It is being written by kchapmangibbons (at @kcgibbons on twitter). It's a nice blog for thoughts and information, given from a liberal Nashvillians point of view.
Among her shared insight is on the why's of being a blue dot. This term reflects how many of us, while living in largely red (conservative...I don't know why I'm over explaining.) states do represent blue (...You know what that means.) dots, oases, in sometimes extreme conservative deserts (Hey, I'm completing the metaphor.).
While some liberals do like to be oblivious to it, every state is more than red or blue. There are the Austins and Nashvilles. Also some people and places are changing and growing. Beyond them, their are just the individuals and families that represent. And they represent, because they are home, and they want to embrace what's good and change what isn't good.
So, take time to enjoy here insight and views of the good from a place you may never visit. Or maybe it is close to the life you live, and you'll enjoy the sharing.
It comes from a fictional character running for office, but it is nice to remind ourselves and others just what it means to be liberal, and remember just what liberals have done in the history of the United States.
(Sometime I'll have to write out what I thought worked and failed in the last season of West Wing, but it was interesting to watch that very fantasy based election.)
Still, it is an interesting point made. Lincoln, the Republican president, was a liberal.
There is importance in that. Liberal. Conservative. They aren't supposed to be defined by a party allegiance. They are conceptual. Philosophies.
The Republican brand once was to change things. They were a sprightly new party full of ideals and vigor. They opposed slavery, plantations dominating land ownership. It is interesting how time and power can change and shape any group. And the once Northern and Western party becomes the party of the South.
Still, at the same time it is possible for a Republican to have liberal values. People like Theodore Roosevelt proved it could be found in the party, and then accidentally end up in the presidency. Even Nixon had a willingness to take steps to act positively on the environment.
The trouble now is that people like Roosevelt and Nixon (people that would agree with his positive acts) never get into office. One needs to charm the NRA, then to Rush Limbaugh, then financial interests, then Religious Right. Once you've pleased all of them, their isn't much left for the rest of the country, or for the committee conferences. Every senator and representative is placed in a bind. Step too far out of line and their will be a challenger with money and ads.
I would love to see a return of the liberal Republican, open to change, open to working to help Americans put under duress by society or business. But I just don't see the current system welcoming or accepting them back. So, I wish those left would see that and migrate to something new, where they would be allowed to actually make a difference and have a voice.
Republicans like to talk of being the party of Lincoln. It's funny. They are a party that has no place in it for his liberal thinking. And the power base it relies on now would be quite happy if he was blotted from the history books.
But don't worry. We liberals love our history, and we love being sure everyone gets a good education.
In case you are not readying or hearing about the recent analysis of Nate Silver at FiveThirtyEight, he doesn't see an easy or obvious victorious run come 2014. 2014? You know, the next election...? You know, how we the United States has elections every 2 YEARS...? ...
...
...Okay, breathe. Yes, we do in fact vote every 2 years. I know, we just started a new Congressional session AND inaugurated the president. But, next year, 620 days from now, we are doing this again...Well, some of us are. We don't all really get involved, leaving older and more conservative people.
Which takes us back to Nate Silver. Looking at the data available and history, he is seeing real dangers coming in 2014. It is possible that the Senate could go to the Republicans. Not a sure thing. But they are in a real positions, if they pull themselves together this year, to put up an effort that could shift 6 or more seats in their favor. (Read Silver for the number crunching.)
Among the issues that most intensely threaten Democratic control in the Senate is that it's a midterm election. And on these occasions, we don't all get out, we don't all pay attention, and we don't all...bother caring.
2010 is a good example of what can happen, with shifts in power and momentum in Washington D.C. leading to Tea Party headaches and an imperiled health care reform. There are many factors that played into the election. Insane conservative anger and paranoia. Frustration with positions that the president and Democrats in Congress were taking. But, the results were that liberals were underrepresented at the polls. And we've seen the results with the likes of Senator Scott Brown, Governor Scott Walker, Governor Rick Snyder and Representative Allen West.
Now some of these people were ousted last year. But some are still around, and enacting harmful policies on the public. And the repercussions of 2010 still are hitting and hurting us. 2014 can't be allowed to go the same way.
So, yeah. 620 days to the next election. It's a long time, and too soon.
But you are needed. Your vote. Your interest. Your engagement in the process. We can't let conservatives drag government to a halt by taking both branches of Congress. We can't pretend the results of midterms don't hold weight. We can't let the Right Wing set the narrative for 2014 and 2016. We can't sit things out until the next presidential election.
It's not the most fun you'll ever have, but welcome to representative democracy.
Consider this your early alarm call. I know you'll be hitting the snooze and getting back to political slumber. But don't ignore it for too long, you don't want to be late. We are counting on you.
...You didn't find the Nate Silver math interesting enough to justify the title? ...Fine!
Image credit: E. W. Kimble, 1884, Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons.
I saw that yesterday was the 128th anniversary for the release of Mark Twain's Huckleberry Finn. And seeing as Mississippi has just ratified the abolition of slavery, it seems to be somewhat current tale. (Guess the state was too busy not properly educating and not acknowledging various people's rights to get to that...Apologizes to everyone in Mississippi that's been actually wronged and/or been troubled by your states failings.)
Huckleberry Finn is the story of a young boy, chafing at society, along the Mississippi River in Missouri. As the story progresses he flees his home and father, along with Jim, a fleeing slave, trying to escape getting sold away from his family. The story takes them on a trip down the Mississippi via raft, learning about the world around them, people, and themselves.
For me, one of the best moments in that book, and just a very evocative moment, comes late in the book.
Sigh. Okay, I am going to be giving some SPOILERS here. Spoilers for a 128 year old book, that's been turned into a number of movies... Still!
SPOILERS
Late in the story Huck and Jim are betrayed by folk they've met and befriended along the river. Jim is locked away as a runaway slave. Huck goes to the place he's held and is taken as a visiting relative, who will later be revealed to be Tom Sawyer (Tooooooom!!!).
Seen as an escaped slave, Jim will quickly get sold on down the river, deeper into the South, and further from his family. Huck could reveal Jim as being owned, by sending a letter to the slave owner. But for fleeing, there's little chance he won't get sold on anyway. And Huck would become a pariah for helping him. These choices trouble Huck. How is this right? Jim doesn't deserve this treatment. And he's afraid of further abuse at home for himself. But, he's also afraid of hell, for not turning in a slave. So he writes the letter down to the slave owner, and tries to get his head straight on what he should do as a good hell fearing civilized person. He decides he can't stand by, not for a friend, someone he's already gone through so much with. So, we get this section:
...
I felt good and all washed clean of sin for the first time I had ever felt so in my life, and I knowed I could pray now. But I didn't do it straight off, but laid the paper down and set there thinking- thinking how good it was all this happened so, and how near I come to being lost and going to hell. And went on thinking. And got to thinking over our trip down the river; and I see Jim before me, all the time; in the day, and in the night-time, sometimes moonlight, sometimes storms, and we a floating along, talking, and singing, and laughing. But somehow I couldn't seem to strike no places to harden me against him, but only the other kind. I'd see him standing my watch on top of his'n, stead of calling me, so I could go on sleeping; and see him how glad he was when I come back out of the fog; and when I come to him agin in the swamp, up there where the feud was; and such-like times; and would always call me honey, and pet me, and do everything he could think of for me, and how good he always was; and at last I struck the time I saved him by telling the men we had smallpox aboard, and he was so grateful, and said I was the best friend old Jim ever had in the world, and the only one he's got now; and then I happened to look around, and see that paper.
It was a close place. I took it up, and held it in my hand. I was a trembling, because I'd got to decide, forever, betwixt two things, and I knowed it. I studied a minute, sort of holding my breath, and then says to myself:
"All right, then, I'll go to hell"- and tore it up.
It was awful thoughts, and awful words, but they was said. And I let them stay said; and never thought no more about reforming. I shoved the whole thing out of my head; and said I would take up wickedness again, which was in my line, being brung up to it, and the other warn't. And for a starter, I would go to work and steal Jim out of slavery again; and if I could think up anything worse, I would do that, too; because as long as I was in, and in for good, I might as well go the whole hog.
...
Huck has been brought up in a society that has said slavery is good, slavery is right, slavery is the will of God. To help a slave to be free is a crime, and the path to hell and damnation. That scares Huck, as it does anyone brought up on the idea of hell. The act he's taken in this story, to befriend someone that's enslaved and help them escape, marks him as uncivilized. But Huck struggles to see things that way. He knows Jim. He sees a human being, a friend. But with hell looming, Huck tries to think of the right and proper way out of their situation. The trouble is just what the right and proper ways look to be. Huck can't accept living by society's rules, the right way of doing things, not if it means not caring when a person is treated like property and made to suffer. It's a moving moment. Seeing him, in his struggle between what's expected of him and what he thinks is right, see that society is wrong. It means he'll suffer for it, but he has to do what he feels is right. Even if it means burning for eternity in a lake of fire, the thing all of society say await him.
...Then Tom Sawyer steps in. As always, dicks around leaving Jim to suffer for his fantasies and amusement. And Huck doesn't help things, falling under Sawyer's sway. (And the book for many falters here. With Jim and Huck stuck playing fools for Tom Sawyer's ring master.) And, then, we get some surprise revelations at the end to save Huck and Jim from fates they feared.
But back to the quoted piece. At that moment he was choosing Hell over Heaven. Choosing the incivility of freeing someone from slavery over the proper response of not caring. It's a line that speaks so loudly of what society was during the days of open slavery. Over even certain attitudes that remained following the abolition of slavery. It's a type of pressure ever present. It pushes people to be uncivil for the sake of being civilized.
END SPOILERS
It is a book I do enjoy a great deal. And, for me, it is the story of the better character, in comparing Huck to Tom Sawyer. But Tom seems to get the most love (Damn bad boys.). So, if you've never read it, consider taking some time this year to get to know Huckleberry Finn.
The book has been popular, and controversial. While more recently the language used has gotten it banned, as has it's look at slavery. Many in it's own day disliked and banned it to, some seeing it as a trashy book and others not caring for a main character who would scratch themselves. But you'll have to decide for yourself, just as Huck does, between redeemability and irredeemability, when you read.
Oh, Marco. You give and you give. And it was funny. As I said on FaceBook, Rubio wants to just call it, God trying to make him humble. But, presumably, a god could also be trying to get across the message that you should just not be talking.
And that seems apt with what Rubio had to say that night. It was ridiculous, though most of it was missed thanks to Water-gate.
Even Jon Stewart noted, that the real story was the ridiculous series of claims that Rubio threw out.
It almost isn't really worth talking about. It really is just Paul Ryan and Mitt Romney, with a better polling name. It's the same rhetoric and complaints and ideas. They aren't getting fresher. And the hypocrisy of Ryan and him, how their lives have been shaped by government aid will do nothing to advance them or their party to more victories. Rubio's presentation was bad that night. But he also reminded us that his parties ideas are just not ready for prime time. Sadly, his party seems oblivious of this.
Or rather, they think they just need the right snake oil salesman.
We are closing out the week of the State of the Union, so before I get into any critical issues with current government policy (Oh, let's hope I get writing.), let's look at the good work being, at least considered. As such, what is the president considering for the next year and on?
There were many good ideas, good moments, hit in the speech. Obviously continuing talk of doing something on gun violence is great, and his rhetorical flourishes in reaching out to the national audience were touching. I hope for the best. Then I remember the hundreds of hostile eyes on him in that room, eager to not piss off the NRA. ...Let's see what happens. This is unlike immigration, where I am guessing their is enough push right now, and fear in the GOP of Hispanics, to make something real happen.
But I was more interested in the "new" ideas.
Universal Pre-K. Or, preschool for all. This would be great. A heads up for all kids, to socialize, learn some early skills, and help parents entering or trying to hold jobs in the workforce. The struggle to find ways to get their kids into preschool is a struggle for many working moms. But the problem is making it real.
This involves some troubling areas for the GOP. Kids, they don't like kids. Education, they really don't like education. And the government making an investment in communities across the nation, ...I think you see where I'm going here. This will be a fight. We already know Newt Gingrich already leads the concept of getting kids into overalls and giving them comically small brooms. You can feel free to imagine what the wingery parts of the party are thinking. As I heard someone say, this will likely not happen in Obama's time in office. Maybe the foundations for it can be set in the next 4 years. Or, maybe, we will be surprised by movement on it.
Minimum Wage Hike. This is needed. The minimum wage continues to lag behind indicator, and leaves anyone working for this wage rate below the poverty line. That is just not acceptable. And the idea of tying it to a measure so we don't need to wait for Congress to move, that seems sound. Also seems pie in the sky. I just don't see the GOP not blocking this, as always. The president needs to move things with voters so the GOP has no where to go. As it is, the GOP has it's tested pablum about how horrible it is to pay people living wages, and the media eats it up (despite it all being crap). But we may yet see a Minimum Wage bump at least. I just can't predict what madness the House will pull.
Getting to Actually Vote. I was glad to see continuing as an issue. And the president humanizing the experience with the older woman, stuck in an interminable line is smart. I hope we will see real action on it. The president has formed a committee, that is good. He's put a Republicans who's worked for Romney and McCain, and helped in the swiftboating of John Kerry, that's...confusing and troubling. But as long as we see some real plans to improve voting, I'd be happy. Though it seems the simplest way to go is to enforce uniform rules on FEDERAL elections, which would push states and counties to try and streamline their own elections, and put pressure to be sure regions of the country don't leave poorer communities with inadequate facilities to vote. If a finding of the committee is that we need to deal with voter fraud I will be peeved. But, it is early days...Voting occurs next year. Get to work!
The Progressive Narrative. This, to me, is the real power of the speech. Policy can have a chance of passing the next Congress or not. But what is the narrative of who we are as Americans? Reagan helped usher in a contempt for government action, a sense we were all on our own. It was the era of the yuppies, in bad suits, getting rich on the backs of the middle class, leading to growing disparity and struggle.
Obama talks of something else, connecting with Americans. He offers up a return to building a middle class that is the heart of this country. To us all standing together. The Progressive Narrative:
...
"And now they are at the heart of the story President Obama has been telling the American people in his SOTU, in his second inaugural address, on the campaign trail last year. From last night: "It is our generation's task, then, to reignite the true engine of America's economic growth -- a rising, thriving middle class." And "A growing economy that creates good, middle-class jobs -- that must be the North Star that guides our efforts." And "no one who works full time should have to live in poverty..." And "Stronger families. Stronger communities. A stronger America.
It is this kind of prosperity -- broad, shared, and built on a thriving middle class -- that has always been the source of our progress at home." You are speaking our language, Mr. President.It wasn't because the president's speech writers saw the website and thought it sounded good. It was because they are reading the same polling we are, because they are seeing the same focus groups. It is because this is where the American people have come around to after flirting with the Tea Party "no government is ever good" rhetoric. America's middle class knows it is getting crushed, and it knows that wealthy and powerful special interests have been making out like bandits on the backs of the rest of us. People are rallying around the story we are telling because it is common sense. The progressive center of gravity we built with this narrative pulled the president and the public in our direction because the story is true, and because it has powerful resonance in people's lives."
...
President Obama made a potent use of this annual event. But it is only the beginning. The new term of Congress has started, as has the presidents term. The work lies ahead. Everyone has to be sure that the Progressive Narrative isn't lost under conventional wisdom, beltway realities, and our own sad short term memories. We have to push back on what conservatives will try to do and try to not let happen. And we will need to likely need to push the president on some actions.
Oh, but now, what did the GOP have to say in response, cutting the president's ideas to shreds?!
*GULP*
_____________ ADDENDUM:
Forgot to mention another important area that the president mentioned.
Infrastructure investment. This is something we've needed for years now. Bridges, levies, dams, national piping, electrical grids, roads, all have needed a serious investment. And more should have come in the stimulus we got four years ago. We need to do this. It means, work, jobs, and needed boost to the economy. And it means we won't go more years and have a severe crisis arise when grids die, pipeline rupture, areas getting isolated by dilapidated travel conditions, or another tragic flood.
I hope this investment can happen. We do need this work done.
Well, I was going to get serious now on Ash Wednesday, consider the ashen cross on the foreheads. Because they are interesting to consider as overt presentations of faith.
And Bob Novak (Late King of the Douche Bags was a man who loved nothing more than hang his moral and religious superiority over anyone and everyone. He loved to go on TV to display the ash as a debate weapon. He could make it feel a distasteful display.
But as I was looking for a picture of him, I was looking at various people, including Vice President Biden, who are photographed with ash on the forehead. And when you think of this as a temporary one day affectation, that most people don't bother keeping on their faces way. Why should I be bothering with it? It is harmless. Why bother with him? He was never not harmful.
Screw him.
Instead, like many others are doing today, let's hail to the king.
So, Valentine's. As we all know the saccharine day exists to celebrate the events of February 14th, 1929. When a collection of mobsters were "hugged to death" by some rival mobsters after they'd received their lovely gift of a new puppy...
Wait, I probably shouldn't be getting my history from the Citizen Radio Definitive Source on History, Vol. 6. Sorry.
Oh, yeah. It's another one of those kinda sorta religious things.
Valentine's Day, or St. Valentine's Day, as you could guess, is in honor of someone named Valentine. A saint even. Now I'd get more specific with this, but...It isn't really clear who Valentine is.
I know, if you do know much of the holiday's history, you've heard some story. How he'd been a really great guy. He married soldiers that were, under law, meant to stay single. He was preaching the faith. Yadda yadda. But out of the early history of the Christian faith, there were many Valentines (like how there are so many Johns, Jesus, and Beyonces now). A number of figures from early history could be the original. They have differing tales that may be of the same person, or different ones, or just be stories. (Luckily this never happens again in all of religion.)
Do I need to caption this?
But a story did form. All the familiar beats, along with a nice grisly end. Saints need their dire exits. He's taken to the Roman emperor, offered friendship and freedom if he'll convert, and refuses. Then, before execution, he heals the jailers blind daughter (Aw!). Every saint needs that occasional moment of magic power to do all sorts of wonders...Just never really escape prison or execution (But, hey, no one made them join the faith big on martyrdom.). And then the final act, beaten horribly, and, since still alive, beheaded.
Isn't that a great basis for a mandatory date night? Isn't symbolic? (Don't answer that married folk! It's trap!) Well, it worked nicely for early Christians.
And at some point, well the end of the 5th century, a pope created the Feast of St. Valentine. Now, if you've read my recent posts, you may also remember it's now Lent. So, I am a little confused how in the 6th century a Feast of St. Valentine worked during a time of fasting. I'm sure it involves miracles, or something quantum.
Still we had that for awhile. It's not much. And, eventually, the church decided Valentine was a vague enough figure to pull back in the observance of his special day. No idea why the Church would have an issue with a big date night.
But, as usual, the Church didn't really get what they had on their hands. (To be fair, all the off shoot churches didn't get it either.) You see, Valentine, with a little poetic spin could be quite useful. It was not until people like Geoffrey Chaucer (Canterbury Tales, etc.) got to work on the saint and the feast day that it really started to take shape as the day we know now.
La Belle Dame Sans Merci by Sir Frank Dicksee
This point in the Middle Ages was a big launching point for chivalry, courtly romance, and, if you read storybooks, the fad of women wearing large pointy hats with veils trailing off. There was a surge of romantic tales and poetry.
The Parliament of Fowls is perhaps the first St. Valentine's Day poem ever written. Brewer suggests that it was begun in May of 1382 and finished for Valentine's day in 1383. ...
...
A gardyn saw I, ful of blosmy bowes
Upon a ryver, in a grene mede,
There as swetnesse everemore inow is,
With floures whyte, blewe, yelwe, and rede,
And colde welle-stremes, nothyng dede,
That swymmen ful of smale fishes lighte,
With fynnes rede and skales sylver bryghte
....
It was a shift in how the day was perceived. Valentine had been reallocated to matters of love. The romantics needed a day, and he was conveniently available. Just as he had been to early Church leader.
So, traditions began. Flowers were exchanged. Then sweets (And, I hate to pause again, but...Lent?). And, of course...the greeting card came in to the picture.
So, yes, today greeting card companies, candy makers, and jewelry pushers do have a vested interests in pushing Valentine's Day, hard. But we should all take comfort. They follow in a long line of people doing this, going back to the early Church that sainted this fellow named Valentine...
...You know, I can't help feeling this fact should offer up some critique of romance...
...DAMN! I'm just not a jaded enough a person to see what it would be.
I know I've done my bit on Fat Tuesday in my last post, but there is one interesting derivation of celebration that I came across a few years back.
PANCAKE TUESDAY (alternatively known as Shrove Tuesday)
The origins of the name (shrove) comes from old English term, shrive, which means to confess all sins and to be absolved of them. That makes some sense historically for the start of a celebration like Lent. Before the fasting begins, set down what you are at fault for and need to right. So...Yeah...Not as much fun to think about or get into as Carnival or Mardi Gras.
But what about the pancakes, you're thinking about and salivating over.
Well, as I noted in the previous post, Mardi Gras is the french for Fat Tuesday, meaning eating up fatty foods before fasting. Pancakes tie into this. To make pancakes you need milk, eggs, sugar, and butter. All perishables that were banned in many places during the Lent of olden days. So people would use these items to produce a supply of batter and make pancakes. Lots of pancakes. Again, not really the same as parades, drinking, dancing, music, etc. But it can be a far tamer takeit has persisted. Still to this day some make an effort to have pancake meals, keeping the tradition alive.
A bit of a delay in writing, so let's start back in with something light.
How about some more discussion of upcoming holidays?! That's fun. ...Though I have just missed that big festival wash up in the Ganges. Shoot. Biggest festival going to...Though it's about scrubbing up.
So...What else do we have coming up. ...Oh! Lent. Great.
You expecting me to put up pictures of
flagellation or people nailed up on crosses? Hmm?
You'll have to go elsewhere to fulfill that fetish.
Well, in India they go wash off the sins. Christians are "giving something up for a bit." Kind of the same. And, a lot of people do it...By which I mean a lot of people say they've given something up for Lent...Christianity needs more pilgrimages. Of course, for Lent, some people like to take long walks...with crosses on their backs. I could also bring up the faithful that engage in self-flagellation, like on Good Friday. Or the people that actually get themselves NAILED TO A CROSS. How about the guy that somehow nailed himself up? ...I believe the big idea is that Jesus died for your sins, right? That's kind of key to why Lent, Easter, etc are so important, right? ...So, why are you all trying to kill yourselves?
Actually, let's consider Lent, but even more fun, the party before it...
You deserve a miracle today.
And if you eat one of these,
you'll need it.
But first, the Lent thing. Now, if you aren't Christian, or don't pay attention while the boring people up front at church jibber jabber (That's fine. It's why the quiet mode on your phone exists.), Lent is a 40 day period of fasting, by which people mean they give something up (chocolate, beer, cigars, brussel sprouts, etc.). The reason being, that Jesus went into the desert for 40 days and did without. It's like what the mystics in some areas of Asia do. And not at all does someone slips the mystic the occasional Big Mac when no one is looking. And I'm not saying Jesus was slipped a Big Mac. They hadn't been invented yet.
So, 40 days in the desert for Jesus and 40 days without something you choose to do without. True, in olden days things were more severe, and enforced. They worked to keep people from eating animals or animal products. Though it varied from place to place, and pricks in power to pricks in power. (And, of course, St. Patricks occurs during Lent, which led to some modified rules. But maybe we can discuss that in March.)
And don't worry, their are nutters who still take it way too serious and try to outdo each other. But I'm not sure if that makes them more pious or not. And, of course, this being religious numerics, 40 days will vary in length depending on your given denomination. And that's Lent. Yeah, it's boring.
Fun time! Let's talk about what you do before Lent. And by you, I don't just mean the overly pious and eager to sacrifice for 40 days crowd. Oh no. We ALL enjoy a bit of pre-Lenten religion. This means FAT TUESDAY/Shroves Tuesday. Yeah, okay, their is a certain love of giving days of the week quirky adjectives. Fat Tuesday, Ash Wednesday, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, Holy Saturday, Easter Sunday. It's sad, such a busy schedule so there's no room for Manic Monday or Ruby Tuesday.
But Fat Tuesday is really what people care about.
It's the day before the start of Lent (Ash Wednesday), so, like with many deprivation rituals throughout human history, before going without, you gorge and gorge and party hard. Before Ash Wednesday starts, you got to taste and partake, and overdo it, with the various foods that would no longer be available for 40 days. In most cases, it was fatty foods, hence the name it's been given.
Of course people don't go without as much now. And many of us like the idea of Fat Tuesday for it's core, an excuse to have a party. But that's how most cultural/religious celebrations go, they start serious, then if they are worth repeating they get shone down to their best aspects, the fun (Fat Tuesday is a reason to celebrate, Christmas is a reason to celebrate, Halloween is a reason to celebrate, etc.).
And as Fat Tuesday has persisted, and the whole give it all up for Lent waned, the party didn't shrink. But, come on, who would race to cram in as much of whatever they're giving up this year on Fat Tuesday? Screw that! We all want to drink and party? So, now, it's more a reason to party and puke. And it has become an artistic exercise. It's taken on bigger and grander traditions that are something worth partaking.
Rio De Janeiro
Bourbon Street, New Orleans
For centuries it's done in Europe, in some particularly famous spots along the Mediterranean. But where it is more famously done today is in the New World. In Rio De Janeiro, Brazil it's known as Carnival, speaking to the days of celebration leading to the finale on Tuesday. In New Orleans, Louisiana it's Mardi Gras (the French for Fat Tuesday). While it is called this in New Orleans, it is a long raucous celebration there as well. And as you can see in the images it's far more now then food and drink. It is a spectacle. It's a chance to congregate (with friends, family, and people you've just met), to sing, to dance, to step out of the normal of your life. From Samba to bead collection to the particular floats abound to the new sights, tastes, and sounds, these can quite an experience (Though I haven't been myself.). Of course Rio and New Orleans are not the be all and end all of the Carnival experience. From the rural parishes of Louisiana to Moscow, plenty celebrate in their own ways. So, please, feel free to share the experience in the areas you live in.
I also feel I'd be remiss to not note that there have been some unsavory aspects that have arose in these celebration. It's much of what you find at every festival. And if you go looking for images and videos of these events, you will see the less seemly side quickly. In the mix of crowds, noise, drinking, and excess, if you do go, always be smart and aware.
But, even if you won't be leaving your apartment or snow bound farm this week. Take some time to celebrate, find what brings you joy.
We all deserve any excuse to do so.
_____________
ADDENDUM:
Valentines Day! That's a holiday I could have covered. ...Gee. No idea why that one slipped my mind.
As we go into the mess that this may be, let's remember a couple of things (amidst the huge load that never got addressed, thanks to the GOP majority in the House) that the GOP House never let get resolved.
The Violence Against Women Act reauthorization
In the reauthorization of this Act, the Democrats in the Senate added protections were added to help native women, LGBT, and undocumented women. And Eric Cantor worked hard to keep the reauthorization came about. And here we are, the Act lapsed. And women across the country are left at greater risk.
Of course what didn't help was how the media mostly ignored the looming end of the act. So there is shame to go around. But the GOP has taken great effort to not act on many subjects. And this one cannot be forgotten.
Hurricane Sandy Relief funding
Since the last Congress, the House has sat on acting to get funds and support to those hit by the hurricane in November. The Senate finished up, but the House has sat and sat on it. And, as the 112th came to a close, even Republicans from New Jersey and New York were chasing Speaker Boehner around the Capitol. They were trying to get him to just get the damn bill to the floor and voted on. But he refused, and was pretty testy about it. And now, in the 113th, they put forward a small portion of the funds, promising in the month to come to get to more of it. They are, again, penny pinching emergency aid. And, worse, they are slow walking it, weeks after it was first needed.
How can the GOP be seen as acting in the interests of the country?
But what did Boehner and the GOP race to do today, as they open Congress?
Okay. They did do partial funding of Sandy Relief. But they've only done it partially, and plan to be a pain about the rest. So they're racing to be dicks on the subject.
What else? First bill out, Michelle Bachmann's (Yeah, her.) bill to end "Obamacare." Brilliant. A dead end bill. What a good use of the session. Can't help but see this as a sign of how the session will likely go on.
This is all just patently ridiculous. The last Congress was ground to a halt by refusals to act by the GOP, or just the damn incompetence of John Boehner to govern, administer, and legislate. ...And the GOP have reelected him Speaker again. I'd think he kept the post through political know how, but I think, rather, no one else really wants to be stuck with the job this session. They plan to screw this country a lot in the next four years.
I would repaint Boehner as a clown, but life's done that already.
_____________ ADDENDUM:
So! What have the Republicans done in the days since to right this sad image I have of them?
Be meaning to point to these videos for awhile. It's from a documentary produced that looks at the women that have played Lois Lane over the years. It gives a sense of how the character changed over the years, stayed constant, and how these women say the character they worked to embody.
It is quite interesting to see what they brought to their roles and how they look back on it.
They're constantly surprised that we (the country as a whole) don't see it coming.
So, they pick their target (reproductive rights, social security, tax cuts for billionaires, access to voting, etc.)
And, they STRIKE.
And they toss the country into turmoil.
They do a good job of hitting our infrastructure hard.
And we have to scramble in the wake of their lunacy.
This is what Eric Cantor is striving to do tonight.
Bonus "fun": Who said this of whom? Khan of Kirk? The GOP of Obama?
"He tasks me. He tasks me and I shall have him!"
"My number one priority is making sure [person]'s a one term [title]."
"There she is! There she is! Ah. Not so wounded as we were lead to believe. So much the better."
"I'll chase him round the moons of Nibia and round the Antares Maelstrom and round Perdition's flames before I give him up!"
"[Person]'s got a [policy program] logo that's right out of Adolf Hitler's playbook."
"You're still alive, old friend?" [After attempting murder.]
"To the last, I will grapple with thee. From Hell's heart I stab at thee! For hate's sake, I spit my last breathe at thee!"
"I've done far worse than kill you, [title]. I've hurt you. And I wish to go on hurting you."
Surely, I have made my meaning plain? I mean to avenge myself upon you, [title]. I deprive your [place of work] of power, and when I swing around, I mean to deprive you of life.
Last year had it's definite ups and downs. Your own monthage may vary. Still, at all times it is important to draw the positives that can from any event or time (Then start addressing the negatives, fill out the critique, etc.). So I want to end/start the year going over some of things I'm thankful for this last year. ...Gods! Another list, Jaded Skeptic? ...Well, yeah. I didn't get this done by Thanksgiving, or by Christmas! So here we are. Likewise, resolutions only go so far and often are just ways to verbalize regret. (I'll get to a plan of action for 2013 tomorrow, or today, depending on how long it takes me to finish this post.) Rather, let's talk what helped carry us through to year's end, and what we can call back next year to buoy us at dark times, or share with others to shore them up.
So! Let's talk about the good that came from the last year.
Why don’t we begin in politics, which brings out my cynicism and sarcasm, but has
had certain moments and vistas to appreciate.
First, I’m thankful that President Obama has been reelected. I know there are issues with positions
he’s taking and orders he's given for many liberals/progressives, but I can’t
afford to be blind to what else has happened. The Affordable Care Act will continue, and health care access will
expand. No global gag order
reinstated. Supreme Court nominees
for the next four years will not be in the frame of Anthony Scalia. An
interest (at least) in green energy,
green jobs, and environmental protection. And, restating, the basic point, NO NUTTERS in the White House. No folk
who thinks they are prophesied leaders. No Ayn Rand acolytes. No pizza
merchants. No sweater vest wearing internet sex jokes. That is something we
should be thankful for. (And, yes, then we can get into what can and should move on to what can be done
better.)
Also in this year's election, we saw the likes of Allen West and
Scott Brown booted out. I can only hope we won’t see them on the news or as
pundits this coming year. But at least they aren't voting in Congress.
In 2012 we also had a lot of good and important work being done by
groups not in government. These groups have and will continue to strive to make
a positive impact on the world. Planned
Parenthood is fighting the good fight to try and guarantee women have
access to reproductive knowledge and medicine, along with aiding women with
getting cancer screenings. It has been a back and forth struggle, where some
states have taken large strides towards driving them from their borders. But PP fights on, and saves the lives of so many woman, and makes certain many families have a brighter future.
Likewise the ACLU continues to work
to be sure we all have our 1st Amendment rights. I may not always
agree with every fight they take on, but I applaud the principle they work towards.
And we also can’t miss out on appreciating what the Occupy Movement has done. This year, among other efforts, they've been working to keep people in their homes, or getting people into one. Also they've done amazing work in the wake of the hurricane that struck the east
coast. If you don’t know what they've been accomplishing, you ought to read up
on it. There are plenty more groups acting as well, feel free to note and
praise them in the comments so others (like me) can learn.
But now, let’s get into some of the more recreational pleasures
of the last year.
In particular let’s get into the more merry and jolly…and things that end in -olly.
What has
helped me through some of my dark moments, something that has lifted my mood. Terry Pratchett and Discworld.
I do love it. I already mentionedHog
Father on my list of great thing to watch at Christmas. But I also enjoy
that miniseries anytime of the year. In fact, as I was feeling low today, I put it on, on my phone, as I worked. It does lighten one's mood. This also stands for the other series that have
been produced recently (Colour of Magic
and Going Postal) and the older
animated work. Also, obviously, the actual written works of Terry Pratchett
covering the various people and events of the Discworld (from the Unseen
University to the witches to Death to the City Watch to the Post Office and so
on). There is something special in the
mad logic and humor of the Discworld. It just connects with my often lost sense of whimsy and wonder.
I know it’s not for everyone, but it is worth trying out and getting lost in.
Dark Knight Rises
ParaNorman
Movies are another fun escape. There have been some more
serious and sober pieces that are worth talking about, but…I’m in more an
escapist mood now. So let’s look at some of the movies that came out this year
which gave took me to my happy place. The Avengers. I have
noted before that I have some issues with the movie. But as pure superhero team
up, with escalating danger and Whedon snark, it's hard to beat. Better, to my mind,
was The Dark Knight Rises (I know, a
controversial opinion.). The end of the Nolan Batman trilogy hit all the right
marks and will be a movie I go back to for years to come. And Hathaway's work as Catwoman was everything I've hoped to see in a rendition of that character. Now, just as we end the
year, The Hobbit has come out, and
it was a treat (Many disagree.). Glad to be able to look forward to this new trilogy of films (I plan to soak in all the details from the book or added by Jackson over the next two years. I may be alone in that. Dredd, was also fun. Not for everyone,
this violent post-apocalyptic scifi cop adventure hits many of the fun aspects of
2000 AD. Much of this was missed in the last attempt at a Judge Dredd movie. ParaNorman was another enjoyable film
to catch. It went way to quick from the theaters, and unlike Dredd, I didn't get to see it until the disc for it came out. Spooky and humorous, I am glad I
saw it. For me, this makes a good double feature with the animated movie,
Monster House. Wreck-It Ralph was
another animated pleasure. It offered a fun story and characters, and plenty of
arcade nostalgia. Brave, also an animated affair, gave us
another great adventure with a daughter and mother at its core. We need more of
this. Heck we need more of all of this stuff.
Once Upon A Time -
Emma Swan
Leverage
On TV, I have also gotten so needed escape (what a shocker). Sherlock has proven a fun translation
of the old characters. And while it only gives a handful of mysteries each
series, they've been pitch perfect, as far as I’m concerned. Also this year, I've finally started watching Once Upon a Time. It’s been a very palatable surprise. Fairy Tale characters trapped in our reality is proving a joy. I look forward to watching the second season this month. Community, while coming to an end, has
also been a good laugh. It will be missed. As will Leverage, a great bad guys gone good heist show, which has been cancelled. Futurama,
though, keeps coming back and still something that knows how to woo me. Doctor Who, as played by Matt Smith
(being controversial again) has not lead me wrong yet. The adventures of the
mad man with a box, the girl who waited, and the last centurion have kept me
enthralled. And I look forward to what comes next with the new travelling companion,
Oswin. Red Dwarf is another show
that has risen again, and it’s proven in the latest series to still have the
old charm, like their time traveling run in with Jesus. We also have had at least one new series of The Thick Of It. The political machinations continued wittily. If
this is the end, they end on a strong bastardy note.
QI with host Stephen Fry
Also have to give some praise to all the British Comedy Panel and Quiz shows I
watch, all helping to keep me sane and laughing. QI to Have I Got News For You to
Mock the Week, thanks. Here'ssome of the QI to be found on YouTube.
Penny Dreadful and her cohorts
While it's more online these days, my favorite Horror Host shows have helped keep a smile on my face (whenever one appears). From Elvira to Penny Dreadful to Midnite Mausoleum, the snarky hosts dealing with horror and bad movies keep me coming back to join in the B-Movie mayhem.
Also online, largely, we have the movie riffing masters. From the great live shows of Cinematic Titanic (some available for download or ordering) , with part of the old MST3K team, to RiffTrax, with part of the old MST3K team. From the early MST3K on to today, these guys have helped me learn to laugh at the ridiculousness in life around me.
Captain Marvel - Art by
Terry
and Rachel Dodson
Comics are also a great respite through the year. And, yes, their have been problems from many quarters, from bad ideas made manifest to editor meddling, good results have occurred. Captain Marvel (starring Carol Danvers) is proving a great read. Ed Brubaker, as always, has been a joy to read. His work with Captain America and Winter Soldier, have given me, and will continue to give me, great joy and satisfaction. Batman has been a good book though it's fight between the Bat Family and the Court of the Owls. Also at DC Comics, Demon Knights has proven to be a very enjoyable medieval romp, and Justice League Dark has proven to be far more engaging and interesting than the main Justice League book. Working somewhat in concordance at DC, Animal Man and Swamp Thing have kept me drawn in to the battle with The Rot. Along with these DC books, Smallville Season 11 has proven to be one of the better and more engaging reads now being released. I'm quite happy supporting these books.
Captain Britain and
MI13
As far as the creators behind these books. I really want to applaud and be so thrilled I get to enjoy the style and work of people like: Gail Simone (who's now back again with DC Comics after being fired for a short period). Ed Brubaker, now leaving Captain America, and taking my heart with him. His work on Gotham Central (a police drama book set in Gotham City and Catwoman has been amazing. Greg Rucka, someone who did amazing and interesting things in writing Superman and Wonder Woman, in their books, is also a favorite. He's also currently writing a new detective (P.I.) series, Stumptown (Worth a read.). And Paul Cornell. His work on Knight and Squire, Captain Britain, MI13, Doctor Who, Demon Knights, and more has been just a joy to read.
Zack!
Ah, LEGO. I know,
I should grow up. But there is something to putting the pieces together to
build some place or thing. Or to come with a redesign. Or just do your own
thing. It’s an accomplishment (Ages, 4 and Up.). And still I build, and it makes me happy.
I also want to remember those who are not doing well right
now, and hope are on the mend next year. Hillary Clinton’s in the hospital
right now, being treated, I hope things improve for her quickly. Also, a
wonderful writer, Peter David, has just had a stroke. I can only hope he’s
recuperating and will be better soon.
Also, want to be thankful for social media. From twitter to this blog to Tumblr to, yes, FaceBook, social media has helped keep me active, communicative, and engaged. I can only imagine what would become of me in a less techy world. I also am appreciative of those that FOLLOW or FRIEND me, or that I FOLLOW or LIKE. It is appreciated. Those people I do get to converse with and share ideas and jokes with are invaluable to me.
I also want to be thankful for my continued skepticism in life. For some, questioning, or not just accepting accepted wisdom or faith is a sad thing. But for me it means I'm trying to get a clear view of what is and isn't real. The world, humanity, and the universe are amazing. They don't need lies or tall tales to be staggering. The world is a wonder unto itself. And as a skeptic, I can take it in quite happily.
Which takes me to my ever persisting optimism. I am a grump. I am a pessimist at times. But, damn it, I do maintain some level of optimism. An odd sense that better results could still occur, that success could still be grabbed. And that is something that still amazes me. Even as dire as I can get, as lost as I can, I still see some way forward.
Many things help keeo me going. I hope you to have some sense of what helps propel you on, and appreciate it all.
Some people ask me, "Jack? What's this whole thing about?" And I tell them the truth. The hell if I know.
But sometimes you are on a sugar high. And you take some nerdiness. And you take some geekiness. And you grab some politics. And then you stuff some skepticism into it...and you crash.
When you make up you don't know what it is, but it's attached itself to your jugular, and you decide it's best not to fuss.
A curmudgeon and soft-heart. A pessimist and optimist. A loner and joiner. Even I get sick of me.
I'm...
A Neophyte Negotiator of all the Nonsense. An Ornate Opponent of…Oh, you know. A Lover of Levity and the Lectern. An Irreconcilably Irate Idyllist. The Eternal Enemy of Erratum. Just a Solitary Serrated Soul. I'm sorry, what was the question?
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