Night Light

a thought for easter

washington renewal

My thought on this day of renewal:  Let’s try to create something positive from the Terri Schiavo tragedy, for her sake.  Let’s reconcile our differences and work together in three ways to avoid such tragedies in the future. First, let’s prevent future conflicts and court cases by encouraging the use of living wills. Second, let’s work to help victims of eating disorders like Terri’s (which may have contributed to her condition). Third, let’s overturn that law that Bush signed in Texas so we can ensure that no child’s life is taken prematurely, nor that a mother must say farewell to her beloved too soon, because the family can’t pay for health care. On this day, of all days, secular Americans and people of faith should recognize and honor a mother’s grief for her dying child.

We should not be reluctant to discuss eating disorders, or Terri Schiavo's history of suffering from one.  It is not shameful, and we do not disgrace her memory by discussing it.     This beautiful young woman had a history of eating-related difficulties, and was in the midst of one such episode when she was stricken.    Let's take the stigma off these disorders, and make sure that other sufferers receive the help they need before it is too late.  More information on eating disorders is listed below.

Everyone will have to sacrifice if we do this. Progressive and Democrats will have to give up the opportunity to capitalize on the poll numbers showing that a majority of Americans opposed Republican machinations in this case, and considered them politically motivated. That means giving up a chance to score some points against the other side. Republicans, and the President in particular, will have to admit they made a mistake in supporting that Texas bill and others like it. They will have to oppose such bills in the future, even if it means offending hospitals and other party contributors (including HCA, the source and repository of Bill Frist’s wealth.) Christian fundamentalists will have to give up a great recruiting motivator – that “the other side” is against life and we’re saving it.

If Republicans pursue this course and Democrats don’t, the Dems will be placing politics over principle. If Democrats support a compromise but Republicans and evangelicals do not, hypocrisy will be the watchword for the right. If nobody makes a move toward reconciliation, which is the most likely outcome, this Easter season will be another sad but unremarkable period in our political life.
________________________________________________

Living wills:    Living Will Registry (U.S.)

Eating disorder resources:

National Institute of Health:    Eating Disorders Information
USDA Food and Nutrition Information Center:  Eating Disorders Page
Overeaters' Anonymous  (addresses eating disorders, not limited to "overeating")

UPDATE:  My latest post re Randall Terry is on Skippy, here.

terry4terri

we all serve in our own way, including being a media whore

Crooks and Liars has a clip of CNN's Randall Terry profile.   Oh, I may give our CNN friends a hard time every now and then, but occasionally they get something right.   Short version:  Gay son, formerly pregnant teenaged daughter, extramarital affair, censured by his own church, divorced.  Now the media spokesman for religious righteousness.   

Long arrest record for civil disobedience, which in and of itself is OK by me.  Some of my heroes changed the world with civil disobedience.  But his arrest record for trying to mail a dead fetus to Pres. Clinton?  Not OK.  Can you imagine the outcry if  a  war opponent tried to mail the dismembered remains of an Iraqi child killed by our military to Pres. Bush?   Rightfully so - it's insane.  And demonstrations and sit-ins to protest the actions of the powerful is one thing.  Sit-ins to harrass young pregnant women, and to provide sympathetic support to doctor-killers and bombers, is another.   (Oh, I forgot - they're not harrassing the women, they're "counseling" them.)

CNN was a little lazy in their research, though.  They assumed that  Terry became involved in the case because the Schindlers asked him, which is what they were told during their interviews.  It is more likely that the large right-wing foundations who are underwriting the Schindlers (possibly to their personal financial benefit) brought Terry in on the case.

Short version:  sit-ins at government offices, corporations,etc. = protest.  Mailing dead fetuses to presidents = actions of a fruitcake.

The man's worst sin:  being such a stereotype of the corrupt religious conservative.   I'm almost tired of writing about them - except Billy James Hargis, who's irresistible.   Can't you guys ever be evil in an original way?

two wolves and a spider

an oft-repeated question is finally answered

"I have to infer from that (statement) that you would be happier if Saddam Hussein were still in power."    - Paul Wolfowitz

Let's deal with this question once and for all, OK?   It's the classic retort given by neocons and other war supporters whenever anyone questions the wisdom of the Iraq War.   In this case, it was Wolfowitz's response to a student who had just said the following:   "We are tired, Secretary Wolfowitz, of being feared and hated by the world. We are tired of watching Americans and Iraqis die, and international institutions cry out in anger against us." 

Let's say I get disturbed by a spider crawling up the garage wall.  I slam the car into it at 50 miles an hour, destroying the car and causing a few thousand dollars in damage to the garage.  When my wife objects, I say:

"I have to infer from that statement that you would be happier if that spider were still crawling up the wall."    No, schmuck, she says, I'd be happier if we still had a car and didn't have to fork out ten thousand dollars to fix the garage.

"Well, maybe you think our house is safe from spiders," I say.  "Maybe you don't think spiders are a health problem.  Maybe you don't realize some spiders are venomous."   Thinking of Joe Lieberman, I add "Maybe you're in a 'spider-hole of denial.'"   With David Horowitz-like reasoning, I go on to say "Maybe you support the spiders.  Maybe you and the spiders are allies."  I then show my wife a chart that includes her picture, together with a tarantula and a black widow, as part of an international network of spider-supporters.   "Since you're so pro-spider," I ask her, "why don't you just go discuss this little problem with your 'friends' here?"

Spiders can be a health problem, she says, but there are lots of spiders in the neighborhood.  This one wasn't a threat to us, and we can't go destroying things and spending tons of money every time we see a spider.

Before I can respond, Wolf Blitzer happens by.  Wolf comes in and surveys the damage, then helpfully points out that "there have been some successes in the war on spiders, to judge by the corpse visible under the crumpled fender of this sedan."    You don't make any sense either, she says to Wolf.   Now that the wall's destroyed, says my wife, we'll have more spiders in the house than ever.

"Well, if you care more about your spiders than you do about keeping our home safe," I tell her, " I don't think we can talk about this rationally."
_____________________

So Dear Wolfie, and anybody else tempted to pose this question:    No.  I would not be happier if Saddam Hussein were still in power.   I would be happier if 1,500 Americans were still alive.  I would be happier if 20,000 - 150,000 Iraqi civilians were still alive.  I would be happier if tens of thousands of American soldiers didn't have to face a future of disfigurement, disability, and/or psychological torment.  I would be happier if my country didn't violate international law.  I would be happier if we hadn't allowed Iraq to become a breeding ground for new terrorists.   I would be happier if I hadn't been lied to by an unethical government and an incompetent news media. I would be happier if we did something else with the $250 billion we're spending on this war.   I would be happier if the policy of successfully containing Saddam had been continued.  I would be happier if we hadn't gone through all this just so we can replace Saddam's dictatorship with a pro-Iranian theocracy.  I would be happier if we had any military resources to spare, so maybe we could rescue the helpless people of Darfur.

My happiness was never going to be influenced by Saddam Hussein's career path.   Instead, my happiness is affected by the well-being of Americans and Iraqis who have suffered needlessly as a result of your war.   

Next question.

friday random 10

a little culture for ya

Wherein our music-playing software once again randomly generates 10 tunes from the extensive Night Light archives, and we comment:

1. Honey Don’t, Carl Perkins – The rockin’-est toupee in showbiz tears it up with this classic, later the signature tune for a certain Mr. Sharkey, ring-bearing drummer for one of those “beat groups” or “combos” that I understand are quite popular with the young people nowadays. There’s also a killer version by Steve Earle and Joe Walsh.
2. Calling Rasta Far I, Culture – I miss the reggae of the 70’s: the trio harmonies, the loping ganga-tranquilized beats, the spirituality and revolutionary agitatprop of Rasta. Think I-mon to find some of my bredren an’ have a reasoning together, where we mek sure that betta soon-come.*
3. Trouble’s Back in Town, Wilburn Brothers – When the Everly Brothers became popular, all the brother duets in Nashville threw a little more of a rockin’ shuffle in their beat, and a little more “countrypolitan” production (choral voices, strings, etc.) in their sound. Nice tune, this one, except for the  “uh-oh’s” in the background.
4. Mystery Train, Delbert McClinton & Danny Gatton - Poor Danny Gatton. Like Roy Buchanan, a brilliant player. Like Roy,  based in DC.  Like Roy, under-recognized. Like Roy, dead by suicide.   His solo on this one will blow your mind. Delbert’s Delbert, which is to say great.
5. Ain’t Nothin’ Stoppin’ Us Now, Tower of Power (live.) A great 70’s-era soul band from the Bay Area. Supertight, super-live. Don’t know ‘em? Start with the very best of.
6. Across the Universe, The Beatles – the above-mentioned Mr. Sharkey’s beat group. Call me a peacenik, but I still have a soft spot this song. What is so funny about peace, love, and understanding, anyway?
7. Into Dust, Mazzy Star – I liked this ethereal-sounding band with the ultra-low key approach. I liked them a lot. I just can’t listen to them if a) I have to be anywhere later today, or b) I’ve had any caffeine within the last 24 hours.
8. Old Man Willis, Tony Joe White – Another swamp-pop character sketch by the funky guitar player and singer, who's  great when he was great and merely very good when he's being deliberately “funky" or backwoods cute.  Self-consciousness … the death of art. Ask Elvis Costello.
9. Today My World Slipped Away, Vern Gosdin – You want to enjoy yourself by feeling miserable, country-style? Nobody does it better than Vern, when he’s on.
10. Mastercharge, Albert Collins – On the other hand. Lefty gunslinger (meaning left-handed) tears it up on the Tele and bemoans the spending habits of his significant other. Don’t leave home without him.

*Translation: “I believe it would be best if I were to locate a coterie of like-minded individuals. We could have a meeting to discuss strategies for attempting to improve the present world situation, as reflected in today’s current events.”

UPDATE:  Rox's Friday Top 10 are here.  She has "A Mover el Bote" by the Texas Tornadoes and the new Negativland.   My kinda gal.  And Lauren at Feministe, the originator of the Friday Top 10, has a hot list this week too (along with some comments about a Terri somebody-or-other.  Never heard of her.)

is there a sports hall of fame in heaven?

Stawberry, Falwell

To find the connection between these two in God’s order, go here  for "god on the free throw line."

 

set the controls for the heart of wall street

(BBC News)

First light seen from alien planets

[Technology News] PASADENA, Calif.,, March 23 : NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope has captured the first direct light from two planets orbiting stars other than the sun. Up to now, all confirmed extrasolar planets have been discovered indirectly, using either the "wobble" or "transit" method ... In the new data, however, Spitzer directly observed the warm glows of infrared radiation from the two "hot Jupiters," as they are called.

Insurance executives expressed relief that "Spitzer" is looking somewhere other than at their industry.   They remarked that it's getting pretty hot there, too.

search me

Yeah, well, whatever.

Why blog?  To get readers?  This Terri Schiavo thing (what?  haven't heard about it?)  has spiked my traffic like crazy.  It's all those people Googling "terri schiavo pictures" and similar word combinations.    I went to Google's Zeitgeist page, and found the top 10 searches for the week leading up to March 21:

1.        St Patricks Day
2.        Terri Schiavo
3.        NCAA
4.        Scott Peterson
5.        Easter
6.        The Incredibles
7.         Lil Kim
8.        Demi Moore
9.        Robert Blake
10.      Regina Lasko

Let's see ... drive up viewership ... Google searches ... hmmm ... So if you turn up on a lot of Google searches your website or blog gets what they used to call "eyeballs" ... OK.   Let's see how well it works. I'll make this look like a typical Night Light rant, but it's gonna be all about the eyeballs.  I'll call this little post ...

google this!

It's the media's fault.  That's what I said last St. Patrick's Day, when once again I was bitching about their shallow coverage and the fact they're burying the ongoing tragedy in Darfur.  On this St. Patricks' Day,  top of the mornin' to ya!   And Tom DeLay - that bastard's more ruthless than Scott Peterson - yes, even Scott Peterson -  if you ask me.   And the term "moderate Republican" is obsolete, as collaborationist John McCain proved again this week by supporting the Social Security lie campaign.   Bush knocked McCain from his lead in the primaries just like Louisville knocked off Washington in the NCAA today  - yes, the  NCAA - using dirty tricks against his wife and kids.   Yet he lets himself be manhandled like Bush was Demi Moore in that sex harrassment movie - what was the name of that Demi Moore movie? -  while the Republican dirty tricks go on and on, and like Li'l Kim he pretends he didn't see a thing.  (you see, that's what she - Li'l Kim- went to jail for.)

It would take The Incredibles to fix the media.  And after that they (The Incredibles) could try to clean things up in Washington.  But I don't even think they (The Incredibles) could conquer these guys.   Hope I'm wrong.   If things get too desperate I'm going to give it all up and go "cowboyin'" like Robert Blake.  Yeah, just like Robert Blake.

But I shouldn't give up hope.  It's Easter, a sign that spring is coming.  Easter, which according to religious historians is celebrated at this time of year because many pagan festivals of rebirth occur around now.   Easter, which celebrates the triumph of good and life over seemingly insurmountable evil and death - kind of like a third-act plot point in a Syd Field screenplay.  Maybe I should connect with the spirit of pagan rebirth festivals and the holiday of Easter.  I'll think about it.  Good ol' Easter.

P. S.  Who's Regina Lasko?

born to lose

the circle of life

As I've already said, I'm hoping that as the Terri Schiavo case winds down the media can start doing what it would otherwise have been doing all along:  interviewing a wave of conservative commentators who blame the Minnesota school shooting on liberals.   In the meantime, Jesse Kornbluth's commentary on Schiavo at SwamiUptown this week is among the best to be found on the topic.  I especially appreciate this:

"That African-American baby who had the plug pulled last week? This tragedy might have been avoided--oh, if Mom had money. No, what I meant to say: This tragedy might have been avoided if the mother had had any pre-natal testing. But then what? The same people who wrote the law that caused the hospital to pull the plug on her kid hate abortion--in their dream world, that poor mother carries the fetus to term. And then, six months later, they kill the baby."

Succint.  To the point.   It's the Republican/conservative Circle of Life.  Forced pregnancy due to unavailability of contraception, followed by forced birth due to unavailability of abortion, followed by forced death due to  a) no money for medical care,  b)  malnutrition (.pdf file), c) violent crime .... n.  Poor people shouldn't be having sex anyway.

The illustration for this post comes courtesy of the Mansfield Middle School's composting page, where they're teaching kids that shit happens, that it has to happen in order for the circle to turn once more and life to begin again.   Jesus, I hope they're right.

As for Tom Delay pushing Terri Schiavo and Medicaid cuts?  A spokesman for DeLay told the Post, "The fact that they're tying a life issue to the budget process shows just how disconnected Democrats are to reality."  Hakuna matata!

i told you but better you should see it with your own eyes

                 

TERRI SCHINDLER-SCHIAVO FOUNDATION ACTIVE DONORS	List No: 2968

6,198 2005 Donors..............$150/M 
4,439 Opt-In Email Addresses...$500/M

 

                New List!  First time available!              

Each of these donors responded to an email during February, 2005, from Terri Schindler-Schiavo's father on behalf of his daughter. These compassionate pro-lifers donated toward Bob Schindler's legal battle to keep Terri's estranged husband from removing the feeding tube from Terri.

These individuals are passionate about the way they value human life, adamantly oppose euthanasia, and are pro-life in every sense of the word!

Managed by Response Unlimited!

MINIMUM:  5,000

(original is here)

the schiavo case and money

a glimpse of conservatism's gears

Nobody can imagine what it must mean to be grieving parents like the Schindlers.   Michael Schiavo has always accused Terri's parents of wanting a share of her insurance money,which seemed  too harsh a prospect to consider.   Yet state investigators are raising questions about the Schindlers and their handling of contributions to their foundation.   The Schindlers have financial connections with radical right wing organizations, and their donor mailing list is already for sale online to "evangelical and conservative mailers."   Sincere if misguided Christians are being sold as raw parts for the conservative/Republican machine,  a machine whose gears are becoming all too visible in this case.

(UPDATE:  The mainstream media are starting to pick up on this story.   See USA Today,  Feud May Be As Much Over Money As Principle.")

Florida investigators have two concerns.   One involves the failure of the Schindler-Schiavo Foundation, which according to its website was created to "offset some of the expenses associated with protecting Terri," to properly register with the state and provided the appropriate information.   The second, more serious sets of questions center around a  possible  discrepancy between the amount of money raised by the foundation and the amount it has spent on legal fees.   While the foundation claims to have spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on attorneys, the lawyers involve claim to have received far less than that.   The failure of the organization to register or to provide a financial accounting of funds received and dispersed leaves these questions unanswered for now.

Despite the Schindler-Schiavo Foundation's assertion that it is raising money for legal expenses in the Schiavo case, most of the legal fees incurred to this date have been paid by two other organizations, the Life Legal Defense Foundation and a related group, the Alliance Defense Fund.  The Life Legal Defense Foundation describes its mission as:  "To give innocent and helpless human beings of any age, particularly unborn children, a trained and committed defense against the threat of death, and to support their advocates in the nation's courtrooms."

One of the Life Legal Defense Foundation's  legal strategies is described as "protecting sidewalk counselors from harassment."  The "sidewalk counselors" are demonstrators who scream epithets like "baby-killer" at women entering abortion and family planning clinics, and the "harassment" involves requesting that they stop, and arresting them if they behave unlawfully.   Their website includes an endorsement from Joan Andrews Bell, who is described as a "pro-life heroine."  Bell has been arrested dozens of times at abortion clinics, and has been convicted of burglary and other offenses stemming what she and her followers prefer to describe as "clinic invasions" and "rescue operations."   The phrase "rescue operation" came to public attention through the activities of Randall Terry.

The Alliance Defense Fund "is funding litigation that is going on to confront and challenge the radical legal agenda advocating homosexual behavior, defending parental rights, and to restore the Constitution's guarantee of free exercise of religion."   In English, that means the Fund supports anti-gay legal activities, and attempts to use the courts to forcibly impose Christian values on the entire population.    According to the ADF, "the rights of Christians are especially vulnerable" due to "the ACLU and other radical activist groups (who) have attempted to eliminate public expression of our nation's faith and heritage ... through fear, intimidation, disinformation, and the filing of lawsuits."