Most of My Life Has Been a Waste

I don’t say that lightly. It’s not that I had the most difficult childhood known to man, but it was peculiar. And it was peculiar in ways that sucked because of my dad’s job.

But I thought it was a reasonable trade, for a long time.

And then, when I felt angry that it wasn’t a reasonable trade, I felt angry because I felt like the things my dad sacrificed should have at least gotten him some peace of mind when it came to his sons.

But now, I just feel very, very sad that we had the kinds of lives we did for no reason. This is the face of American Christianity–fucking over children at Christmastime, because we hate their parents.

Or I don’t know why. Maybe they aren’t lying. Maybe this isn’t about punishing illegal immigrants by crushing the hopes of their kids.

But, honestly, that makes it worse.

Christians are being cruel to children for no reason.

Is this what my dad devoted his life to? Is this what my childhood was supposed to bring about?

What a waste. Really.

Just what a fucking waste.

I’m With Katie on This One

I think this is the kind of story feminists believe is true, so we accept it easily without skepticism. But Katie hits on the one flaw in the story I just can’t get past.

I am not sure how she expects those of us who have done this for a living at the level she claims to be doing it to believe that none of the editors, account execs, clients, other writers, sources, interviewees, etc with whom she has worked on all of this content she claims to be publishing for pay ever want to speak to her by phone. The fact is that even in this age of online everything, the production of editorial content for publication – on the Web or in print – still requires phone contact. Editors want to talk to you by phone. Clients want to meet you. Interviewees won’t always agree to be interviewed via email. Tracking down sources frequently requires a phone call or two.

So, how did she work, for years, as a man? I’m not saying it’s impossible, but never having to speak on the phone with the people you work with and for is so highly improbable that I just don’t think we should buy this story hook, line, and sinker without hearing from her the particulars of how she made it work.

My Thoughts on Bart Gordon

Yes, I was distraught this morning and then I read Harrison over at Post Politics blaming Chip Forrester and the Chipinistas and I felt better about it. Just think, if Chip Forrester really did have this negative power, to ruin everything he touched, we’d be able to turn Tennessee into a progressive paradise by simply having Forrester work for the Republican candidates.

Of course, I have grave doubts as to whether, if Forrester really had this ability, any Tennessee Democrat with any power would be astute enough to think of that, but one can hope.

I also remembered that factions within the Tennessee Democrats have been casting about for at least a year for a way to hook some albatross to the neck of the progressives in order to reassure themselves that they can safely continue to ignore us.

That’s fine.

But moving right isn’t working.

I don’t know how many times bloggers can say this, but if people want to vote for Republicans, they can vote for Republicans. If you’ve got George Dickel and and a whiskey that tastes like George Dickel sitting in front of you, you don’t go for the imitation.

The fact is that the conservatives in this state are fractured, too. And our running to the right has provided enough pressure that those fissures have stayed somewhat closed.  But they’re there. The libertarian-inclined folks and the nutjob faction sit together very uneasily. You think libertarians, who usually pride themselves on being smart, feel comfortable with the kind of “we hate book-learnin'” stuff that goes on in the nutjob faction? Do you think folks who can smartly and astutely argue about what the implications of the presence or absence of a comma between “militia” and “being” is and who can rattle off all sides of a 200 year old argument have any respect for people who don’t have any intellectual curiosity?

Please.

And the nutjobs are now, in an effort to support their great love of the 10th Amendment, floating this idea of repealing the 17th Amendment. You think libertarians are going to be excited about taking the power to directly elect senators out of the hands of the people so as to make the state more powerful? I’ll believe it when I see it.

And the best the nutjobs can do against Herron is that he’s secretly gay? That’s their big trump card? Secret gayness? And their proof is short shorts and vanity? Um, their dude sings. Christian songs.

I don’t know if you’ve looked around the Christian music scene lately, but singing Christian songs is as much a hobby of the secretly gay as being vain. Is this really the best they have to offer?

And how long can “But he’s a homosexual! Vote against him, he’s a homosexual” work on libertarians? They’re already ill-at-ease with that nonsense, but they hold their noses and vote for Republican candidates because they don’t trust the alternative.

When there’s no Democratic alterantive, when they’re settling this stuff in the primaries, it’ll be different.

Anyway, it’ll be interesting to see how it plays out.

As for us, we could try to be Democrats, actual Democrats, who stand for something other than being like the Republicans, but not.

Because here’s the question Democrats have to answer: You’ve been running ever-increasingly conservative candidates. You’ve been supporting ever-increasingly conservative legislation. If the Republicans do gain control of the legislature and redistrict you out of Tennessee politics for the next generation, will we be able to tell the difference?

Our Carbon Footprint is Dickensian London Big

We used to keep it at 66 or 68 in here.  We now keep it at 70. Between keeping it at 70 and the dog sleeping with me, sleeping pressed against my side like toilet paper on the bottom of a shoe, I am convinced that I will slowly roast to death and one day the redheaded kid will come over and ask the Butcher, “What smells like delicious pork barbecue?” and they will go into my room and find that it’s me.

I fully expect the orange cat will have probably eaten at least three of my toes between my gruesome end and my end’s discovery.

So, why must it be so hot in here at night?

People, because the CPAP machine makes the most horrible whistling noises if it’s not. It’s like being attached to a teapot.  There’s rattling and fffffssssseeeeeee noises and uuuuuuuaaaaaaaaaasssssssshhhhhhhhh noises as the humid air that doesn’t go into you shoots out holes and the water in said air condenses back on the machinery almost instantly in the cool air.

So, I’m sorry to say that, when you kids can’t breathe because there’s no clean air left, it went in service of me being able to breathe now.