Who I am…
I am a lawyer, former mother of teenagers, and a quixotic seeker after and champion of factual truth.
I make the best damn brownies you have ever had that are not regulated by the federal government.
I love movies, Broadway, and intelligent conversation.
I think in song lyrics and movie and television quotes.
I believe in the use of proper spelling, punctuation, and grammar even in text messages. I am willing to debate the use of the Oxford comma, if you know what the Oxford comma is. It also makes me very happy if people use the subjunctive mood when appropriate.
I have been told I intimidate people. I am really just a fluffy-centered teddy bear. Really.
- It's all my fault. No, really. The views expressed in this blog are mine and mine alone and in no way whatsoever represent the views of anyone else, including any past, present, or future employer.
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Words to live by ….
“He has told you, O mortal, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?” Micah 6:8.
“Pray for the dead, fight like hell for the living.” Mary Harris (“Mother Jones”).
“Don’t boo. Vote.” Barack Obama.
“Man’s capacity for justice makes democracy possible, but man’s inclination to injustice makes democracy necessary.” Reinhold Niebuhr.
“No one ever thinks of themselves as one of Them. We’re always one of Us. It’s Them that do the bad things.” Sir Terry Pratchett.
“Damning facts are still facts.” Steven C. Holtzman.
“If you don’t stick to your values when they’re tested, they’re not values — they’re hobbies.” Jon Stewart.
“Darkness never sustains, even though it sometimes seems it will.” Doctor Who.
“Writing is a form of mischief.” Stephen Sondheim.
“An idea is not responsible for the people who believe it.” Don Marquis.
“If you can see your path laid out in front of you step by step, you know it’s not your path. Your own path you make with every step you take. That’s why it’s your path.” Joseph Campbell.
“Truth is our strongest ally, our biggest weapon, and our best defense.” Me.
“Reality has a well-known liberal bias.” Stephen Colbert.
“The opposite of war isn’t peace, it’s creation.” Jonathan Larson.
“We live through times when hate and fear seem stronger.
We rise and fall, and light from dying embers
Remembrances that hope and love last longer.
And love is love is love is love is love is love is love is love;
Cannot be killed or swept aside.”
Lin-Manuel Miranda.“If I can’t dance, I don’t want to be part of your revolution.” Emma Goldman.
“No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better.” Samuel Beckett.
“I believe that the God who made (among other things) light, and space, and number, and time, and the spiral curve of Fibonacci numbers, must be acknowledged to understand more than I do about why there’s pain in the world.” Teresa Neilsen Hayden.
“No, it’s not fair. You’re in the wrong universe for fair.” John Scalzi.
“Liberals got women the right to vote. Liberals got African-Americans the right to vote. Liberals created Social Security and lifted millions of elderly people out of poverty. Liberals ended segregation. Liberals passed the Civil Rights Act, the Voting Rights Act. Liberals created Medicare. Liberals passed the Clean Air Act, the Clean Water Act. So when you try to hurl that label at my feet, ‘Liberal,’ as if it were something to be ashamed of, something dirty, something to run away from, it won’t work, because I will pick up that label and I will wear it as a badge of honor.” Lawrence O’Donnell
“So keep fightin’ for freedom and justice, beloveds, but don’t you forget to have fun doin’ it. Lord, let your laughter ring forth. Be outrageous, ridicule the fraidy-cats, rejoice in all the oddities that freedom can produce. And when you get through kickin’ ass and celebratin’ the sheer joy of a good fight, be sure to tell those who come after how much fun it was.” Molly Ivins.
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Author Archives: Pat Greene
Every so often, someone restores my faith in humanity.
It’s Christmas Eve, and I was still out buying a gift for my nephew. The day had not started well — I have misplaced my glasses and am forced to use my backup pair with the scratch in the left … Continue reading
Dick Cheney’s unpatriotic utilitarianism.
“If you don’t stick to your values when they’re being tested, they’re not values: they’re hobbies.” Jon Stewart. The word torture is once again in the air and permeating the airwaves and the national consciousness. The release of the Senate Intelligence … Continue reading
The stories in the wine, II
[The Stories in the Wine, here.] (The Rocket Scientist and I went on a Segway tour of Healdsburg a few weeks back, and brought back a couple of bottles of wine, and here are their stories. Maybe because it is … Continue reading
Hey! Lookie!
I have a new profile picture. It’s me with my latest hair: the color is closer to natural, not my natural but someone’s, and a bit longer. I took it my home-away-from-home, a new Starbucks I found. (For some value … Continue reading
Where is Sam Vimes when you need him?
A friend of mine on Facebook stated after the Staten Island grand jury refused to indict the officer in the Eric Garner case that she was taking a break from the news to reread Terry Pratchett’s Night Watch. She said … Continue reading
What did Obama do?
He punted. He basically told Congress “I’m going to just stand here until you people fix this.” This is not an amnesty. An amnesty would regularize the status of undocumented immigrants. This will not do that. It will simply provide … Continue reading
At least it’s not April.
It’s the third week in November. It is the anniversary of my father’s death, followed the next day by my eldest son’s birthday. (Believe me, I have been grateful to providence that the two did not fall on the same … Continue reading
Social justice music.
I am listening to The Voice. This week I have purchased two singles, “Redemption Songs,” sung by Anita Antoinette (my favorite performer still on the show) and “He Ain’t Heavy, He’s My Brother,” performed by Damien. I chose hymns. How … Continue reading
QOTD, for those in Silicon Valley
Santa Clara County Supervisor Joe Simitian, talking about the lack of affordable housing in Mountain View: “Next time we have a big earthquake, the safest place is to be in Tracy, because as far as I know, every cop, firefighter … Continue reading
Sounding off about The Voice.
[Warning: this post is about the television show The Voice. There are a lot of things – important things, at that — to write about in the world, and I am expending time (not to mention a thousand words) on … Continue reading
Safety.
The other day I saw a Rachel Maddow piece about Kaci Hickox, the nurse in Maine who has defied orders to stay sequestered in her house. Hickox has been tested for Ebola, does not have Ebola, has shown no signs … Continue reading
Update.
Work is over, again. I was part of a political operation (a small part) again. Election work is, by its nature, temporary and cyclical. Every second Tuesday in November there is a flurry of activity, followed by the campaign workers’ … Continue reading
I am not going to do an analysis of the California ballot, another than to make an observation: Unions and trial attorneys make easy villains. But what are unions but collections of workers? Being in favor of taking care of … Continue reading
“Social Justice Warrior” has a really lovely ring to it.
I’ve been meaning to write a GamerGate post. Everyone else has, pretty much. I’m busy with other things (such as deciding if I have enough of an idea to try NaNoWriMo this year — I may need to settle for … Continue reading
I am in love with Mary Chapin Carpenter.
Last week I went to see the wonderful Mary Chapin Carpenter in concert. (Tift Merrit was the opening act — she was pretty great, too.) I have seen her before, and plan to catch her the next time she tours. … Continue reading
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