rare political and personal content
Generally, I'm not interested in discussing the travesty of the recent election and the demise of any semblance of a feeling of democracy in the U.S., etc. It's just too depressing and until something occurs that has the potential to remedy things, it just doesn't seem worth it. Still, I appreciated receiving a link to the following article from Merry the other day. Regardless of whether I believe in the information in this article, it seems par for the course that such pieces be written and distributed (if only to highlight the need to maintain awareness that injustices abound). I don't doubt that there was election fraud or that Kerry may have rightfully won. I just don't know enough at this point and thinking about it makes me weary.

More than the presidential administration of the next 4 years and the ratio of dems to repubs in congress, the issue of supreme court justice appointments is by far the biggest issue on our plates. Unfortunately I'm not hearing as much noise about this relative to the other issues. It is extremely likely that bush will have the opportunity to appoint 2-3 new justices during his next term and, as we all know, terms for justices are life-long. While the other issues are also quite serious, this is the one that is likely to endure throughout the rest of our lives.

It appears to be increasingly common for jurisdiction within this country to be inspired by christian ideals. The separation of church and state thingie is history, as those with fundamentalist beliefs seem to be winning the battle of spin and (possibly fabricated) numbers.

One of the issues on the administrations' long-term agenda is to have the the Roe v. Wade decision reversed but it is likely that they will go about this in a gradual manner. From what I'm hearing, first on the agenda is to require parental permission for teenage abortions. Semi-recently I was in a cab listening to a talk radio broadcast where a major topic of discussion was the goal of many staunch conservatives' to outlaw the birth control pill, somehow construing it as a form of early abortion. This scared the shit out of me.

Although I generally avoid posting personal content in this blog, I believe it's important to address make public those personal issues that pertain to our political freedom.

Several weeks ago I felt eligible for the morning after pill. I figured I'd call my doc and he'd prescribe it, but first, to educate myself, I googled it. I hadn't realized it was so controversial! It prevents conception, just like any contraceptive. What's the big deal? But the conservatives are trying to do away with it's availability, claiming that it inspires an increase in unprotected sex and that its functions may constitute abortion. The former notion removes personal responsibility from the equation, while the latter is just bunk.

A phone call to doc and an hour or so later I was at the pharmacy picking up the two tiny pills and forking over $45. No big deal. I popped one of the pills out of the casing on my walk home and swallowed it. Moments later the unlikely occasion that if pregnant I would want to keep the baby popped into mind. I opened up the vast literature that accompanied the pills to see what affect they would have on an already conceived fetus/embryo/baby. Apparently they would have no effect. An already pregnant woman taking the morning after pill would not harm the baby-potential inside of her whatesoever.

Another concern I had is that the pills would make me feel ill. No dice. I felt pretty much allright. Slightly nauseous but no big deal.

Since it will not harm an existing fetus/embryo/baby, the morning after pill is OBVIOUSLY not akin to abortion. I need to make this clear because, had I not had occasion to take such pills, I would not have known this definitively either.

So again I ask: what's the big deal? Why the controversy? Trying to do away with contraception isn't merely christian: it's severe and catholic! What are we becoming?

the matrix
Today Rahmin rented the Matrix 1 and 2. Although I've never (including today) had the desire to pay attention to these films the whole way through, I think I've summed up their basic point into a few words: kinetic energy is technically equal to potential energy and actual and potential are actually the same thing when you get right down to it.
And the cliche of: maybe the reality we think we know is not actually what "is".
Oh, and, Keanu Reeves is a bad actor.