Two things

First, Dan told me that the other night he heard me mutter "Sweet!" in my sleep. I really wish I could remember the dream

Second, those of you who were at Movie Night the week before last might remember me talking all this philosophical to Yagathai. That was in response to a question he'd asked me weeks before, which boiled down to this: Should an elected official deceive his/her constituency into supporting a policy that benefits the national interest? It was a tough question, so I took some time to think it over, and now I'm ready to share my answer with the world (or at least the tiny sliver of it that reads this blog). Here goes.

The question put me in mind of a debate in a college political science course over whether democratically elected officials are representatives or trustees of power. At the time I was certain they were the former, simply enacting what they believed the voters would want. Nowadays I tend towards the latter, wanting officials who can responsibly exercise power in our behalf but not necessarily according to our preferences. Of course a good politician (if such exists) would have a bit of both. Anyway that was the framework into which I placed Yagathai's question, and after some consideration I'm finally going to answer the question I promised to answer in the last paragraph. Just to piss off grammar Nazis, I'm going to start a new paragraph.

I think there can be circumstances in which an official could justifiably deceive the electorate into going along with something he/she truly believes serves the public weal. Voters aren't a remarkably analytical bunch, responding better to slogans than sound arguments, and that's a fact no realistic office-holder can (or should) ignore. However, much depends on the policy in question. If we're talking about setting fuel standards or regulating greenhouse gases, deception can be OK; if we're talking about war (the current Iraq fiasco was the back-drop for Yagathai's question), only the truth will serve. The former policies will at worst waste some government money; the latter waste lives. Since a life is the most anyone has to give, no one should be sent to his/her death based on a lie. Yeah, yeah, I know that lies and war are often found in the same company, but that wasn't what I was asked.

Walkin' in the Rain

I did eight miles Saturday in the rain, and it was fun. Foot-hurty, mayhaps, but refreshing. I went up along the Schuykill Banks and then up Kelly Drive. There were a few other walkers out there, but not many. There's one thing to be said for constant rain: It keeps the footpath clear.

Ever notice that after you get rained on you don't feel/smell any cleaner? You just feel/smell rained on? Maybe pre-pollution rain made you feel/smell better, but today's rain just makes me want a shower.

Has anyone read Poul Anderson's Brain Wave? Great premise, but IMO a lousy storytelling. I won't reveal any of the plot, but I'm curious to know what others think.

Love it so much!

On a lark, I bought the first season of "Bewitched" on DVD last night, and I'm having a grand old time watching it.

Before you say it, yes, I know that's really, really gay. I accept this.

Anyway, Elizabeth Montgomery is adorable. If I were straight, she would totally be my fantasy not-wife. Oh, the guest stars! Agnes Moorehead in gauzy garments of lavender and pale green! Maurice Evans in a snazzy tux! Paul Lynde as the jokester bachelor uncle! And, of course, Montgomery herself in a duel role as Cousin Serina, the hippest witch in Morning Glory Circle. To think I questioned this purchase!

You don't get a vote

Does this whole "Is Pluto a planet?" kerfuffle strike anyone as harmful? I'm not talking about the honest scientific debate; I'm talking about public outcry over the prospect of stripping Pluto of its status as the 10th planet in the solar system. I was reading about teachers getting children to write letters in support of keeping Pluto a planet, and I couldn't help but think that this approach to scientific debate is harmful.

I realize that many Americans (myself included) grew up learning in school that the solar system had nine planets, and we carefully memorized their names. So what? At one time people believed that the world was flat, but when it became obvious it wasn't, they got over it. Scientists have certain standards a heavenly body must meet to be classified as a planet, and Pluto didn't make it. Too bad. However, the idea that popular opinion should have weight in that debate just strikes me as wrong, wrong wrong. That's the kind of thinking that gets you "intelligent design."

On an unrelated topic, I've been slowly memorizing the words to "One Night in Bangkok", which until this week I didn't know was from a show. I also discovered that I had already memorized the lyrics of "I've Been to Paradise (But I've Never Been to Me)." Isn't that awful? Think about it...some producer sat in a recording studio and thought, "Yeah, Charlene, that's gold."

My favorite Democrat

Do you know why Ed Rendell is my favorite Democrat? One, because he's a smart guy who knows how to compromise and doesn't get sidetracked on foolish issues like posting the Ten Commandments here there and everywhere. Two, because his campaign staff says funny things, like so.

Gubernatorial candidate Lynn Swann has written a book that details his plans for Pennsylvania should the voters be foolish enough to send him to Harrisburg. (The "foolish" part is my add-in; I don't imagine Swann would put that in his book.) Anyway, he plans to hand out the book for free at campaign events, but otherwise charge $10 for it. Uh, Lynn...most voters can't be bothered to look up the location of their polling places; do you honestly think they want to spend ten bucks on a book that tells them what you should be telling them for free?

Excerpt from the book:

"My opponent tries to dismiss me as a mere football player who doesn't understand government... . The mind-set this criticism reveals - that politics is best left to the career politicians - only shows which one of us is really out of touch."

Response from the Rendell campaign:

"I do not dismiss him as a mere football player who doesn't have experience. I dismiss him as an unbelievably fantastic football player who doesn't have experience."

And that's why Rendell is my favorite Democrat.

Vote Sith in '08!

At first I thought the suggestion of voting the Sith into the White House was a joke, but now that I think about it I'm more and more inclined to favor this. Say what you will about Palpatine, but the man had a rational (if evil) plan for governance and he knew how to win a war. That's a step up from what we've got now.

The other day I was walking by a construction site peopled by all these burly, man's-man guys. Out of their radio came Bette Midler singing, "The Rose." Ah...that kind of man's man.

I've come to learn that the combination of perfectionism and incompetence is a truly toxic thing.

I'm currently reading John Dean's "Conservatives Without Conscience." Great book. Buy it now. I'm also reading a collection of Robert E. Howard's Conan novellas, which I got at Between Books in Delaware. Between Books is the only thing that redeems Delaware in my personal estimation; otherwise that state could be sold to the Chinese to repay a fraction of our national debt. Then you could at least get good fried rice in Wilmington.

The Sweet Smell of Desperation

The Philadelphia Inquirer reported today a successful attempt by the Santorum campaign to link Bob Casey Jr. to Al-Jazeerah. Unfortunately, it was the wrong Al-Jazeerah. Good going, Rick.

My favorite part of the piece is how the Santorum folks refuse to back down. Like a good Republican, Santorum knows that if you never back down, even from a foolish statement, some people will take you seriously and assume you know what you're talking about.

Some Comeuppance

Apparently, the City of Philadelphia has finally worked up the nerve to tell the Boy Scouts that they can't have it both ways. Thanks to the Supreme Court, the BSA is legally allowed to exclude gays, but accordingly to Philadelphia ordinance, any group that does so is ineligible for city funds. That includes the local Scouts chapter headquarters at 22nd and Winter, in which the Scouts have resided rent-free for decades. Naturally the Scouts are crying discrimination, which is a hoot and a half since they started this whole business, and are threatening legal action. Evidently the Scouts want the benefits of being a private organization in terms of discrimination along with the ability to suckle at the public teat.

To satisfy my own pointless curiousity, I went to the Boy Scouts Web site to find out just what being a Scout means. Here's a direct quote:

"A Scout is trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful, thrifty, brave, clean and reverent."

Too bad consistent and intellectually honest aren't on that list. In the days that come, however, perhaps they'll add litigious.

A new boob

Alan Keyes, with his burning desire to repeal the 17th Amendment, used to hold my "Craziest Politician" title, but I think Katherine Harris may be ready to wrest it away. You may remember the Honorable Ms. Harris from the 2000 election fiasco, in which she did all she could as Florida's secretary of state to ensure that her buddy George Bush (on whose campaign team she then worked) took the state's 25 electoral votes. Two years later she won a seat in the House of Representatives, thus accounting for the "honorable" part of her name. (Payola, anyone?) Well, her Senate campaign is floundering under constant staff changes, lack of funding and discouragement from most major Florida Republicans, but now news surfaces about her penchant for waving dead interns. Gee...it couldn't happen to a nicer election-fixer.

On an unrelated topic, I was thinking about "The Brady Bunch" the other day, and wondering why on earth the Bradys needed a maid. Sure, there were eight of 'em in that house, but it's not as if Carol was busting heavies in an office all day, out-earning her hubbie. I seem to recall her occasionally bringing in bags of groceries, but I don't remember her ever taking up a broom or sponge. Also, Alice worked for the Brady's for how many years and still addressed and referred to Carol as "Mrs. Brady." And do you remember the episode in which Alice had to leave to care for a sick relative for a week or so? She got her cousin to stand in for her (said cousin being Ann B. Davis in a duel role), but I can't be the only one to wonder why a family with two adults and at least two children in their mid-teens can't cope for a week without domestic help.

I watched the show as a child, and looking back I recall that it was pure fantasy to me. I grew up in what would twenty years later be called a crack slum, on a household budget in which fruit juice was a luxury, and these people have an enormous house with a maid. I might as well have been watching "Babylon 5" for all that I could personally relate.

Now I post more than Tim...

I can use his real name since I won't tell you his blog name. Or Live Journal name. I think that's OK to do, and if it isn't I guess he and I will have to fight it out with daggers on the brink of a Lucas-pit.

The other day I was thinking about this whole flag-burning hoo-ha...I always know spring has arrived when Congress wheels out the flag-burning amendment for another run. Man, but that thing has seen more traffic than I-95! I could burn the U.S. Constitution on any corner in this country and most Americans wouldn't bat an eye, but let me take a Bic to a colored piece of cloth and about two-thirds of 'em go ballistic. That's a pretty sad statement about the quality of most American's love of country.

I recently changed cubicles in my office, and was therefore the recipient of many inquiries that went, "So how do you like your new cube?" How am I supposed to answer that? The damned thing is square and beige, much like the last, and when I am there I have to do things I don't like. At first I tried witty responses like, "I tan way better over here" or "You can't beat the property values on this side of the office." Neither of those went over very well, so now I just say, "Fine." That's probably all they wanted to hear anyway.

Boo-yah!

My proposal writing course is over, and I am pleased to report I got a big, fat "A." Almost makes 14 weeks of graduate work shoved into 5 feel worth it. Almost.

Pennsylvania is now reaping the grim harvest of its decision to repeal the motorcycle helmet law. Gee...who'd have thought the incidence of head injuries sustained in motorcycle accidents would dramatically increase after telling cyclists they needn't bother with helmets? I've heard all the arguments about personal freedom, but if cyclists should be free to ride helmetless then we, the taxpayers, should be free to not treat their injuries on the commonwealth's nickel. Since that's not gonna happen, I say we make 'em wear helmets. Besides, what about the freedom of those of us who drive automobiles? Shouldn't we have the option of not wearing our seatbelts? Finally, in the commonwealth of Pennsylvania driving is a privilege, not a right, so forcing cyclists to wear helmets isn't infringing on their rights. Not vetoing that repeal was one of the few things Governor Rendell has done with which I strongly disagreed.

Wah!

I've spent more than six hours on my stupid proposal, and it's still not done. Hate this class! Hate it so much! Valuable experience, but hate! When this class is over I'm going to buy a bunch of books and read the hell out of 'em.

The Inquirer published my letter to the editor today, and since I let them publish my email address I got lots of kind messages from appreciative readers. I also got a disjointed missive of venom from some nutjob in West Chester. I guess if I had to live in West Chester I'd be angry, too.

A couple of cuties moved into one of the empty the apartments in my building, but my main interest in them is wondering if I can get them to play Ultimate on Saturdays. Go ahead and pass your amendment, Pennsylvania...I'm still just as boring as a married guy!

An evening of the damned!

I just rented "Village of the Damned", which for those of you who don't know is a great horror movie that was naturally incompetently remade in the 90's. To add insult to injury, Kirstie Alley was cast in the remake, and she is one of my most unfavorite actors of all time. (Evidently Charo was not available.) But I digress. The DVD also contains the little-known sequel "Children of the Damned," which I've not seen but am eager to watch. I'm sure it will be awful, and that only increases my eagerness. I wonder if Dan knows what he's getting into...

Tonight is a well-deserved break from my proposal writing class, which is the current bane of my existence. It's taught fairly well and all that, but it's fourteen weeks of work crammed into five, meaning I have readings and assignments just about all the time. Blech. I must say, however, that proposal writing as a craft is kinda fun. I'm enjoying researching grant organizations and angling the proposal for maximum impact. I think I could do that for a living.

Back to paragraph one. The woman at the video store was just the prettiest thing you could want, and wearing a t-shirt that showed off the, uh, northern hemisphere to best advantage. I can completely understand what straight guys see in women, I really can.

A hearty giggle...

...was had by me when I read about this. Lynn Swann provides further evidence, if any more were needed, that he doesn't have the sand to be Pennsylvania's governor. Why, you ask? Any move to reduce the size of the legislature would involve an act of the legislature, which means members would be voting themselves out of a job. I'm thinking that a body that voted itself a pay raise in the dead of night and then circumvented the state constitution so they could collect it early isn't likely to experience the sudden rush of civic-mindedness such an act would require. Call me cynical if you must, but that's my view. Good luck with that, Lynn. Dummy.

On another topic, whoever isn't playing Galactic Civilizations II is really missing out. If you've ever hankered to tread across the galaxy like a great titan of doom, you need to try this game.

Now it's two things

I don’t mean to bring anyone down, but this has been on my mind since it happened, and I’m hoping blogging will help me get over it.

Yesterday morning, Dan and I were enjoying a brisk walk on Lombard Street, heading west, when at 17^th we saw some kind of commotion about a half-block ahead. A woman walking toward us, who was closer, saw it too, and when she turned and hurried in that direction I knew something was wrong. I saw a guy in a white t-shirt running around the corner away from a woman now sitting on a step, and when Dan and I ran over, she was bleeding from a cut on her nose. Turns out that two guys held her up at gunpoint, took her purse, then to add injury to injury, whacked her across the face with the gun. Yep…evidently robbing her and scaring her out of her wits wasn’t enough. I suppose I should be grateful they hit her with the gun instead of shooting her with it, but come on! What kind of person does that?

Obviously there wasn’t much we could do except call the police and wait with her until they arrived. I went in the direction the muggers had gone, hoping they’d discarded her purse once they took her valuables (wallet, cash, etc.), but either they didn’t drop it or I didn’t see it. She was completely freaked out, in no small part because these thugs had her apartment keys and her ID, which means they now have an all-access pass to her home. You know, just in case the trauma of robbery wasn’t enough, there was also the hovering fear of future violence. In her home.

At first I was just sort of scared and sympathetic, but after about fifteen minutes I got really, really angry. It’s not that I’ve never heard of this sort of thing before; not only did I grow up in a slum, but someone I know was mugged in the not-too-distant past. Seeing the actual event, though, made it more real somehow, and more infuriating. I found myself hoping that she had scorpions in that purse that would sting those thugs and make them swell up like autumn pumpkins or something. For a second I thought, “Dammit, I should start voting Republican!” but then I remembered that they’d just send more money to Iraq and not really cut crime.

Later that day in work, I spoke to a coworker who said she's currently growing her hair out so that she can donate it to an organization that makes wigs from donated hair for kids with cancer. That made me feel better than any thought of retribution against those muggers. (Although a purse of scorpions is nothing to despise, either.)

Have you ever noticed...

...that when someone says, "I'm not racist, but..." that he/she's about to say something racist?

So the Governator is sending the National Guard to patrol the California borders. Here's the man himself:

"We are doing this, may I remind you, reluctantly,'' Schwarzenegger said. ``It's not my preference to send the National Guard to do this mission. But under the circumstances, to help the federal government to secure our borders, because that is our No. 1 concern.''

So he's reluctantly seeing to the state's #1 concern? Uh-huh...Arnold, I hear they're filming "Red Sonja II", so if you leave now you'll just have time to warm up the Hummer.

Building fences and patrolling borders to keep out immigrants is like leaving three weeks' of leftovers on the kitchen floor and then deciding that the way to fight the bugs is to surround it with roach traps. If we truly want to stem the flow of illegal immigrants, we'd do alot better to make sure nobody wants to hire them. Those folks aren't sneaking in from Mexico to see "X-Men 3", after all; they're coming to make money. I think capitalism has taught us that where there is a demand there will be a supply, so as long as there's work the border-jumpers will keep jumping.

Still, there's something amusing about us building hundreds of miles of fence to keep out the people who make possible the cheap produce and housing Americans won't do without. Sad and amusing.

I Have Seen My Alternate-Universe Self

The other day, whilst near 11th & Locust, I saw this obviously deranged homeless guy coming towards me, muttering to himself. I thought it was just standard psycho-mumbling, which every Center City dweller knows well, but it turned out to be way better. The homeless guy was not just talking to imaginary people, but complaining about the clothing of another man on the street who was wearing the straight-boy summer uniform (striped, short-sleeved polo shirt, khaki shorts and flip-flops) . Yes...he was disparaging the clothing of passers-by.

I love the city.

Answers, please

This being an election day, whilst out walking this morning I pondered this burning question: Should Americans who don't vote be penalized?

I used to be a dedicated non-voter, so for me to even consider such a thing is pretty darn surprising. Although I'm loath to penalize people for failing to exercise a right, at the same time our democracy* does not function properly when less than half the eligible population bothers to cast a ballot. I'm honestly divided about it, and I'm curious to hear what others think.

* BTW, don't tell me, "But we live in a republic, not a democracy", because it's the same damned thing. A republic is governed by democratically elected officials, so although the US is not a direct democracy, it's a democracy nonetheless. One of my pet peeves is pointing out the meaningless distinction between the two, so don't do it or I'll think mean things about you.

Did anyone see this movie?

Before I get to the movie part, I realize I have abused my exclamation point privileges in my recent blog headers. I acknowledge your unspoken scorn.

Now with the movie. Dan was off in the wilds of North Jersey today, so I had opportunity to claim the sofa as my own and watch movies most of the day. (This was preceded by a five-mile walk in gorgeous weather...how can anyone stay inside on a day like this?) Has anyone seen "The Grizzly Man"? Am I uncharitable for thinking Timothy Treadwell was mentally unbalanced? First of all, he was the most nelly-sounding straight man you're likely to run across. Second, he vacillated between peace-and-love nature burbling and voice-cracking near-hysterical rage at the federal park agents who were apparently his nemeses. Third, he interpreted smiley faces on rocks as threats. Admittedly, the first thing doesn't indicate unbalanced, but the others definitely put Treadwell in the I'll-boil-your-rabbit category. Except I guess he wouldn't boil your rabbit, being all naturery.

While I'm blogging, can I say how much I am enjoying Galactic Civilizations II? Now that I have the chance to captain a galactic power, I understand how Dan and Sarcasmo got so evil playing Sim City. For example, when in one game the Terran Alliance failed to respond to my best efforts at diplomacy, I let my space marines take over negotiations. Nothin' like blowing up sixteen frigates to get someone's attention. One game before that I played paladin by liberating planets conquered by the Iconian Refuge and giving them away for free to the other, less powerful races. Of course, I made sure to place historic enemies next to each other to ensure they'd fight each other and not me. That's why the sun never set on my empire. The other night I won a technology victory, which means our tech got so good my people just turned into energy beings and floated away. That was nice, but what I really wanted was to go all Vorlon and influence the other races into fighting for my edification and pleasure. Stupid lesser races.

Again with the Sex Dwarf!

Another great night of dancing at Sex Dwarf, this time with a B-52's theme. Babyraven was a knockout in a black velvet dress, high boots, and a blonde hair extension that, in her words, made her a cross between Jeannie (as in I Dream Of) and Madonna in her "Blonde Icon" days. Truth be told, she was in good company; there were lots of fine-looking women there. Either I'm getting straight or else the male beauty quotient was pretty low that night.

(Don't all rush to comment that it must have been the latter. I already know.)

Anyway, part of the B-52's theme was wigs, big wigs, and lots of 'em were pink, so every time I turned around I saw Cyn. It was both sad and disturbing, and I shared this with Babs and Mouserobot. MR said they were Cyn-posters, and I upped the ante by calling them Cyn-thetic. Babs just shook her head and said, "That shit ain't right."

What is right, however, is that next month is the Sex Dwarf prom, and I'm all drooly over it. (This is due in no small amount to the fact that the only way I was going to my senior prom was if I could sit in the rafters with a bucket of blood.) So many unanswered questions! Will we slow dance to "Eternal Flame"? Will we pose for pictures under an ivy-entwined trellis? Will we get to elect a prom queen? Probably not, but it will no doubt still be a blast.