Uneasy Rhetoric

Twitter Weekly Updates for 2010-08-29

Uneasy Rhetoric — Sun, 29 Aug 2010 11:45:00 +0000

House hunting is hard. Especially when I have this pesky job I have to go to. #
@CcSteff My greatest fear in life is that my son will become a Republican. It gives me more angst than any amount of boogers. in reply to CcSteff #
Downside to getting to work early. I am tired, tired, tired. Hello, Caffeine my old friend. #

Twitter Weekly Updates for 2010-08-22

Uneasy Rhetoric — Sun, 22 Aug 2010 11:45:00 +0000

@ebertchicago The American brand of Christianity is more about what one says than about what one does. in reply to ebertchicago #
@danielhoang Oh man, you just called down every spammer seeking a business opportunity on Twitter. in reply to danielhoang #
@armatches Weather, maybe. But I feel like we've been a lot less tolerate of the heat, and used the ac more, this summer. in reply to armatches #
SMUD bills are now consistently lower than anticipated. Have a new meter. Have I been overpaying b/c of some meter reader's poor eyesight? #
Am I the only one who sees IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency) in headlines and wonders why IKEA cares about Iran's nuke program? #
@Sacramentocert – Can't do this fall's basic academy – any idea when the next one will be? #
@chrisminnick You still (not) going to the guy near your old office? in reply to chrisminnick #
@themaddreamer I feel lucky I can say I use both my English and Public Admin. degrees. It isn't really normal for that to be the case. in reply to themaddreamer #
Dad: "So Blago got off on all but one count." Mom: "I heard." Jack: "Yeah, me too." #
Q: If I'm supposed to be at work at 0830, why does arriving at 0855 feel like an hour late? A: Because I've always been an early arriver. #
@GrammarGirl I think the Beloit list has become so famous they're trying too hard now to be clever (and getting it wrong sometimes). #
@owlsinsomnia You'll never reach enlightenment that way. [I think Buddhist hell is eternal disappointment. Sort of a perpetual "aw shucks."] in reply to owlsinsomnia #
@pammybean This has been going on for a while. As someone who travels for work sometimes, I'm a little freaked out. in reply to pammybean #

Twitter Weekly Updates for 2010-08-15

Uneasy Rhetoric — Sun, 15 Aug 2010 11:45:00 +0000

I am officially worthless today. I should go home, buy some Marie's Donuts, and play with my son's Thomas trains. #
@danielhoang Security maybe? Sharepoint exists on a server you control. Then again, I hear some local govts are using Apps now. in reply to danielhoang #
@mayagirl Been thinking about it for months. Finally got around to doing it. I hate putting newspapers I haven't even opened in recycling. in reply to mayagirl #
Really? Do we always need to say Really? Really!? #
@SFChick74 Well, it is almost zero effort. But then your blog has ads on it. in reply to SFChick74 #
Another SacBee subscriber bites the dust. I'm a little sad. But only a little. #
@SFChick74 Had adwords since 11/05 (when I was blogging actively) and made $51 so far. Don't get paid until $100. in reply to SFChick74 #
Vanity domains. Good? Bad? Cheesy? I have one (lewispost.com) and am considering making it my primary contact. Uncertain. Thoughts? #
When I see the word "tribe" in its social-media, post-modern context, I die a little. #

Twitter Weekly Updates for 2010-08-08

Uneasy Rhetoric — Sun, 08 Aug 2010 11:45:00 +0000

In kid currency, one plate of couscous and ratatouille is equal to one brownie bite. But not bribery, no. We practice the "art of exchange." #
@FutureTenseAPM I found 15 cents in the soda machine. Now I feel like a CEO. in reply to FutureTenseAPM #
@hotdogsladies Drumming in Morse Code? Doesn't get more prog rock than that. Unless you're drumming the entire Beowulf in Morse Code. in reply to hotdogsladies #
@sveldheim I liked Farscape quite a bit. in reply to sveldheim #
@mayagirl I think we're all that way sometimes. I've always been in pretty low-key classes though. in reply to mayagirl #
RIP Google Wave, I hardly knew ye (which was part of the problem, no doubt). http://ow.ly/2la08 #
When you're a billionaire, giving half to charity still leaves an obscene amount of wealth. http://ow.ly/2l6P2 #
From The Economist: "…Portland, Oregon, America’s cycling capital…" http://ow.ly/2l2IS #
Mental note: rag on SNR for dissing 1970s Midtown as a slum; no man's land. Well, that was my home. O St. and proud. http://ow.ly/2kIKA #
A was sad that B would not be his friend. Jack says "Let's go ask B," takes A's hand, goes over to B and says "Would you be A's friend?" #
@mayagirl Huh. I always thought it was Fifteenth Street. "Take One Five Street to Broadway, turn left." in reply to mayagirl #
Pandora's great and all, but I think I need something more akin to the omakase of music. #

Thoughts on the Proposition 8 decision.

Uneasy Rhetoric — Thu, 05 Aug 2010 05:52:01 +0000

It’s not much of a secret that I opposed Proposition 8, and of course, I applauded the judge’s decision today to overturn it. But, I have to hand it to proponents of the measure. Their strategy may have been less about the law and more about a well thought-out public relations strategy. They had to do it this way because they knew that they were going to lose all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court, where, at least right now, conservatives still have a fighting chance.

The most obvious sign they knew they would lose was filing for the stay to prevent gay marriages, pending appeal to a higher court, even before the judge handed down his decision. Second, the proponents did not mount much of a case. In the decision, the Judge writes “The minimal evidentiary presentation made by proponents does not meet the heavy burden of production necessary to show that Proposition 8 is narrowly tailored to a compelling government interest.” (Page 117) Finally, and less obviously, according to a report on NPR today, the judge is openly gay, and yet those defending Proposition 8 did not oppose his hearing the case. The NPR reporter went on to explain that the judge is known for his thoughtful opinions.

But his reputation doesn’t matter. Prop 8 supporters have already trotted out that most tired of all chestnuts, the “Activist Court.” Instead of trying to argue, from a legal perspective, why the judge was wrong and they were right, proponents of Prop. 8 have and will state that Judge Walker’s decision was the result of an “activist court,” overturning the will of the people. Take, for example, Senator Orrin Hatch’s (R-Utah) statement:

“Today, one federal judge trumped seven million voters by making up a right that is not in the Constitution,” Hatch said. “This is what happens when judges make up the Constitution as they go along, when judges rather than the Constitution are the supreme law of the land.” (sacbee.com)

The fact that Judge Walker is openly gay is just going to add salt to the soup.

The anti-gay media juggernaut now springs to life and will work at a fever pitch, riling up its supporters and creating an atmosphere less about thoughtful deliberation and more about knee-jerk reaction (pretty much in line with all political speech these days). Of course, such public outcry ought not influence the Supreme Court, but it will leave politicians scrambling to find ways to protect themselves. Remember all the hemming and hawing that gave us “domestic partnerships” for same-sex couples and marriage for opposite-sex couples? (Which smacks of “separate but equal,” but I digress.)

As for overturning the will of the people, Judge Walker quotes another decision and concludes: “[M]oral disapproval, without any other asserted state interest,” has never been a rational basis for legislation. Lawrence, 539 US at 582 (O’Connor, J, concurring). (Page 133)

Twitter Weekly Updates for 2010-08-01

Uneasy Rhetoric — Sun, 01 Aug 2010 11:45:00 +0000

Almost done with Vikram Chandra's "Sacred Games." Terrific storytelling across 900 pages. Even though great ones, that is a lot to ask #
Controlled burns. Yet another fun air quality day in the Sacramento Valley. http://mee.bo/9uLTYx #
@danielhoang Below $100 and I'll consider it. How are you liking the ipad? in reply to danielhoang #
On a whim, put The Pretenders (best of) on my ipod. Hadn't listened them them at length in a number of years. Wow. I mean, seriously, wow. #
@mayagirl The more I focus on weight loss, the less time I seem to have to do anything about it. in reply to mayagirl #

Twitter Weekly Updates for 2010-07-25

Uneasy Rhetoric — Sun, 25 Jul 2010 11:45:00 +0000

Damn I like Steve Earle's Copperhead Road. #
Hanging @templecoffee on S. Done more writing in the last 45 minutes than I've done in months. Too bad it ain't a blog post. Going home. #
@goodlaura And smart of Twitter. Misspell a lot of big-time sites and you get pr0n. #
@mayagirl What happened to Zuda? in reply to mayagirl #
Kid named Atticus at the State fair. #
Jack: "When the clock is at 29, I will blow my whistle." There's a Maurice Sendak story, like "In the Night Kitchen" in there somewhere. #
@owlsinsomnia Useless Airways, my jetsetting friend calls 'em. #
@mayagirl Or maybe the teachers wanted to disappear. Had to be hard for them. Goodbyes might have been too emotional. (Bonds went both ways) in reply to mayagirl #
@mayagirl Exactly. Makes no sense. Jack was out R/F, so maybe they did, but the impression I got was that they were just told to leave. in reply to mayagirl #
@mayagirl Yeah. They were laid off. Atmosphere in the daycare has been pretty low. One of Jack's buds took it really hard. in reply to mayagirl #
@owlsinsomnia Oh do disclose. Any particular Inc. that's full of apologies? in reply to owlsinsomnia #
@mayagirl I'm feeling some of Jack's pain. Two of his favorite teachers left without saying goodbye (dunno if that's good for them or bad). in reply to mayagirl #
Discombobulated. Trying to make some sense out of my day. So far, not so good. #

Twitter Weekly Updates for 2010-07-18

Uneasy Rhetoric — Sun, 18 Jul 2010 11:45:00 +0000

Made the mistake of reading some of the comments on an @sacbee_news article about State workers this am. Now my day is ruined. #
@owlsinsomnia In trouble with the law again? in reply to owlsinsomnia #
Mom: wow kid you're getting tan. Or is that dirt? Jack: dirt. #

Twitter Weekly Updates for 2010-07-11

Uneasy Rhetoric — Sun, 11 Jul 2010 11:45:00 +0000

'Cats suck tonight. Down 9 -0 in the 5th 'gainst PDX. #

Twitter Weekly Updates for 2010-07-04

Uneasy Rhetoric — Sun, 04 Jul 2010 11:45:00 +0000

@wilw Stumptown was really getting going just as I moved from PDX. It is the best. in reply to wilw #
I find it odd that people say "Have a Safe 4th of July!" instead of "Happy Independence Day!" #
Reason #2 my new barbershop is a good fit: They were playing Flogging Molly. And my barber skipped the slow songs, just like I do. #
Reason #1 my new barbershop is a good fit: A sticker that says "Finish your beer. There are sober kids in India." #
"Jack, what is mom's name?" Jack: "Molly Caffeine!" #
Mom: "Jack, I feel sad." Jack" "What could we do to make you happy?" #
"When my eyebrows get like Edward's, the barber trims them and never even asks me first." –@ebertchicago http://ow.ly/24Mn4 #
A band I saw play in the Reed student union–for anyone wandering by–back in 1988 or 89 just popped up in Pandora, #Tempest #