tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-77484012024-07-07T23:15:07.977-07:00If change is to come, it will have to come from the outside. It will have to come from the margins. -Wendell Berry _______________________________________ Proud member of the reality-based communityfarmer chicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06439633898438748961noreply@blogger.comBlogger227125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7748401.post-1112492189215429532005-04-02T17:33:00.000-08:002005-04-02T18:52:52.390-08:00

True or False:The only sure way to avoid STDs is to wait until marriage to have sex, choose a partner who has also waited or who is uninfected and share a faithful life together.The above statement is from a government website for parents of teenagers.Call me crazy, but I'm pretty sure you don't have to wait until marriage to in order to avoid STDs - you just need to avoid risky sexual behavior

farmer chicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06439633898438748961noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7748401.post-1112211667524536912005-03-30T11:36:00.000-08:002005-03-30T11:49:34.813-08:00

I don't often look to Rolling Stone as a news source (although I once had a RS article as assigned reading in graduate school), but a few days ago it had an excellent article about peak oil and its potential impacts on our lives.While the prez is fretting about how oil prices may impact his approval ratings, those of us in the real world are pondering what will happen to our daily lives as oil

farmer chicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06439633898438748961noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7748401.post-1112210701053114112005-03-30T11:21:00.000-08:002005-03-30T11:25:01.056-08:00

Sorry to my 5 readers (or maybe there are 6 of you out there?) for my inadvertent month-long hiatus. Life and other fun stuff got in the way. And I've discovered that I'm much more productive if I don't spend several hours a day reading blogs and online news... I do plan to blog on a regular basis, but it will not be every day - more like once or twice a week.

farmer chicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06439633898438748961noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7748401.post-1112206748425408262005-03-30T10:04:00.000-08:002005-03-30T11:42:44.206-08:00

Kos had a post yesterday about 3 people in Colorado who got kicked out of one of Bu$h's Bamboozlepalooza tour stops. The reason? They had a "No Blood for Oil" sticker on the car they pulled up in.A Colorado Springs paper has an article about this, and there's a good column in the Denver Post. And Scott McClellan was asked about it in yesterday's press briefing (scroll down to "tickets").As usual

farmer chicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06439633898438748961noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7748401.post-1109465094781265812005-02-26T16:38:00.000-08:002005-02-26T17:53:51.073-08:00

Thanks to Michael Berube (check his blog out if you haven't already) I found a ridiculous rightwing website that includes the Ayatollah Khomeini and Mohamed Atta as part of the "political left" of the US.The site is called Discover the Network, and is an attempt by rightwing nut David Horowitz to document the ties between individuals and groups who are supposedly part of the political left.The

farmer chicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06439633898438748961noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7748401.post-1109295316097238082005-02-24T17:17:00.000-08:002005-02-24T18:37:52.510-08:00

i knew it felt like we're living in a Bu$h-controlled world, but this is ridiculous.As Fuzzy Puppy pointed out, W's uncle Bucky (formally known as William HT Bush) recently cashed in on over $400K worth of shares from defense contractor Engineered Support Systems, Inc. (ESSI) which apparently has done very well recently thanks to contracts for W's war on Iraq. Bucky has been on ESSI's board since

farmer chicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06439633898438748961noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7748401.post-1109093447779262462005-02-22T10:30:00.000-08:002005-02-22T10:52:45.353-08:00

...speaking of laws that Oregonians have passed, didya hear the one about the unfunded new law that says that your neighbor gets to use his land differently than you do if he bought his property before current land use laws went into effect?Let's disregard for a moment the unfairness built into a law that essentially creates a landed gentry: the lords who were here first get to do what they want

farmer chicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06439633898438748961noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7748401.post-1109091010200724202005-02-22T08:46:00.000-08:002005-02-22T09:11:20.100-08:00

So, what exactly will it cost the state of Oregon to defend our assisted suicide law from the overreaching claw of Bu$h's Department of “Justice” and Alberto “Torture's Fine By Me” Gonzales? It is so infuriating that Oregon has to continue spending time and resources to continue defending the democratic decision of its citizens again religious bigots wrapped in drug law clothing. I'm sure Hardy

farmer chicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06439633898438748961noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7748401.post-1108948617721566692005-02-20T17:07:00.000-08:002005-02-20T17:31:16.730-08:00

According to United For Peace of Pierce County, WA, former UNSCOM weapons inspector Scott Ritter stated at a talk in Olympia this weekend that Bu$h is planning to attack Iran in June. He also apparently said that the US manipulated the election in Iraq.Anyone else have independent confirmation of these statements, or of their veracity? Pretty explosive (no pun intended) stuff, if it's true. Why

farmer chicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06439633898438748961noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7748401.post-1108663614266431732005-02-17T10:45:00.000-08:002005-02-17T10:46:18.176-08:00

The House yesterday approved stiffer fines for indecency on tv and radio. Critics fear that this will result in self censorship as the question of what could be fined for indecency is somewhat subjective. (Perhaps cartoon shows promoting tolerance of gay parents could be considered indecent? Or Will and Grace episodes with sexual innuendos? Or maybe that paragon of indecency, Spongebob?)Under FCC

farmer chicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06439633898438748961noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7748401.post-1108660147290309322005-02-17T09:05:00.000-08:002005-02-17T09:55:25.646-08:00

The Bu$h administration is certainly upholding John Ashcroft's proud tradition of trampling states' rights. "Gonzales v Oregon" goes before the Supreme court tomorrow.Oregonians have twice voted for legalized assisted suicide, but the Bu$hies - who apparently believe it's ok to kill Iraqis but heaven forbid Grandpa gets to die peacefully at home - have taken their attack on Oregon's rights all

farmer chicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06439633898438748961noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7748401.post-1108085423325456912005-02-10T19:10:00.000-08:002005-02-10T19:15:30.673-08:00

The US Senate today passed a bill that will send class action lawsuits to federal courts (rather than state courts).The reason? Ostensibly to cut down on frivolous lawsuits and court-shopping by lawyers.The results? Big unethical and careless corporations just got a get-out-of-court free card.Just one more reason not to support corporate America with your purchasing dollars... especially

farmer chicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06439633898438748961noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7748401.post-1108086530491253352005-02-10T19:05:00.000-08:002005-02-10T19:14:13.686-08:00

Took an inadvertent break from the blog for the past 10 days or so. Mostly due to a ton of work, which is still bearing down on me.Also, now that we are officially in the "4 more years" stage of hell, the news just keeps getting worse and worse.Exhibit A: Bu$h's budget. Cut all funding for Amtrak? Excuse me? Despite having some problems (albeit large ones) with timeliness and the bottom line,

farmer chicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06439633898438748961noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7748401.post-1106960621868663062005-01-28T17:14:00.000-08:002005-01-28T17:14:12.856-08:00

This is now officially in the realm of ridiculous. First we learned that Armstrong Williams had a $241,ooo contract from the government to promote No Child Left Behind. Then we found out that columnist Maggie Gallagher received $21,ooo of your tax dollars to talk up Bu$h's marriage initiatives. Today we learn that columnist Mike McManus has been paid $10,ooo to promote Bu$h's marriage

farmer chicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06439633898438748961noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7748401.post-1106959180914345882005-01-28T16:40:00.000-08:002005-01-28T16:45:29.936-08:00

Apparently, Cheney can't afford to dress appropriately for ceremonies commemorating the people who died at Auschwitz. Maybe he had to give back some of the money from "food for oil" Halliburton. Why must Americans be embarrassed yet again by the stupidity and callousness of our leaders?

farmer chicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06439633898438748961noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7748401.post-1106852645555805892005-01-27T11:02:00.000-08:002005-01-27T11:17:43.006-08:00

Although I am not normally a fan of Pat Buchanan, I have to say that he gets it right in his article yesterday entitled Inaugurating Endless War. (thanks to John for the tip!) Pat points out: The president is here asserting a unilateral American right to interfere in the internal affairs of every nation on earth, without regard to whether these nations have threatened us or attacked us.

farmer chicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06439633898438748961noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7748401.post-1106847999688429532005-01-27T09:38:00.000-08:002005-01-27T11:04:27.296-08:00

During the past four years, the Bu$h administration has steadily been using the system of regulatory change to affect everything from truckers' hours to environmental policy. This means that instead of trying to change laws, and having to go through public scrutiny as proposed changes get debated in the House or Senate, government agencies proposes changes to the Federal Register and usually

farmer chicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06439633898438748961noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7748401.post-1106846573790219312005-01-27T09:12:00.000-08:002005-01-27T09:37:20.590-08:00

The Department of Transporatation just got authority to classify previously public documents as "security sensitive". This means restricting public access to information about roads, bridges, etc. The article from the Scripps Howard News Service notes: Mineta's directive went into effect when it was signed Jan. 5. But it was not publicized by the department until it was published in the Jan. 18

farmer chicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06439633898438748961noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7748401.post-1106716334713123252005-01-25T21:05:00.000-08:002005-01-25T21:22:29.270-08:00

Talk about low expectations. Given the fact that Condi was National Security Advisor leading up to 9/11, yet she somehow is (in King George's bloodshot eyes) worthy of a promotion, the bar for success as Secretary of State seems like it will be set ridiculously low. I suppose if World War 3 breaks out while she is SoS, the Repubs will think that she has done such a good job that she

farmer chicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06439633898438748961noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7748401.post-1106246731558018382005-01-20T10:37:00.000-08:002005-01-20T11:13:34.893-08:00

A must-read for today is Gary Hart's commentary in the Independent about the Bu$h administration's goals for the restoration of pre-New Deal programs and policy. (Thanks to Scratch & Sniff for the heads-up on this one.) Another must-read if you need a good giggle is Wonkette. And while I didn't think the new JibJab is quite as good as "This Land is Your Land", it's definitely worth a view.

farmer chicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06439633898438748961noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7748401.post-1106244337637931022005-01-20T09:57:00.000-08:002005-01-20T10:05:37.636-08:00

Did King George just declare war on the world in the name of freedom? Methinks he did. The United States will not ignore your oppression or excuse your oppressors. Well, maybe not on the entire world. England, Australia and Poland may be considered to be on the side of liberty. But I think the French potentially will have an American boot in their ass in the near future if Bu$h has his way,

farmer chicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06439633898438748961noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7748401.post-1106243522695157192005-01-20T09:48:00.000-08:002005-01-20T09:52:02.696-08:00

How appropriate that the administrator of the oath of office had to wheeze his way through the process. Kind of a nice analogy for the state of our country. (thanks to Blahguy for pointing out the metaphor.)

farmer chicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06439633898438748961noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7748401.post-1106199559085412012005-01-19T21:29:00.000-08:002005-01-19T22:11:09.283-08:00

Bu$h visited the US Constitution and Bill of Rights today at the National Archives. I guess he never got around to reading it the first time around (he must have just gotten the Cliff notes version, edited by Alberto Gonzales). Apparently in 2000 he took the alternate inaugural oath. Instead of preserve, protect and defend, he promised to spit on, shred up, and laugh at the Constitution. It must

farmer chicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06439633898438748961noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7748401.post-1106197768926762282005-01-19T21:13:00.000-08:002005-01-19T21:15:49.616-08:00

1) 4 more years of Bu$h, the idiot king 2) West Wing replaced by the Blazers on the night before inauguration (tonight, of all nights, I needed to imagine that we have a president with integrity) 3) all out of rum (did I do that?) 4) condi getting a promotion 5) where the *@&# did Oregon's rain and snowpack go? 6) getting my left boob smashed between cold glass and metal today 7) my

farmer chicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06439633898438748961noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7748401.post-1105739366857185502005-01-14T14:21:00.000-08:002005-01-14T14:36:24.626-08:00

A new National Intelligence Agency report says that Iraq is becoming a training ground and recruitment center for terrorists. In keeping with the White House's recent decision to dispense with reason, Scott McClellan today characterized the report as speculative while also saying that it backs up the administration's strategy for winning the war on terror. (On second thought, this administration

farmer chicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06439633898438748961noreply@blogger.com1