2006 wasn't so bad after all

Does everyone remember how back in November of 1995 and again a month later the Air smelled sweeter, the birds sang louder, and according to some reports no one was ever sad? Of course, I'm talking about that glorious governmental shutdown due to budget disputes.

Why so glorious? Well, when the government doesn't operate, it's not oppressing me. or you. or anyone. (Okay okay, so "essential services" including the military and U.S. Marshals were in full force, and conceivably they could still have rounded us up and put us in concentration camps for being Jews, or homosexuals, or intellectuals, or Libertarians, or Star Trek fans. But ours isn't a country where I think we have to worry too much about the hard "German Style" oppression. We go more for the soft "French Style" oppression--a slow but steady increase of state power.)

A government shutdown is better than a congressional recess because, I think most people don't realize that while Congress is the great enabler, it is the administrative state that does the actual thumb twisting of the citizenry. That said, I'll take a stalemate over a one-party government any day of the week and twice on Sundays! (Besides, stalemate is the first step to shutdown). We aren't there yet, but if we're lucky it wont be long:

In the current era of divided government, Bush does the signing or the rejecting, confident so far that despite his poor approval ratings he has enough Republican support to avoid a veto override.

It's far from tidy, and not likely to get any prettier in September, with the president and Congress both pointing toward a spending showdown as well as a resumption of their struggle over Iraq.

I'm just giddy over the possibility of a spending showdown. They build character.

Meanwhile, though the farm and energy bills are in dire straits, the one thing the Dems can get through is an INCREASE IN THE EXECUTIVE'S POWER TO EAVESDROP ON INTERNATIONAL PHONE CALLS WITHOUT A WARRANT? I thought you all got elected on the "Bush is delusional and the war on terror is out of control" platform. So while you are too busy squabbling about mommy issues like CO2 Emissions and farm subsidies, you just rubber stamp another increase in executive power in the name of war. Democrats, your voters would like to have a couple words with you--the second word being "you."

Why I am not taking your calls anymore

David,

By now it should be clear to you that we are not "over;" we are a "never were." I really don't want to hear from you in the future. Let me tell you why.

1) I made it clear from the beginning that I am not looking for a relationship. I am only in town for the summer, so anything long term is out of the question. Also, you know I am only just barely out, and any dating I do is more about testing the waters than looking for a boyfriend. The expiration date of whatever we were has passed.

2) Despite my being clear about our having no future, you sure got possessive really quick. You flipped out when I mentioned I had a date with another boy. You tried to make me feel guilty, even though I WAS ALWAYS CLEAR THAT WE WEREN'T GOING TO BE SERIOUS. You even got me to apologize just to shut you up. That was a big strike against you. When you asked later if I had seen 401(k) again, I lied when I said no. Shame on me, sure, but I was trying to avoid another scene.

3) Then the next time we went out, you got someone's phone number. Were you trying to get back at me, or are you just a hypocrite? Either way, strike two.

4) It might have been nice for you to have paid once. I know I made more money than you, but it's not like I took you to Bistro Vendre Trop Cher to flaunt it. I was careful only to take you to places that you could afford as well. Yet, never even a suggestion that you could pay this time. Classy. Strike Three. In baseball you would have been out at this point. Lucky for you, I don't follow sports.

5) The moment I decided not have any more to do with you came at Pride. HUGE red flags went up when you revealed your cavalier attitude towards HIV testing. Thank God this prude was always very careful.

6) When two weeks before my trip I said, "let's see what my schedule is like after my trip," that should have tipped you off that I am pulling away.

Oh, and while we're at it, here are some other things I don't like about you.

7) You smoke. [Note to blog readers, although I will fight for the smoker against the government, it is a disgusting habit, and it doesn't make me want to kiss you].

8) You have no obvious goals or ambitions.

9) I have to explain my jokes to you.

10) You called me "honey." I never want to be called "honey." "Dear" is even worse. We weren't even close to point where you could try out pet names.

11) You reacted very badly when I mentioned that I am not a Democrat. I don't expect you to agree with me politically, but I do expect that you can at least allow me to have my own opinions.

So, David, I hate to be the bad guy, but you leave me no choice. We are not compatible at all. I wish you the best and hope you can grow up some. However, you will not be growing with me. Please lose my number.

Most sincerely,
Pink Elephant

PS: I've met someone else.

New Elements

For the longest time, the closest thing I had to a blogroll was "Things of Interest to me right now," but for some reason I have decided that that doesn't allow me to categorize things properly. Also, I felt odd adding anything new that wasn't largely political in nature (DtB being the exception, since it was my blog inspiration). But also, I felt kind of selfish not returning the favor to blogs that added me to the blogroll.

So, I have revised the links on the right. First you will find a list of the news sources I tend to check most frequently. Next are the political blogs that made up the bulk of my previous list. I also added a few more, including one that I frequently disagree with (can you guess which one?). Third, are the personal blogs I read as well as the ones that link to me (so far as I know). Finally, Divertissement offers my most frequent diversions from the serious or important. I chose to title that list in French to further convey how unimportant in the grand scheme of things those diversions are :)

Also, be aware that apart from the News and Political Blogs, some of my links might not always be safe for work. However, I won't link to sites that are mostly and typically pornographic. You can find your own porn.

FYI, and annoyance

FYI:

If you buy the soundtrack to hairspray on iTunes it comes with a video of Zac (since we're secret [i.e. pretend, i.e. I'm delusional] boyfriends, I don't need to tell you his last name) performing Ladies' Choice.

Maybe it's on the actual CD too, but iTunes tends to be cheaper.

Now for the annoyance:

Yesterday, I went shopping and stopped in at Nieman Marcus. I never buy anything there, but I like to look at the mannequins to get ideas of things to buy at more reasonably priced stores or expensive stores on super-sale. (ALSO, I found this D&G cashmere and modal t-shirt priced at a ridiculous $200, but it is the softest thing I have ever touched in the whole world. If I were the son of a billionaire, I would be wearing it right now).

There was one retail queen salesman that gave me a sneered "if you need anything, let me know" in tone of voice that strongly conveyed a not-so-subtle "as if you in your Banana Republic jeans could afford anything here!"

Now, first I was carrying a Diesel bag (super-sale) and they freaking sell Diesel at NM! Second, it's not like I was in Wal-Mart sweatpants and a Hanes Pocket-T. And THIRD and this is the big one, just because he has the dream job of one out every ten boys (until he is discovered as a triple threat in the local production of A Chorus Line, that is), and has to max out his credit cards just to look presentable to his customers does not make him better than me! The fact that I won't buy a $200 t-shirt doesn't mean I can't afford it, it just means that I have other priorities (though I cannot stress enough how unbelievably soft and luxurious that t-shirt was). I am not Vivian from Pretty Woman, dammit!

Yes, I know am being judgmental too, but somehow it seems better to judge people on their irresponsible spending habits than their lack of unreasonably priced designer clothes. So, as we say down south, "Bless his heart" (Translation: I hope his Prada suit still fits him when he's eating ALPO in retirement).

Trust WHO?

(Yes it's a pun).

In this 1998 press release the World Health Organization stated:

The results of this study, which have been completely misrepresented in recent news reports, are very much in line with the results of similar studies both in Europe and elsewhere: passive smoking causes lung cancer in non-smokers (emphasis original)

That's interesting. Considering this quote from the actual study [PDF]:

Risks from combined exposure to spousal and workplace ETS were higher for squamous cell carcinoma and small-cell carcinoma than for adenocarcinoma, but the differences were not statistically significant.

Translation: "Sure we found an increase, except that the increase was not greater than that which could attributed to statistical error. Okay, we didn't really find anything, but hopefully people will only read the press release."

Apparently, the WHO will not let a silly little thing like scientific and academic integrity get in the way of its mission to use the force of government to protect us from ourselves. In bars. While we drink poison.

(H/t: Penn Jillette)

How have I missed him?

Today I saw Hairspray (really liked it), and just fell in love with Zac Efron. I watched the movie and the whole time was thinking "who is this man? I want to be cowboys with him" (a reference to The Best Little Boy in the World). Luckily, the credits to Hairspray are fun to watch so I didn't look like a weirdo staying in the theater long after the movie ended just to learn his name.

I get home, ready to do my internet "research" on this previously unknown (to me) dreamboat. Turns he's a freaking IT boy right now! I feel so behind the times. That's what I get for not seeing High School Musical when everybody else did.

P.S. Even though it's meant to be kitschy, I like him with the Hairspray hair better than the shaggy HSM do. If I liked long hair, I'd be straight. (yes, I am aware there is more than hair at issue here).

The Military

How come every time I watch a Jack Ryan movie I want go out and join the Armed Forces?

If I did, it might postpose the ugliness of coming out (it'll be for AMERICA!).

Of course, the idea of Hills as my Commandrix in Chief makes me physically ill. Nonetheless, I feel kind of disingenuous for not serving--like I use DADT as an excuse (as if I'm out and proud anyway).