping to see a neolithic burial chamber called "Arthur's Stone" because legand states he fought a battle in the area. Another stop in Abergavenney for email took us back to the cottage for a relatively early bed time so we could get an early start in the morning. Day 10 - driving to London, with stops in Gloucester to see the cathedral, Chidester to see the ruins of a Roman villa and Ampney Crucis to see a Norman-era wall painting (sadly, vandalism and theft at the church there meant that it was locked up tight, and we couldn't get in to see it). We arrived in London in time for Melissa to meet another online friend while Melissa's parents, who had flown in that day for a trip to London, took me and the kids out for fish and chips. The next day was busy busy busy in London, with a morning hike to Kensington Gardens to see the Serpentine and the Peter Pan memorial, and the kids spent a good couple of hours at the Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Playground (with a wonderful reconstruction of Captain Hook's ship). In the afternoon, we went to the Natural History Museum, where Fran threw up in the middle of the dinosaur exhibit, and dinner was takeaway pizza from a nice little Italian place around the corner from the hotel. Day 12 was St. Paul's, the British Museum (the kids went nuts over the mummies), where I was once again left breathless by the Elgin Marbles and the fragments recovered from the Mausoleum of Hyrcanus. Melissa met another friend while I watched the kids at the hotel, and we flew home the next day. I'll talk about the flight home later. Pictures to come when I figure out the digital camera. posted by Adam C. Lipscomb at 10:56:00 AM | Back at work Catching up on the news (I deliberately avoided paying attention to the news as much as possible, as I wanted to enjoy myself), I find that I am unable to shed a single tear for the Hamas leader assassinated by Israel. While state-sponsored assassination is ethically dicy, this guy was deserving of it if anyone was. I see that the Rethugs are still spewing their homophobic bile, no surprise there. Trip info to come. posted by Adam C. Lipscomb at 8:58:00 AM | Tuesday, March 23, 2004
Tired Woke up at 6AM GMT and arrived at our house at 10PM CST (about 4AM GMT). It's now almost midnight, and I'm about to crash and burn. More will be blogged tomorrow, including trip highlights and some observations about airlines, airport security, architechture and Our British Cousins. Sleep now. posted by Adam C. Lipscomb at 11:44:00 PM | Sunday, March 21, 2004
Alright, who bled all over the carpet? This place is a wreck, folks! Don't think I won't punish you all when I get back, 'cause I will. You bloody well better clean it up, that's all I can say. We're in London now. Sunny London. No, really, I saw the sun today for a few minutes. Melissa and her parents have the kids, and I'm going to mee them at the Natural History Museum when I'm done here. Pictures are being taken, and I'm not fucking up England. Too much. Yesterday, we went to Chidester to see the ruins of a Roman villa, and stopped in Gloucester to see the cathedral. Just a warning to those in Austin, we get back Tuesday night, so you'd best stay off the roads, because I probably won't be used to driving on the right. Might wanna tell your friends, too. posted by Adam C. Lipscomb at 6:54:00 AM | Friday, March 19, 2004
Hello, Cheeky Monkeys! In scenic Abergavenney, using the public computer in the library. Wales is absolutely gorgeous. Nothing quaint about it, seriously gorgeous. Melissa and I have fallen in love, and were it not for the Welsh Nationalist Party, we'd buy a home and move here (they've got a bee in their bonnet about 'English colonists' buying up all the good land. Tomorrow we drive to London, stopping at Cirencester to see the Roman villa there. I'll be checking the hot tub for jello clogs, BTW. Just so you know. posted by Adam C. Lipscomb at 10:41:00 AM | Saturday, March 13, 2004
HOWDY! Quick entry - in an internet cafe in Oxford. We made it in OK, some minor troubles with the rental car and hotel reservations meant we wound up staying in Bournemouth the first night and in Oxford last night. In a couple of hours, we drive off to Wales for a week! Ray, this place better be fuckin' SPOTLESS when I get back. Shout out to the folks helping out with the animals, too. posted by Adam C. Lipscomb at 4:18:00 AM | Wednesday, March 10, 2004
I'm leavin', on a jet plane... Fran woke me early this morning - "Today's the day!" I could've used another couple hours sleep, but I shan't quibble. Look for some kind of update by Friday, hopefully. You guys don't trash the place, 'K? Ray, you're in charge again. posted by Adam C. Lipscomb at 7:11:00 AM | Tuesday, March 09, 2004
RCC to Retired Jesuit: "No, really, you've done more than enough. Really, stop. You can stop talking any time now." Retired Jesuit says Native Alaskan boys not really hurt by childhood molestation, their culture is OK with it. Loyens, who was in charge of Jesuits in Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana and Alaska from 1976 to 1980, said in the deposition he had no indication or suspicion that Convert might have acted inappropriately. But when asked whether a white priest fondling an Alaska Native boy would have an impact, positive or negative, Loyens said the Athabascan Indian and Yupik Eskimo cultures were "fairly loose" on sexual matters. So, really, that makes it A-OK? I think not. But the capper is this: "We consider sexual abuse in any culture as evil," said Fairbanks Bishop Donald Kettler. "I, as the bishop of Fairbanks, am committed to doing whatever I can to see that sexual abuse of youth is eliminated." That's a wonderful sentiment, and I applaud it, but can't help noting that it would have been nicer if it'd been expressed, say, 50 years ago. posted by Adam C. Lipscomb at 12:09:00 PM | Another Moron That Just Doesn't Get It Jeff Jacoby, a columnist for The Boston Globe, opines that Gay Marriage Isn't Civil Rights . What say we take a quick look at some of the no-doubt well-reasoned and sane arguments he's mustering in the cause of hate? ...when Ezell Blair Jr., David Richmond, Joseph McNeil, and Franklin McCain approached the lunch counter of the Elm Street Woolworth's in Greensboro, N.C., on Feb. 1, 1960, all they asked for was a bite to eat. The four North Carolina Agricultural & Technical College students only wanted what any white customer might want, and on precisely the same terms -- the same food at the same counter at the same price. Those first four sit-in strikers, like the thousands of others who would emulate them at lunch counters across the South, weren't demanding that Woolworth's prepare or serve their food in ways it had never been prepared or served before. They weren't trying to do something that had never been lawful in any state of the union. They weren't bent on forcing a revolutionary change upon a timeless social institution. All they were seeking was what should already have been theirs under the law of the land. The 14th Amendment had declared that blacks no less than whites were entitled to equal protection of the law. The Civil Rights Act of 1875 had barred discrimination in public accommodations. But the Supreme Court had gutted those protections with shameful decisions in 1883 and 1896. The court's betrayal of black Americans was the reason why, more than six decades later, segregation still polluted so much of the nation. To restore the 14th Amendment to its original purpose, to re-create the Civil Rights Act, to return to black citizens the equality that had been stolen from them -- that was the great cause of civil rights. The marriage radicals, on the other hand, seek to restore nothing. They have not been deprived of the right to marry -- only of the right to insist that a single-sex union is a "marriage." They cloak their demands in the language of civil rights because it sounds so much better than the truth: They don't want to accept or reject marriage on the same terms that it is available to everyone else. They want it on entirely new terms. They want it to be given a meaning it has never before had, and they prefer that it be done undemocratically -- by judicial fiat, for example, or by mayors flouting the law. Whatever else that may be, it isn't civil rights. But dare to speak against it, and you are no better than Bull Connor. Ah! The good old "God sez marriage is for men and wimminfolk!" argument, with a dash of the "Fags can marry anyone they want, as long as they're not the same sex." Wow. I'm speechless with your grasp of the subtleties of this issue, Mr. Jacoby. Let's review again, shall we? Civil Rights is about granting ALL AMERICAN CITIZENS EQUAL ACCESS AND PROTECTION TO ALL ASPECTS OF OUR CIVIL SOCIETY. That includes, but is not limited to, the following: Marriage, voting, education, housing and police protection. Marriage is, admittedly, a complex issue - after all, we surely can't assume Mr. Jacoby has a good understanding of the concept that marriage can be 2 different things at the same time - both a religious union of two individuals that care deeply for each other and wish to be together for a long time (if not life) and also a civil arrangment that allows the State to recognize a partnership of two citizens and confer specific legal benefits (and, in the case of the IRS, penalties) upon them. Are you paying attention, Mr. Jacoby? Look! Two things at once! Kind of like how you're a human being in shape, and some kind of paleolithic knuckledragger in your soul. Marriage is, therefore, a civil contract between two individuals that care deeply for each other. Love, sir, if I dare speak its name. To insist that gays are free to marry, just not each other, is to insist upon the same kind of discrimination that you rightfully decry regarding African-Americans. It means that you don't regard them as on the same level as yourself, that you think they somehow don't deserve to be allowed the same freedoms and benefits as the rest of us. I'm sure, though, that you can proudly trot out the old, hackneyed line that "some of your best friends are gay", and you'll think that makes all the difference. Lemme tell you something, though. We don't buy your line of bullshit, just like we recognize the Hate Amendment for what it is. We've had gay weddings all over the country now, and our civil society hasn't collapsed. If anything, it's grown stronger - witness the outpouring of love and support sent to the 3600+ couples in San Francisco that stood in line for hours and days in the form of bouquets of flowers delivered to "anyone standing in line". Those flowers came from all across America, from gays, straights, whites, blacks, Christians, Moslems, Jews - from people of every walk of life, of every political affiliation, from the people of America who are sick of seeing their friends and loved ones (and, for that matter, complete strangers) treated like second-class citizens. Look at people like Laurence Wenke, who woke up and realized, "I kept quiet when African-Americans were facing discrimination," he said. "There have been too many people who have been discriminated against in my lifetime, and this time I'm not going to sit quietly while somebody is being mistreated." My father and mother were on the front lines of the Civil Rights Movement. They faced jail, societal disapproval and assault from both the police and the bigots because they believed that Freedom is something sacred here in America, and that all American citizens deserve the same treatment and courtesy under the law. They know just a wee, little, tiny goddamn bit about the Civil Rights Movement, and they're behind this. Where were you, Mr. Jacoby, that you know so much about it? Were you at Selma? Were you in Montgomery? Were you in Memphis? Were you at Kelly Ingram Park in Birmingham? How about Albany? Atlanta? Greensboro? No, you were too young for that. So, if it's OK with you, I'll listen to the folks I know personally who were fuckin' THERE to tell me about Civil Rights. I'll trust them, and I'll trust my own mind and instincts to tell me that, at the root of it, you're afraid. The thought of someone standing up to the status quo, of people demanding they be treated like PEOPLE, that makes you piss in your Dockers. And I pity you. For the record, BTW, I don't think you're like Bull Connor. You're like those good, Christian citizens of Birmingham that watched Bull turn his police dogs loose on schoolchildren and just turned off their TV sets, tsking and shaking their heads about how awful it'd got, and wasn't it a shame those children got hurt because folks didn't understand their place in society. So have a nice life, Mr. Jacoby. Enjoy being on the wrong side - you've got some good company. Tell Fred Phelps and Karl Rove I said "Hi!" posted by Adam C. Lipscomb at 8:42:00 AM | Monday, March 08, 2004
Paging Mr. Darwin! Mr. Charles Darwin, please pick up the white Courtesy Phone! What not to do with an air-powered nail gun. "My mates and I were talking about construction site accidents and taking your eye out with a nail gun, and I foolishly put the gun to my head and pulled the trigger," Shorten told the Sunday Herald Sun newspaper. "I did a very stupid thing," he said. Yes. Yes, you did. The good news is, he's had 3 kids already. Mmmmm-hmmmmmm. Spread them good genes around. posted by Adam C. Lipscomb at 1:00:00 PM | Sunday, March 07, 2004
Alla you, lissena this Seems Glenn Reynolds thinks families of 9/11 victims have no real right to complain about $hrub's using 9/11 in campaign ads. Here's some words from a lady calls herself Partygirl - she was in Manhatten when the World Trade Center was bombed. She had friends in the Twin Towers that never came home from work that day. I think we all need to hear what she has to say. An excerpt: Would that we could forgive and forget. Would that I wouldn’t sit at my desk in Manhattan on any given day and not see a sheet of paper or plastic bag blowing in the wind and think of that day and the days after the attacks as the papers and other items of those who perished or fled for their lives out of those two stalwart towers blew in the dusty, acrid wind. Would that I could ever enjoy an unseasonably warm Fall day with blue skies again and not think of the chaos, fear and pain of that day and the days to follow. As for those I searched for, to finally grip the realization that they were gone, incinerated in that heaping mound of fire, steel and flesh, I do not wish to forget them. They will live with me forever, not just on holidays, anniversary and birthdays. I still play mp3’s that they made less than 3 years ago. I hear their voices in my head, I see them laugh and now, thanks to the Bush campaign, I see the girders of their premature graves in a 30-second network spot. Me? I think 9/11 is sacrosanct. It's holy. Neither side should touch that day. You wanna talk about the tenth, or the twelfth, or any fuckin' day since then, fine. Keep your fuckin' greasy, bloody paws offa 9/11. I got this link from Phaedrus, a damn fine blogger and good American. posted by Adam C. Lipscomb at 11:54:00 PM | Saturday, March 06, 2004
Preparing for the trip OK, so on Wednesday, I leave the country for 2 weeks. If you live in the UK, or near the UK< and want to try to touch base with me, email me ASAP. We will be in and around Cornwall on Thursday and Friday, and near Cardiff for the next week after that, and in London on the 21st ans 22nd. For my regular blog readers, I will try to update as often as possible from the UK, but I will be traveling sans computer, and will have to rely on cybercafes for net access while overseas. This means updates will be spotty, so the 3 of you might need to make other arrangements for foul-mouthed rants while I'm gone (I recommend perhaps picking up a Bill Hicks CD or two). I'd also like to remind folks out there that folks put the letters "RSVP" on birthday invitations for a fuckin' reason, and that reason is to allow them to make an estimate to Chuck E. Cheese of how many people will be at their son's birthday party, so they don't end up paying for 7 kids that didn't show up and wasting $84 goddamn dollars. We won't even go into how sad it made my son for ONE of his friends from school to make it to his party. Fuck you very much! posted by Adam C. Lipscomb at 1:27:00 PM | Friday, March 05, 2004
Friday 5 Melissa wants to know: "Who are your top 5 fictional crushes?" I'll be pulling this list from my early years, just for variety's sake. (1) Kitty Pryde - For a geek boy coming of age in the 1980s, Kitty Pryde was a welcome addition to the X-Men. Sure, Storm was exotic and hot, and Jean Grey - well, as Melissa puts it, "Eeeeverybody looooves Jean" - but Kitty Pryde was closer to the kind of girl we could really aspire to meet. Smart, somewhat out of sync with everyone else, I and almost every other fanboy knew that if we were mutants, we'd want to hang out with her. (2) Princess Leia - Circa "Star Wars". Despite the "cinnabuns" hairdo, she was smart, tough and really hot. In later movies, she lost a lot of her edge (as did most of the good guys in the Star Wars series). (3) Dejah Thoris - Daughter of Tardos Mors, Jeddak of Helium. Wife of John Carter, Warlord of Mars. The hottest woman among the Red Martians. She had that indefinable quality common to heroines in Edgar Rice Burroughs' novels that prompted bad guys to kidnap her and haul her off in hopes that she'd throw over her true love in favor of them. Yeah, I had a crush on her, but I wouldn't have been dumb enough to piss off a guy that could organize an invasion of savage Tharks and Warhoons to decimate my city over some nookie I wouldn't get anyway. (4) Milady de Winter from The Three Musketeers - Specifically, Faye Dunaway's portrayal of her in the 1973 movie. Deadly, treacherous, and amazingly hot all the same. Rrrrrraaaaooooowwwwrrrr. (5) Podkayne of Mars - One of Heinlein's more realistic characters, I had a crush on this sassy, clever and still very feminine gal of the future the first time I head RAH's novel of the same name. The rest of the Friday Fivers are listed to the left. posted by Adam C. Lipscomb at 8:51:00 AM | Thursday, March 04, 2004
Oh, yeah. College athletes never get cut slack When I worked at UAB, I heard numerous stories of professors being pressured to change grades given to poorly-performing athletes. When Melissa was teaching acting at UT, she ran into similar pressures. But, no - we can't assume that college athletic programs are all about churning out revenue for the school at the cost of any real education for these athletes, right? Not even when we find out that the University of Georgia was giving basketball players a test an idiot could pass to boost their GPAs? Let's look at some of the questions from the 20-question test: How many halves are in a college basketball game? a. 1 b. 2 c. 3 d. 4 How many points does a 3-point field goal account for in a Basketball Game? a. 1 b. 2 c. 3 d. 4 What is the name of the exam which all high school seniors in the State of Georgia must pass? a. Eye Exam b. How Do The Grits Taste Exam c. Bug Control Exam d. Georgia Exit Exam Let's hear it for college athletics, raising the standards of American education! posted by Adam C. Lipscomb at 9:24:00 AM | Wednesday, March 03, 2004
Gary Bauer, Bigot Of course, we knew that already. Bauer's one of those lovely little Religious Reich whackaloons that jacks off at the thought of atheists and liberals getting shut out of the American system. Here's his latest idiocy. Q. Why shouldn't homosexuals be allowed to marry? A. If marriage is no longer what it has always been, the union of one man and one woman, then there is no logical, legal or moral reason for banning polygamy or denying legal recognition to any other form of relationship. Marriage will be any and every relationship imaginable. And ultimately it will be nothing. Ah, we start off with slippery-slopism. Of course. Bauer at least had the sense to avoid Senator Santorum's mistake and kept any private obsessions regarding man-on-dog sex out of the discussion. Still, it's worth looking at the claim, just to poke holes in it and watch it sink like a rock. There isn't a logical, legal or moral reason for banning polygamy or polyandry. Now, if Bauer is hinting at bestiality, or people marrying toasters or what have you, then there is. If marriage is a contract, then it stands to reason that current contract law will apply - all parties in a contract need to be able to give informed consent. The law states that children, animals, toasters and blow-up dolls are incapable of giving informed consent. Therefore, you will still not be able to marry your dog, a child or Ronald Reagan. Q. Why should I care what two consenting adults choose to do? A. The institution of marriage is about far more than just two adults. Healthy marriages yield healthy families and healthy families in turn yield healthy citizens and strong societies. Marriage is a fundamental institution of our society and civilization. Moreover, marriage is about families and children. Marriage is the best arrangement for raising children, for perpetuating cultures, nations, and civilization from one generation to the next. This is not an opinion ? it is fact supported by every serious academic study on the subject. Children need a mother and a father. Girls need a mother to whom they can relate and boys need a father to whom they can relate. Boys and girls also need a parent of the opposite sex as an example to learn from as well. The well-being of innocent children, who cannot choose their parents, must be governed by what is proven to be best for them. Study after study shows that parents are not interchangeable puzzle pieces ? mothers and fathers bring unique and different contributions to parenting and children need both. We cannot make a personal desire for a child the primary factor in establishing families. We must make the well-being of the child the most significant consideration. Society should do everything it can to encourage the best child-rearing environment - stable, loving, married, two-parent homes - the traditional nuclear family. And studies I've seen indicate that gay households are just as stable (if not a little bit more so) than traditional "nuclear" families. If these studies are so damning, Mr. Mental Midget, why doncha link to 'em? Or didja make 'em up? My money's on the latter. Marriages are primarily about love, these days. Two adults realize they care about each other and decide to make a long-term commitment (or, in the case of Britney Spears, about a 55-hour commitment). Yes, it's important that children be raised in a clean, healthy, loving environment. Gay couples can do that just as well as straights, and do that quite a bit already through sperm donation, adoption and foster parenting. So basically, we're standing at (1) Gay marriage will lead to polygamy and (2) It's all for the chiiiiillllldruuun. Still no facts, no figures and no proof of your claims. Moving on... Q. Isn't marriage law a state issue? A. While marriage law has traditionally been a state issue, the definition of marriage has never been an issue. Moreover, there are other universally accepted conditions as well. You cannot marry a blood relative. You cannot marry more than one person. You cannot marry someone who is currently married. You cannot marry someone of the same sex. In 1996 Congress reaffirmed that basic understanding when it passed the federal Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) by overwhelming margins -- 342-to-67 in the House and 85-to-14 in the Senate. The bill was signed into law by then President Bill Clinton. "No, no, no - States' Rights only apply when we're trying to prevent integration, preserve the institution of slavery, teach Creationism in schools and drop multi-ton monuments to the laws of nomadic shepherds in state courthouses. Plus, it's all Bill Clinton's Penis' fault. Or maybe Hilary's." Q. Why isn't the 1996 federal Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) sufficient to preserve the institution of marriage? A. Like every law, DOMA is subject to interpretation by the courts and may be declared unconstitutional by activist judges. Many legal scholars believe the United States Supreme Court's recent decision in Lawrence v. Texas, which found a 'right' to homosexual sodomy, indicated a willingness by the Supreme Court to rule in favor of same-sex 'marriage' at some future date. If DOMA were declared unconstitutional, homosexual 'marriage' would then be legalized by judicial fiat in all fifty states. A constitutional amendment, however, cannot be overturned by the courts. "We can't take the chance the the Supreme Court might perform their function and rule on the Constitutionality of any law passed, because we understand deep down that we haven't got a snowball's chance in Hell of making this bigotry stick otherwise. We don't trust the people of America, and with good reason, as they have a distressing tendency to think hatred like ours is somehow inherently wrong and undemocratic. Ideally, we'd like to amend the Constitution and get something like they have in Iran set up, except with Jeeee-zus instead of that Allah idolatry." Q. Why do we need a federal marriage amendment to the United States Constitution? A. The Constitution of the United States is 'the law of the land.' It is binding on the courts at the state and federal levels and it is binding on all fifty state legislatures. In order to maintain the uniformity of marriage in America as the union of man and one woman, we must have a constitutional amendment that preserves the traditional definition of marriage. Without such an amendment, men will be able to marry other men in some states and in other states one man may be allowed to marry three women and yet in other states groupings of individuals will be able to marry each other. "Look, dammit, I told you already - gay marriage is but the first step towards group marriage, and then, well, you know, it's- it's- it's because I TOLD YOU ALREADY. DO WHAT I SAY!" Q. Isn't gay 'marriage' about equality and fairness? A. There is no need to wholly redefine marriage in order to accommodate concerns frequently raised by homosexual activists. Hospital visitation rights, end of life decisions, and property transfers can be accomplished through other legal instruments such as wills and power of attorney. More importantly, however, the government has an obligation to promote public policy that is best for the general welfare and to discriminate against behaviors that adversely impact society and public health. Tobacco use is heavily regulated by the state and smoking is strongly discouraged. A major study conducted by Oxford University demonstrated that homosexual conduct is three times more deadly than smoking. Homosexual behavior is fraught with adverse health affects. Again, this is not opinion, but documented medical fact. Public policy must not be ignorant of medical facts associated with this lifestyle and from a public policy perspective, the behavior should not be encouraged by affording it the status of marriage. "Um, how can we address this one... oh, I got it! Smoking! Smoking's bad, right? Well, being gay is even worse! Really! No, I don't have to show you any facts or figures. Just take my word for it, OK? Gay sex makes your mouth taste like an ashtray, and it makes you go blind, and god kills kittens, and all that shit." posted by Adam C. Lipscomb at 11:02:00 AM | Yet another plea for an upcoming movie to Not Get Fucked Up Disney to do "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe". Shooting starts this summer. The director, Andrew Adamson, seems to be a genuine fan of the books, so with any luck, he'll have a decent script and not screw things up too much. It's got a big budget ($100,000,000), which could make for some very good CGI for Mr. Tumnus, Aslan and the Beavers. Or, of course, it could suck ass, but I'm going to be hopeful. There, do you see that, Melissa? I'm being OPTIMISTIC. posted by Adam C. Lipscomb at 9:40:00 AM | Tuesday, March 02, 2004
To the friends of Ameer Jinah Yes, it's tragic how your friend died. You, as his friends, have to suffer the agony of missing your good friend. What you don't have to suffer, however, is the comments of those making light of his death. Think about it - you're having to dig through hundreds, if not thousands, of blog entries and forum discussions of your friends tragic spitting contest death, and you're taking a lot of time to comment on it and excoriate those not showing the proper respect in your eyes. Not just on my blog, either. That's a lot of effort, and it's not going to bring your friend back. It's not even going to change the facts of his death - that a promising life was ended early because he'd had too much to drink, and flipped himself over a balcony railing trying to spit further than his friends. You're taking a lot of time and going out of your way to find this blog and others like it, and it's for the sole purpose of exposing yourself to things you know are going to hurt and upset you. If you don't like what we're saying, don't read it. If you don't agree with what we're saying, don't come here. Yes, there should be more respect for the dead, but lemme tell ya, it's a cold, cruel world out there. Your anger isn't going to change it. I do also wonder at what point are we no longer allowed to point out that Ameer's death is the result of his own choices and actions? That he chose to drink, that he chose to participate in a spitting contest, and that he chose to take a running start at his balcony railing? Your anger at me, and those like me, is sorely misplaced. Thanks for the extra hits on my blog, though. Send enough, I might give you a t-shirt. posted by Adam C. Lipscomb at 3:29:00 PM | What do you think? Scientists discuss significance/authenticity of The Vinland Map. For those that don't know about this, it's a map whose parchment dates to about 1434, which depicts the coast of North America along with some comments about Lief Ericson's voyage in the 12th Century. There are two schools on the ink used - one says the chemical signature is identical to modern inks, the other states that it is possible for inks made in the 15th century to have similar signatures to modern ones. I'm leaning towards the map's being a forgery, although I wonder that we haven't found any pre-Columbus maps before now. Still, discuss, if you're so inclined. posted by Adam C. Lipscomb at 10:48:00 AM | Monday, March 01, 2004
And a little more hope Republican state rep in Michigan supports gay marriage. Why? he is opposing the bill, he said, out of a long-held and deeply felt belief that discrimination against homosexuals violates democratic principles and his Christian values. "I kept quiet when African-Americans were facing discrimination," he said. "There have been too many people who have been discriminated against in my lifetime, and this time I'm not going to sit quietly while somebody is being mistreated. "This is a matter of conscience. There's nothing in it for me." He said his vote "will hurt me personally," and it already has. Two Sundays ago, while Wenke and his wife were attending services at Richland Bible Church, the parking lot was blanketed with leaflets informing church members of Wenke's opposition to the Marriage Protection Amendment and urging them to take Wenke to task. That's a good, brave man. We need more like him in this country. posted by Adam C. Lipscomb at 10:25:00 PM | Slippery Slope, anyone? Bob Herbert of the New York Times on slippery-slopism. In an interview last spring with The Associated Press, Senator Rick Santorum, a Pennsylvania Republican, said we'll be on that slope if the courts even tolerate homosexual acts. Referring to the U.S. Supreme Court's consideration of a challenge to a Texas anti-sodomy law, the senator said, "And if the Supreme Court says that you have a right to [gay] consensual sex within your home, then you have the right to bigamy, you have the right to polygamy, you have the right to incest, you have the right to adultery. You have the right to anything." That line of thinking reminded me of a passage in Randall Kennedy's book, "Interracial Intimacies: Sex, Marriage, Identity, and Adoption." In a 19th-century miscegenation case, a black man in Tennessee was charged with criminal fornication. The man's defense was that the woman, who was white, was his wife. They had been married lawfully in another state. "That argument," wrote Mr. Kennedy, "was rejected by the Tennessee Supreme Court, which maintained that its acceptance would necessarily lead to condoning `the father living with his daughter . . . in lawful wedlock,' " and "the Turk being allowed to `establish his harem at the doors of the capitol.' " We have a tendency to prohibit things simply because we don't like them. Because they don't appeal to us. They don't feel quite right. Or we've never done it that way before. And when things don't feel quite right, when they make us uncomfortable, we often leap, with no basis in fact, to the conclusion that they are unnatural, immoral, degenerate, against the will of God. And then the persecution begins. I find a special irony in the high level of opposition among blacks to gay marriage. posted by Adam C. Lipscomb at 3:07:00 PM | Melissa says I tend to interpret others' actions in the most negative possible light I prefer to think of it as preparing to be pleasantly surprised by their actions. Granted, I wouldn't look for the negative, if I hadn't been proved right so many times before... posted by Adam C. Lipscomb at 10:13:00 AM | And a recent occurence at the Convenience Store It's early, I"m on my way to work, and stopped to get some gas for my car and to buy a cup of coffee. I'm adding cream and sugar to my coffee, and one of the employees comes by with a tray full of sample-sized pieces of some breakfast sandwich they're selling. EMPLOYEE WITH TRAY: Would you like to try one of our delicious breakfast sandwiches? ME: No, thank you. EWT: They're made from all fresh ingredients, and kept tasty warm for you. ME: No, thank you. I'm getting some coffee, then I'm paying for my gas. That's all. EWT: Are you sure? EMPLOYEE AT COUNTER: (shouting) THEY'RE REALLY VERY GOOD! YOU SHOULD TRY ONE! EWT: (says nothing, just waves tray enticingly towards me) ME: (Getting a little exasperated) Really, no. No thanks. EWT: Come on, give it a try! EAC: DON'T YOU WANT TO AT LEAST TRY IT? ME: No, I don't want to try it. I want to finish putting cream in my goddamn coffee. I want to put a lid on my coffee. I want to pay for my coffee, and pay for the goddamn gas I pumped outside. I want to then walk out the goddamn door, get in my goddamn car and goddamn drive to my goddamn job. In any part of that, did you hear me say I wanted to try a goddamn breakfast sandwich? EAC: Well! You don't have to be rude about it! And people wonder why I'm cranky. posted by Adam C. Lipscomb at 9:56:00 AM | Orson Scott Card Just Doesn't Get It, Loses My Respect I mean, I've felt his quality's been slipping of late, but I was still willing to drop a few bucks on one of his books, 'cause he's written some good stuff. Not any more. Why? Here's a link: Homosexual "Marriage" and Civilization Let's look at some of Mr. Card's "arguments" against gay marriage: (1) The old "activist/legislating judges" canard. ...no constitution in the United States has ever granted the courts the right to make vast, sweeping changes in the law to reform society. No constitution, except The Constitution. One of the primary roles of the courts is to look at existing laws and determine if they are compatible with the Constitution. That goes at the State level as well as the National level. The Supreme Court of Massachusetts determined that marriage laws in the state were fundamentally incompatible with the state's constitution, and the marriage laws therefore had to change. How DARE they! (2) The "hate speech" argument - Anyone who opposes this edict will be branded a bigot. I don't doubt this, but we're not in the business of ensuring that the feelings of folks that oppose progress get coddled. So it's OK to say gays don't deserve the same rights as "normal" people, but if you get called on it, you're a victim of a hate crime? Give me a fuckin' break. Grow up, ya big ol' sissy. (3) "Gays can already get married - to members of the opposite sex." Any homosexual man who can persuade a woman to take him as her husband can avail himself of all the rights of husbandhood under the law. This is a repulsive argument. With one breath, folks like Card say that Marriage is a sacred and wonderful institution, and with the next, they as much as say it's OK if folks don't really mean it when they get married. That's bullshit. That's engaging in asinine semantics. It's like saying you've got freedom of religion, as long as you choose Catholicism. (4) The "they're changing the definition of marriage" argument. you have to change the meaning of "marriage" to include a relationship that it has never included before this generation, anywhere on earth. Waaaah. You're afraid of change, that's fine. Get over it. Marriage now means something vastly different than it did when your faith was founded, Mr. Card. Personally, I find it deeply amusing when a member of a faith famous for its initial acceptance of polygamy (and continued willingness to turn a blind eye to fundamentalists using siad polygamy as an excuse for what amounts to, basically, teenage sex-slavery) tries to argue the definition of marriage. (5) "Children should be raised by men and women." throughout the history of human society ... it was always expected that children would be born into and raised by families consisting of a father and mother. Throughout history, it was also expected that women would shut the hell up and drop babies, that children could be beaten and that magical beings tiptoed out every night and fertilized crops. We are not bound by the past, and in point of fact, more kids were raised solely by their mothers than you realize. Loving parents is requirement #1. Doesn't matter what sex. I initially planned to go through this point by point, but I can't. Reading it makes me sick to my stomach. Here's what was the capper for me: But homosexual "marriage" is an act of intolerance. It is an attempt to eliminate any special preference for marriage in society -- to erase the protected status of marriage in the constant balancing act between civilization and individual reproduction. So if my friends insist on calling what they do "marriage," they are not turning their relationship into what my wife and I have created, because no court has the power to change what their relationship actually is. Instead they are attempting to strike a death blow against the well-earned protected status of our, and every other, real marriage. They steal from me what I treasure most, and gain for themselves nothing at all. They won't be married. They'll just be playing dress-up in their parents' clothes. Fuckin' jerk. Mr. Card, have a nice life. You'll not be getting any more of my money. You talk of tolerance, but you've shown your true colors here. posted by Adam C. Lipscomb at 9:15:00 AM | Random linkage Teen tries to get his stupid ass shot by cops in prank. Once again, the cops fail to clean out the gene pool. What do we pay these guys for, anyway? Man dressed as The Devil upsets folks lined up to see "The Jesus Chainsaw Massacree". I like this article just for this one line: Kerasotes’ management is in the process of creating new guidelines for preventing people dressed as “evil beings” from gaining entrance to the theatre. So if I dress up as John Ashcroft, they'll refuse to serve me? [late edit] Looks to be a satire, and a very well-played one at that. Not too overstated, which is normally the case. Montreal apartment manager runs yet another Virgin Mary scam. It cries tears of oil, but not when someone other than the owner handles it. I can figure this one out on an Etch-A-Sketch, folks. Fuckin' scam artists. posted by Adam C. Lipscomb at 8:25:00 AM |  Furnulum pani nolo. "I don't want a toaster." Generally, things (like this quiz) tend to tick you off. You have contemplated doing grievous bodily harm to door-to-door salesmen. Which Weird Latin Phrase Are You? brought to you by Quizilla posted by Adam C. Lipscomb at 8:03:00 AM | |
