Well, in about 20 minutes time, I'm getting in my car and heading out for sunny FLA. Hopefully sunny, that is. It's been dismal damp and overcast here. I can use some sun.
My internet access will probably be sketchy at best, and while I'm bringing the laptop and lots of cords and stuff - I can't guarantee how long I will be online for any given session (if at all)
So I leave you with this - our "Illustrious Leader", the Deciderer, has decided that he's not going to do anything to change an already proven failure of a "stragerty".
Reminds me of the "Palistinian Suicide Bombers"
Leader: "Achmed! Here, strap this explosive to your chest, then we will get our own country!"
Achmed: "Allahu Akbar!!! " KABLOOOIEEEE
*Israel ups their defense*
Leader: "Ok, that didn't quite go as planned. Fahjool! Here is more dynamite! Go blow yourself up in the marketplace - Then they will give us our own country!!"
Fahjool: "For the Prophet (PBUH)!!!! " KABOOM!!
*Israel begins shelling harder*
Leader: "Rashid!!! Here! Strap this dynamite on yourself......"
The Militant Extremist Moslems already know everything about "Stay the Course".
Saturday, October 21, 2006
Thursday, October 19, 2006
Dammit Jules - I'm having trouble keeping up!!
1. Dated outside your race? No.
2. Singing in the shower? Yeah, but even *I* can't stand it!
3. Spit in someone’s drink? No.
4. Played with Barbies? Yes.
5. Made someone cry? Yes.
6. Opened your Christmas presents early? Once... *sobs*
7. Lied to a friend? Yes.
8. Watched and cried while watching a soap opera? Nah. Soaps are too silly to cry over.
9. Played a computer game for more than 5 hours? Oh. Hell. YES.
10. Ran through the sprinklers naked? Probably as a kid, but I don't remember.
11. Ate food that fell on the floor? 5 second rule...
12. Went outside naked? Yes.
13. Been on stage? Yes.
14. Been on stage naked or close to it? No.
15. Been in a parade? Yes.
16. Been in a school play? Yes.
17. Drank beer? Yes. Took me a while to learn to like it, tho.
18. Gotten detention? Yes.
19. Been on a cruise? Not yet.
20. Broken into a house? No.
21. Gotten a tattoo? No.
22. Gotten piercings? Ears. One per side
23. Gotten into a fist fight? Sorta.
24. Gotten into a shouting match? I'm divorced. What do YOU think?
25. Swallowed sea/pool water? Yes.
26. Spun yourself in circles to get dizzy on purpose? Yes.
27. Laughed so hard it hurt? Yep.
28. Tripped on your own feet? Frequently
29. Cried yourself to sleep? Yes.
30. Cried in public? Yes.
31. Thrown up in public? Nope. I'll do almost ANYTHING to not puke.
32. Lied to your parents? Oh! NO! Never! (/sarcasm)
33. Skipped class? No
34. Cried so hard you threw up? No
35. Had a one night stand? Yes.
36. Left restaurant without paying tab? No.
37. Been fired from a job? yes.
38. Wanted to make out with your massage therapist, therapist or hairdresser? Nope
39. Had a drink "sent" to a stranger at a bar? No.
40. Been winked at and loved it? Yeah, but not by anyone I ever thought MEANT it. It was just FUN.
2. Singing in the shower? Yeah, but even *I* can't stand it!
3. Spit in someone’s drink? No.
4. Played with Barbies? Yes.
5. Made someone cry? Yes.
6. Opened your Christmas presents early? Once... *sobs*
7. Lied to a friend? Yes.
8. Watched and cried while watching a soap opera? Nah. Soaps are too silly to cry over.
9. Played a computer game for more than 5 hours? Oh. Hell. YES.
10. Ran through the sprinklers naked? Probably as a kid, but I don't remember.
11. Ate food that fell on the floor? 5 second rule...
12. Went outside naked? Yes.
13. Been on stage? Yes.
14. Been on stage naked or close to it? No.
15. Been in a parade? Yes.
16. Been in a school play? Yes.
17. Drank beer? Yes. Took me a while to learn to like it, tho.
18. Gotten detention? Yes.
19. Been on a cruise? Not yet.
20. Broken into a house? No.
21. Gotten a tattoo? No.
22. Gotten piercings? Ears. One per side
23. Gotten into a fist fight? Sorta.
24. Gotten into a shouting match? I'm divorced. What do YOU think?
25. Swallowed sea/pool water? Yes.
26. Spun yourself in circles to get dizzy on purpose? Yes.
27. Laughed so hard it hurt? Yep.
28. Tripped on your own feet? Frequently
29. Cried yourself to sleep? Yes.
30. Cried in public? Yes.
31. Thrown up in public? Nope. I'll do almost ANYTHING to not puke.
32. Lied to your parents? Oh! NO! Never! (/sarcasm)
33. Skipped class? No
34. Cried so hard you threw up? No
35. Had a one night stand? Yes.
36. Left restaurant without paying tab? No.
37. Been fired from a job? yes.
38. Wanted to make out with your massage therapist, therapist or hairdresser? Nope
39. Had a drink "sent" to a stranger at a bar? No.
40. Been winked at and loved it? Yeah, but not by anyone I ever thought MEANT it. It was just FUN.
Racism, Part II
When Martin Luther King was alive and working to fight for civil rights for ALL people, not just the priviliged white majority, the word "Racism" had teeth and meaning. The concept of "Separate but Equal" was never a reality, and anyone who lived through those times knows this damn well. "Whites Only" bathrooms, drinking fountains, movie theaters and other facilites were wrong, and the abolishment of them was a GOOD thing.
Unfortunately Martin Luther King was cut down in his prime by an idiot redneck who couldn't accept change. In exchange, what we got was Jesse Jackson, a sing-songy, manipulative parody of Dr. King, who has done more to KEEP true Racism alive in this country than almost any other individual - with the possible exception of Louis Fahrakan. We can all thank James Earl Ray (take your conspiracy theories elsewhere - the man was convicted.)for "Political Correctness". Had Dr. King survived and Jesse been relegated to a well-deserved background role, such silliness as "reparations" and the insistance on revising the State flag of Georgia would likely never have occurred.
Jesse Jackson began the "victimization" of the black community (oops! Did I say black? What IS the euphenism for Negro this week? African American? Person of Colour?)and continues to brand his own people as weak, helpless and unable to stand up for themselves and overcome adversity. Therefore, they "NEED" affirmative action, and anything ANYONE does or says to make them feel bad is "Racist".
Bite me. We all come into this world the same way - naked and screaming. We all leave this world the same way - stiff and silent. It is what we each CHOOSE to do with the time we are allotted that governs our worth as human beings. Nobody ever promised any of us that we would NEVER be offended, that we would NEVER feel bad, that we would NEVER be uncomfortable. Welcome to Schoolhouse Earth.
Racial profiling has come under attack by many groups over the last 10 years. While I am entirely aware of the potential for abuse, I think that refusing to allow law-enforcement officials to utilize a perfectly valid investigative tool, simply to avoid making someone "feel bad" for a short while is ludicrous.
Unfortunately Martin Luther King was cut down in his prime by an idiot redneck who couldn't accept change. In exchange, what we got was Jesse Jackson, a sing-songy, manipulative parody of Dr. King, who has done more to KEEP true Racism alive in this country than almost any other individual - with the possible exception of Louis Fahrakan. We can all thank James Earl Ray (take your conspiracy theories elsewhere - the man was convicted.)for "Political Correctness". Had Dr. King survived and Jesse been relegated to a well-deserved background role, such silliness as "reparations" and the insistance on revising the State flag of Georgia would likely never have occurred.
Jesse Jackson began the "victimization" of the black community (oops! Did I say black? What IS the euphenism for Negro this week? African American? Person of Colour?)and continues to brand his own people as weak, helpless and unable to stand up for themselves and overcome adversity. Therefore, they "NEED" affirmative action, and anything ANYONE does or says to make them feel bad is "Racist".
Bite me. We all come into this world the same way - naked and screaming. We all leave this world the same way - stiff and silent. It is what we each CHOOSE to do with the time we are allotted that governs our worth as human beings. Nobody ever promised any of us that we would NEVER be offended, that we would NEVER feel bad, that we would NEVER be uncomfortable. Welcome to Schoolhouse Earth.
Racial profiling has come under attack by many groups over the last 10 years. While I am entirely aware of the potential for abuse, I think that refusing to allow law-enforcement officials to utilize a perfectly valid investigative tool, simply to avoid making someone "feel bad" for a short while is ludicrous.
Wednesday, October 18, 2006
Racism
OH dearie, dearie me... I've been called "RACIST" (yes, in ALL CAPITAL LETTERS!!) by Ubergirl87. Since the topic was "profiling" - I thought it was an interesting topic to explore.
I do not deny that something called "Racism" exists. But the definition of "Racism" does not include simply categorizing someone. Let's be honest here - we can't describe someone without making SOME distinction between that individual and other individuals. Calling someone "Blonde" doesn't mean that anyone who is NOT blonde is lesser or greater of a person - they just have a different hair color.
Imagine the conversations if we were NEVER allowed to identify anyone without giving offense:
"Hey Sally - see that ... um... individual over there? Give them this envelope"
"Ken? Which individual?"
"Sally, I'm not a racist!! I would NEVER stoop to mentioning someone's PHYSICAL description!"
"Ken, just tell me - is this person tall or short?"
"That's HEIGHTIST Racism, Sally! For shame!"
"Ok, just - does the person have dark or light hair?"
"Sally! That's STYLEism Racism! Let us just say that it is the individual approximately 2 meters SSW of the doorknob of the door leading to the anti-racist envelope delivery depot"
There are now, and always have been, people who will judge the moral/intellectual/financial worth of other people based solely upon physical characteristics. This is what Racism means. This is what is bad - measuring the HUMAN WORTH of an individual based only on their color/height/weight/eyes/hair or other purely PHYSICAL characteristics.
Now, we all make some judgements of folks based on looks. In fact, we do this every day, consciously or sub-consciously. What constitutes a "Hottie" or a "Hot Babe"? What male, given the choice, would choose a date with Rosie O'Donnel over the "A" squad of Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders? Personal dating preferences are inbred - whether someone looks "hot" or not is in the eyes of the beholder, and I do believe that SOME of it is "nurture" - we are conditioned by our environment to prefer certain physical "types" - but some just seems to be "nature" as well. I know that thin, pale, blonde men just never appeal to me. *shrug*
Primarily what Ubergirl87 was complaining about, however, was being asked to remove her shoes before being allowed to board an aircraft in Austria. She seems to indicate that she was singled out for this indignity because she is a Saudi, which would not have been the case here in the US. Here we ALL have to take off our shoes, our jackets, and make sure we have no metal on us, and aren't carrying such deadly weapons as a small pair of nail clippers, a tube of toothpaste, or *gasp* a bottle of Evian.
Now, it is possible that in Austria, the only people being asked to submit to this are in fact, those of Arab nationalities or appearance, and considering that the so-called "terrorist groups" are now said to be attempting to recruit disenfranchised "Prep School" looking white kids to do their suicide bombing thing, this may backfire in their faces.
So how is it that *I* - Sewmouse - She Who Doesn't Give A Damn What ANYBODY Looks Like - was called a "racist"? Well, I had the audacity to remind her that while a very, very tiny minority of Saudis have committed terrorist acts in or against America, the mastermind of 9/11/01 was, in fact, Saudi. She can thank him for the indignities that she endures as a result of HIS decisions.
While it is true that not 100% of all Saudi's are mindless terrorists, it is also true that almost 100% of all mindless terrorists who have flown commercial airliners into high-rise buildings were, in fact, SAUDIS, and absolutely 100% considered themselves Muslims.
If someone robs my house, and I catch a glimpse of him leaving, and I tell the police "He was about 6'5" tall, 320 lbs., white male with dark hair wearing a green shirt, black pants, boots and with a tattoo of a gorilla on his left hand..."
Do you really think it is likely that they will get their best possible results by pulling in short black women with dyed-blonde hair wearing spandex muu-muus and 12 inch platform wedgies?
[italicized parts are edited.]
I do not deny that something called "Racism" exists. But the definition of "Racism" does not include simply categorizing someone. Let's be honest here - we can't describe someone without making SOME distinction between that individual and other individuals. Calling someone "Blonde" doesn't mean that anyone who is NOT blonde is lesser or greater of a person - they just have a different hair color.
Imagine the conversations if we were NEVER allowed to identify anyone without giving offense:
"Hey Sally - see that ... um... individual over there? Give them this envelope"
"Ken? Which individual?"
"Sally, I'm not a racist!! I would NEVER stoop to mentioning someone's PHYSICAL description!"
"Ken, just tell me - is this person tall or short?"
"That's HEIGHTIST Racism, Sally! For shame!"
"Ok, just - does the person have dark or light hair?"
"Sally! That's STYLEism Racism! Let us just say that it is the individual approximately 2 meters SSW of the doorknob of the door leading to the anti-racist envelope delivery depot"
There are now, and always have been, people who will judge the moral/intellectual/financial worth of other people based solely upon physical characteristics. This is what Racism means. This is what is bad - measuring the HUMAN WORTH of an individual based only on their color/height/weight/eyes/hair or other purely PHYSICAL characteristics.
Now, we all make some judgements of folks based on looks. In fact, we do this every day, consciously or sub-consciously. What constitutes a "Hottie" or a "Hot Babe"? What male, given the choice, would choose a date with Rosie O'Donnel over the "A" squad of Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders? Personal dating preferences are inbred - whether someone looks "hot" or not is in the eyes of the beholder, and I do believe that SOME of it is "nurture" - we are conditioned by our environment to prefer certain physical "types" - but some just seems to be "nature" as well. I know that thin, pale, blonde men just never appeal to me. *shrug*
Primarily what Ubergirl87 was complaining about, however, was being asked to remove her shoes before being allowed to board an aircraft in Austria. She seems to indicate that she was singled out for this indignity because she is a Saudi, which would not have been the case here in the US. Here we ALL have to take off our shoes, our jackets, and make sure we have no metal on us, and aren't carrying such deadly weapons as a small pair of nail clippers, a tube of toothpaste, or *gasp* a bottle of Evian.
Now, it is possible that in Austria, the only people being asked to submit to this are in fact, those of Arab nationalities or appearance, and considering that the so-called "terrorist groups" are now said to be attempting to recruit disenfranchised "Prep School" looking white kids to do their suicide bombing thing, this may backfire in their faces.
So how is it that *I* - Sewmouse - She Who Doesn't Give A Damn What ANYBODY Looks Like - was called a "racist"? Well, I had the audacity to remind her that while a very, very tiny minority of Saudis have committed terrorist acts in or against America, the mastermind of 9/11/01 was, in fact, Saudi. She can thank him for the indignities that she endures as a result of HIS decisions.
While it is true that not 100% of all Saudi's are mindless terrorists, it is also true that almost 100% of all mindless terrorists who have flown commercial airliners into high-rise buildings were, in fact, SAUDIS, and absolutely 100% considered themselves Muslims.
If someone robs my house, and I catch a glimpse of him leaving, and I tell the police "He was about 6'5" tall, 320 lbs., white male with dark hair wearing a green shirt, black pants, boots and with a tattoo of a gorilla on his left hand..."
Do you really think it is likely that they will get their best possible results by pulling in short black women with dyed-blonde hair wearing spandex muu-muus and 12 inch platform wedgies?
[italicized parts are edited.]
Tuesday, October 17, 2006
Another Completed Task
Hi there, and welcome to "This Quilt Is Done"
Today we will look at the quilt that I designed and top-assembled, and that my friend Leandra quilted and bound yesterday.
Pleased as punch with this one - and feeling motivated to get back to work on the oceanic "fishy" quilt with the Goldfish Cracker fishy shape quilted into the center of each block.
This week is hectic, both at work, where the bank statement is being unruly, and at home, where the laundry, dishes and cleaning simply refuse to do themselves, and I'm trying to get ready for the great drive down to Florida this weekend.
All I want to eat is Celery.
Weird day.
Today we will look at the quilt that I designed and top-assembled, and that my friend Leandra quilted and bound yesterday.
Pleased as punch with this one - and feeling motivated to get back to work on the oceanic "fishy" quilt with the Goldfish Cracker fishy shape quilted into the center of each block.
This week is hectic, both at work, where the bank statement is being unruly, and at home, where the laundry, dishes and cleaning simply refuse to do themselves, and I'm trying to get ready for the great drive down to Florida this weekend.
All I want to eat is Celery.
Weird day.