At Townhall, on The Corner, in certain folks' Rants, I've heard a lot about red state, conservative moral values. And you know what? I call bullshit.

By my junior year I had long left Richmond (which has its own problems: people, you can only blame COINTELPRO and the CIA for so long...But I digress), and was attending high school in a little farming community in Northern California. Now, remember those Nov. 2004 electoral maps, how the red and blue areas corresponded roughly to the split between union-sympathetic and confederate-sympathetic states? Remember how California was blue, correspondant with how it had sided with the union back in the 19th century? Well, this high school was in a county that had voted with the South. Yeah, this area is that red: Parents thought nothing of letting their students wear minstrel-show blackface to a homecoming event, there was no question that Bill Clinton was a hair short of being Joe Stalin himself, and Cadillac-drivin' welfare queens, penis-shrivelling feminists and greasy, duplicitous sand niggers rode the massive crests of the imagination of all-knowing, all corpulent Rush Limbaugh, king of the AM waves, right into your goddamned F-150. Welcome to Bobo's utopia.

So it's my junior year, and the whole school -- about 120 students -- have been called into the library, the largest room in the main building, to meet a guest speaker. He was a fit, normal-looking young man -- 19, I believe -- dressed in what I then termed Sacramento chic: baseball cap, Johnson t-shirt, jam shorts and sandals with socks. He could have been the boy you see every day walking into Wal-Mart hand-in-hand with his poodle-permed, Guess-clad girlfriend.

He was HIV positive.

His story was that he had contracted it by having unprotected sex at age 14 with a neighboring housewife. Six students, myself included, sat at his feet, listening to him, asking him questions: "What kind of medications do you take? Can you date? How do you deal with discrimination? Blah, blah, blah?" Six of us sat about a foot from him, and could actually look him in the eye.

Six of us. The rest of the students had lined themselves up one student deep along the furthest three walls, arms folded in front of them and silent as the grave. Their cold, harsh eyes gleamed at him, stared him down like he was a cross between a rattlesnake, Pol Pot and a petrie dish full of staph.

This behavior was not borne of some higher, more noble, values-driven character. These kids damn well knew better, and just wanted to act ignant. You read me right: "ignant," not "ignorant." Those of you who matter get the distinction. 'Cos the Lord knows you can't do His work properly without being an asshole about it.

In fact, I'm sure many of my former schoolmates look back on this little interlude, if they haven't repressed the memory, as a moment they're ashamed of, and wish they had acted differently. Most, however do not. One in particular recently asked me, when that moment was brought up in a drunken conversation, "So, you think the little faggot's died yet?"

And it's not exactly as though I'm proud of my behavior during that assembly. I was just raised differently. In addition to knowing, just as well as my ignant school-chums knew, that I wasn't going to catch AIDS from that young man's nervous red face, or his stutter, or his fidgeting fingers, I was raised to respect someone with real values, with real character. Specifically, someone who at so young an age, a man destined not to see his 30th birthday, was willing to go public, and take the lessons he had fairly or unfairly learned, and impress them on those who needed them: the varsity football heavies who laughed about having to shave their pubes when they caught crabs from the town slut, the pinched-faced, parochial girls who somehow -- gasp! -- turned up pregnant before graduation.

I just wasn't afraid when there was no need to be, and I had been raised to recognize and to show respect and give quarter to those with real moral strength, with real courage. That's all.

So ashes to ashes, let's put this myth of the wise-because-they're-unschooled, red-value, salt-o-the-earth, right-thinking good rural and exurban folk in the cold, wormy ground, right the fuck now. The species, as Republican jabbering-heads have described it, does not exist, full stop.

________________________________

Okay, maybe that was a bit depressing. So to cheer you up here's my playlist for this morning, before I go see if the roses need watering:

"Happy Boy" -- Beat Farmer

"The Libertine" -- Patrick Wolf

"Lucky Charms" -- Moldy Peaches

"Teenage Goo-Goo-Muck" -- The Cramps

"TKO" -- Le Tigre

"Ladyflash" -- The Go! Team

"Tide Is High" -- Blondie

hubba hubba hubba hubba hubba

• *Ann Coulter has bigger balls and more firepower than Noelle Bush's father -- enough to pull an Elian on Terri©. She certainly has a better grasp of historical fact, tertiary syphilis be damned!
• *The Culture of Life bears absolutely no resemblance to a previous era's combatting certain Volksseuche...No, siree, absolutely no resemblance whatsoever...
• *Vengeance and retribution are not the Lord's, but ours, and they are justice, and any suggestion that there's a distinction is a filthy liberal lie.
• *Kim DuToit has a girly, Frenchish name, and a teeny-tiny pecker.

So, campers, keep a look out for uncle Harry, and wish him well in the hinterlands of South America!

What's this I hear about a new Wonder Woman movie? And why oh why is the SciFi poll even jokingly suggesting that pleather-skinned Charisma Carpenter be cast? Not only does "Cordy" not have the requisite vulnerability and sweetness, charisma is a quality Ms. Carpenter severely lacks.

So I'm gonna nip that nonsense in the bud. Herewith is my wish list/betting pool:

Kristen Davis: I haven't seen her in action stuff, but I have faith. She can do wholesome and earnest, and would be adorable as Diana Prince.

Jenny Shimizu: Especially if she packs on some more muscle and keeps her hair short. WW as a diesel dyke? Hell yeah!

Angela Bassett: Some might say, "She's too old." To those some, I'd say "Go play in traffic, dickbreath." Miz Basset has the chops to add real class and emotional resonance to this role, and could single-handedly turn a potential turd into gold.

Mariska Hargitay: Save her from L&O hell. Don't let her career be decapitated a jack-knifed SVU (hey!). She's got what it takes to fill those satin tights.

Rosario Dawson: If she plays it warm and upbeat -- but no perky! -- that would make up for her giggly youth.

Keira Knightley: Same problem as Rosario: callowness. That said, she could be a hot pick as long as she doesn't take herself too seriously.

Uma Thurman: Good luck, Joss. But she would make an elegant yet personable Diana. Then again, perhaps she'd be better as a villain...?

Michelle Rodriguez: Wonder Woman as gritty, introspective, deep and dark? Could work.

Now, aside from the aforementioned Ms. Carpenter, there are some other atrocious choices being bandied about on the Web and among my circle. Let's put these nags out of any possible running:

Devon Aoki: This is unfair -- a personal and slightly political issue. Sorry, folks, but I've never patronized Benihana's, and I will never watch a movie starring Ms. Aoki.

Lucy Lawless: Wonder Woman is neither a truck driver nor a barmaid.

Sara Michelle Gellar: No. Loved her as Buffy, but no. Just no.

Angelina Jolie: Overexposed and too scrawny besides. I would change my position on this if, instead of Joss, Tim Burton were doing WW.

Jessica Alba: Girlfriend is cute, but without stature. And she cannot act, full stop.

Larry Carroll also has some plum advice.

Okay, let's hear yours. Yeah, both of you.

Ah-huh-huh. Oh, crap.

(Via marisa at DailyKos)

I heart Wikipedia.

And you, too, Wikiquote.

We are urging all of those who are part of the impeachment movement to participate and bring the message of impeachment with signs and banners to the hundreds of local demonstrations that will be taking place on March 19/20, the second anniversary of the beginning of the criminal war against Iraq.

Between March 19 and April 3, Congressional representatives are scheduled to be back in their home district. It has never been more important for all people of conscience to hold demonstrations and rallies, and to lobby those representatives in their home districts during the March 19 - April 3 period. We are certain that impeachment activists from around the country will join us in organizing activities in the March 19 - April 3 period. Please notify the VoteToImpeach / ImpeachBush.org campaign about your local activity, and send in a report and photos, to ImpeachBush@VotetoImpeach.org.

The duty of the American People to compel the Impeachment of George W. Bush and his principal aides becomes ever more urgent as his mounting crimes take more lives daily, and threaten irreparable injury to Constitutional government, irreconcilable division within the nation and isolation of the U.S. in the community of nations.

Two years after the commencement of his War of Aggression, judged to be the "Supreme International Crime" at Nuremberg, the flow of blood in Iraq continues to rise and the threat of death is omnipresent.

The criminal policies of the Bush Administration which violate fundamental human rights are etched in memory worldwide in names like:

• Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo as symbols of torture;
  
• Falluja and Najaf as symbols of the indiscriminate destruction of civilian life;
  
• Nicola Calipari, the Italian officer killed shielding the Italian reporter, Giuliana Sgrena, with his body, and scores of Iraqi families gunned down on highways as symbols of summary execution;
  
• Unknown numbers of persons seized in the U.S., Canada, anywhere in the world and victimized by "Rendition" to abuse by foreign police as symbols of kidnapping.

A year after democratically elected President Jean Bertrand Aristide of Haiti was told by President Bush he "has to go" and was forced on to a U.S. plane and flown to Central African Republic, violence continues to grow in Haiti and deaths rise into the thousands as Aristide supporters are systematically targeted and no relief is in sight for the people of Haiti.

Today President Bush threatens Iran ("all options" are available), North Korea, Cuba and Venezuela, among others. He tells Syria it must completely withdraw its troops from Lebanon even as 500,000 Lebanese, 12 percent of the entire population, take to the streets to protest U.S. intervention and a pro-Syrian Lebanese leader is reelected Prime Minister by the Parliament of Lebanon, which fears a U.S.-Israel occupation and wants Syria to stay and maintain stability finally established after years of Civil War and bedlam.

For those who doubt President Bush's determination to continue his criminal enterprise consider only his three most important recent appointments: John Negroponte as director for all foreign intelligence where he can control information about foreign weapons of mass destruction and terrorist threats to the U.S.; John Bolton as U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations to assure U.S. commitment to unilateral aggression and weaken UN opposition to U.S. aggression; and Alberto Gonzalez as Attorney General to validate violations of international human rights, the rule of law and the Constitution of the United States.

In his determination to be above all law, President Bush insists on U.S. power to continue violations of fundamental human rights in his war on terrorism; to violate the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty by developing a new generation of extremely dangerous and usable tactical nuclear weapons while threatening to attack Iran, North Korea and others based on unverified claims that they are developing nuclear weapons; by direct obstruction of justice through bilateral agreements to refuse cooperation with the International Criminal Court; and by the U.S. withdrawal in March 2005 from International Court of Justice jurisdiction following a decision by that Court that State Courts in the U.S. must individually review the death sentences of 51 Mexican citizens following trials in which the U.S. violated rights of the accused under the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations.

The continuing boastful commitment of the Bush Administration to criminal aggression is a clear and present danger to the Constitution of the United States and the security of its peoples. The highest duty of the American people is to demand faithful performance of Constitutional duty by their elected representatives to assure that they uphold Article II, Section 4 of the Constitution which states "The President, Vice President and all civil Officers of the United States, shall be removed from Office on Impeachment for, and Conviction of, Treason, Bribery, or other high Crimes and Misdemeanors."

We must organize and act for the impeachment of George W. Bush and his principal aides by the House of Representatives and their trial by the Senate.

Vote to Impeach Now. Contribute to this national campaign. Organize meetings with your representative and present petitions from voters in your Congressional District demanding impeachment.

Action Now is Essential.

Ramsey Clark
March 10, 2005

So earlier this week I sent Senator Feinstein a letter urging her to oppose the heinous bankruptcy reform bill currently being fast-tracked through Congress. I told her about my own parents' need to file bankruptcy and how it saved them from homelessness. I reminded her of all the protections Democrats tried, as a last-ditch measure, to soften the blow to seniors, servicemen and women, and those who support a woman's right to choose, among others.

I wasn't expecting much from DiFi. I wonder why:

Dear Mr. l4m3:

Thank you for writing to me about proposed bankruptcy legislation. I appreciate your letter on this important issue and I welcome the opportunity to respond.

Congress has considered various forms of bankruptcy legislation over the past seven years, and the Senate is again taking up bankruptcy reform in the 109th Congress. After careful consideration, I have come to the conclusion that too many people are abusing the current system. We need bankruptcy reform that is balanced and requires both debtors and creditors to act responsibly.

However, while I do believe reform is needed, and have supported it in the past, it is essential that current legislation being considered contain language not actually included in it.

Specifically, I am a firm supporter of an amendment proposed by Senator Charles Schumer's efforts to amend the bill, so that extremist anti-abortion protesters will not be allowed to shield their assets from court imposed sanctions by simply declaring bankruptcy. This amendment protects both a woman's right to choose and the ongoing effectiveness of the Freedom to Clinic Entrances Act that has led to successful cases against those who employ violence or intimidation to prevent women from obtaining or providing reproductive health services. Also, I believe that any bankruptcy reform needs to sufficiently account for serious medical costs that are so high that it is literally impossible for people to ever pay them off. If a court decides the person is unable to repay the medical debt over his or her lifetime, I feel that the law should recognize that fact.

Recently, the Senate Judiciary Committee, of which I am a member, sent bankruptcy reform legislation to the entire Senate for debate. Please be assured that I will keep your thoughts in mind as Congress considers this important topic.

Once again, thank you for writing. I hope you will continue to write to me on issues of importance to you. If you have any more questions or comments, please feel free to contact my office in Washington, D.C. at (202)224-3841.

Sincerely yours,

Dianne Feinstein

United States Senator
http://feinstein.senate.gov

Notice how she didn't mention exactly and clearly how she was voting? Very cute. And I like how she cited a need for reform -- probably the line she was told to give when she asked her corporate paymasters how she could justify even considering such a feudal-minded bill.

Dear Senator,

Thank you for your timely and thoughtful reply. I am afraid, however, I must respectfully disagree with your assessment of bankruptcy abuse by consumers. The real abuse is by predatory credit companies and lenders who have used their deep pockets to buy an alarming amount of influence in our august Senate.

Our differences of opinion regarding whether there is a problem of bankruptcy abuse notwithstanding, the fact remains that several key amendments -- protections for seniors and servicemen and women, and as you so appropriately pointed out, an amendment that would protect a woman's right to choose -- key amendments that would have lessened the harsh blow to working people this bill represents were struck down by your Republican colleagues.

Furthermore, though I recognize the exigencies of political pragmatism, and while other more politically vulnerable senators may feel inclined to vote for this bill in hopes of securing future funds to fight Republicans, I see no similar vulnerability in your position. It would seem, Madame Senator, that the political benefits of your opposing this bill far outweigh whatever liabilities you might incur.

I would hope that the aforementioned omissions and my admittedly weak appeal to political pragmatism would be enough to secure a vote of "No" from you, Senator.

Thanks again,

teh l4m3

Do I know how to waste my time or what?

• The current Social Security program (SS) is what's keeping you from being rich beyond dreams of avarice, pudgy, white, and owning a tract house in the exurbs and an SUV?
• That it wishes to ban the Bible and force you to into a homosexual marriage at your local McChurch?
• That SS carried on a torrid affair with Medicare and killed Vince Foster?
• That SS donates funds to Hillary KKKlinton and John Skerry?
• That it had a mixed-race child out of wedlock and supports Islamofascism???

So if you're lucky enough to be a member of a handpicked audience at President Bush's Traveling Social Security Revival Tour (these tickets are not available to just anybody), be sure once you've signed your loyalty oath and passed security checks to thank Our Leader for his bold vision for the future of our Homeland!

(Thanks to World O' Crap and others...)