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The best way to describe mixi is the Japanese equivalent of Facebook. And this is the subject of the site’s most recent update/announcement email (click to enlarge):
The Japanese text is all basic site stuff. There is no explanation for the baby-holding. But hell, I’m on board.
Or, rather, to make up for not watching the debate: I exercised my right to vote.
I have heard a lot of bullshit from a lot of people over the years as to why they don’t vote, and as you might gather from my calling it ‘bullshit’, I don’t think much of their reasons. I don’t give a damn if you don’t like either candidate, if you don’t totally support their policies, if you think they’re both evil and full of shit: one of them is going to be your president. So maybe, rather than rolling over and accepting the will of the masses, like we have in years past to our country’s great detriment, you should do something that expresses your beliefs, even if it doesn’t give you the immediate gratification of bending the world to your will. Change is hard. Change takes a long fucking time. But if you want change, doing a write-in vote for someone who really inspires you is still going to matter more than not voting at all. If nothing else, it’ll stop you from sitting on your ass and poking at your crushed little heart because woe the world is horrible. BOO FRICKING HOO, NOW VOTE.
You only stop making a difference when you stop trying to.
EDIT: That said, kindly research the options before you do connect that little arrow on the ballot sheet. Democracy only really works with educated masses. And if, after thorough, well-informed research, you decide to vote for John McCain, that’s fine, and I respect your decision. I will just never, ever be your friend.
Blaaaaaargh.
My most frequent thought while watching the debate: “STOP SAYING MAVERICK.” I’m glad Biden got sick of it, too, and called that shit out.
And that he pointed out Cheney’s sociopathic expansion of VP power, and consequently implied how terrifying it’d be to see Palin follow in his footsteps.
All in all, though, disappointment. This was not, as some crack-smoking commentator said, “so much better” than the presidential debate. People were just expecting both of them to screw it up in their own special ways, and when they were equally mediocre, somehow it was great.
Some day I will become weary of expecting real answers and strong, well-reasoned arguments from politicians. But today is not that day.
To a time when he was young, and a woman’s place was somewhere under his feet.
This was originally an email to my cousin, who I recently converted from her undecided status to an Obama-supporter, but who, alas, has a wide circle of Republican friends. I thought I was fairly on point despite my obviously strong feelings about the situation, so why not share with the general public:
Please forward this to your undecided friends, your female Republican friends, and any male Republican friends who know/like/are dating/are married to women and should have, you know, some interest in those women’s rights as human beings. Because last I checked, this is the United States. You know, land of the free.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/26/opinion/26collins.html
The gist: Lilly Ledbetter was paid less than her inferior (rank-wise, people) male coworkers for 20 years while working for Goodyear. She found out shortly before she retired, and sued, and won – until the case got to the Supreme Court, and they decided since she hadn’t filed 180 days since the discrimination started (even though she found out a good 19 years and 6 months AFTER that), she could not seek compensation or back pay. The Lilly Ledbetter Act was introduced to close this loophole, and allow discriminated employees to file a claim 180 days within finding out.
John McCain did not show up to vote on this Bill, which only got 56 of the 60 votes it needed to pass. Not that he would have voted for it. McCain has stated his opposition to the bill because it’s ripe for abuse; plus, this vaguely nonsensical, definitely insulting tidbit below:
“Having delivered his objections to the Ledbetter bill this week, McCain went on to tell reporters that what women really need is “education and training, particularly since more and more women are heads of their households, as much or more than anybody else. And it’s hard for them to leave their families when they don’t have somebody to take care of them.”"
I am not sure, good sir, how you gathered Ms. Ledbetter was less educated, not as well trained, nor in any way inferior to her male, less-senior, less-experienced colleagues. I dare say she wouldn’t have been the one woman to stick it out for 20 years in the reportedly female-unfriendly Goodyear if she was quite so pathetic as the picture you paint. But she has a vagina, so of course she’s incompetent in comparison! As are we all. And excellent point, to boot, that some people might take advantage of this legislation – because if a law might be abused, we just shouldn’t pass it. Closing a loophole to allow legitimately discriminated employees to seek compensation is SO not worth the hassle.
This, on top of Sarah Palin opposing abortion even in the case of rape (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/09/01/palin-on-abortion-id-oppo_n_122924.html), makes things fairly clear for me: If you give a damn about women’s rights, about your rights, about human beings being truly equal and living in a fair and just society that is not just just for the privileged white male, you cannot vote for McCain/Palin.
I’m begging you. For the sake of my rights as a person, and the rights of every other woman in this country, those you know and those you don’t, those who are fortunate enough to never need to exercise these rights, and those who will have to fight to have them acknowledged. Even if you disagree with Obama, if you think Biden is the political equivalent of white toast, even if you think the whole change message is bullshit and it’ll just be the same old same old: I say that is still better than stepping backwards, to a time when women were less, and somehow that was okay.
