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This site is a member of WebRing. To browse visit here. Wednesday, November 26, 2003 Here's my Saturday political rant, only a few days early. I'll be in Maryland on Saturday, enjoying a day of complete freedom from everything else in my life, at the Darkover science fiction/fantasy con (convention). A side note about Darkover: as a fictional universe, Darkover was the creation of Marian Zimmer Bradley. She happens not to be one of my favorite authors (except for Catch Trap, a book set in the mid 20th century). But the Darkover con itself has evolved into much more than just a celebration of the fantasy universe. It's the best east-coast con for book and zine sellers, one of the best for costumers and filkers, and also happens to be the only one where I get to see some of my non-Trek-fandom friends. So Nick and I will go up to Kate's on Friday, detouring to do a couple of store inspections in Richmond, and then we'll all go to Towson, Maryland, on Saturday. I had promised Nick a con visit and Darkover is also one of the most family-oriented cons I know of. He can wear the martial arts outfit I made for his Halloween costume and run around with the other kids to his heart's content without my having to worry about him.On to the rant. I can't do better today than to refer you to Now Entering Laboville by Daniel Labovitz. This is his entry from yesterday:I have to say, I'm getting sick of the Orwellian revisions of history being practiced by the White House, various Republican groups and now, the GOP.Recently, I noted an instance in which the White House press office altered the transcript of a speech that President Bush made to the Australian Parliament to "correct" a misstatement by Mr. Bush. [Me: look at the post on Labovitz's site for November 5, 2003] The official Australian transcript recorded what President Bush actually said. I also linked to two instances of conservative Republican websites being "altered" to remove offensive material; in one case, the offensive phrase was edited and the piece reposted, and in the other, the offensive article simply disappeared off the group's website.Today, it is reported in the New York Times that the Republican National Party digitally altered a clip of the President's State of the Union address to make him sound more "presidential" when they used the clip in a campaign commercial. [link] The Republican National Committee claims that they merely edited out a pause and fixed a mangled word ("vile" instead of "wile"), so what's the big deal? Well, here's my take: the big deal is that it is dishonest, plain and simple. Sure, it's a small lie, but that doesn't change the fact that it's a lie. Same thing with changing the transcript of the President's speech in Australia; sure, he meant to say we "seek" a democratic China, but the fact remains that he said we "see" a democratic China, and the official transcript ought to reflect that. The thing is, legitimizing the small lies blurs the line between what should be permissible and impermissible in governance, and makes it possible for the bigger lies to gain a foothold.[As an aside, I think that the ability of members of Congress to "revise and extend" their remarks is equally dishonest, and ought to be stopped. If you're not going to keep an accurate record, why bother keeping a record at all?] Unfortunately, the pattern of the Bush administration seems to be to advance "small" lies and then hope that nobody will notice the truth, or, if they do, that the people insisting on truth can be painted as petty and missing the forest for the trees. As a tactic, it's insidious and inimical to the ideal of democracy.You might also want to check out his post of November 12. The redefinition of "financial institution" has given the FBI some interesting new places to mine personal data, without recourse to warrants and all that inconvenient legal paperwork. If the Bush administration never does anything else (we should all be so lucky), it will have created a governmental monster with its hands in everyone's back pockets, bank accounts, travel records, postal transactions and a host of others that most people would never think of as "financial institutions." posted by Liz @ 10:55 AM | The template is set to display 10 posts. To see all the posts for this month, click on the month name in the Archive section RSS Feed PERSONAL Send email toliz at life-as-a-spectator-sport.com Home I'm a mother, grandmother, a computer professional, Democrat, Christian. I welcome politely worded comments and email, my spam filter throws the rest away, so don't bother to flame me WHY 'LIFE AS A SPECTATOR SPORT' "If you're lucky not to live in the gutters of a slum, but still can't afford to take vacations in the Alps, you're part of that enormous middle class who lives life through the medium of the television, further separated from "real" life by air conditioner, by automobile, by dishwasher, microwave and ice-in-the-door refrigerator, by automatic washer and dryer, and all the other appliances and conveniences that make it possible for America to live life at second hand. I'm not sure why Americans decided that televised drama was better than the real thing, that cardboard microwave food containers were an adequate substitute for real dishes, and their contents for real food, or that cooking, dishwashing and face-to-face conversation wasn't worth the effort and time it required. Someone fed this nation a plastic crate of out-of-season tomatoes and told us it was life and we took them at their word, and we're so much the poorer for it that it's hard to know where to start to list the shortcomings." I wrote this a couple of years ago, but I have to admit it's much less amusing than I thought it would be to see the artifical construct falling apart. THE NON-ELECTRIC HOME Cleaning, 1 Cleaning, 2 Cleaning, 3 KNITTING BLOGS Extravayarnza Knitting Heretic Mind of Winter Pie Knits Persistent Illusion See Eunny Knit The Keyboard Biologist Taleweaver's Ramblings TECHnitting Wendy Knits FINISHED PROJECTS -------FINISHED IN 2006------- Peruvian Cap Tutti-Frutti Socks Shelley's Socks Carol's Socks -------FINISHED IN 2007------- Chain Link Socks Baby Surprise Jacket Valerie & Friend Baby Bonnet Rainbow Baby Socks Girls Pixie Hood Mitred Square Heart Red & White Socks Coffee Cup Pot Holder Nubbins Dishcloth Garterlac Dishcloth Suede Booties Kate's Socks Norwegian Sweet Baby Cap Half Thumbless Mittens Red Mittens for Akkol -------FINISHED IN 2008------- SELF-RELIANCE AND THE FUTURE -- Blogs and websites -- Causubon's Book Club Orlov Food Storage Made Easy From the Wilderness In the Wake Listening to Katrina Survival Topics The Modern Homestead The Oil Drum Notes from a Hillside Farm -- Mailing Lists -- 12vdc Power Living on the Land Rainwater Refrigeration Alternatives Old Ways of Living POLITICAL BLOGS and SITES The political sites have moved BOOKS I'M READING How to Grow More Vegetables, etc. Small Scale Grain Raising ARCHIVES February 2009 January 2009 December 2008 November 2008 October 2008 August 2008 July 2008 May 2008 April 2008 March 2008 February 2008 January 2008 December 2007 November 2007 October 2007 September 2007 August 2007 July 2007 June 2007 May 2007 April 2007 March 2007 February 2007 January 2007 December 2006 November 2006 October 2006 September 2006 August 2006 July 2006 June 2006 May 2006 April 2006 March 2006 February 2006 January 2006 December 2005 November 2005 October 2005 September 2005 August 2005 July 2005 June 2005 May 2005 April 2005 March 2005 February 2005 January 2005 December 2004 November 2004 October 2004 September 2004 August 2004 July 2004 June 2004 May 2004 April 2004 March 2004 February 2004 January 2004 December 2003 November 2003 October 2003 September 2003 August 2003 July 2003 June 2003 May 2003 April 2003 March 2003 February 2003 January 2003 December 2002 November 2002 October 2002 September 2002 August 2002 July 2002 June 2002 May 2002 April 2002 March 2002 February 2002 Feedjit Live Blog Stats
Here's my Saturday political rant, only a few days early. I'll be in Maryland on Saturday, enjoying a day of complete freedom from everything else in my life, at the Darkover science fiction/fantasy con (convention). A side note about Darkover: as a fictional universe, Darkover was the creation of Marian Zimmer Bradley. She happens not to be one of my favorite authors (except for Catch Trap, a book set in the mid 20th century). But the Darkover con itself has evolved into much more than just a celebration of the fantasy universe. It's the best east-coast con for book and zine sellers, one of the best for costumers and filkers, and also happens to be the only one where I get to see some of my non-Trek-fandom friends. So Nick and I will go up to Kate's on Friday, detouring to do a couple of store inspections in Richmond, and then we'll all go to Towson, Maryland, on Saturday. I had promised Nick a con visit and Darkover is also one of the most family-oriented cons I know of. He can wear the martial arts outfit I made for his Halloween costume and run around with the other kids to his heart's content without my having to worry about him.On to the rant. I can't do better today than to refer you to Now Entering Laboville by Daniel Labovitz. This is his entry from yesterday:I have to say, I'm getting sick of the Orwellian revisions of history being practiced by the White House, various Republican groups and now, the GOP.Recently, I noted an instance in which the White House press office altered the transcript of a speech that President Bush made to the Australian Parliament to "correct" a misstatement by Mr. Bush. [Me: look at the post on Labovitz's site for November 5, 2003] The official Australian transcript recorded what President Bush actually said. I also linked to two instances of conservative Republican websites being "altered" to remove offensive material; in one case, the offensive phrase was edited and the piece reposted, and in the other, the offensive article simply disappeared off the group's website.Today, it is reported in the New York Times that the Republican National Party digitally altered a clip of the President's State of the Union address to make him sound more "presidential" when they used the clip in a campaign commercial. [link] The Republican National Committee claims that they merely edited out a pause and fixed a mangled word ("vile" instead of "wile"), so what's the big deal? Well, here's my take: the big deal is that it is dishonest, plain and simple. Sure, it's a small lie, but that doesn't change the fact that it's a lie. Same thing with changing the transcript of the President's speech in Australia; sure, he meant to say we "seek" a democratic China, but the fact remains that he said we "see" a democratic China, and the official transcript ought to reflect that. The thing is, legitimizing the small lies blurs the line between what should be permissible and impermissible in governance, and makes it possible for the bigger lies to gain a foothold.[As an aside, I think that the ability of members of Congress to "revise and extend" their remarks is equally dishonest, and ought to be stopped. If you're not going to keep an accurate record, why bother keeping a record at all?] Unfortunately, the pattern of the Bush administration seems to be to advance "small" lies and then hope that nobody will notice the truth, or, if they do, that the people insisting on truth can be painted as petty and missing the forest for the trees. As a tactic, it's insidious and inimical to the ideal of democracy.You might also want to check out his post of November 12. The redefinition of "financial institution" has given the FBI some interesting new places to mine personal data, without recourse to warrants and all that inconvenient legal paperwork. If the Bush administration never does anything else (we should all be so lucky), it will have created a governmental monster with its hands in everyone's back pockets, bank accounts, travel records, postal transactions and a host of others that most people would never think of as "financial institutions."
I have to say, I'm getting sick of the Orwellian revisions of history being practiced by the White House, various Republican groups and now, the GOP.Recently, I noted an instance in which the White House press office altered the transcript of a speech that President Bush made to the Australian Parliament to "correct" a misstatement by Mr. Bush. [Me: look at the post on Labovitz's site for November 5, 2003] The official Australian transcript recorded what President Bush actually said. I also linked to two instances of conservative Republican websites being "altered" to remove offensive material; in one case, the offensive phrase was edited and the piece reposted, and in the other, the offensive article simply disappeared off the group's website.Today, it is reported in the New York Times that the Republican National Party digitally altered a clip of the President's State of the Union address to make him sound more "presidential" when they used the clip in a campaign commercial. [link] The Republican National Committee claims that they merely edited out a pause and fixed a mangled word ("vile" instead of "wile"), so what's the big deal? Well, here's my take: the big deal is that it is dishonest, plain and simple. Sure, it's a small lie, but that doesn't change the fact that it's a lie. Same thing with changing the transcript of the President's speech in Australia; sure, he meant to say we "seek" a democratic China, but the fact remains that he said we "see" a democratic China, and the official transcript ought to reflect that. The thing is, legitimizing the small lies blurs the line between what should be permissible and impermissible in governance, and makes it possible for the bigger lies to gain a foothold.[As an aside, I think that the ability of members of Congress to "revise and extend" their remarks is equally dishonest, and ought to be stopped. If you're not going to keep an accurate record, why bother keeping a record at all?] Unfortunately, the pattern of the Bush administration seems to be to advance "small" lies and then hope that nobody will notice the truth, or, if they do, that the people insisting on truth can be painted as petty and missing the forest for the trees. As a tactic, it's insidious and inimical to the ideal of democracy.
The template is set to display 10 posts. To see all the posts for this month, click on the month name in the Archive section
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PERSONAL
WHY 'LIFE AS A SPECTATOR SPORT'
"If you're lucky not to live in the gutters of a slum, but still can't afford to take vacations in the Alps, you're part of that enormous middle class who lives life through the medium of the television, further separated from "real" life by air conditioner, by automobile, by dishwasher, microwave and ice-in-the-door refrigerator, by automatic washer and dryer, and all the other appliances and conveniences that make it possible for America to live life at second hand. I'm not sure why Americans decided that televised drama was better than the real thing, that cardboard microwave food containers were an adequate substitute for real dishes, and their contents for real food, or that cooking, dishwashing and face-to-face conversation wasn't worth the effort and time it required. Someone fed this nation a plastic crate of out-of-season tomatoes and told us it was life and we took them at their word, and we're so much the poorer for it that it's hard to know where to start to list the shortcomings." I wrote this a couple of years ago, but I have to admit it's much less amusing than I thought it would be to see the artifical construct falling apart.
THE NON-ELECTRIC HOME
Cleaning, 1 Cleaning, 2 Cleaning, 3
KNITTING BLOGS
Extravayarnza Knitting Heretic Mind of Winter Pie Knits Persistent Illusion See Eunny Knit The Keyboard Biologist Taleweaver's Ramblings TECHnitting Wendy Knits
FINISHED PROJECTS
SELF-RELIANCE AND THE FUTURE
POLITICAL BLOGS and SITES
BOOKS I'M READING
How to Grow More Vegetables, etc. Small Scale Grain Raising
ARCHIVES
February 2009 January 2009 December 2008 November 2008 October 2008 August 2008 July 2008 May 2008 April 2008 March 2008 February 2008 January 2008 December 2007 November 2007 October 2007 September 2007 August 2007 July 2007 June 2007 May 2007 April 2007 March 2007 February 2007 January 2007 December 2006 November 2006 October 2006 September 2006 August 2006 July 2006 June 2006 May 2006 April 2006 March 2006 February 2006 January 2006 December 2005 November 2005 October 2005 September 2005 August 2005 July 2005 June 2005 May 2005 April 2005 March 2005 February 2005 January 2005 December 2004 November 2004 October 2004 September 2004 August 2004 July 2004 June 2004 May 2004 April 2004 March 2004 February 2004 January 2004 December 2003 November 2003 October 2003 September 2003 August 2003 July 2003 June 2003 May 2003 April 2003 March 2003 February 2003 January 2003 December 2002 November 2002 October 2002 September 2002 August 2002 July 2002 June 2002 May 2002 April 2002 March 2002 February 2002
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