Vergüenza.

Abstinence Surge!

Study: Abstinence classes don't stop sex. Duh.

Teenagers who have taken abstinence classes have the same number of sexual partners as the control group.

My question: who is talking to these kids about latex? What is the government doing to stop the spread of AIDS or prevent unwanted pregnancies, since their little abstinence classes are not actually effective?

We already know what the conservatives are going to say: more abstinence classes. We need to surge the abstinence classes, fight 'em on their turf, so we're not fighting them on our own.... wait, what?

Because Plan B is not an abortion!

The State of Washington Board of Pharmacy voted today that pharmacists cannot refuse to fill Plan B scripts. Well, yes they can, they can refer you to a coworker. But they cannot prevent you from getting your script.

Down in the seventh paragraph of the Times article, it says that Plan B "... has no effect on women who are already pregnant." Do you know what that means? It means that PLAN B IS NOT AN ABORTION.

It is emergency contraception that prevents ovulation. You take it the day after unprotected sex to make sure your ovum doesn't make its debut in a sperm-rich environment.

So let's all stop perpetuating the lie that Plan B is a chemical abortion, shall we? Thanks.

Yep, the gov't in Olympia is making policy about women's reproductive health. Also in the news, the Iraqi parliament and a bridge across the Tigris were both hit by suicide bombers. Also, the White House is pretending they didn't have incriminating emails deleted, the idiots, because they are either too stupid to keep policy and politics separate, or they thought they could get away with it.

Lots of important news, children. Do we care? No, we're distracted by Imus.

Oh, by the way, gas is $3.20 a gallon now.

What Did I Just Tell You?

My friend S called, her in-laws are visiting from France, so I have to dust off my sparkling French conversation. Je sais que ça va être dificile d'abord, mais ça fait rien. Je sais bien que je fait des betises quand je parle, et ça va jamais changer. Je suis étranger, quand même comment est-ce que vous croyez que je dois parlez, alors?
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An epistle to my non-brown friends:

How many times have I had this conversation before? A lot.

I don't really want to talk about Don Imus, because he is trash. He has a First Amendment right to be trash on the radio, to lose popularity, to alienate his sponsors, and lose his job. The First Amendment is a describes a right, not a safety net.

So now the media monkeys are screaming all over the place, talking about double standards, why Black people (i.e., rappers) are allowed to call black women "nappy headed hos" but white men are called racist when they do. Poor, rich white Imus, a victim of discrimination.

Bullshit. Nobody in any community calls the Rutgers Womens Basketball team "nappy-headed hos." They are neither nappy headed, nor hos. They all seem to have made hair choices that are not nappy; there is nothing to suggest that a single one of them are hos. Find me one person who has referred to them as "nappy headed hos" before Imus, and I will stand corrected. Well? No? That's what I thought.

Rappers tend to use degrading language because their music tends to be about (some would say glorify) a certain lifestyle in which calling someone a 'nappy headed ho' makes sense (however degrading). Was Don Imus rapping?

But JP, why should Snoop get to say words that Imus can't say?

Because it's not about words. It's about racism and misogyny. When Snoop is talking about someone being 'nappy headed,' no one suspects him of being racist.

So why can't us white people say these words without being suspected of being racist?

Because you don't have the credibility.

I get away with talking about cultural and ethnic differences all the time; yes, all the time, and sometimes I say things that my white friends would not dare to say for fear of being labeled racist. I get away with it because I tend to talk about cultural and ethnic differences with affection. There is no danger in anybody's mind that I will use the differences I notice to oppress somebody or discriminate against them. Zero.

White people, not so much. First, white people, especially white Americans, when describing cultural and ethnic differences, tend to sound like they're criticizing. You tend to make differences sound negative. I have yet to anyone make the argument that Imus was referring to 'nappy headdedness' as an endearing quality. Second, it doesn't take any stretch of the imagination to assume that white people will discriminate or oppress.

Is it fair? Probably not. So either you can just live with it, with this curse of perpetually being a potential oppressor... or you can work to gain credibility; that is, learn about brown people, listen to us, be comfortable around us, help us. Be one of us. Don't worry, in our club, you get to keep your heritage.

What about when Snoop calls them 'hos', how is that less misogynistic than when Imus says it?

It's not. It's always misogynistic to call a woman a ho.

Is it misogynistic to call a prostitute a ho?

What did I just tell you?

By the way, Snoop wants you to stop comparing him to Imus.

Viral Video

I got a link to this video via email, and I just find it charming.

First of all, because in high school, I was a big George Michael fan, and that song came out right around when I graduated from Tumwater High School, home of the mighty Thunderbirds.

Second, because I think republican big wigs tripped all over their evil plans, and I'm feeling pretty smug.

And the final reason I find this video charming is because I have rhythm, and the editing is timed perfectly with the music. It's a big deal to me.
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So last week's episode of Battlestar Galactica was about biological weapons, genocide, torture, and what it is to be human.

I've been reading a fan based website, where the consensus was "kill 'em all!" I politely disagree, and I know it's science fiction, but I'm a little startled to see how easily some of the commenters are ready to accept biological weapons and potential genocide. Yikes.

I thought I was the only one, but the recapper at Television Without Pity expressed it better; being human is a choice.

The House is not a courtroom!

So now, Dems have got the House and Senate. We've already heard Republicans hysterically crying "Don't turn the House into a courtroom!" and chastise the Democrats for their vulgarity in the halls of government.

Well, that's one way to look at it. I choose to look at is as the system of checks and balances that protect us from tyranny, as described in the Constitution of the United States of America.

And what do we say about "Don't turn the House into a courtroom!"? That, my friends, is called "Resorting to Manners," and it means that they have no arguement left.

Does Bush deserve to be impeached? I think so. For taking us to war, sending young people to their deaths on the pretenses of links to Al Qaeda, WMDs, liberating the oppressed, bringing democracy and stability to the Middle East. Bullshit, bullshit, bullshit, bullshit, and bullshit. It seems to me that he either a) lied to the American people, or b) is grossly incompetent; either way, he's impeachable. But I'm no expert.

But then, as my sister points out, Cheney would be president.

今天晚上我不上课。

Democratic House. Rummy steps down. Dems clinch Senate. First woman speaker; also first Italian American. First Muslim in Congress.

And finally, Bushy shows his ass. 'Measuring for drapes' is clever beltway-speak for when someone takes office and is itchin' to get to work. But Georgey, to us Blue state hicks outside the beltway, "Drapegate" makes you sound like a sexist pig, because a woman obviously is going to care more about interior decorating thas.... say, you pissing all over habeas corpus.... or maybe those bullshit wars that you started without an exit strategy....

See, now I'm getting all worked up, distracting myself writing about Bush's incompetence. The reason I started this post in the first place was to say that I'm skipping Mandarin class tonight to catch up with some grading.

Sigh. Anyway, this day has just been too eventful. I roamed the hallways today, whispering to teachers that had been in class the news about the Rummy. It was delicious.

Adiosito, don Donny

So the glorious liberation of Afganistan and Iraq (and the pretend war on Al Qaeda) is now without it's architect. As a blue blogger, it's kind of my duty to find an unflattering picture and mock the bastard mercilessly. I am absolutely not above doing that, but everyone else has beaten me to it.

But I don't want to cut into my naptime, so I will have a bowl of chili and just ask the reader a couple of questions...

1) Do you think it was Rummy's idea to resign? Do you think it's because he, personally did not want to spend a single day as SOD once the Dems had taken back the legislative branch (fingers crossed for the Senate)? Apparently he has offered his resignation twice before... Do you think it was his idea this time, or the Decider's?

2) Secretary of Defense... isn't the term archaic now, that we're using the military for pre-emptive strikes and regime change?

I will say this about Rummy and his friends; there is a lot of blood on his hands, and he is leaving the next guy a freaking quagmire.

Time now for a bowl of chili. Democratic chili. Anti-war chili, with onions and cheese.

Election Night Update

So the Blues have taken the House; if they take the Senate, too, I might go out into the street and start breaking stuff. w00t!

In other news, check out the "my photos" link under my profile. Over there, on the right. See it? Right under 我很有意思。 I created it using Picassa Web Albums. I just discovered it on Picassa one day. Free, easy, awesome; I love Google.

Maybe now I'll eat a fruit cup. Or some yogurt. Or a bowl of oatmeal. I bought the special "weight control" and "good for your heart" oatmeal, because it has 4 grams of soluble fiber, rather than the normal 1 gram in the regular oatmeals. Mmmm, soluble fiber...

And Faith Hill... oh, Faithy, you gotta be more gracious than that.

I am exhausted

So I made it through the week. The retreats, the mandarin class, the grading, the grades, the meetings, the verification sheets, the gnocchi party, and the workshop. I'm exhausted.

Tomorrow I have to direct music at two masses. Monday is a day off work, but I meet with a student and then have more meetings. Next weekend, I wasn't supposed to have to go on the retreat, but J is double booked, so I have to go cover for her on Sunday.

What do I really want to do? I really would rather just study mandarin, watch Battlestar Galactica, and have a clean house. It's starting to get chilly, so I have to get my fireplace fixed. I've been ignoring the oral surgeon and the sleep study people.

There's a big jazz concert at Immaculate today, and a social studies teacher is having a party. I might just skip both and curl up on my couch.

One political thing and then I'll publish. North Korea says that the US is their enemy. Now they pretend to have a bomb and people are blaming who? South Korea's sunshine policy , of course. I heard on tv the other day that the North Koreans ACTUALLY consider the Americans more enemy than the South Koreans. Oh really? Haven't the North Koreans been saying exactly that? Anyway, stop blaming the South Korean sunshine policy.

life? art?

Millitary occupation. Puppet government. Insurgency. Suicide bombers. New police forces trained by the Occupation. Abuse and torture of detainees. Curfews. Brutal crackdowns.

I'm talking about Battlestar Galactica, of course. But they might as well call it Bagdad in space.

I'm not sure how long it will be until the humans are on the run again, but the portrayal of the desperation of an occupied people seems like courageous tv right now. But then again, Republicans are not watching this show.

Reminds me of V, remember, from 1983? They changed Nazis into space lizards and had them attack LA. Ah, good times. Btw, it looks like there is a miniseries in the works.

Why I resent Maria Cantwell

Don't worry, I'm not voting for Mike!.

But I do resent Maria Cantwell because in the fall of 2003, I emailed her and called her office, asking her not to give away the Congress' constitutional power to declare war. She emailed me a long lecture about how Saddam Hussein was dangerous, and then ultimately voted to let Georgie decide.

Dude, if Saddam Hussein is so dangerous, then Congress itself should declare war! Don't leave it up to W the Fratboy!

So that's why I resent her.

Faculty Book Club Night

I just gave midterms in two classes today, so I have a stack of those to grade, as well as the creative writing stack from a while ago. There's an overnight retreat this weekend, and my choir workshop is next weekend, so I have to notate a bunch of stuff so that copies can be made, etc.

After school we made a bunch of candles; we got off around five. I came home, turned right around to go to book club. I stopped for secret chicken along the way.

The food was delicious; a pumpkin soup, a hot artichoke dip, an amazing salad with blue cheese, diced apples and nuts, and secret chicken. There was also brounie bites, baklava, and plenty of vino.

The conversation was sparkling as always; we talked about faculty karaoke possibilities, this blog, Italian class (A has discovered a new place to take classes) etcetera, etcetera.

We picked out our next book and meeting night, and then I excused myself. I am feeling the first tickles of the cold that's been going around. And I'm exhausted.

So when I got home, I took some Airborne (please don't tell me it's a placebo, I'm happy to settle for the placebo effect) and then irrigated my sinuses (i.e., I snorted a couple of handfulls of warm salt water.

No classes tomorrow... but I do have to get up early for Faculty Retreat. For once my department is not planning it. Last year a guy sang a touching song about a coyote he saw one night while driving home. I know it will be nothing like that tomorrow. I don't know much more than that, except that I ordered the steak salad for lunch.

Update: Two things before dozing off....

I'm tired of hearing how Democrats are weak on security. Just because we want to preserve civil liberties and did not want to start a land war in Asia doesn't make us weak on security. The Republicans, however, are quantifiably weak on FREEDOM. And, well, morality.

Also, Janey, you are the light of the world, you are the image of God, you are the Holiest of Holies. You deserve love and respect in your life. Don't settle for less. Go on, girl!

Thursday thoughts.

So I guess Soul Assylum had a free concert down at Pike Place today to celebrate the Market's 99th year.

Can we all pronounce together? PIKE. (no S!) Place. Market. PIKE. There is no "S" in Pike.

Stop saying "pike's." Thanks.
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So I heard today on NPR a soundbite of a Chinese diplomat saying "Why blame China? Forget it! It's high time you learn to just SHUT UP." Why did our friend say this? Because the Bush Administration was criticizing China for building up it's navy.

Maybe I'm remembering the details wrong, but I have to agree with the Chinese diplomat. Who the hell is America, telling people not to build their own military? Really, the stupidity (not to mention the hypocrisy) of the argument doesn't merit a diplomatic answer. American foreign policy is too stupid to take seriously.
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A commenter on my other blog, 我很有意思! wrote in to let me know that I needed to stop using the word 日, which is used in the word "journal" and "Japan," but in some contexts, means the F-word. Oops. I've gone through and corrected my previous entries with the correct hanzi, "热,"which I should have used in the first place. I mean, 日isn't even the right pinyin! chuh!
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I got a haircut today. I was working on a bushy, floppy mop. When I sat in the chair, I told the lady, I want a DIFFERENT haircut. I'm tired of the standard short on the sides and back, lay down flat in the front with a part on the left side that I always get. The Standard Asian Haircut.

Make me look like a Japanese cartoon superhero, I said! Or even make me look like a coconut, it doesn't matter, just not the same as before.

At the end, when I put on my glasses, I had the Standard Asian Haircut, short on the sides and back, lay down flat in the front, part on the left side. I looked like my grandfather's portrait. Again.

Oh well, better luck next time. The good news is that I filled up my punch card. The next Standard Asian Haircut is free!
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Hey, everyone, warantless wiretaps are illegal! Who knew! Actually, I knew. These people swore an oath.... to protect US sovereignty at whatever the cost? No, actually, their oath was to uphold the U.S. Constitution.

Sorry, kids, the U.S. Constitution is what MAKES. US. AMERICAN. You would distroy our way of life in order to save it. Do you think we're gonna hear an apology from the people who wanted to curtail our rights in the name of security? Nah, they'll probably just accuse the activist judges of being soft on security, and then win another election.



I don't know what's going to become of Lt. Watada and his refusal to fight an illegal war. They want to get him for conduct unbecoming an officer... saying mean things about his superiors. What I wonder is if there even exists a way for a man who honestly believes that the war is illegal to object to it. What would they have wanted him to do? Yes, fight, but if he objects? What was he supposed to have done? He asked for a discharge, they said no.

They'll probably send him to jail for longer than his deployment would have been. They'll put him away. But seriously, conduct unbecoming an officer? Maybe if he pooped on someone's chest on tv or something, but all he did was say that he would disobey an order he considered illegal and immoral. Isn't that what an officer is supposed to do?
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