(no subject)

I was a goddamn machine this weekend and I'm still quite decidedly pleased with myself today. Friday I got my remaining files packed up at work and I'm now pretty much officially ready to move. Go me! Then I left early to zoom up to Oakland to help jakejr with some last minute errands that needed doing. We packed up my car with donations and dropped off her cable box, then I got to visit my first industrial shredding company. It was unbelievably cool. If ever I needed to fall back on a blue collar job in the future it would be that one. It's just so...cathartic.

Then we drove to Fremont to pick up her truck, which was actually pretty nice, and parted company until the next morning. Bright and early moonlightnrain, cyranocyrano and I headed up to help with the actual move. I have to just say that the sheer amount of stuff that jakejr owns is downright mind boggling. And this is after several trunkfull's of stuff went with me over successive weekends to Goodwill. I just kept staring at the 17' truck then at all the stuff and thinking, "There's just no way." But her dad is apparently also part Time Lord as he seems to have made the truck bigger on the inside than out.

We ended up creating a sort of bucket line to get everything out front as a staging area so that the guys could then use the handtrucks to move it all downstairs. Once we'd gotten the boxes out we could move the appliances and furniture. moonlightnrain and I then turned our attention to the kitchen, which hadn't been packed yet, and it took hours to do, but we managed to finish off all the remaining boxes and packing materials with pretty much nothing to spare. Damn we were good.

After that she cleaned up the kitchen while I set to work with my steam cleaner on the carpets. I can't say they looked great after I'd finished, but I did manage to get up all the stains so they looked ok. After six hours of work I was happy to settle for ok. I was officially the last person out after dumping the steam cleaner and tidying up the bathroom sink and that was that. There were many hugs and tears and promises to get in touch once she'd gotten settled in the new place. I certainly didn't envy her the drive up north after all that moving stuff. I was just delighted to get home before 6 and to finally climb into the shower. Ah blessed watery relief! Getting clean finally kick started my appetite (I'd had a protein bar since breakfast) and I had a nice dinner before falling over on the loveseat. By 9 I crawled into bed and fell fast asleep.

Up bright and early on Sunday and off to run about a million errands. I picked up all the Goodwill and Green Citizen stuff to cart off from work and made those runs, stopped at Elephant Pharmacy then Long's to pick up some stuff. Treated myself to a Jamba and a stop at Summerwinds for some soil, a new pot and the cutest little oregano plant you've ever seen. Ran to the bank to deposit a birthday check from silkblade, thank you dear! Then home again to do laundry, put away all the stuff I'd bought, let the cats outside and tidy up. Fell over on the loveseat again for about an hour then I was up and ready to run around again. Got the Always mix finalized, one copy sent out to odogoddess and another popped in the box with my sister's birthday gifts which is all ready to ship out.

As of this weekend one of my Xmas quilts is finished and another started so I may just get them all done before they need to be shipped out in November. Go me! But I have to be very good about setting aside at least one day per weekend to do nothing but sew from now on. So if I beg off on plans that's why.

Ah and one more thing. I still have the trunkfull of jakejr's video tapes she was getting rid of because I wanted to offer them up to local friends who might be interested before I donate them. Lots of good stuff including movies and tv series. I saw the Indiana Jones collection, both SW collections, what appeared to be most of season one Voyager and lots of B5 as well. If you're interested contact me before Saturday and we can set up a time for you to come by and take a look.

(no subject)

Glenn Greenwald has a fascinating piece up today about American foreign policy in which he succinctly and accurately lays out the fact that the only voices considered "serious" are those who, in reality, have embraced and endorsed the concept of America as an imperial power.

That is why war opponents on the "left" -- including bloggers -- were and still are deemed Unserious even though they proved to be correct. Their opposition was not based (at least principally) on the belief that we were using the wrong "force deployment packages," that the timing was wrong, that we should have waited a little longer (that type of "opposition" was the only permitted type). Rather, it was largely based on the notion that the war itself was illegitimate because Iraq had not attacked us and could not threaten our national security, and that going around bombing, invading and occupying other countries which haven't attacked us is both immoral and/or self-destructive.

Note: I actually was dubbed "hysterical" when I expressed these same views back in 2003, I'm not sure if overall that's better or worse than "unserious"...

Yet these days, expressing that rather ordinary belief -- that it is wrong to start a war against a country except where they attack you, are about to, or directly threaten your national security (such as by harboring terrorist groups waging attacks on your country) -- will subject you to the accusation that you are a "pacifist," a term Daniel Drezer incoherently (though revealingly) applies to me.

That is how far we have come, how low we have fallen, how recklessly and extraordinarily pro-war we are as a country as a result of our Foreign Policy Community. Now, if you believe that we should wage war only when a country actually attacks us or threatens our national security, then you are a "pacifist," an unserious leftist who is removed from mainstream discourse.

Urge all the wars you want for any reason -- be a wild-eyed disciple of Bill Kristol and Norm Podhoretz and Newt Gingrich -- and you will be deemed Very Serious. But question the fundamental premises of America's right to rule the world through the use of military force, challenge whether we ought to be starting one war after the next and constantly intervening even when our national security is not even arguably at risk, and be dismissed away by our war hungry Foreign Policy Establishment as an unserious pacifist.

Paging Dr. Strangelove

If you haven't seen it already, you must check out the most bat-shit crazy genocidal/fascist rant I have ever read in my life:

The inadequacy of Democracy, rule by the majority, is undeniable -- for it demands adopting ideas because they are popular, rather than because they are wise. This means that any man chosen to act as an agent of the people is placed in an invidious position: if he commits folly because it is popular, then he will be held responsible for the inevitable result. If he refuses to commit folly, then he will be detested by most citizens because he is frustrating their demands.

The wisest course would have been for President Bush to use his nuclear weapons to slaughter Iraqis until they complied with his demands, or until they were all dead. Then there would be little risk or expense and no American army would be left exposed. But if he did this, his cowardly electorate would have instantly ended his term of office, if not his freedom or his life.

...If President Bush copied Julius Caesar by ordering his army to empty Iraq of Arabs and repopulate the country with Americans, he would achieve immediate results: popularity with his military; enrichment of America by converting an Arabian Iraq into an American Iraq (therefore turning it from a liability to an asset); and boost American prestiege while terrifying American enemies.

He could then follow Caesar's example and use his newfound popularity with the military to wield military power to become the first permanent president of America, and end the civil chaos caused by the continually squabbling Congress and the out-of-control Supreme Court.

President Bush can fail in his duty to himself, his country, and his God, by becoming “ex-president” Bush or he can become “President-for-Life” Bush: the conqueror of Iraq, who brings sense to the Congress and sanity to the Supreme Court. Then who would be able to stop Bush from emulating Augustus Caesar and becoming ruler of the world? For only an America united under one ruler has the power to save humanity from the threat of a new Dark Age wrought by terrorists armed with nuclear weapons.

Lest you think this is the crazy guy standing on the corner with a soapbox and a "kill 'em all" gleam in his eye, he was, until this screed, a highly recommended member of Family Security Matters, for more info on this charming little group I point you here:

Family Security Matters is a front group for the right-wing think tank Center for Security Policy, which hosts none other than Vice President Dick Cheney on its advisory board. It has also been host to a laundry-list of right-wing holdovers, and is now currently known as the "National Security Advisory Council".

Let me rephrase that: a group associated with Vice President Cheney published a column advocating a genocidal dictatorship in the United States. In VERY CLEAR LANGUAGE.

You know the other night on TDS Jon Stewart had the author of the latest wankfest of a biography on Cheney, and before the guy came out Jon commented, "Spoiler alert: in this one Lord Voldemort wins!" I laughed at the time, but I've got to admit now I feel more like crying.