Just wondering, but how many of the OWS folk are brown and/or speak say, Spanish?

This is important, and will define the "movement." I bet a lot of you are like me (and color isn't important, in this sense) but if you are, you're too broke to pitch a tent in Manhattan. Because if you leave your job, you'll lose your house or apartment, and other stuff you need to live.

Ironically, I have too much work to do today (a Sunday, no less!) so this will be a short post. But seriously, how can the poor going to become part of this movement? Are any in the 'leadership' of it reaching out to the working poor? It appears that there is a degree of what some would call 'global' solidarity. Do the factory slaves in Asia who made the cell phone cameras that are making lots of white, globally speaking financial top "1%" (and if you don't know, anyone making more than ~$40,000/yr is in the top 1%) activists youtube famous know that "someone is fighting for their rights?" If not, why not? Revolution that doesn't include the peasants isn't really "revolution."

This post is the source of this one. Some people aren't very smart about computers; take me, for example. Just like some people aren't very smart about congenital heart disease or comparative Semitic philology. So... I should ditch Macs and get a cheap PC with Ubuntu? Why, exactly? Y'all know I hate consumerism and the rest of that shit, but I'm willing to listen, in a product by product consumer review based throwdown, from the smart people here. I'm as dumb as a six year old, in this. So don't lay thick with the jargon, act like a car salesman. I want to buy this machine, this OS, why... again? I'll let you all know who wins later, because it will be soon. Gmail quit on me today, so that's the final straw. I have no choice, I will pay this Rent. They are forcing me to do so; if you can make a suggestion for a person like me that's under $500 and will last for more than three years, that would be great and I would be eternally grateful.

Mac co-religionists: don't worry; I probably don't mean this. The thought of working on one of those filthy PCs is repugnant to me. I'm just sampling internet wisdom, the lifeblood of any blogger. I'll likely sleep with someone for money to pay for a used Mac before I'd buy a PC. But you know, the flame wars are fun. Because we always win. Heh.

And so, I take a bow, make a leg, tip my hat, and offer my profoundest and most sincere thanks to the man who makes it all possible, Lambert. My weekend started a few hours ago, so forgive me for this rant but I don't feel like doing any real work and this issue actually has a bit of political relevance in addition to just me being a fawning fan. Thank you, Lambert. And fuck you, JSKit, Disqus, Blogger, WordPress, Facebook and all the rest of you fucking lazy ass motherfuckers who have seen fit to deny me almost all of my other regular blogs. You suck. He rocks.

Meh, for me today it was 12 hrs with one client and four more with another on the west coast later before I can sleep, so this is going to be short. I'd like to fill the rest in as I respond in the comments, reading what you all have to say. But the question is: what supplements do you take? Vitamins? Oils, cremes, salves, teas, and any other delivery device that doesn't come from Big Pharma or Big Ag, that helps you feel better? Why do you take them? How did you learn about them? Why do you know they work? What scientific-standard of proof can you offer they do, if only in your case? If you recall my Raw/Living Foods post recently, you'll remember that I'm all about that sort of food. But for many people, and many reasons, sometimes more is needed. Are you one of those people? I was recently doing some research with a client into glutathione, and I think that's going to be added to my regimen. The other stuff I take includes:

Well, I have to Come Out. I'm a convert. It's my new religion and like any convert and evangelical, I can't stop talking about it. But dammit. This is working. So let me share. If you are bored with me, just absorb this simple part: stop cooking your food. Just, stop. Obviously you should be buying organic, local, and not-GMO. But damn, people. I laughed at Madonna when I read she went on this program, and now I feel ashamed for mocking her for what works. I always though hollywood drugs kept her in shape. Now I know. To quote her in a way that isn't flattering, "Vegans are Whiter." Give me a sec and I'll explain why this is good.

The short version is this: I know I'm right because when I recently went off my new diet for a few days b/c a gf came by, and she likes "comfort food." I joined her for two days and ate what she bought. And I felt like hell. I immediately went back to my new diet and felt 1000% better. Please believe me when I say: I'm not lying. If you feel sick, tired, sad, or unhealthy, please read the rest of this post. I want to help you. I never thought I could help myself in this way, because I have self-loathing issues, but if it works for me, it will work for you. I know all about poverty, lack of health care, illness and the psychology that relates to poor personal habits. I'm breaking them. Please join me. It's good to be Strong again.

So, recently I offended a bunch of nice people because I basically said: "men are easier to please than women, sexually speaking." I didn't mean this to be about men being more stupid, less exciting or interesting, or any other negative connotation about men and sex. But gosh! Is that so controversial to say? Men need... well, imho it's pretty simple. Sure, men want and need love and relationships and complexity and all that. But men also want simple things, and if one is good at those, one can make any man come. I've always been fascinated by the American male (and perhaps this is international, I don't know) obsession with pr0n. As Twisty once said, "why do I hate porn? because I think there are better alternatives." She got slammed for that post, but I basically agreed, as a woman, even as I had no expectations that men or many women would agree with her. Men in this country defend the porn industry because they claim they "need" it. Well, that sort of proves my point. Pictures of naked women you don't know and who don't love you are enough to get you off? OK. Not judging. But most women need a great deal more than that. Sure, there are many differences between men, women, and I know I'm generalizing and over-simplifying. But I do have a great deal of experience when it comes to sex, like, a professional level of experience (although I have never professionally worked in the sex industry other than naked dancing), and I'm sorry to say: there are three or four tricks that always work with a man, if the goal is to bring him to orgasm. What do you think? Physiology is also key; women are just more complex, in this sense. That's medical and scientific fact. It doesn't make us "better" or "sexier," but it does make us different. Thank you for letting me do this logic check with y'all. I was sort of wigged out by how angry I made these folks for saying these things.

So I've finally given it a name, my garden. It will be the Gardens of Stone. Several reasons. 1) It rhymes with part of my name b) it refers to the poignantly horrific and beautiful reality of the imbalance of power between the wealth and the rich, the slaughter that creates, and the heroes who sacrifice everything to stop it iii) i would someday like to grow medicinal mj but don't because of b) and also i'm still waiting for the voter-approved reality of its legality to 'take' with our local law enforcement and D) it's my garden, and it has stones. Mom named the property, but like an Englishwoman I'm going to name my garden and beds. /toff/

Anyhoo, I was just thinking that it's really silly that I freely can grow poisons, love potions, hallucinogens, carcinogens, palliatives, 'superfoods,' and a host of other plants which when distilled and/or processed correctly will produce those effects on the human body, and more- but I can't grow pot. Or even hemp. It's so fucking stupid. And wow, Flickr went and made pic posting much harder for us year. So I'll be doing less on the blog and more sending you to the Flickr pages; which is what they want, I suppose.

...if you care in any way at all, check out http://www.blogtalkradio.com/search/virt... , which is this blog/radio thing I do sometimes with Avedon, Susie, Jay and other cool people...

Solidarity forever, my friends!

I suck. I'll just say that with heartfelt feeling so you don't have to in the comments. What's more important: I'm on a list of the WI protest leaders and here's the problem- supplies. We all want to help, esp those of us with a credit card or paypal account, if we can't be there. The problem is the folks setting up the blog for WI (and elsewhere, I assume) are overwhelmed. Protest can only be sustained if we can supply folks with more than a piece of pizza. Clothes, shelter, water, phones, twitter, transportation, etc.

Step up, Corrente. I cannot tell you how ironically shitty I feel that right now, in my life, I can't do what I'm asking you to help do. Starting tomorrow, I'll be on the road for ~15 hours helping move my dad to a nursing home. I'll be out for days. But dammit, I know this is it, this is the time, the energy we've been waiting to perceive for so long. As far as success goes, it's called "logistics" and there is a saying I learned from my old USMC days. "Tactics are for amateurs; logistics are for winning generals." I feel this in my bones right now and I've been emailing for the last few hours trying to instill this and help coordinate. Can you help?

Food. Shelter. T Shirts with a logo. Signs. Etc.

The time is now. Action will mean so much, if we can pull it off. From what I can tell from my brief survey, Corrente is at the forefront. Let's brainstorm, and make this more than a flash in the pan. Sites, phone numbers, union contacts, etc. This is the great test, folks. We're here, in the metasphere. Many of us can't be on the ground in the places where it's going on. But we can help. The question is how. IMHO: a general paypal site admin'd by a union person that helps direct funds to any and all protesting is what is needed here. Moveon is supposed to be on it, but I'm not able to find that. Anyone? Run with this, as I won't be able to be here much for the rest of the week.

Also: Lambert, I'm sorry. It wasn't you, it was me, as the joke goes. I failed to live up to what I espouse, and for that I apologize. I know you understand and I hope you and those who respect you can forgive me, for all I probably don't deserve it.

This is for Joe. Whom I love, and respect, deeply, always.

This is the very first thing I learned about Barak Obama, back in the day. It's really simple. Maybe I'll be killed for saying this, but it's utterly and completely true. The first thing he did, on his road to becoming preznit? Take a guess. Heh, it's sort of funny, even. But the Big O's first executive decision? Let me tell you: firing a gay man. A black gay man. Who is taller than he is. Mon chere, and fellow employee, Claude. For being too gay.

That's how I know he is what he is. You O-Bots can go on jerking yourselves off, but you're wasting your time and honestly it's sort of pathetic. Let's all move on. Yes, I'm voting this fall. No, it won't be for whom you are paid to tell me I must. I erased so much more 'cause that's really all I have to say, innit?

Hemant is all over this issue because he goes to a lot of college campuses to speak and college kids are generally the most enthusiastic atheists out there today. So what do you think? Is there a legitimate "need" for "humanist" chaplains on campus like there are religious chaplains for students? (And yes, there's a debate about what title they should use; my vote is for "advocate.") I recently insulted one by mistake at my alma mater; the article in which I read about him suggested he was well paid when in fact he is not. But regardless of whether we're talking about a paid position or something else, should secular and non-believing students have "their own kind" of counselor? How important is it to know the person one turns to for help shares your (lack of) belief? Is it a redundant service, given how most campuses already have psych experts, counselors, peer counselors, mentors, etc available to students in need and crisis?

In my own case, I have a very dim view of the psychiatric arts and sciences.

This is one example of why I use the rhetoric I do:

Police locked down the Tucson congressional office of Rep. Raul Grijalva (D-Ariz.) on Thursday afternoon after staffers received a package containing a “confirmed” toxic substance, a Grijalva spokesman said.

A suspicious package with swastikas written on the envelope was mailed Thursday to the Tucson office, where about a dozen staffers work. Upon inspection, it was found the package contained a white powder authorities later determined to be toxic, said Grijalva campaign spokesman Adam Sarvana.

In addition to the rising price of bread and letters de cachet, 'tax farming' is what caused the French Revolution. This isn't new in this country, but it is spreading and it's one of the reasons why I call it "the Predatory State." But is it enough?

You probably know what I think. Unless and until people can no longer afford cable TV, happy pills, and HFCS junk foods, there will be no Revolution in this country. What do you think?

'Cause I got nuthin and Lambert is still away. So: what are you doing to prepare for winter? We got our first hard frost here last night, brrr. The berries in the forest preserve where I walk my puppy daily were frozen this morning, but still tart. I'm going to be trying to emulate Ohio this winter, and get these frakking basement rehab projects done once and for all. But it's cold down here (my new office suite I sort-of-built this year is in the basement), and I'll be burning a lot of wood, while keeping the thermostat set as low as I possibly can. It's hard to do here, as my elderly charges can't tolerate lower temperatures, so I'm always fighting that battle: "No, it's not really that cold in here. Suck it up." Electric blankets and heating pads have proven to be a practical solution here. What are you doing/will do this winter, to save on heating costs?

I'm an odd bird (but you knew that, natch). I have a background, educationally speaking, in both science (biology, history of science) and religion (history of religion, comparative Semitic philology). So my mind tends to dart all over the place and I can "see both (any) sides" with relative ease, intellectually speaking, even as I may not agree with that I'm studying or considering at any given moment.

Claudia's comment on this thread pissed me off. As you can probably tell from my response to her critique of my comment. Sort of in the same vein, I'm depressed and ashamed I didn't make Jen's graphic about blogger-atheists on this thread, sob. and damn, she's so cute, isn't she? Anyway, here's my question: how do you balance your interest in "alternative" ideas about science, medicine, and the physical world, with your own skepticism about religion, politics, and the corruption of the practice of science?

[Update: This. Remember: Batman is a right wing vigilante Galtian richee-worship style "hero" and while he's not allowed to kill in comix, in the adult versions, he can and does, gleefully.] But it will be quieter, and more subtle. Go make friends with a sheriff's deputy, soon. I mean this most sincerely. The roundup of liberals is around the corner, and most of us have a big target on our backs. Just by using English correctly, or having attended a rally for a Democratic politician, or dating interracially... Hitler hated trade unionists and socialists as much or more than he hated "the Jews." 6 million people who died in the camps were not Jewish, but instead social liberals, homosexuals, Gypsies, and plain old white Germans who got turned in by their neighbors. Yes, I'm being polemical, but stories like this really scare me. Miller is a politician, but he's also representative of a new class of people who may freely act outside and above the law with no consequence. We lost the Rule of Law some time ago, and as economic conditions continue to deteriorate, anger will increase, and scapegoats will need to be found.

Alaska Daily News- The editor of the Alaska Dispatch website was arrested by U.S. Senate candidate Joe Miller's private security guards Sunday as the editor attempted to interview Miller at the end of a public event in an Anchorage school.

Tony Hopfinger was handcuffed by the guards and detained in a hallway at Central Middle School until Anchorage police came and told the guards to release Hopfinger.

Via Joe, I have to add to the viral here and link to No More Downlow TV. It's internet TV so I don't feel bad about doing that; no commercials, yo. I'll be spreading this around at other blogs with African-American writers and I hope you will too. DLism is a big problem in our communities of color, and it's time to change that.

I'm spoiled. I grew up in conditions that made my coming out relatively easy; liberal parents, accepting grandparents, rich queer friends, socially liberal environments. And most importantly, no church. That's what's killing the African-American gay population right now, megachurches run by bigots and hypocrites like Eddie Long. Far too many middle class African-Americans buy into that crap.

Where's the Note is a smashing new project from the good folks at the SEIU, and is already a tremendous success. Apparently it's already even been covered by the SCLM, and the chatter I'm getting about it is that it's also working- banks are informing people who request proof of who holds the actual, signed note/mortgage. This is internet activism at its finest, and that's evidenced by the fact that Citi, JP Morgan, Goldman and Wells Fargo have visited the site 175 times in just three days. If you have a mortgage, it might be something you should do too.

Democracy Now:

Green Party Candidate Excluded from California Governor’s Debate
While governor hopefuls Jerry Brown and Meg Whitman debated on Tuesday night in San Rafael, the Green Party candidate for governor was being arrested outside the hall. Police charged Laura Wells with trespassing after she tried to get into the debate that she was not allowed to participate in.

(there's video at the link) Fuck Jerry Brown for his cowardice. I suppose he probably didn't want Ms. Wells to ask him about his bullshit and fundamentally un-liberal position that "all taxes are bad!" touted by his campaign ads. Shit like this just makes me want to vote Green even more.

Let me rant short form: jeebus krist am I sick of this shit. I have several computers, most of them "old" which is to say a few years old. I recently had the PC reformatted, and lost some stuff in the process that I now can't seem to reinstall. Whatever, that's not what I'm bitching about. I'm bitching because I'm not a tech person, nor do I think I should have to be to use my computers. Computers are the modern day equivalent of cars; in order to function in our society and keep a job, one needs to have one and know how to operate one. Fine, I have and I do. But FSM, I am sick and tired of being told I have to "upgrade" constantly in order to use mine, and also "get a more modern machine" in some cases.

Let me make it as plain as I can. A Model T in working order will still get you where you need to go on modern day roads, albeit less quickly and perhaps less comfortably than a modern $100K SUV. People should not be punished for being unable to afford the latest in "improvements" in computers; I like my older Mac OS and browser just fine, thank you very much. No one is expected to go to mechanic school in order to be able to use their car; why am I being told I have to constantly re-learn software and spend money I don't have on new hardware, just to be able to participate in computer society? It's crap, utter shite, and the quintessential example of what we mean here when we talk about "rent."

I get sofa king annoyed with progressive techies who tell me I have to do all this shit. Really, guys. Wake the fuck up. One day they'll be telling you "Oh, well. If you're too stupid to learn Mandarin overnight, you don't deserve a job." I can learn it quickly, and I'll be bitterly laughing at you in your unemployment, remembering all the times you told me to Suck It Up and master MicroSloth's latest invasion into my privacy just because you've accepted your enslavement to the system they've created. No, I don't want to play WoW and no, I don't think that "faster processing speed" or whatever is the most important thing ever. Hell, I remember the Old Days when some people actually cared that Gmail was completely invasive and probably totally evil to boot. I look forward to the coming reality of "the Cloud" because hopefully it means I won't be writing this rant as often as I'm inclined.

Avedon got me thinking and commenting on something that's been in the back of my head for a while now, so I thought I'd turn it into a post. Put on your thinking caps, Corrente. This is the hardest problem we face.

We need a leader. Several of them, in fact. How do we get that? Grow them? Make them? However you want to phrase it, the need right now isn't "how do we fix these problems?" but instead is "who will be the face of the reforms we already know must happen, and who will inspire people to take us down that road?"

Ooooh, pass the popcorn. I bet we'll be reading about the more and more:

SIMI VALLEY, Calif. (KABC) -- A battle over a foreclosed home is shaping up in Simi Valley.

A family claims they were illegally evicted, and Saturday, they broke the locks and started moving back in even though the home has already been sold.

Jim and Danielle Earl, along with their nine children ranging in age from 3 to 23, returned to their house of nine years on Mustang Drive.

The family was evicted from their home in July after they fell behind on payments.

Their bank, GRP Financial Services, foreclosed on the home, but since then the house has been bought by an investor, remodeled and sold to someone else.

I just know there are a lot of readers here who'll love this. Dance your PhD to explain it? Meh. Been there, done that hat tip Chester, Markus, Asa, Kris and Ben. I own that pole at [Chicago club of note], people. But seriously, as a concept, I really can take it quite seriously. What's the saying? "If I can't dance at your Revolution, I'm not coming." That's me, fer shore.

It's a silly project, but at the same time, one I can think about and value. In my case? I actually have "the dance" of my PhD studies. I translated them, after all! The Sumerian women who defined their culture and society of those ancient days? All about dancing! They knew, as I do: if you want to control people and shape their opinions, nothing works better than young women, funky music and rhythmic chanting and mythological epic narrative all wrapped up in skimpy clothing and feasting/drinking/smoking stuff. Followed by somewhat hidden kinky/gay/intergender sexual encounters that the rubes/worshippers don't get to see or participate in, but the "cool" or "saved" or "enlightened" people do. Heh. Ask any of the bartenders at any well-known gay club mecca. Yes, most of us here are atheists, having been kicked out of our religions if we ever had one. No, we don't miss it, because Saturday night at Crow Bar or the Eagle in the old days? Better than any Sunday morning anywhere.*

Despite being a blogger who blogs about politics, I actually know more about Sumerian grammar than I do about American political history, and I readily admit that. So this comment by reader Joe really intrigued me:

By the way, I think the filibuster issue is one of Corrente's major blind spots. I don't think the degree to which filibuster abuse has completely altered our system of governance can be overemphasized.

Do you agree, Corrente? If so, why? If not, why not? Is the 'debate' about 'what (Democrats) [or] (Republicans) can/should/would do with the filibuster' important, or distraction?

Hoss is wondering how responsible people like Beck are for individual expressions of eliminationist violence, and to me that's not even an interesting question. It is just for that purpose that Beck in on TV, to better encourage his viewers to violence. It's as old as the Nazi Playbook and one of the reasons I'm very strict about not exposing myself or anyone in my care to that sort of filth.

What does interest me is if I have any neighbors like this. I know my neighbors pretty well, and even the Republicans on my block are laid back people who smoke dope and like to take naked hot tubs at midnight. If they watch a lot of FOX and the like, it doesn't show up in more than occasionally repeating some of its more innocuous lies when we shoot the shit around the mailbox. I don't think that even if my Republican neighbors experienced some dreadful economic upset and were told directly to blame me, they'd come over here with a shotgun looking to blow the ACLU card out of my hands.

But I wonder... The continuing decline of the economy (not to mention things like health care and educational standards) along with the deliberate increase in violent rhetoric in the SCLM: how powerful do you think they are, in terms of creating more gun-toting would-be "revolutionaries?" The guy in the Media Matters link was going to San Francisco to kill people in the ACLU and some foundation Beck hates. But what about killing regular brown people, or gay people? It's not a stretch to say those groups are being blamed and targeted by the likes of Beck daily, too.

How worried are you about your neighbors, and have you ever been threatened with violence by someone for political reasons?

This is another edition of What Digby Said but with modifications. I love her work like everyone else, but I smell a little middle class privilege here. Bottom line: if they want to, the cops will kill you, for no reason, because they can. Digby is basically saying "don't resist; your life is at stake if you do" and she's not wrong. But I had to add this comment:

even being completely passive isn't enough. just so you know. have you ever heard of the needle trick cops do sometimes? here's how it works. some sadistic (racist/homophobic) cop really, really wants to put the beat down on you. he lives for that shit, and he hates dirty fucking hippies/niggers/eco activists/whatever with a roid-driven passion second only to his love of gay bathhouses and leatherbars. so one day, you're walking down the street, and duly pissing him off, so he decides to arrest you. you recognize that there's little you can do to resist, so you don't, but that's not enough for him; he *needs* to beat something down, right now. so after you've sank to your knees, laid on the ground, and put your hands behind you, this is what happens. as he cuffs you, he takes a needle hidden between his fingers, and pokes you in the finger with it. obviously, most of us would react, physically and vocally. but because the camera on his cruiser won't record something as small as a needle, and up to this point he's been all official and correct, it looks like *you* were the one resisting arrest. he gets to whip out the taser, the baton, his partner gets in on the fun... it can go on and on, until you're dead, even.
i'm a fan of peaceful resistance. but the other side does play dirty, and they don't need an excuse to tase people. they do it whenever they want, including when they just don't like the look of your face.