My avatar might indicate rage, but actually I'm kind of terrified. This is fast becoming a fascist society. As long as you stay well away from the fence, you might not notice that it's hot, but if you so much as brush against it, you'll get quite a shock.

John just (like, 20 minutes ago) witnessed a bunch of masked police officers beating up a couple and driving off with their vehicle, yelling at anyone who walked by to "keep f-ing walking." The people were not arrested, because the cops (who never took off their gas masks) couldn't find anything, but they impounded the car anyway, after hitting the woman in the head and the man in the legs with their batons. This happened in the parking lot of a store near here. John's totally the kind of guy who will step in and protect people (he has in the past), but when the perpetrators are carrying guns and seem willing to hit people with batons for asking questions, what can you do?

Three days ago, in New Jersey, a woman was arrested because she told police she would help but couldn't stay long to interpret at an accident scene (because she was on the way to pick up her daughter), and was instead arrested for "obstruction of justice." They also threatened to charge her with abandonment of her daughter (the one she couldn't pick up because she was in handcuffs).

That old saying about loving my country, but fearing my government is very, very true for me. Has been for awhile, and is becoming more so.

ETA: Comments are screened.

Here is a pretty complete article about the brave James Kim, who gave his all to try and save his family. Even without knowing this family, I've been on pins and needles, waiting for news. I was out of pocket yesterday* afternoon when the news was released that they'd found his body, so I didn't know until last night when I got home. My heart goes out to his equally brave wife, their darling daughters, his parents and all the friends who mourn his passing.

Article via occupiedshoppe

*cooking at Dad's, of course

This doesn't seem to have made national news... a third incident in less than a week of police in the LA area getting caught on tape abusing suspects. This one, which I watched all the way through, is pretty sickening. I'm becoming a bigger fan of camera/video phones, especially when they can catch this kind of stuff. Several people who protested the treatment of the student were threatened with the same treatment when they asked for badge #s. The official press releases don't match what the video shows. I do feel a little better, hearing some folks at least TRY to stop it. I don't know what a person is to do when power-hungry, jack-booted thugs go on a sanctioned rampage. Those campus cops would have been right at home in late-thirties Germany / early 40s Poland, etc.

...I was unemployed (after my entire dept. was let go) and was gearing up for another joyful day of job-hunting. I remember taking a shower, sitting down on the couch with my hair up in a towel, and turning on the morning "news." I know I was watching whatever show Katie Couric was on when the first plane hit.

My first thought was not "terrorists." My first thought was that it was just a terrible accident or perhaps a psychotic airline traffic controller or something (maybe I saw Die Hard 2 too many times?). I was furious that the anchors had decided it was terrorists (I hate speculative "news") within minutes, even before the FAA knew what was really happening. I was willing to concede the point when the second plane hit (even if you're just speculating, you're bound to be right some of the time), and was transfixed the rest of the day. Oh, my God. Terrorists had really attacked the US.

Eventually, I put on clothes, but I watched the shadow puppet theatre* the rest of the day. I was horrified by the destruction, terrified by the chaos, and wished I could help. I think it was the first time I watched that much CNN, etc. in one shot, and was apalled at the continued form of reporting guesses and speculation, carefully worded to sound like fact, but not be actionable at the same time. Yet, I couldn't turn away. I had to know.

My dad was a volunteer firefighter pretty much my whole life. He was also an auxiliary police officer, both while working full-time at GM. My brother and I grew up with the fire station as our playground. I only really saw Dad in action on a fire once, when I was about 9. He had taken me to my music lesson, and came in to take me out early - he had a run. I sat on the front seat of his truck and watched him on the roof of a burning building (he was easy to spot because he was a Lt., and they wore white helmets, when everyone else wore yellow), chopping holes for the heat to escape.

That little bit of fear was all I had to draw on when the towers fell, trapping the rescue workers. Being the kid of a firefighter, I knew they had to go in, had to try. I still get all choked up when I think about them all.

Besides hating the terrorists, being annoyed by the media, and feeling sorrow and terror for the victims and their families, I remember feeling useless.

The next day, September 12th, I went down to the local Red Cross office to donate blood. It's what the useless do - find SOME way to help. It was insane, but most folks were behaving themselves - waiting in line was the only way we had to show that we cared. So, we waited in line. Afterwards, I walked into the office and volunteered (Proof - I didn't even know this was out there until I googled myself). They put me to work, and I was there answering phones for days & days. I ended up staying for a few months, until I was able to find a real, paying job. To be honest, I wish I could have been in the trenches, with hands-on help, but at least I could do something.

*aka "the news"

"You can't just give milk away to someone other than yourself. It's a violation of the law," (via alliesutherland)

Our tax dollars at work.

Rather than rant about how some people (Christians) are acting, I refer you to "New Rules: They Will Know We Are Christian by Our Hateful Speech and Emailed Death Threats" by Bliss.

"Big brouhaha brewing these days, and so-called Christians are showing their behinds again. Sigh. As a Christian, I am offended by the hateful actions and speech of some who say they are followers of Christ - when absolutely nothing about their manner is Christ-like.

In America, it seems to have become a big deal if someone says "Happy Holidays" instead of "Merry Christmas." That somehow this means they are taking the "Christ" out of Christmas. I personally don't see what the big deal is. We have all kinds of holidays being celebrated during this season by all kinds of folks. If someone says "Happy Holidays" to me, as a Christian - I interpret that as "Merry Christmas."

I sometimes use the phrase "Happy Holidays" even though I am a Christian, because I may be speaking to someone who is Jewish, or Muslim or who celebrates Kwanza, or just worships at the feet of the mall Santa. (Now I am not a Santa hater, Santa lives at my house and I have the pictures to prove it.) I may be speaking to someone, and have no knowledge of how they celebrate. "Happy Holidays" seems to fit the bill better.
...
After all nothing says we are celebrating the birth of Christ like elbowing people out of the way as you rush to grab the last Furbie. Or practically run over other shoppers as you gun your car out of the parking lot in a mad hurry to get to the next big "Christmas" sale.

What's worse than Christians getting their holier-than-thou panties in a bundle about how we greet one another during this season; is the bunch of loonies that think they can best portray Christianity by leaving hate messages on non-Christian blogs or sending that person hate mail, including death threats."

I'm a Christian, and I'm proud to know some good, decent Christians (and Catholics, and Lutherans, and pagans, etc.). But the behavior of some folks claiming to be Christians just makes me sad. Same with anyone else offering ultimatums and death threats.

ETA: I wonder if most of these "Christians" are aware that Christmas is one of the last holidays* added to this season? We certainly don't own it. If you want to get down to the nitty-gritty, Jesus wasn't born in December. It was probably April (I've also heard Sept. as a possiblity). Other people were here first, so lets just share nicely, okay?

*Kwanzaa was last, sometime in the 60's.

It's official. I am boycotting Target, and have let them know how I feel. I held off sending the blanket message (previously at the link below) to many store head offices, because most of them aren't local and I felt funny threatening to not shop at a store I've never seen before. But now, you can send a message to just Target, criticizing their policies regarding the fact that they protect pharmacists who refuse to fill prescriptions.

I would ask that anyone who reads this, male or female, consider sending a message to Target (which you can customize), tell them that they've lost your business AND follow up with removing your business from their profit margins. Right now, a week before Christmas. It's gonna hurt - I like shopping at Target. But I'm DONE. Until something changes. Support local retailers. Go to Kmart if you have to (I wouldn't be comfortable suggesting the W-word, since I don't shop there either).

My message to them (the first paragraph is standard (but changeable - I just liked it), the rest is mine):

"As a consumer, I expect your pharmacies to guarantee women the right to obtain their prescriptions -- in-store, without delay or personal judgment.

Which drugs are prescribed for an individual is between her and her doctor, and interfering with this decision is outside of the pharmacist's role.

I feel for the pharmacist that must fill prescriptions they don't personally agree with, but that is the job. My sympathy ends when it becomes obvious that they are targeting only women's reproductive rights. It's a bias that Target needs to stop supporting.

Effective immediately, I am going to stop shopping at Target. This is difficult, but it is what must be done. Christmas is in one week, and there is a Target less than 2 miles from my home. But I cannot in good conscience support a corporation that allows its staff to discriminate. I will also be encouraging my friends, family, and readers to follow suit.

As an FYI, I am a 40-year-old professional woman - Christian, pro-life, pro-choice and anti-discrimination. And no longer a Target customer, until I hear that policies have changed."

You can also call their customer service line at 1-800-440-0680 to make a comment.

http://www.stopscientology.com
http://65.58.242.81/boycott.php
http://www.scienTOMogy.info
http://www.clambake.org

This guy was threatened by Co$ reps and then woke up in a car he doesn't remember driving, feeling drugged. Was arrested and lost his job.
http://ocmb.xenu.net/ocmb/viewtopic.php?t=15069&postorder=asc
http://ocmb.xenu.net/ocmb/viewtopic.php?t=15105

I bookmarked this awhile ago, and have been meaning to post it. Finally got to it this morning:

How the Plan B/emergency contraception works is something I've wondered about. And I found the answer. I'm sharing it, in case you were wondering too: How Does Emergency Contraception Work, from The Well-Timed Period

"The evidence shows ECPs work by preventing ovulation. There is no direct evidence they prevent fertilization. There's also no direct evidence they prevent implantation in humans."

found at: Bitch PhD

Sadly, I'm thisclose to boycotting Target. This is a store I shop at A LOT. But they're the latest in a too-long chain of stores with pharmacies allowing their pharmacists to refuse to fill birth control and emergency contraceptive prescriptions for "religious" reasons.

In her blog, The Winding Sheet, Portia rebutts Target's form letter response quite eloquently (emphasis mine):

...as women's bodies come under increasingly strict supervision by others, we start wondering why it is our reproductive health that is on the line rather than any other health issue. Does Target hire as pharmacists Christian Scientists who refuse to fill prescriptions for Zoloft? Do Target pharmacists refuse to fill Viagara prescriptions for unmarried men? Do Target pharmacists withhold AIDS treatments if a patient appears to be gay?

Why is it only women who are affected? And where does it end? Will we be able to get our birth control prescriptions filled if we're not wearing wedding bands (or, in the case of some pharmacists, will we be able to get the pills even if we are having state-sanctioned intercourse with our spouses)? If we take BC for alleviation of menstrual symptoms and we're in high school, will we get our pills?

Why does Target allow its pharmacists to intrude upon the healthcare decisions made between a woman and her doctor, and why is it only women's reproductive health that is subject to this intrusion?

Target has taken upon itself the burden of employing pharmacists who will not, in some instances, do their jobs. It is therefore Target's problem to solve, perhaps by scheduling other pharmacists to work with those who won't fill our prescriptions.

I'm leaving my own personal religious beliefs out of it. If I have a job that requires me to go against my moral convinctions, I can refuse to do what is requested of me (I have, like when requested to falsify pictures for the charity I worked for) or find another job. In my opinion, pharmacists should leave their religion at the door, rather than try to condone or condemn each and every prescription they fill (or just pick one group to deny).

More in the previous Winding Sheet posts, or at Fill My Pills Now

Fleeting thought: What if someone who didn't eat beef or pork for religious reasons hired on as a butcher? Would he be allowed to refuse to do his JOB? Being a pharmacist means filling prescriptions.

UPDATE: I don't have a link, but apparently, the bill was pulled for more work. Ya think? How about you work it into the shredder. Can you believe a woman wrote that? Freak.

#1: Anyone read/see The Handmaiden's Tale? I only saw the movie, but damn, this scares the crap out of me. To quote The Bitch, "You know how self-righteous assholes like to talk about how you should have to have a license to have kids? Well here it is, folks." This is just the first step. Clarification: This is a BILL, not a LAW. If it passes, then it will be a sign of the end.

Every woman in Indiana seeking to become a mother through assisted reproduction therapy such as in vitro fertilization, sperm donation, and egg donation, must first file for a "petition for parentage" in their local county probate court.

Only women who are married will be considered for the "gestational certificate" that must be presented to any doctor who facilitates the pregnancy. Further, the "gestational certificate" will only be given to married couples that successfully complete the same screening process currently required by law of adoptive parents.

As it the draft of the new law reads now, an intended parent "who knowingly or willingly participates in an artificial reproduction procedure" without court approval, "commits unauthorized reproduction, a Class B misdemeanor."

#2: Nicholas Cage named his infant son Kal-El. (You know, Superman's "real" name.)

Not happy news, but it helps to be aware of things that are going on elsewhere. Lauren's Almost Felted blog points to this upsetting reminder of the single-child policy in China. It's been in place since 1980, but has been getting more brutal (note this -- the linked article is not pleasant).

Edited to add emphasis.

This made me laugh out loud!( pic behind cut )
Other Bush & Shrub stuff...

• This is Not Over (scroll to bottom for a couple of clips)
  
• This article is very interesting (via joy_disaster).

From indertictor: "I understand the President is in town today viewing the devestation. I've never understood what good that does. Not to knock the guy, but really it's not like his viewing it is gonna expedite the recovery process. If anything, providing for his security could hamper recovery efforts -- hopefully they've thought of that and are keeping him out of the places where most of the cleaning is going on."


purloined from joy_disaster's LJ... originally from: Mike Luckovich's September 11, 2005 entry

( Read more... )

Easy way to help: go to archer904's livejournal (this post) & comment. He's pledged to donate $1 to the Red Cross for every comment he receives until next Sunday. (found at selfcomposed's LJ).

switched to a link, so as to not steal bandwidth:
Bush: One of the Worst Disasters to Hit US
, via a blog I read but closed so I forgot where it came from.

In the midst of everthing else that's going on, don't forget what happened on this day, four years ago.

The "Mrs. Pilkington Knits" blog includes a couple of knitting/craft-related ways to help out Katrina victims. Plus, there is a whole list of community centers here. And finally, Diva Knits is sponsoring Cloths for Katrina*.

Tons of ways for knitters and crocheters, etc. to help out. I'm perusing the list to see where I should send my collection of project bags. I found 5 newish tote bags at the thrift store for 50¢ each (half off green tags, baby!) and had earlier picked up some at the craft store for a different charity project. But Katrina changes everything, you know? Anyway, each bag has a complete craft project (mostly easy scarves) and all the tools needed - knitting/crochet needles, yarn needles, tiny blunt scissors, pattern, etc. And now I think they have a place to go.

Have a good day! John & I are going to Hell in a couple of hours (that's Hell, Michigan), after Jen & I go fabric shopping.



*thank goodness they didn't call it "Kloths" for Katrina, or I would have had to kill someone

This gave me chills. A couple of excerpts ( behind the cut )
This was written by a couple of the people who were in the group who had originally chartered buses, only to have them comandeered by the military. Some of that group were then allowed to "take cuts" in front of a line of other evacuees a few days later. I need to read the story again, but I don't think that these people were in that line. ETA: They may have been. I'm past making judgements on that kind of thing. The whole evacuation was such a cluster-you-know-what. The one resident commenting about the other people getting on the bus being "clean and dry" cannot have been referring to these people.

ETA: Here's another story passed on by Lisa. It reads like an adventure novel, with the writer ESCAPING from a refugee camp in the middle of the night with his dogs, two more evacuees, and a cat.

The President and his administration failed at their most important job: keeping America safe. The federal effort was too little, too late and the cost of their delay will be paid for in human lives. Now, they are seeking political cover by blaming state and local officials, despite the fact that they had begged the administration for help early on. Its really outrageous that the President would blame the victims at a time like this. Will you help me tell him he needs to stop blaming the victims and get to work helping them?

http://political.moveon.org/helpvictims

Timelines
http://knittingforboozehags.com/2005/09/07/tell-president-bush-to-stop-blaming-the-victims/ clipped below
http://thinkprogress.org/katrina-timeline/

Jon Stewart's recap ("Did we miss anything?"): http://onegoodmove.org/1gm/1gmarchive/cat_daily_show_video.html

Excellent list of places & ways to donate: http://knittingforboozehags.com/2005/09/07/more-katrina-info-2/

I hope to God this isn't accurate, but having worked in a homeless shelter, and knowing what can happen when you mix evil people with good people who are just down on their luck, I'm afraid it is at least partially accurate.

You have my word that we will return to mundane topics like knitting and cats. Trust me - I WANT to live in a world where all that matters is my family, and knitting, and cats. And chocolate. But as long as our "leaders" are lying &/or making complete asses of themselves, I feel obligated to record it, so I don't ever forget.

Christine's brilliant timeline ( follows the cut )