Eric S notapenguin's blog: "Politics and events, some not current"

Happy Mother's Day! The original Proclamation was a call to activism for peace: http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Mother%27s_Day_Proclamation 1870, Julia Ward Howe Arise then...women of this day! Arise, all women who have hearts! Whether your baptism be of water or of tears! Say firmly: "We will not have questions answered by irrelevant agencies, Our husbands will not come to us, reeking with carnage, For caresses and applause. Our sons shall not be taken from us to unlearn All that we have been able to teach them of charity, mercy and patience. We, the women of one country, Will be too tender of those of another country To allow our sons to be trained to injure theirs." From the bosum of a devastated Earth a voice goes up with Our own. It says: "Disarm! Disarm! The sword of murder is not the balance of justice." Blood does not wipe our dishonor, Nor violence indicate possession. As men have often forsaken the plough and the anvil at the summons of war, Let women now leave all that may be left of home For a great and earnest day of counsel. Let them meet first, as women, to bewail and commemorate the dead. Let them solemnly take counsel with each other as to the means Whereby the great human family can live in peace... Each bearing after his own time the sacred impress, not of Caesar, But of God - In the name of womanhood and humanity, I earnestly ask That a general congress of women without limit of nationality, May be appointed and held at someplace deemed most convenient And the earliest period consistent with its objects, To promote the alliance of the different nationalities, The amicable settlement of international questions, The great and general interests of peace.

Except for having to disagree with the description (practically. everywhere.) of his politics as "reform"-oriented (well, in an odd manner of speaking that makes the language groan and sob, I guess...), I will just report for those who don't know... and so as to have it noted here- that Boris Yeltsin, an important figure in Russia's history, died today Monday 4-23-2007. (I only learned a few hours ago myself.)

that RW wasn't visiting the campus. http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/virginia_tech_shooting

Cartoonist of B.C. and the Wizard of Id died on Saturday, aged 76 (see this article, Wikipedia).

Question that's been on my mind. (This is my political "sub-blog" and is not friends-only, half-tempted to move it to another blog, "pet peeves", which is... anyway.) Quite a whole lot of rebels on CT, sporting Confederate Flag images in their galleries, "you'll pry this flag out of my cold dead hands", further to that effect. ("If you don't like it you can k*** my ass"- would rather kick than kiss, thanks v'much; or perhaps both, actually, hatred being, as Kirk Douglas noted, such a wonderful aphrodisiac...) I don't doubt that states' rights motivated some - some - of the participants in that conflict primarily, though probably few, I would guess; and others to a lesser extent; and it is true that when President Lincoln offered an amendment guaranteeing the institution of slavery where it existed in perpetuity, this was turned down by the leaders of the soon-to-be Confederate States as a possible compromise (if memory serves). I suppose it more than possible that someone reading this is among the CT rebels. What does it mean to you? Yes, this isn't a case of a large group of people carrying around the svastika and claiming that they're using it in accordance with pre-Weimar State usage (that is, the Indian Sun svastika, rather than the symbol of the Nazi state- and yes, I know the internet rule I just broke, and I'm not really sure I care; I have seen actively white supremacist CT users too, but that's a whole other cup of tea and I do know it); but why nevertheless shouldn't I be upset?

Check sites like http://www.childalert.org/hoaxes.htm before passing them along.

means nothing if it only applies to the opinions that you admire.

Well, I don't know if I've said it twice... If you're in the US, eligible to vote, haven't already voted in this election, ... etc. etc.- please. Vote tomorrow. May be apocryphal, but I remember a story of a person who sat out an election- in which they were a candidate. And lost. By one vote.

autism, since Lazik eye surgery cures near-sightness (on a vaster scale, this being brain and not eye, and nowhere near as understood)- that is, the fact that it's a born, genetic condition may not be an insuperable barrier. But I doubt it very much. (And I'm not sure I want my AS cured, but realize the questions are different for Kanner's Autism, for HFA - High-Functioning Autism, for Asperger's. The scientific issues, probably not so different. The novel "The Speed of Dark" - which I recommend!- suggests somewhat how someone- one, particular, fictional person, not a "characteristic person"* with HFA might consider the issue, do they want to be cured, what does curing them mean to them... * Stephen Shore: if you've met one person with High-Functioning Autism, you've met one person with High-Functioning Autism.

Already from my LiveJournal but thought I'd ask here. Who's in countries with reasonably important elections in the near future (midterms at least?) (Assuming the country has elections at all.) In countries with such elections but - earlier this year? Elections, but less important (municipal-level only, say - not unimportant! in the least- but not national) ones? Who intends definitely to vote in them (I don't mean you've decided on who. Just that you have decided that you will vote.) Who's still thinking about it? And where it's relevant (USA, say)- who's registered to vote? (Is there time still this year? Doubt it but will look into that- I am registered, but the question's worth the asking. Still worthwhile for later years...) Answer in comments, in e-mail, ... and thank you for participating.