Apr
30
2005
I was reading this story:
Microsoft gay workers call for action
In it, gay and lesbian workers are apparently incensed by Microsoft’s neutral stance concerning Washington State Legislature’s HB1515, a workplace anti discrimination bill.
The ruckus started when Microsoft declined to actively endorse the bill. At first it was reported in The Stranger that MS had done so in a peer pressure defeat from a local Evangelical Church run by Ken Hutcherson, a nationally known opponent of gay rights.
What made it kind of tricky was that two MS employees had testified in Olympia about the bill:
“….Two gay Microsoft employees, Jean McCarthy, a business development manager, and Gregory S. McCurdy, a senior attorney, testified in the house State Government Operations and Accountability committee in favor of the bill. Asked if they were making their statements as official representatives of the company, McCurdy informed the committee that they were appearing in a personal capacity, but added that “the company has taken a position in support of the bill.”
They apparently overstepped their understanding slightly.
Apr
29
2005
Anyone listening to Air America Radio a few days ago was treated to a pretty tacky commercial.
Here is a transcript:
“A spoiled child is telling us our Social Security isn’t safe anymore, so he’s gonna fix it for us. Well, here’s your answer, you ungrateful whelp: [sound of three shotgun blasts].
“The AAARP, the American Association of Armed Retired People [sound of rifle being cocked]. Just try it, you little bastard.”
Pretty nice huh? It was done sounding like a cantankerous old redneck, giving it a nice bit of stereotyping and helping it be even more tacky.
The Story broke, where else but on the Drudge Report when Matt Drudge reported that the Secret Service was looking into it, due to the implied threat to the president (here).
Now, first of all, I don’t personally think it qualified as being a threat to the president as defined under US Code Title 18, Part I, Chapter 41, � 871–Threats against President and successors to the Presidency
Apr
27
2005
The article below totally illustrates the Hypocrisy of politicians. While it focuses on the Democrats, I think its a common trend on both sides of the Aisle.
That said, the whining of the Democrats in Congress is revolting considering their conduct when they held the Majority.
Apr
26
2005
OK, I just don’t get it.
As you may know here in Washington we had an election around the same time everyone else did last November. Trouble is, that our Governor’s race was too close and was decided by a hand recount under fairly suspicious circumstances, and was finally decided by a very narrow margin. An election contest lawsuit for mistakes and negligence is being raised now, and will actually go to trial next month.
So one of the issues raised by commentators and politicians was the way we here in Washington register to vote and cast our ballots.
Here, you are not required to show proof of citizenship to register to vote, you just need ID. You would think this is sufficient, but we also allow our resident non citizens to get Drivers Licenses. What is really neat, is the motor-voter program. This is a handy way to discourage and combat voter apathy by having people register to vote when they go to the DMV and renew their licenses or register cars. So naturally, the non citizens are asked to register to vote also. But please don’t worry, we have a safe guard in place to prevent non citizens from registering: A nifty little check box that each person must check Asking if you are a citizen of the US and the stern warning that if you say no, you cannot register.
Apr
25
2005
Romantic stories come in all flavors these days. The ordinary guy/girl who wins the heart of the extraordinary woman/man (Notting Hill or Pretty in Pink), the quirky couple who meet, can’t stand each other until they finally find they love each other (When Harry met Sally or You’ve got Mail), the best friends who can’t see their love for each other until moments before the credits run (Some Kind of Wonderful or Pursuit of Happiness), the boy wins the girl after fighting for her (Karate Kid II or Tuff Turf) and even the the world is determined to keep us apart, but we will be together no matter what anyone says story (Say Anything).
Even going farther back in Hollywood’s history these themes are played out ad naseum, and apparently that’s a good thing, because the popularity of the overall genre never seems to fade.
But in a special category is the soul mate/destined to be together movie.
Apr
22
2005
This is an essay I wrote last year, that I decided to update and repost. And spell correct, but that’s another story
***
I am a Harry Potter fan. While I won’t take the time to fully articulate why I like them so much, it is a basic fact that I, who missed the first 3 books completely, have become a complete fan. I have read all 5 books, repeatedly. This may not seem a tough feat, until you account for my children, with whom I have to compete for the novels. I have seen the movies and participated in many discussions, some polite and some heated, about the issues, events and concepts in the Harry Potter books. And of course I have been treated to the endless stream of articles proclaiming this or that truth about the books.
And through all of that, I have always had the nagging feeling that something is missing.
Apr
20
2005
Two conversations recently juxtaposed to make me recall something from long ago.
The first involved a question raised about angels. See, a friend of mine knows someone who claims to see and talk to them on a regular basis. He was wondering what we thought of that idea.
The second was when my 18 year old son told me he was four wheeling earlier this week with some drunk friends and they rolled a truck. Fortunately he wasn’t hurt, he landed on his head.
So while considering the stupidity of my son, it occurred to me that many people would say “oh he must have had a guardian angel watching over him”. I think maybe he did, but I am reasonably sure that the angel is also calling him a dumb ass, like I did.
But in fairness, I have been just as stupid in my life, and the accident reminded me of one I was in when I was 17…
There I was….
Apr
03
2005
The death of John Paul II and Terri Schiavo has a lot of people buzzing.
Bill O’Reilly said “Schiavo then the Pope, back to back, there is a message here. It’s no accident!”
And my favorite local radio show put the question to the listeners: Is this a sign? A message? And the answer was overwhelmingly yes.
So of course, I got to thinking. Yes, dangerous and all that. But seriously, is there a connection? A divine message?
So I looked at the similarities and the overall situation and I admit it is kind of interesting.
The Pope was a champion of the right to life movement. He (the Vatican) openly condemned the Terri Schiavo decision, calling it a “death sentence executed through a cruel method”. They further noted “The circumstances of the death of Ms. Terri Schiavo have rightly disturbed consciences,” Vatican spokesman Joaquin Navarro-Valls said in the first statement from the Holy See on the case. “An existence was interrupted. A death was arbitrarily hastened because nourishing a person can never be considered employing exceptional means.” Concerning the Pope, the Vatican said ” Pope John Paul II was informed of Schiavo’s death, Martino said. The cardinal likened the pope’s frail health, including resorting to a feeding tube, to Schiavo’s case. The “comparison is easy,” Martino said. “Everybody will do all the best to keep him alive, to feed him the way it can be done.”"
