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
Remember how I said that I would vote Republican if I had any thought that Romney would be anything but a disaster in the making? Scratch that. There’s no way I want Paul Ryan the proverbial heartbeat away from the … Continue reading
Outrageous.
The one broken election promise of the Obama Administration that has angered me the most is the (non)closing of Guantanamo. And today, the Administration unveiled plans to restrict access of detainees* to their counsel. Note, according to the story, … 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
PETA does it again.
I can’t tell whether to be amused or infuriated by PETA’s latest legal manuever: they have filed a lawsuit in federal court in San Diego claiming that the orcas at Sea World are being held in violation of the 13th … Continue reading
At some point, did they stop teaching civics in schools?
So, Rick Santorum wants to overturn any decision the Supreme Court makes declaring bans on same-sex marriage unconstitutional. Mr. Santorum, you can’t do that. The Supreme Court gets to decide what’s constitutional, you do not. Now, you can drag your … Continue reading
The Politics of Soundbites.
I hate “gotcha” politics. I long for a mythical era when people of good intent coulddiscuss their differences rationally, and not look for every sound bite thatcan be taken out of context and used to bludgeon their opponent.* I want … Continue reading
Why I love Barney Frank.
From a New York Times interview with the representative for the 4th District of Massachusetts: You’ve long argued for the decriminalization of marijuana. Do you smoke weed? No. Why not? Why do you ask a question, then act surprised when I … Continue reading
The making of a policy wonk
I just came home to find the Red-Headed Menace watching C-SPAN, which is playing the sound feed to the oral argument in the Texas redistricting case.
What about the girls, Mr. President?
[Warning: rape/suicide triggers.] “As the father of two daughters,” Obama said. “I think it is important for us to make sure that we apply some common sense to various rules when it comes to over-the-counter medicine.” There was this girl. … Continue reading
How to tell if a piece of legislation may be important…
No the only way, of course, but… When your college-junior son texts you to ask if you are as “genuinely terrified” (his words, not mine) about the defense authorization bill as he is, the bill in question really is significant. … Continue reading
Facts matter on both sides.
If you have a Facebook, and you have friends who are of the liberal/progressive/Democrat persuasion, you may have seen the post that claims “Congressional Republicans have introduced dozens of bills on social issues and other topics, but ‘zero on job … Continue reading
Open letter to the Occupy people
Dear everyone occupying everywhere (in the US): Great. I am all behind you. I am glad you are taking the initiative to bring important matters to the world’s attention. There are a couple of other things you could do for … Continue reading
Factual accuracy is a good thing; making stuff up isn’t.
Remember I had that post about how someone wrote a heart-filled response to that “53%-er” picture going around Facebook? Butster Blonde at persephone.com ran the numbers. Basically, it boils down to: this person is either phenomenally lucky, or, much more … Continue reading
What about a *woman’s* right to live?
Every so often the House of Representatives does something which takes my breath away. And not in a good way, either. Yesterday, the House passed H.R. 358, the so-called “Protect Life Act.” You think H.R. 3, the bill that would … Continue reading
Class Warfare?
It only becomes class warfare when we fight back.Seen all over Facebook.Occupy Wall Street is spreading. It is spreading to cities as far apart as Detroit, Seattle, and Los Angeles. Minneapolis. Chicago. Hilo. That would be Hilo, Hawaii, as far … Continue reading
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