06.27.08
Posted in People, Personal, Politics at 9:47 am by qkslvrwolf
You would think, with 27 amendments, 7 sections + a preamble, and god knows how many clauses, that conservatives could find another part of the constitution that they give a shit about besides the 2nd amendment.
In a conversation I had yesterday, I pointed out to the guys in my office that the supreme court struck down DC’s gun law, that the argument that they made was reasonable, even if I don’t agree with it, and look! lots of liberals are saying the same thing…ergo trying to convince them that they won the whole gun battle, we don’t much care anymore (we have bigger fish to fry), so can they please stop not voting for democrats solely because “they wanna take our guns.”
Seriously, What. The. Fuck.
This turned into a major argument, where I had to repeat over and over again that I had no interest in gun control laws because they don’t work, but that I personally believe that the 2nd amendment only protects the right to form (and arm) well-regulated militias. But I’m not interested in taking away guns, because the cats out of the bag.
And all they can hear is “you want to take our guns! most important supreme court decision ever! you can’t pick and choose from the constitution!”
You can’t pick and choose from the constitution.
From the same people who are ok with getting rid of habeas corpus. From the same people who are ok with dropping with protections from unreasonable search and seizure. From the same folks who don’t understand that the judiciary’s constitutional job is to block the will of the people, expressed through the legislature, and prevent the majority from trampling on the constitution. From the same people who believe in the “unitary executive”. From the same folks who think that all of a sudden, the president has the right to make the budget and to make treaties and declare war.
These same people are telling me that I can’t pick and choose from the constitution because I think their argument that the constitution protects their individual right to bear arms is, while valid, not correct, that I, not they, cannot pick and choose from the constitution.
I am so mad I could spit.
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06.25.08
Posted in LINKSPAM, Link Spam, Politics at 4:39 pm by qkslvrwolf
Seriously.
Go. Read. It’s a long read, but it’s essential.
He lays out very clearly (though not terribly concisely) why this FISA fight is such a big deal.
This speech ought to be in front of every American. And every goddamn sell-out in congress, including Barack Obama, needs to hear it. In it’s entirety.
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06.20.08
Posted in LINKSPAM, Personal at 11:12 am by qkslvrwolf
This is SO me.
Every bit of it.
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06.18.08
Posted in Personal at 1:19 pm by qkslvrwolf
So, I’m in the process of moving, and you know what I’ve discovered?
Old phone books are like super concentrated moving paper repositories. I’ve been able to get about 3-4 boxes out of one phonebook!
I got the idea from this lovely little prank, and it works great.
And now, at last, I have a reason to keep phone books.
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06.17.08
Posted in General at 3:59 pm by qkslvrwolf
I just got back from a lovely visit to my sister in San Antonio.
It was a good trip. I got to meet some of her friends, see her house (which is very nice, I like it), and do a little sight-seeing.
But I will tell you this; the missions in san antonio pissed me off.
The funding and the parks are a joint project of the National Park Service and the Arch-diocese of San Antonio. And apparently, the National Park service ceded nearly all decision making authority about the content of the informational signs to the catholic church.
Churches, and evangelical churches in particular (I count catholics as evangelical), are particularly bad about ever admitting any fault. So, since they cannot admit the fact that they were culpable in committing atrocities, we are treated to several hours worth of putrid crap about how “the missionaries helped the Indians learn modern technology, and gave them faith and hope” and blah, Blah, BLAH.
Except for one video which is completely removed from the actual mission grounds, there are no mentions that maybe the indians weren’t that interested in converting. There’s no mention of the roving bands of soldiers and priests capturing indians and bringing them to the missions by force, because they were killing indians so fast that death rates exceeded birth rates. No mention on the grounds themselves of the indians slipping out to worship their actual gods. No mention of the escapes that sometimes caused priests and soldiers to chase indians for hundreds of miles to bring them back to the missions by force.
No, all of that is glossed over. Only the happy stuff makes it on the informational signs.
It made me sick.
Other than that, though, from a purely historical standpoint, the missions were really cool. It’s worth the walk if you’re ever in San Antone. Just don’t read the signs if you’ve had anything to eat…you’re likely to puke it all back up.
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