![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
late night conundrums
Oct. 31st, 2009 12:37 amI'm using the phrase "kaleidoscope eyes" in lyrics, without irony. Question: should I be shot?
Oct. 31st, 2009
California's budget problems are well-known, as are the economic problems, the housing collapse, and so on. To try to bridge budget gaps - at least for the moment - they're going to overwithhold for state income taxes in paycheques starting tomorrow. It's technically not a tax increase as they're doing a blanket 10% step-up in withholding, and you can get it back in your tax refund when you file in 2010. But it'll still affect household budgets, and thus, holiday spending.
Pumpkin Pumpkin Pumpkin, with Pac-Man and Lights
Pumpkin Pumpkin Pumpkin, with Pac-Man and Darks
Pumpkin Pumpkin Pumpkin, with Pac-Man and Porch
I really didn't know what to write about the newly-GBLT-inclusive hate-crimes bill passage and signing last week; it's something that could've passed a few times before, but Mr. Bush would have vetoed it because it included queers, which is bad, but on the other hand, I'm pretty ambivalent about this particular concept anyway. I don't think it's a bad thing - I'm not running around screaming THOUGHT CRIME! THOUGHT CRIME!, and the hypocrisy of that when the opposition favours hate-crimes legislation on religion and other grounds is the usual round of appalling bullshittery - but I've never understood why it was considered such a big deal.
So in this case I'll hand it off to a bunch of readers of Andrew Sullivan's. This isn't Sully talking about it, these are people who are writing him in reaction. Some of them are thrilled, and they can explain how they see it, and hopefully the optimistic and happy amongst them are correct.
Separately, here's Towleroad blogging from the signing ceremony, where everyone was smiles and handshakes. The bump in the road, tho', was Attorney General Eric Holder not just refusing to comment on Question 1 in Maine, but actively asserting he didn't know what it was. That's just nonsensical, and - no. Frankly, it's bullshit. It's a lie, and he's ducking the question, possibly because they were prepping for another enthusiastic defence of DOMA in Federal court on Friday. In summary, DOMA isn't discriminatory, there is no right to marital benefits on the Federal level, and so on. I haven't seen the actual filing, just the news report, but from what I hear it's not as vile as the first one, but more along the lines of the second.
So there you are. No conclusions, just, well, there you go.
So in this case I'll hand it off to a bunch of readers of Andrew Sullivan's. This isn't Sully talking about it, these are people who are writing him in reaction. Some of them are thrilled, and they can explain how they see it, and hopefully the optimistic and happy amongst them are correct.
Separately, here's Towleroad blogging from the signing ceremony, where everyone was smiles and handshakes. The bump in the road, tho', was Attorney General Eric Holder not just refusing to comment on Question 1 in Maine, but actively asserting he didn't know what it was. That's just nonsensical, and - no. Frankly, it's bullshit. It's a lie, and he's ducking the question, possibly because they were prepping for another enthusiastic defence of DOMA in Federal court on Friday. In summary, DOMA isn't discriminatory, there is no right to marital benefits on the Federal level, and so on. I haven't seen the actual filing, just the news report, but from what I hear it's not as vile as the first one, but more along the lines of the second.
So there you are. No conclusions, just, well, there you go.