sundries

[rm]

A dueling society is a polite society. Seriously, without advocating violence in any way, shape or form, I need to note that as I listen to the batshit insanity that is the healthcare debate (and it's not about healthcare, it's about insurance. I don't want affordable insurance; I want affordable, responsive healthcare that doesn't think the way to cut costs is to tell me, as a woman, that it's all in my head) that once upon a not very long time ago, calling someone out as a liar, particularly someone who was not lying, in public, was grounds for a duel at dawn. So would have been casting aspersions about place of birth, religious adherence and the personal grooming habits of one's children. THIS IS NOT ACCEPTABLE DISCOURSE, and I feel like people are engaging in it simply because there are apparently no repercussions whatsoever. It appalls me.

[ETA: Okay, before anyone else rants at me about dueling -- yes, I know that was a shitty solution too, as traditions of honor were largely used as ways to provoke fights and skill at violence often won out over who was actually correct. Please remember that I'm a student of classical and historical fencing, and that sometimes I'm slightly wry about it. Historically speaking, if one calls "you're a liar" it had to be dealt with, as, at minimum, someone trying to start a fight -- this is my point. Today it's just dealt with as a somehow reasonable part of the political discourse.]

[ETA2: I am not misquoting Heinlein. I am repeating a remark that has often been the subject of discussion in my fencing salle.]

Okay, we are not going on the Cunard cruise. The scheduling is too complicated with Patty's school obligations. But! We're already seriously looking at another cruise that leaves from NYC in early January and are going to talk through some other options this weekend and then just get it booked.

While we were away, someone was stabbed to death in front of our subway stop at 9:45 at night.

I am writing Jack/Weeping Angels for the omnijaxual fest.

My mood is somewhat better than yesterday, but still wonky.

In a moment of temporal hilarity, it seems the next DWNY meetup featuring a special guest is at the same time as the Nick Cave reading on Monday. Inconvenient, but amusing.

I'd like to finish the Bristol abstract tonight.

Okay, I see my friendslist getting all excited about S2 of their new favorite cracky show, Merlin, but do I really need to tell you there will be one or two gutting deaths at the end of this season, and then when they bring it back for S3, it'll actually appear to be well-crafted television drama which will end with Rocks Fall, Everyone Dies? Only the Slash!Dragon will survive. Oh Torchwood, you have scarred me.

Comments

Re: It worked for the Salem Witch Trials, why not now?

[ladyaelfwynn.livejournal.com]

Which is a good thing. I'm really glad that saner heads eventually prevailed.

But the saner people didn't prevail at first. Over 150 people were arrested and imprisoned, 20 people executed, and 5 died in jail. For a little while all that screaming and carrying on distracted people and innocent people lost lives and property.

Yes, some of them or their heirs eventually received monetary restitution, 10 years or more after the fact. Some of the accused weren't fully exonerated until 1957, 355 years after the trials.

So, even though most of the people who were accused of witchcraft during 1692-3 in Mass. colony were found not guilty in jury trials, the screaming and carrying on still worked in the beginning.

Re: It worked for the Salem Witch Trials, why not now?

[stardragonca.livejournal.com]

Yes.(And one of the five people who died in custody, died in fact, not in a jail, but out in a field, being crushed to death by rocks.)
In this case, the yelling and the screaming has the objective of making the Democrats not to be in power, and it's been going on for some time now. It's getting worse because it's clearly not working, and so of course they have to do it more.
I suppose the beginning of the yelling and screaming was in 2004, so it did work. But not in 2006, not in 2008. What they really can't come to grips with is that people voted for the non-White Guy. They can't cope with that, so it didn't happen.
There's going to be a lot more yelling and screaming, but it's not working. I just wish that the Democrats acted like they understood that.