two approaches

Big Brother is shouting at you. Quoting from the article:

Britain's first 'talking' CCTV cameras have arrived, publicly berating bad behaviour and shaming offenders into acting more responsibly.

I mean seriously.

"Smith!" screamed the shrewish voice from the telescreen. "6079 Smith W.! Yes, you! Bend lower, please! You can do better than that. You're not trying. Lower, please! That's better, comrade."

The really creepy part is the comments section on the news item - specifically, the comments from all the people who like it.

Of course, I should be used to that sort of creepy WTF at this point, given the arguments I've been having over torture and executive power - not Presidential, we no longer have a President - but I guess it's good that things can still creep me out. For some low value of good. I mean, hell, it could be worse. The executive could be handed the power to unilaterally declare martial law or something, over the objections of governors, thus gutting posse comitatus and nationalising the various state National Guards. Oh wait - that already happened. Congress added a little clause in the 2007 National Defense Authorisation Act - in conference committee without debate - making it dramatically easier for the chief executive to do exactly that.

Not only does this Conference Report unfortunately drop the Empowerment amendment entirely, it adopts some incredible changes to the Insurrection Act, which would give the President more authority to declare martial law. Let me repeat: The National Guard Empowerment Act, which is designed to make it more likely for the National Guard to remain in State control, is dropped from this conference report in favor of provisions making it easier to usurp the Governors control and making it more likely that the President will take control of the Guard and the active military operating in the States.

The changes to the Insurrection Act will allow the President to use the military, including the National Guard, to carry out law enforcement activities without the consent of a governor. When the Insurrection Act is invoked posse comitatus does not apply. Using the military for law enforcement goes against one of the founding tenets of our democracy, and it is for that reason that the Insurrection Act has only been invoked on three — three — in recent history. The implications of changing the Act are enormous, but this change was just slipped in the defense bill as a rider with little study. Other congressional committees with jurisdiction over these matters had no chance to comment, let alone hold hearings on, these proposals.

I guess between the style of authoritarianism and the substance, Britain is picking the style, and the US is, well...

Today's Cultural Warfare Update (1 of 2)

A lot of today's update is about election stuff, but one of the items that most turns my stomach is Focus on the Family's happiness over the Oklahoma City school board removing GBLT students from the school system's anti-bullying policies. They say that GBLT students should not be protected from students, teachers, and administrators who "do not think homosexuality is part of God's design." This whole recent focus on making it easier to bully lesbian, bisexual, gay, and transgendered teenagers and children at school is one of the most petty and revolting manifestations of the theocon hatred for GBLT people that I have seen - and I've seen a lot.

A second theme in all the get-out-the-vote articles is the idea that voting and voting, well, you know, GOP, is a religious mandate - that it's biblically required. Again, it's part of the intentional sectarianism push. Fun.

Anyway, today's news.

There have been a couple of theocon news items about this, but my latest Microsoft shareholder proxy paperwork has a shareholder initiative to remove sexual orientation from Microsoft's internal corporate anti-discrimination policy. I'm not sure that they're buying stock for the specific intent of introducing anti-GBLT stockholder resolutions, but if they have stock, they're introducing them. This one says that DP benefits endorses "relations [that] have been condemned by the major traditions of Judaism, Christianity and Islam for a thousand years or more"; he also references the ban on lesbian and gay people in the military while pretending it's not a full ban, and oh yeah, fags are diseased and DP benefits for GBLT people hurt marriage, and straights deserve protections queers don't;

Chief executive Bush campaigns against queers to rally the base in the final days of the 2006 campaign;

Andrew Sullivan goes on the Hugh Hewitt show to talk about conservatism and gets grilled for two hours about whether he's a real Christian or not; meanwhile, Hugh Hewitt gets an assortment of Constitutional law issues hysterically wrong;

Fundamentalist effort to "Save Wal-Mart from the Radical Homosexual Agenda" - this in response to Wal-Mart's support for the National Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce; remember, the "radical homosexual agenda" is the right to do anything, such as run a business;

G.O.P. nationally moves to gaybashing in the final week of the campaign;

Remember the story a year or so ago, with the Tennessee teenager who thought his parents loved him more than they loved their own sense of self-righteousness and shipped him off to an ex-gay conversion camp when he came out to them? And then Tennessee said, 'hey, you're running an unlicensed mental health care facility, you can't do that.' Well, the anti-gay Alliance Defense Fund fundamentalist legal team got Tennessee to back off, so the "Love in Action" ex-gay conversion therapy boot camp stays open;

New Jersey rejects Federal funding over abstinence-education funding rules;

Focus on the Family article condemns Lawrence v. Texas (2003), the Supreme Court case ruling that you couldn't make gay people illegal, in a story attacking law schools for putting too much emphasis on international law;

Focus "we are oppressed" on the Family get-out-the-vote article declaring themselves David vs. the "mocking, hostile and life-destroying culture" Goliath; the outcome of this election "matters to God, and it should matter to us";

Ohio fundamentalist takes Republican leaders to task for not bringing armageddon sooner and delaying the second coming of Jesus Christ;

Focus on the Family/Alliance Defense Fund update on two cases, one where an anti-abortion protester was charged with violating a city noise ordinance with amplified recording players outside a woman's health clinic, another where the ADF is suing to let a "home for troubled youth" receiving public funds continue to discriminate based on religion - both are being called "religious liberty" cases;

Comprehensive-abortion-ban backers in South Dakota are running commercials calling the complete ban an end to "abortion on demand," painting abortion as frivolous and casual;

It's not the main point of the article, but Focus on the Family quotes an Evergreen Freedom Foundation wonk saying, "[The Washington State Education Association] worked to fight a repeal of a ban on homosexual preferences in the workplace" in an article condemning the NDA. This would, as far as I can tell, be a reference to the GBLT civil rights bill passed last year and the failed attempt to get enough votes to get a repeal on the ballot. Note how "equal treatment" becomes "preferences," or preferential treatment, when applied to GBLT people; this is, of course, intentional;

Focus on the Family promotes 22 endorsement sheets ("voter's guides") for the upcoming election;

FotF quotes President Bush's condemnation of the New Jersey Supreme Court ruling stating that GBLT couples deserve equal legal treatment under the New Jersey constitution, and handing it to the legislature to figure out how to handle that (civil unions, marriage, whatever);

Focus on the Family likes celebrities when they're on their side;

***** Oklahoma City school officials remove GBLT students from the anti-bullying policy; Focus on the Family applauds, saying that GBLT students should not be protected from students, teachers, and administrators who "do not think homosexuality is part of God's design," claiming that a GBLT-inclusive anti-bullying policy discriminates against anti-gay fundamentalists; this whole recent focus on making it easier to bully lesbian, bisexual, gay, and transgendered teenagers and children is one of the most petty and revolting manifestations of the theocon hatred for GBLT people that I have seen;

Focus on the Family blames the ACLU for child porn on the web;

FotF main article against the New Jersey ruling, claims the court wants to redefine marriage "out of existence";

Focus on the Family, National Day of Prayer get-out-the-vote and get-out-the-prayers call for this election, supporting chief executive Bush (and through implication his party);

FotF complains about people complaining about church and other 501(c)(3) political activities and endorsements;

Seattle Times article on theocon-backed Steve Johnson for Supreme Court and incumbent Justice Susan Owens is quoted as an endorsement by Faith and Freedom Network, calling out Steve Johnson's opposition to GBLT marriage rights;

Faith and Freedom Network's condemnation of the New Jersey ruling; the best part is where they say denying GBLT marriage rights isn't discrimination since GBLT people are free to marry opposite-gender partners. Presumably this is just like how banning the Star of David wouldn't be religious discrimination since Jews would be free to wear any crucifix they desired.

( Articles and excerpts below )

(NEWS) Today's Cultural Warfare Update (2 of 2)

One thing I've been seeing is that the theocon groups are all calling the New Jersey ruling a "4-3 decision." This is presumably to make it look like a far more marginal ruling than it was. The ruling was actually 7-0 that GBLT people deserved the same legal protections under the law as straight couples under New Jersey constitutional law. The 4-3 vote was whether to send it to the legislature or just assert that current marriage licenses could be awarded to GBLT couples as well. That's kind of interesting.

And now, more news...

Australian Muslim fundamentalist cleric calls women "uncovered meat" - but more offensively, it's part of a broader statement less well publicised where he blames the victims of gang-rapes for being raped, asserted they were at fault for not wearing the hijab;

Concerned Women for America: evangelical leaders endorsing action to limit global warming are part of a secret plot to promote abortion-on-demand;

CWA: GBLT marriage bans aren't discrimination since queers are free to marry people of the opposite gender. Presumably this is just like how banning the Star of David wouldn't be religious discrimination since Jews would be free to wear any crucifix they desired;

CWA: Vote, vote, vote, vote, vote, vote, vote GOP;

CWA rails against Cargill for firing an anti-marriage activist employee; the company claims it was for insubordination (harassment of other employees, removing his anti-marriage sign from his truck then putting it back on) but CWA is working to make him into a martyr against t3h gay;

CWA condemn New Jersey ruling, saying it "uproots marriage" by saying GBLT couples qualify under state equal-protection law and must be granted the benefits of civil marriage, though leaving it up to the legislature to figure out how;

CWA condemns Wal-Mart for "promoting homosexuality" by becoming a corporate member of a national gay and lesbian chamber of commerce organisation; again, just being in business is evil if you're t3h gay; amoungst CWA worries is that Wal-Mart may begin buying from GBLT-owned survivors, and claims that Wal-Mart will stop doing business with companies which discriminate against GBLT people;

CWA pushes gender-segregation in schools;

Canada Family Action Coalition tries to lay the groundwork for more church involvement in politics;

Institute for Canadian Values publishes anti-marriage-rights paper, as part of the groundwork for overturning C-38, the law which brought GBLT citizens into Canadian marriage law; the paper's claims include the usuals: GBLT marriage violates the rights of people who oppose marriage for queers by not letting them stop queers from getting married; GBLT marriage is a slippery slope to polygamy; GBLT marriage will lead to the downfall of society in years to come, promoting alcoholism, child poverty, spousal abuse, which they imply via bad statistics abuse are much more likely in same-sex households; heterosexual couples need the protections and benefits of marriage and key to that is withholding those benefits from same-sex couples is vital to that cause; and so on;

An earlier CWU - I think I included this - included a small article about fundamentalist evangelical protestant schools in Quebec operating unlicensed; apparently that got some notice because now there's a move to bring them into compliance with Canadian educational rules; the big fights are over evolutionary theory and sex education;

Institute for Canadian Values press release on their paper "on impact of redefining marriage in Canada";

Traditional Values Coalition demands Virginia Senate candidate Jim Webb withdraw from the race over the content of novels he wrote;

TVC: New Jersey Supreme Court ruling condemned, calls for Federal anti-marriage amendment;

Gay police organisation in the UK runs ads against hate crimes upsurge led by anti-gay fundamentalists (25% Muslim, 75% Christian); UK evangelical groups invoke hate speech laws and are calling for an investigation by Scotland Yard for "portraying Christianity in a bad light";

TVC condemns New Jersey ruling again;

Christian Science Monitor: New Jersey ruling will boost GOP base and chances in this election;

American Family Association ACTION ITEM against Wal-Mart for joining the National Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce and for carrying books which talk about GBLT marriage in a favourable light; the demand is to stop "promoting" GBLT marriage - which presumably means not carrying any of the books in question and dropping the NGLCC membership;

AFA, Sen. Sam Brownback (R-KS, a theocon favourite for President), Family Research Council all condemn New Jersey supreme court ruling;

Tennessee church starts Wal-Mart boycott over their NGLCC membership and "promotion of homosexuality"; I rather expect this'll turn into an AFA boycott at some point, but hard to say; also, Florida upholds its sales-tax exemption for the Bible that does not apply to Wiccan religious documents;

AFA article on the ongoing attempt to get fundamentalists to abandon the public school system en masse; apparently there will be another reintroduction of the resolution at the Southern Baptist Convention national conference in 2007;

AFA condemns natural history tour featuring the "Lucy" find as "anti-Creationist hype";

Family Research Council promotes the Ohio Christian Alliance's endorsement sheet;

Family Research Council: New Jersey must react to Supreme Court ruling by banning marriage for queers - presumably via constitutional amendment;

FRC second press release urging New Jersey to ban GBLT marriage;

FRC ACTION ITEM to ban GBLT marriage rights in the eight states which have anti-marriage amendments on the ballot this fall.

( Articles and excerpts below )

blustery

In less creepy news than any of the previous three posts, I finally had time to take out the old postbox and put up the new one. I had to shorten the post a good bit, but I got it cut without too much trouble and built a little platform to bolt down the new box. There was a bit of a run-and-shout-about while trying to find the misplaced keys to the new mailbox right as I was about to bolt it down, which had me finishing the installation after dark, but it's all taken care of at last. The new box is much more level than the old, as well, tho' that means I had to cut the post at an angle, which is kind of funny. Postbox posts should not attempt to be rakish.

Saturday's Token: 0.4 miles but lots of outdoor work
Miles out of Hobbiton: 1387
Miles out of Rivendell: 922
Miles out of Lothlórien: 468
Miles past Rauros Falls: 60.1
Miles to Isengard: 411.6

Also, I finally took a day off studying on Saturday and caught up on a bunch of things about the house, which is now significantly more clean, and a couple of parts of which are significantly better organised. And we watched the Torchwood pilot, which did not impress. It was much too much of a fan script for me, and so far, I'm not getting anywhere with the characters. Of course, most of them were only introduced in the most brief of terms, so maybe that'll change abruptly next episode, now that we're past the interminable but inevitable origin story.


Get Close

It's supposed to drop below freezing this week. The odds of snow are pretty much zero, but we had some significant hail this morning, and now the wind is picking up quite a bit again and it's getting dark. The broadleaf maples are throwing leaves down with abandon, and they're huge, so it looks like a parade for giants, and every so often one smacks into the window with a surprisingly loud thok. I like it.

Ah well, enough of that. Time to get back to homework. I'll try to have more regular CWU updates this coming week, but I've got another midterm on Wednesday so things may be a tad on the side of the dodgy.