Potpourri for a late Tuesday night

BAIL-OUT TO NOWHERE!

1. Disaster Capitalism – The key take-away from the discussion here is that this $700bn Bail-out to Nowhere was (it is claimed) not something slapped together as a panicky response to the crisis, but a considered contingency plan that was analyzed and discussed and planned around for months now … but not among anyone who would have to, you know, actually approve the giant blank check. No, no, trust us, we’re from the Bush Administration, and we’re here to help.

DARK AND DREADFUL FORCES LURK!

1. An Islamic assault on human rights – Ideological Authoritarians — religious or otherwise — are always willing to discuss freedom and liberty, but only in the context of their maintaining control over what is proper to talk about, express, dissent form, or live. Consider the unanimity of conservative Christians, Jews, and Muslims objecting to a gay rights parade in Jerusalem.   So that some Muslim clerics have cobbled together an alternative to the UN Bill of Human Rights is hardly surprising … what’s surprising is that other reactionary religionists haven’t jumped on the bandwagon to come up with their own self-serving definition of “rights” under religious law.
2. The Religious Right’s Odd Definition of “Endorsement” – Despite claims that they were going to defy the IRS and its paltry “charities can’t be tax-exempt and still endorse candidates,” most of the Religious Right has made efforts to stay on the right side of the Revenooers … but aren’t letting that stop them from nudge-nudge wink-wink making it clear who they do endorse.
3. Can “Showing Love” Be a Hate Crime? – I like the term “bias crime” better here, as calling this “hate” seems to assert motivation that’s not obvious. That said, I don’t think Jesus would approve (I don’t recall him defacing the Temple in Jerusalem, nor any Roman shrines), and the religionist yahoos who did this, for whatever reason, should be prosecuted to the full extent of college regulations.

AND NOW FOR A MUSICAL NUMBER!

1. Colour me amused… … that the Proposition 8 forces in California are stymied because their lawn signs haven’t arrived yet … from China. Yes, it’s the All-American Traditional Values Coalition, buying their electioneering materials from the People’s Republic of China … where, by gosh and by golly, they know how to address taking away rights …
2. Teaching Kids to Roleplay is Only Natural – Must … get … D&D game … with Katherine … restarted …
3. School House Rock Election Edition Rediscovered – Katherine has gotten seriously into the Schoolhouse Rock, and we’ve been spending a lot of time singing the Preamble song (“We the People … in order to form a more perfect union …”).
4. Get public transit directions in New York with Google… – We didn’t have a lot of problems maneuvering around Manhatten … but this is still cool.
5. Mario’s Mistake – Ha! (And I say that as someone who’s developed a grudging respect for the TMNT cartoons — most of them, anyway.)