Saintless

KCPW says that Utah’s two largest school districts won’t be letting their teachers off to vote on Election Day specifically because of the educational issues on the ballot.

Is this even legal? If there’s a precedence of teachers taking time off to vote on Election Day, can they stop them this time? I’m floored that they’d try this. Seems to me that there’s a whole can of worms they’ve opened.

Tags: Election Day, vouchers

If they’re not after our dogs or our toddlers, they’re after our holidays.

Although the product is now being recalled, there are currently 43,000 sets of “Ugly Teeth” that have been sold here in the US with 100 times the “allowed” level of lead. Yeah, something we put directly in our mouths.

To make it worse, Nancy Nord, the head of the Consumer Product Safety Commission, is being accused of failing to see the gravity of the situation, and opposing Democratic efforts to give her agency more money and more authority.

What would drive Ms. Nord to reject power and money? It certainly can’t be the “good of the people” that her agency should be seeing to.

I’m ready to commit to not buying anything from China at all. I hear that’s rather difficult, but I think it might be worth it. More on that later, as I decide whether I’m up to a firm commitment on this one.

[Update:] J.M. Bell answers the title question, with a look at the economics.

Tags: China, Consumer Product Safety Commission, lead, recalled products

Sit down, this may be shocking news.

Detroit has been lying about what they can do to increase gas mileage.

Yep, they have. Even to their own engineers, apparently.

An amateur mechanic named Jonathan Goodwin has proven that it’s possible to get far higher MPG along with far higher HP in just about any vehicle. He can turn a Hummer into a hybrid that gets better gas mileage and better horsepower.

And yet, any notion of Detroit or government interference with this type of technology is considered to be nothing more than conspiracy theory. I bet this gets ignored just like past proofs of these happenings.

I wonder how much he’d charge to convert a Jeep to a hybrid?

(h/t Kos of DailyKos)

Tags: conspiracy, hybrid, Jonathan Goodwin

I have to admit, when I read about Pastor McClurkin going on tour with Barack, and the scandal that has followed, I was not very happy. My first instinct was that they’re Americans, too. And Bush excludes anyone who doesn’t agree with him, so maybe this isn’t so bad. It’s obvious that McClurkin’s views are the polar opposite of Barack’s. But, I was not looking forward to being asked about this, because it just wasn’t a good thing, no matter how you look at it.

I am very sick, and have been for a couple of days. So, I am not totally up on all the details on this one, but I did run across one thing that really changed how I’m looking at this. Young Montana Voter wrote a diary on Daily Kos entitled “The Obama campaign’s response to my nasty email”.

To get the full picture, you probably need to read the whole thing, but here are some highlights. This guy (or girl, but I don’t know) apparently got pretty pissed about the issue, and sent off a nasty-gram to the Obama campaign about the McClurkin incident. He received a reply that started off this way:

Thank you for sharing your strong objections to past statements of one of the performers on the recent South Carolina gospel tour. I appreciate the opportunity to address your concerns directly because I strongly disagree with Pastor McClurkin’s deeply hurtful and offensive statements about sexual orientation.

So far, so good. I like that he says up front that he disagrees with McClurkin. He goes on in the letter to talk about his history of supporting LGBT rights, and then brought up Reverend Andy Sidden’s presence.

To honor my commitment to promoting tolerance on the gospel tour, I asked Rev. Andy Sidden, an openly gay South Carolina pastor, to open the tour and offer a prayer. I’m glad he joined us, because we have to speak to people we disagree with in order to confront issues that are important to gay and black communities, like the HIV/AIDS epidemic. I have spoken directly to African-American religious leaders about the need to overcome the homophobia that persists in some parts of the Black community, and I will continue to be outspoken on this issue.

I have to admit, this was the part that totally changed my view of the situation. Here’s a bit of my inner dialogue:

Me: Ok, Self, this whole issue is just not good. He’s basically endorsing McClurkin’s horrible viewpoint.
Self: Well, Me – even if they’re wrong, aren’t they still part of America?
Me: Well, yes – but Bush is technically part of America, and it doesn’t look like he’s going to be exiled anytime soon.
Self: Right, but Bush isn’t willing to be part of Obama’s campaign now, is he?
Me: Well, no…
Self: So, Barack says that we have to talk to the other side to resolve anything. Isn’t that why you’re supporting him in the first place? Because he doesn’t discount those who disagree, and because of his ability to bring everyone to the same table?
Me: Ok, I’m sold.

Then Barack’s letter goes on to mention a conversation with Joe Solmonese, President of the Human Rights Campaign, and quotes a statement from him:

I did thank [Senator Obama]…. for his willingness to call on religious leaders to open a dialogue about homophobia. We hope that Sen. Obama will move forward and facilitate face-to-face meetings with religious leaders, like Rev. McClurkin, and the GLBT community to confront the issue of homophobia.

We also call on all of the presidential campaigns to look within their ranks of supporters and make the same commitment to engage in a dialogue among differing views around issues of equality and fairness for our community.

Wow, so Solmonese is essentially endorsing Obama’s actions? That’s got to mean something. I know that Solmonese said he’d prefer that Obama drop McClurkin, but he’s also praising him for engaging other viewpoints on this topic.

Barack also attaches an open letter from LGBT and religious leaders and ends his own letter with this:

I’ve said before that America’s diversity is its greatest strength. In order to confront the challenges of our day, we must be able to get past the divisions which have upheld our progress in the past. I am committed to building those bridges to a better future.

Read this letter, and let every word sink in:

October 24, 2007

To Whom It May Concern:

As representatives of Barack Obama supporters from the African American religious community and the gay community, we are issuing a statement together for the first time. Our letter addresses the recent issue of Pastor Donnie McClurkin singing at Senator Obama’s “Embrace the Change” concert series. In the midst of division, we hope and believe that this is a moment to bring together communities that have been divided for far too long.

A few things are clear.

First, Pastor McClurkin believes and has stated things about sexual orientation that are deeply hurtful and offensive to many Americans, most especially to gay Americans. This cannot and should not be denied.

At the same time, a great many African Americans share Pastor McClurkin’s beliefs. This also cannot be ignored.

Finally, we believe that the only way for these two sides to find common ground is to do so together.

Not at arms length. Not in a war of words with press and pundits. Only together.

It is clear that Barack Obama is the only candidate who has made bringing these two often disparate groups together a goal. In gatherings of LGBT Americans and African Americans of faith, Obama has stated that all individuals should be afforded full civil rights regardless of their sexual orientation, and that homophobia must be eradicated in every corner of our nation. If we are to end homophobia and secure full civil rights for gay Americans, then we need an advocate within the Black community like Barack Obama.

At the same time, while Obama has said that he “strongly disagrees” with Pastor McClurkin’s comments, he will not exclude from his campaign the many Americans including many in the African American community who believe the same as Pastor McClurkin.

We believe that Barack Obama is constructing a tent big enough for LGBT Americans who know that their sexual orientation is an innate and treasured part of their being, and for African American ministers and citizens who believe that their religion prevents them from fully embracing their gay brothers and sisters. And if we are to confront our shared challenges we have to join together, build on common ground, and engage in a civil dialogue even when we disagree.

We also ask Senator Obama’s critics to consider the alternatives. Would we prefer a candidate who ignores the realities in the African American community and cuts off millions of Blacks who believe things offensive to many Americans? Or a panderer who tells African Americans what they want to hear, at the expense of our gay brothers and sisters? Or would we rather stand with Barack Obama, who speaks truth in love to both sides, pulling no punches but foreclosing no opportunities to engage?

We stand with Senator Obama. We stand with him because of the solutions he is proposing for our nation. We stand with him because of his character and his judgment. But the most important reason we stand with him is because today, as he has done all along, Barack Obama is causing us to stand together.

That’s the kind of President we need, and we are proud to support him.

Sincerely,

Rev. Dr. Otis Moss, Jr.
Olivet Institutional Baptist Church
Chair, Obama National African American Religious Leaders Working Group
Cleveland, Ohio

Stampp Corbin
Chair, Obama National LGBT Lea
dership Council
Former Member of Human Rights Campaign Board of Directors
Columbus, Ohio

Tobias Barrington Wolff
Chair, Obama LGBT Policy Committee
Professor of Law, University of Pennsylvania Law School
Philadelphia, PA

The Reverend Stephen John Thurston
President
National Baptist Convention of America
Chicago, IL

The Reverend Alvin Love
President
Baptist General State Convention of Illinois, Inc.

Bishop E. Earl McCloud, Jr.
Office of Ecumenical & Urban Affairs
African Methodist Episcopal Church
Atlanta, GA

Steven Latasa-Nicks
President, The Phelon Group, Inc.
Former Human Rights Campaign Board of Governors
New York, NY

Maxim Thorne
Former COO, Human Rights Campaign
Paterson, NJ

Phil Burgess
Former Human Rights Campaign Board of Directors
Chicago, IL

Rev. Dr. Barbara Williams-Skinner
Skinner Leadership Institute
Tracy’s Landing, MD

Rev. Michael Pfleger
St. Sabina, Chicago

Rev. Edward Taylor
San Jose, CA

The Reverend Robert H. Thompson
Exeter, NH

Sharon Malheiro
LGBT Activist
Des Moines, IA

Hon. Jon Cooper
Majority Leader, Suffolk County (NY) Legislature

Rev. Paul Hobson Sadler, Sr., Pastor
Mt. Zion Congregational UCC

Tags: homophobia, LGBT, Pastor Donnie McClurkin, Reverend Andy Sidden

I found this on MAKE today, and I love it!

Inhabitat has a great write on artist Edina Tokodi’s “green graffiti” Abigail writes -

Eco-minded street artist Edina Tokodi is putting a new spin on green guerilla tactics in the trendy art enclave of Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Tokodi’s site-specific moss installations of prancing animal figures and camouflage outgrowths are the talk of a local urban neighborhood typically accustomed to gallery hype and commercial real estate take-overs. Unlike the market-driven art featured in sterile, white box galleries, the work of Tokodi is meant to be touched, felt, and in turn touch you in the playful ways that her animated installations call to mind a more familiar, environmentally friendly state in the barren patches of urban existence.

The Moss Graffiti also mentioned in the article rocks, and might solve an issue I’m having in my garden, at least until I can dig up half of the yard to fix it.

Tags: green graffiti, MAKE

Is Chris Cannon wanting to work against insurance companies, or what exactly is he saying here?

Because according to Open Secrets, they were his 4th largest contributor in the last election.

I wonder if my comment will be approved?

So, you are working to make insurance companies irrelevant?
http://www.opensecrets.org/politicians/indus.asp?cycle=2006&CID=N00006349

That might even get me to vote for you.

(h/t Marshall)

Tags: Representative Chris Cannon

What’s that? You don’t know what a Chumby is?

The chumby is a compact device that displays useful and entertaining information from the web. Always on, it shows — nonstop — what’s online that matters to you.

I like to call it a snuggly beanbag computer.

(I chose the black one)

Many moons ago, I found out about Chumby through Make, Boing Boing or maybe even Engadget. And today I got an email that I’m “special” and can order one. They’re not publicly available yet, so you have to wait for yours.

They look like a lot of fun, and for $179.95 (free shipping) I plan on doing a lot of fun things with it. I might even write a widget for it, or something. I’ll leave the hardware hacking to my boyfriend, though.

Tags: Chumby

In honor of Hallowe’en, we have How to Dance Gothic:

You went out to your local goth club in your black velvet frock coat, your hair teased up bigger and rattier than Edward Scissorhands’, and lace dripping from your wrists and throat. You looked fabulous. But as soon as you got on the dance floor, everyone started laughing — eventually, they had to toss you out of the club for being “deleterious to the proper level of angst.”

You need to learn to dance gothic.

It’s not that hard; just learn these simple moves and soon you can blend in with all the other spooky individuals on the dance floor at your local batcave. After all, for such an individualistic crowd, it’s kind of surprising how goths all seem to use the same moves. Maybe it’s something encoded in the Goth Genes™ rather than just lack of originality…

All difficulties and Goth Ratings are on a scale of one (pathetically easy or ridiculously non-gothic) to five (tragically difficult or stylishly über-gothic).

Seriously, these moves are amazing, as is the imagery.

Once you’re done with that, you can find out How to Dance Mosh Punk:

It looks easy, eh? You throw yourself around inna pit fulla other punks.

There’s some points to consider here.

A mosh pit isn’t about violence, it isn’t about getting hurt or hurting other people. It’s about slamming around and having fun without actually breaking bones or skin too much. It may sound wussy to talk about ’safe mosh’, but when Bruno the seven-foot spike-covered three-hundred-pound wannabe smashes you, you’ll think about it. Even if the person you’re planning on smacking around isn’t huge, he or she may have friends. A friend of mine tells about a time, back at a goth/punk/industrial club he used to frequent:

This trio of Dockers-wearing preps and yuppies came in from the chic restaurant nearby. They quickly jumped into the pit, oblivious to the stares and glares they were attracting, and proceeded to flail their arms (and fists) around and generally act like stupid mundane gits who thought moshing meant “I get to hit people and they have to take it.” Within five minutes, a few of the regulars who all scored high on size, attitude, or both showed them what happened to people who tried that kind of thing. They left with bruises, and the rest of the club got back to real moshing instead of idiocy.

Don’t be the idiot. If you want a fight, start a freekin’ fight, but don’t mess up people’s dancing for it.

If you don’t want to take the time to master both types of dancing, you can take a quiz to find out which category you belong in, before heading back to the main page where you can find everything you ever wanted to know about becoming goth or punk, including fashion tips.

Tags: fashion advice, goth, Halloween, punk

I’m joining yet another Obama committee. This time it’s the Grassroots Finance Committee, and I was invited to join. I did, and I’ve committed to raise $1,000 by the end of the year. I’ve never been good at asking people for money, no matter how important it is. But, here’s an attempt.

I think America needs a president like Barack Obama in order to heal the wounds this nation has had inflicted during the past 6 years. We need a uniter, and not a divider. We need someone who shows wisdom and diplomacy regarding issues like Iraq. We need someone who will be able to prevent Iran from creating nuclear weapons, but believes won’t have the knee-jerk reaction of going to war. We need someone who believes in America, and is willing to lead all Americans in changing the status quo.

And I believe that Barack is the only Democrat who no Republican can stand a chance against in the General election. Right now, while we’re still in primary season, is the time when you can make the most difference.

So, if I’ve convinced you to donate to Obama for America, go do it now. If I haven’t, tell me why in the comments (so I can get better at talking you into it next time).

Tags: fundraising, Grassroots Finance Committee

I ran across a diary posted to Daily Kos today about SCHIP, where it talks about the “GOP war against children“.

I posted this comment:

GOP War Against Children?
Ummm, I totally agree with SCHIP, and I think Bush is an ass for vetoing it. Every Republican that voted against it joins Bush in being asses. But I REALLY hate the phrase “war against children”, it’s right up there with the “war on Christmas”. Using that phrase plays right into their hands. Now it’s not an issue of children’s health care, it’s politics. And that phrase is what Faux News would have called it, if the tables were turned.

If Democrats in general choose to play politics in this manner, they’re no better than the Republicans. We have to be the party that’s right, not the party that manages to demonize the other, or we’ll accomplish nothing, and we won’t remain in the majority for long.

Here are the two replies I received:

Baloney–it IS war, stop sugar coating everything
Like it or not, no matter how they cry and scream and howl, the Republicans have declared war on anyone and everyone they’ve declared to be irrelevant to society (which pretty much means everyone but themselves and the deep pockets that are funding them).

Sorry, lying down on the floor acting like a doormat while the Republicans kick our asses isn’t going to cut it for those impressionable votes that we’re after.

Unfortunately
the GOP understands only the language of attacks, character assassination, smear, fear and demonization.
Though I agree we should never stoop to their lowly loser level, we do have to be tough, relentless and unforgiving where the GOP, its ideologies and policies are concerned.

I’m just dumbfounded that these same people who, a year ago, were crying in their beer that the Republicans were playing dirty politics think it’s ok to turn around and do the same thing. I have to say, not all Democrats are doing this, but those that are just piss me off. And beyond that, they won’t accomplish a damn thing with it. In fact, they’ll probably hinder the efforts of the rest of us. No wonder people get burnt out about politics. This is why it took me about 10 years of being an adult to get involved.

And while I’m ranting, this is exactly why I don’t trust Hillary in the White House. To me, she feels like one of “those” sorts of Democrats, and I want someone in there that I can trust to take the high road, and be about more than winning.

Tags: SCHIP, stupid games