Bordering on Literal Fascism

(Updated 02/08/2012: I'm proud to say that I've since come to my senses somewhat, and have partially recovered from this particular bout of stupidity)


Disclaimer: When I say that some of these events are bordering in being literally fascist I want you to keep in mind that borders are important things.

Republicans pass union-disappearing bill.

Michigan moves towards totalitarianism (centralized and dictatorial: relating to or operating a centralized government system in which a single party without opposition rules over political, economic, social, and cultural life)

*Mini-update to a mini-post*: Just wondering if anyone has thoughts on my classification of those events, and particularly the latter one, as near-fascist/totalitarian (fascism being a particular type of totalitarianism).

Also; updated the 'Michigan' link to what I had originally intended instead of also pointing to the Wisconsin story. My bad!

Another Twitter-esque micopost.

There's a good reason why my posts are so short and I never follow-up on things I say I will! Really, I swear!

Too much Minecraft* and not enough sleep ;)

So just as a teaser: here are some quick reviews that I intend to expand into full posts sometime within the next month.

• Scott Walker - More dis-likable with every passing day.
• Dawn of War 2: Retribution - Extremely fun and I haven't even tried anything besides Last Stand (co-op survival) mode yet.
• Deicide's new album "To Hell With God" - The least ambitious of all the albums they've released since 2001. Also one of the most enjoyable. Just no-frills no-bullshit brutal satanic Death Metal. I'll let you decide if that's a good thing.
• Internet Exploring 9 - Doesn't have any true adblock = not worth my time.
• The Feminine Mystique - Enthralling yet intellectually challenging book. I found it enlightening and highly recommend it if you haven't read it.

So.... yeah. That's it for tonight. Vaya con el Diablo mis amigas.

*Sorry, couldn't help myself :P

THIS, however, is an ad.

Follow me through the looking glass!

http://sweetscam.com/

Ah, corporations. How would I get my daily dose of surrealism without you?

No, this isn't an advertisement :P

Starbucks had this tumbler on clearance and I just couldn't help myself.

Now if I could just get the cat to stop rubbing itself on my laptop's screen life would be great.

The Foot. It is in my mouth.

A while back I freaked out because of a person using the phrase, "A funny thing happened on the way to the 2008 elections." On tonight's Rachel Maddow she had a large graphic up on the screen that read, "A funny thing happened on the way to the quorum."

So... since I don't think Maddow was intending anything subversive by the use of that phrase I'm left with the conclusion that I was overreacting about instance that I linked to. Anyone have any thoughts?

On Second Thought...

I really don't like Ed Schultz's show. I'd rather not have him grandstanding the protests and turning it into a purely partisan publicity stunt.

Capitol Square

So.......... the last several days have been pretty intense.

If you've been paying attention to the news lately you may have noticed something about the protest in Madison WI right now.

All of the news coverage is utter bullshit.

The only one who has come close to truly representing what is going on here is Ed from MSNBC. My only gripes are with his usual bombast and his attempts to romanticize the whole event.

Everything about the protest is raw and intense and LOUD. Until the last day or two everything we've done has been nearly completely ad hoc. The bill was proposed so suddenly and they tried to pass it so quickly that no groups had a chance to come up with a true plan of action.

The Teachers Assistant Association are the true unsung heroes so far in my opinion. Without the TAA the public hearing would have wound down after a day, the capitol would be closed off to protesters for much of the day, and this whole event would be very different. They stepped up when there was no one else who had any idea of what to do and thanks to them we now have a chance to defeat this attack on basic worker's rights.

I have more to say, but this is my first chance to chill out and relax that I've had since Thursday.

Btw, Pro-tip: If you plan on sleeping in the capitol rotunda overnight make sure you bring a blanket and have something to use as a pillow. Best sleep I've ever had was on a granite floor in my state capitol building :)