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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Category Archives: Politics
Rachel Maddow on why all of us won Tuesday night. It’s well worth watching all the way through, even if it is sixteen minutes long. The best soundbite has been plastered all over Facebook, but her most important points come … Continue reading
It’s nice to go out on a high note.
As of 8:00 p.m. election evening, the moment the California polls closed, I once again became unemployed. Over the past three and a half weeks, I have gained about $1,000, a water bottle, tote bag, and t-shirt (I won something … Continue reading
I, and many political nerds across the land, have a deep and abiding crush on Nate Silver. Not that he is ever going to read this, but thanks, Nate, for giving us intelligent and sane analysis.
My votes
I am going to indulge myself in a bit of pontification here. Not that it probably matters to anyone, but here is how I am voting on all major California races and propositions: President, Vice President: Barack Obama and Joe … Continue reading
One ringey-dingey… two ringey-dingey…
“The secret to success is sincerity. Once you can fake that, you’ve got it made.” Jean Giradoux. My father once said that all honest labor is honorable labor. I wonder what he would make of my latest employment. I have … Continue reading
Speaking of bumper stickers…
I have one for my van that I snagged on Saturday from the people at Headcount.org: “Earn your right to bitch: VOTE” My only hesitation is I don’t want to corrupt the language of other people’s children.
Pre-election blues.
I missed the debates on Wednesday: listening to the media analysis after the fact, it appears that Romney won, perhaps by exceeding the media’s somewhat low expectations for him. I am not sure it matters to me. I have no … Continue reading
Randomness.
It is amazing how small things can change my opinion of people. The man at the next table in Starbucks who was loudly (if intelligently and emphatically) correcting a colleague (or more likely a subordinate) just looked over and smiled … Continue reading
Pennsylvania’ Voter ID law was put on hold for this election. As was Texas’s, Ohio’s and Wisconsin’s. The Florida voter purge died. Things are looking good for representational democracy. Now if we can just take care of that Republican registration … Continue reading
Over at Lawyers, Guns and Money, Scott Lemiuex (“There are Many Life and Death Issues”, “All American Presidential Elections are Choices Between Evils”), Paul Campos (“Purity of Essence”), Erik Loomis (“Nobody is Sweeping Dead Muslims Under the Rug”), and djw … Continue reading
I hate when people do this.
Sigh. Repeating a claim over and over does not make it true. Obama did not waive the work requirement for welfare. Edited to add: And then there is the new anti-Obama movie, 2016: Obama’s America. It grossed $6.2 million last weekend. … Continue reading
It is the first day of that days-long infomercial (but with less real content) that is the Republican National Convention. I have acquainted myself with enough of their platform to shake in my boots for my country — especially its … Continue reading
Today’s term of the day…
… from Matthew O’Brien of The Atlantic, quoting from David Roberts at Grist: we are living in a “post-fact world.” Yes, exactly. And I am a naif who happens to be very, very bothered by that. It’s not that there … Continue reading
Basic biology, fail.
Oddly enough for someone who is so emotionally invested in politics, I am trying to avoid writing about election topics. Neither my psyche nor my blood pressure can stand a lot of that these days. The combination of negative campaigning … Continue reading
The Healthcare Darwinists.
I have a medical condition that, regardless of how well I have been taking care of myself, has the possibility of me ending up in the hospital. It is lifelong and, if not properly treated, potentially fatal. Being in the hospital … Continue reading
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