Author: Shelley Powers

Spot of shame on Blogspot

Post author By Shelley Powers
Post date April 8, 2002

I’ve been reading some of the postings of Glenn Reynolds, aka InstaPundit.com, a law professor — of constitutional law, no less — from Tennesse who comes out with the most hate filled, war mongering, bullshit I’ve ever had the displeasure to read.

Since when did racial bigotry — of any kind — become patriotic? Since when did the talk containing the most flammable hyperbole, such as a recent post where Reynolds suggested that what we needed to do was attack the Saudis, first become the sayings of a wise man?

What particularly pisses me off is that Reynolds categorizes those demonstrating for peace as being pro-Palestinian and anti-Israel, and hence Anti-Semitic and hence a Blackshirt. Think I’m exagerating? Read today’s postings.

I am very much for a lasting peace in the Middle East, with the rights of both Israelis and Palestinians respected and enforced. I think any behavior associated with racial or religious bigotry should be treated for what it is: hatred of that which is different; hatred of that which is feared. Any rational, thinking human being should reject all of it — all of it!

Yet my desire for peace, my growing activism for peace, labels me pro-Palestinian, Anti-Israeli, and therefore Anti-Semitic and a Blackshirt.

Welcome to the USA — home of free speech and even freer hatred. The land of name calling and vicious labeling.

I would like to say that I can practice my freedoms by choosing _not_ to read Glenn Reynolds and the other warbloggers. However, these people live and speak in my country; if I don’t pay attention to what they’re saying, and counteract it when I can, someday their voices will be the only ones heard. And that thought scares the hell out of me.

Oh and by the way — Mr. Reynolds brags about how many hits he gets to his weblog — hosted at blogspot.com. Those of you running weblogs on blogspot, you might want to send him a note of thanks next time the server goes down.

Weather

Oh no! Regional warming!

Post author By Shelley Powers
Post date April 8, 2002

Michael Webb, fearless defender of the environment has exposed a new warming trend and associated disruption of the ecosphere within the environs of Oregon.

Those Oregonians — you can’t pull anything over on them!

Political

Which side are you on?

Post author By Shelley Powers
Post date April 7, 2002

There was a pro-Palestinian march on Friday in downtown San Francisco. The marchers made their way to the Israeli consulate, where they were met by a pro-Israeli protest.

Both sides met across a space separated by metal barriers. Each side threw words of hatred at the other, as if the words were a weapon that could penetrate the other side’s absolute belief that they were right. The Pro-Israeli side screams out that the Palestinians are murderers and terrorists. The Pro-Palestinian side screams out that the Israelis are murderers and terrorists.

Take away the flags and the pictures of Arafat and Sharon and you wouldn’t be able to tell which side was which.

Political

Just cuz you’re paranoid…

Post author By Shelley Powers
Post date April 7, 2002

Y’all remember the posting last week with pictures of the National Guard trucks that have been sitting in the Caltran work lot next to the Bay Bridge?

The trucks had been parked in the lot close to a month, I think, maybe more. However, within a couple of days after that post, the trucks were gone.

I’m sure it was just a coincidence.

Political Weblogging

A gentle thank you

Post author By Shelley Powers
Post date April 7, 2002

Sometimes things just don’t go the way you want. When I’m in a pissy mood, and need cheering up, I find myself going out to visit my favorite weblogs, looking for glimpses of humor, beautiful writing, and interesting and unique personal perspectives. And my favorites never fail me. A gentle thank you from me to you. In particular, I wanted to thank the following friends for their postings:

— Jerry posts another one of his wonderful photo essays this one on the New England mud season.

If you haven’t lived in rural New England, than you probably don’t understand why most country homes in the region have what they call a “mud room”. I found out the necessity of a mud room when I lived in Vermont for a year.

Hey Jerry — there’s a reason I moved to San Francisco 😉

— Shannon’s in an absolute manic writing mood, of which this posting,Shannon Campbell Meets Blair Witch, is just one example.

Shannon, I’m also terrified of spiders. When I lived in Seattle (I’ve moved around a lot, haven’t I?) we would get these spiders about the size of a tennis ball — and they were the small variety. I knew that the spiders (except for the Brown Recluse) were harmless, but I’d still run from the room when I spied them. Run quickly I might add.

Did you all know that Seattle and vicinity has more spiders per square meter than any other place on Earth? More interesing if useless facts: Folks in Seattle also eat more Hershey chocolate and read more books than any other place in the US.

I’m sure there’s no connection between any of these facts.

— On a more serious note, Mike Golby was forced to, yet again, defend himself from the label of “Anti-Semitic”. A weblog reader tells Mike the following in a comment attached to one of Mike’s posts:

What a foolish comment. And what a thing to say to a person — hello, I don’t read you that often, but you seem Anti-Semitic to me. Anti-Meryl, too. However, I’m disinterested so don’t take it personally.

All together now folks: Airhead alert!

Mike took the reader’s comments personally; most people would. And he responded, accordingly, in a manner that was both eloquent and passionate.

Mike, I guess it’s my turn to ask if you’d like one lump or two with your tea?