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
Yes, I’m being lazy. Sue me.
I write a lot about political matters. Sometimes, such as in the last post, I don’t link to the actual decision or bill. (Where I am referring to a news item, I link to the article.) I sort of assume … Continue reading
Politics makes strange bedfellows: anti-Kelo legislation.
I have written about my feelings about the SCOTUS decision in Kelo v. City of New London.* Citizen’s United and Ledbetter v. Goodyear notwithstanding, Kelo is the worst Supreme Court decision of the last decade, at least. The House of Representatives … Continue reading
I feel… well, maybe not pretty, but respectable.
So, on Friday, with the help of a nice young woman who acted as an assistant, I put together a small interview/work wardrobe. Enough to carry me a couple of weeks at a business. Then, with my first paycheck I … Continue reading
Oh, no!
A transformer blew in spectacular fashion outside our backyard last week. (At 3 a.m., no less.) Ever since then, the wireless in the house has been spotty, and it died for good today. The Rocket Scientist is out of town, … Continue reading
Both of my younger children (and my elder, as far as I know) are incensed about ACTA. Railfan went so far as to email both his parents, his brothers, and his teachers, telling us to Google it immediately, and take … Continue reading
Passing the Test.
The Bechdel Test is a very handy measure for assessing the status of women in the eyes of the entertainment industry. But like most measures, the devil is in the details: what can be useful in assessment of the general … Continue reading
Tax Query
It’s tax season. Today’s question comes courtesy of the Resident Shrink, in a comment to another post: If you go to the local cafe because you need wireless access for business purposes and there is none in your building… Are … Continue reading
Going medieval. Not really.
Dear sir on this History Channel Program: No, you are not “going medieval.” You are not doing things just as the regular folks did in the Middle Ages. You are wearing Polar Fleece. As for that authentic recreation of a … Continue reading
This is who I am.
In a job workshop yesterday, we were encouraged to write down all the roles we fill in the world. In my inimitable style, I decided to be as complete as possible, beyond any point of reasonableness. I am: A woman.A … Continue reading
I really need to stop arguing with people on Facebook. I get too "emotional."
I got into an argument with a lawyer on Facebook yesterday. The subject was the argument over the religious exemption for requirements for insurance coverage for contraception. He trotted out all the usual responses to Sandra Fluke: having sex has … Continue reading
Time is not on my side.
I have a full dozen topics I have listed to write on, not to mention the everyday things that happen. I am also job searching. I have no idea how long this will take. And new things are being added … Continue reading
Wistfulness
I saw a young boy standing next to a street sign earlier today, holding on and swinging around. He couldn’t have been more than six. For a brief moment I flashed back to the Red-Headed Menace doing the exact same … Continue reading
Yet another indicator that the Internet has taken over our lives.
The Red-Headed Menace, talking about his Modern European History AP assignment: “Wouldn’t you agree, Mom, that Otto von Bismarck was trolling the rest of Europe?”
Upping the ante.
First, before I say anything else, what I am about to say is in no way whatsoever intended to be a criticism of Sandra Fluke, the Georgetown Law student who wanted to testify before Congress, and who has been smeared … Continue reading
Pina.
If you love modern dance, see Pina.If you like modern dance, see Pina.If you are curious about modern dance, see Pina. If you like weird documentaries…If you like experimental movies with no narrative arc…If you like surrealism — maybe especially … Continue reading
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