Thursday, October 30, 2008

I would like you to watch something.

If you didn’t get a chance to see this last night, or if you would like to see it again, I would really appreciate it if you would take a few minutes (well, a half hour) out of your day and watch Barack Obama’s televised message.

You may have already made your decision for the election, heck you may even have voted already, but even if you have I think this is really worth the time. You can hear, in his own words, what Barack Obama would like to do for America, where he stands on a couple of key issues that are facing our country. It is a good summary, and a refreshing change from all of the attack ads and blatant lies and derisive air quotes with which we’ve been blasted.



This year’s election is very important, for a variety of issues. I feel very strongly that Barack Obama has the better plans in regards to the economy, health care, taxes, and foreign policy. He understands that medical decisions should be left between patients and doctors. He understands that science and technology are important to our future and worth funding, including stem cell research and a comprehensive energy strategy. Barack Obama has a clear vision for this nation and I like what I see when I look at his plans and what I hear when I listen to him.

Please, take a bit of time and watch what Mr. Obama has to say about our country and his ideas. It doesn’t cost you anything, just a little bit of your time, and you just might learn something and see the candidate in a different light.

This is our moment. Make it count.

Thank you.
-Lauren


Additionally:
Barack Obama on the issues, The New York Times' endorsement, and a Wikipedia list of other endorsements.

Tuesday, October 28, 2008

she is a rubber suit stuffed with different parts of dead animals (UPDATED)

What can I say about Sarah Palin? Soooooo much, actually. In fact, I'm pretty much not allowed out in public for fear that I might just start wringing necks and cracking heads. I snuck out on Sunday while Andy was off winning a plaque and stickers in the Corvette and went to a Sarah Palin Does Not Speak for Me photo campaign, but most of all I just shake my head and rock back and forth a lot.

Instead of rambling on and on about how much I disagree with John McCain's platform, and how much of a monster Sarah Palin is, I thought I'd just point to a couple of particularly good things I've read lately (surely more will be added over time) and hope that you take comfort from the smart that's still out there... somewhere... on this pale blue dot...

Sarah Palin's Shotgun Politics, The Nation

ARRRGH, FINE!! I’LL WRITE AN ESSAY ABOUT SARAH PALIN!!, The 1585

Alaska's biggest political rally

Point/Counterpoint, The Onion

Also, for more humor: some strongly worded sarcasm from The Beast.

Sarah Palin is a strong, successful woman. She is an example of how women can rise to the top, certainly. But her womanhood and her motherhood are the last reasons that you should vote for her. If you agree with her, if you really think that the earth is only 6000 years old and that personal medical decisions are the business of everyone except for you and that children who receive so-called abstinence only "sex education" won't have sex before marriage and that your gay friends can totally "fix" themselves through prayer and if you hate polar bears, then by all means vote for the McCain/Palin ticket.

However, if you think that science is kind of neat and you think it's important to recognize that cavemen and dinosaurs did not exist concurrently and if you like deciding for yourself whether and when you have children and if you're kind of partial to a variety of books in your library and if you think that vindictive inexperienced "irresponsible and flat-out dangerous leadership" is not exactly what we should have for America, then you know what to do.

And actually, it's even simpler than that: cast your vote for the candidate whose vice presidential pick can correctly pronounce the word "nuclear."

More sources:
added 9/27/08
Beauty and the Beast, by Joann Wypijewski
Lipstick on a Wing Nut, by Katha Pollitt

added 9/30/08
Palin Problem, byy Kathleen Parker
Palin Is Ready? Please., by Fareed Zakaria
And something a little more lighthearted: Let Me Get This Straight (sarcastic internet comparison, no sources listed)

added 10/03/08
Check it out: Google 2001. Search the Google archives from 2001 and see if you had an internet presence at the beginning of the century! Me, all I have is Charger Bulletin stuff and when I click on the link, the pages have been deleted from the UNH site. Guess who else has no internet presence in 2001? Sarah Palin. To be fair, though, "hockey mom" gets a bunch of hits, but "pitbull with lipstick" gets only one.
When Sisterhood Is Suicide and Other Late Night Thoughts by Robin Morgan (long, but worth the read)

added 10/07/08
Actually about McCain, but the point is the same: Make-Believe Maverick, by Tim Dickinson
Sarah’s Pompom Palaver, by Maureen Dowd
The choice is clear. Vote Bigfoot/Nessie in '08!!

added 10/08/08
summary of debates so far
all together now!!
Nice Peter's Ode to Sarah Palin

added 10/13/08
Lynda Carter says Palin is the anti-Wonder Woman

added 10/15/08
Gina Gershon is HOT!
Palin as President (point and click)

added 10/20/08
Why Sarah Palin is Bad for American Women

added 10/22/08
What’s the difference between Sarah Palin's mouth and her vagina? ...Only some of the things that come out of her vagina are retarded.

added 10/23/08
Palin is “Hardcore Pro-Life” (duh, but this is very well written, especially the part about Palin and Dobson being raging fucking hypocrites)

added 10/28/08
Sarah Palin's War on Science, by Christopher Hitchens

Monday, October 20, 2008

So, knock it off.

Okay, listen up and listen good: PLEASE stop forwarding unsubstantiated garbage to everyone on your e-mail list! It is irresponsible and counterproductive and (dare I say?) cunty.

The next time you get an e-mail or see a MySpace bulletin or someone shares a story with you, just stop and think for a second. And then check it out. What with the internet and all these days, it’s pretty easy to check the veracity of all kinds of claims, from cancer-causing deodorants and Koran-swearing-in Senators to telephone scams, deadly light bulbs and dog poisonings. Don’t assume that an e-mail you receive is real -in fact, assume the opposite and nine times out of ten, you’ll be right.

When you get a forwarded e-mail, especially one that claims “I saw this on Good Morning America” or “This could save your life” or “This is real, I checked it” but doesn’t have a link, just check it out. There are plenty of sites to do this, specifically:

http://www.snopes.com/
http://www.breakthechain.org/
http://urbanlegends.com/
http://urbanlegends.about.com/
http://www.hoax-slayer.com/
http://skepdic.com/
http://www.whatstheharm.com
And you can even just Google something and find out pretty quickly whether it’s real or not. Heck, I’m sure the MythBusters have a show about half of them.

So, if you get something in the mail, check it out before just sending it on and spreading more garbage on the internet. When you discover it is crap, please ask whomever sent it to you not to spread this kinds of false assertions around, regardless of the subject.

And if you do choose to send something without checking it out, DON’T SEND IT TO ME. I already know it’s not true and you’re wasting your time and it will make me want to kill you a little.

This is especially important now, during an election year, when rumors and bullshit are running rampant on the internet, in the news media, and by word of mouth from people who should know better. So, knock it off. Stop believing garbage and nonsense just because someone sends it to you or tells you they read it somewhere. Make them give you a source, and then make them feel stupid for spreading around ignorance when you discover they are wrong. The time for patience and coddling is long past. We are too close to the election and the issues are too serious to take lightly. Don’t let people get away with spreading lies: check things out and make sure you correct people when they are wrong. Don’t be the asshole, too.

Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one things of changing himself. - Leo Tolstoy