think on this.: Archive

gustav en route

cnn and the AP both have an article up about people not leaving despite forced evacuations.

“The thing is… most people don’t have cars to leave, don’t have money for gas. Pay for a hotel for that long?”

“[Ninth Ward resident Sidney] William wants desperately to leave his native New Orleans to avoid Gustav. He didn’t leave for Katrina because he didn’t have the money. He won’t talk about what happened to him during that storm. “I wish I had the money to go.” Rejected for disability subsidies, he depends on his 23-year-old daughter, Gloria, to support the family.”

““The problem is,” said Pictor Soto, 44, of Peru, “there will be immigration people there and we’re all undocumented.”

and the super scary part: “Unlike Katrina, when thousands took refuge inside the Superdome, there will be no “last resort” shelter, and those who stay behind accept “all responsibility for themselves and their loved ones,” said the city’s emergency preparedness director, Jerry Sneed.”

(h/t shakesville, who has links about what you can do to help. mainly throw money and pray/hope for the best.)

Aug 31, 20081 note

Aug 31, 2008

“This is very, very serious, and we need you to heed this warning. We really don’t have the resources to rescue you after this.” —ray nagin, mayor of new orleans, advising city residents of upcoming mandatory evacuations. it’s unclear how strong it will be when it hits and is unlikely to cause anywhere near katrina-level damage. still - very very scary. (via boingboing)

Aug 31, 2008

Aug 29, 2008

“When John McCain started his 2008 presidential campaign Sarah Palin was not yet governor of Alaska.” —one of a series of alaska fun facts from yglesias.

Aug 29, 2008

“She can’t be demonized. Dems succeed by stirring up hatred of their opposition, but it won’t work with Palin. It would be like trying to demonize Kerry Walsh or Misty May Trainor.” —what? what does that comparison even mean? are walsh and trainor un-demonizable because of their gold medals? their ability to maneuver in sand? ponytails? bikini wearing? offering of their bottoms to bush to swat? i don’t get it. (corner)

Aug 29, 2008

“According to Congressman Robet Wexler (D-MarylandFlorida), Gov. Palin is a ‘is a far right, pro-life zealot.’ That’s right - choosing to have a child with Down syndrome at a time when 90 percent of children with the genetic condition are aborted makes her a ‘pro-life zealot.’” —

are they being intentionally obtuse? i think it’s her position that abortion should be illegal except when the mother’s life is threatened that makes her a pro-life zealot. most pro-lifers would allow it in cases of rape or incest, but she will not. being more extreme than most of the people with similar views makes her a zealot.

*using “pro-life” as a term of art to mean someone in favor of abortion restrictions, rather than actually being pro-life or pro-ability-to-care-for-child-once-born.

Aug 29, 2008

“Palin on the other hand — there’s even video of her firing an M-16, which for a female vice-presidential candidate is pretty dang cool.” —

oh dear, this is going to be a long campaign. why insert the word “female” there? if firing a M-16 rifle is cool, why is it any cooler if it’s being fired by a woman? (note: it’s not cool at all, it’s a semi-automatic rifle that shoots 800-900 rounds per minute. you know, the kind of gun obama said just last night that we could all agree should be kept off the streets.) (via the corner)

side note: wikipedia articles about guns are REALLY long and detailed.

Aug 29, 2008

palin sexism watch, pt 2

the wall street journal is preparing an interview with and profile of palin. well, not her policy views or experience or anything. her workout and fitness routine, especially to get off that baby weight!

Aug 29, 20081 note

Aug 29, 2008

let's keep in mind

a lot of other potential VP choices were floated and rejected. and word on the street is that lieberman, tom ridge (former gov of pennsylvania), kay bailey hutchinson, and jodi rell were all rejected because they were pro-choice.

all of these people would likely have been better VP nominees - more experienced, more well-known, more popular. but the republicans had to keep going until they could find an anti-choice candidate. so palin’s main distinguishing characteristic is her extreme stance on abortion (which she opposes in all cases except for danger to the life of the mother - meaning she opposes it in cases of rape or incest). from the point of view of the party, that view is perhaps the most important thing about her.

Aug 29, 2008

“This was, for McCain, a major decision. And we can learn from it. The calculations are gallingly transparent. Understanding that he needed to broaden his electoral coalition, he picked a woman, Understanding he needed youth, he picked a young politician. Understanding he needed to emphasize his reformist credentials, he picked a onetime whistleblower. What he didn’t pick was anyone able to help him govern, or capable of stepping forward in a moment of crisis. Today, McCain chose his campaign over his presidency. Over our presidency. In this decision, country did not come first. Polls did. Palin seems like a promising young politician, but McCain increasingly seems like a desperate one.” —ooh, zing, ezra.

Aug 29, 20081 note

Aug 29, 2008

“The pick of Palin is dripping with transparent condescension, the notion that the enthusiasm behind Hillary was simply the result of her being a woman, that it had nothing to do with what she actually stood for, and in that sense it’s equally sexist. Palin is essentially a hard right ideologue, and therefore nothing like Hillary as far as substance is concerned. It’s not very different from running Alan Keyes against Barack Obama in 2004. The conservative media reaction has already engaged in paternalistic language, with FOX News reporting on television that “McCain broke the glass ceiling,” implying in fact, that the pick had nothing to do with Palin or her qualifications, but merely her gender. It’s fitting that the party positing affirmative action as a program that picks people exclusively based on race or gender rather than qualification should do something similar given an opportunity for political advancement. While Obama is promising change through policy, not simply through the circumstances of his birth, the McCain campaign thinks his appeal is simply visual and demographic, and therefore something they can exploit.” —i do find this pick condescending. like i will run out and change my vote because i have a vagina and so does she!!!1!! i like hillary because she was a woman, and because she was a woman who had views that i agreed with. palin share’s mccain’s fanatic anti-choice views which, to me, makes her anti-woman, no matter what her genitals are. (TAP via feministing)

Aug 29, 2008

“Alaska Governor Sarah Palin has been a governor for two years, and before that a mayor for ten, the mayor of Wasilia (population 5,000). My brother-in-law was the Republican mayor of Waseca, Minnesota, which has about the same size population, and I can tell you with absolute certainty after playing foosball with him in his basement that my brother-in-law is not ready to be president of the United States of America. I’m not even sure that he’s ready to be president of his rotisserie football league.” —michael ian black weighing in on the veep pick.

Aug 29, 2008

“Of course, you are correct that women will not reflexively vote for Governor Palin because of her gender. This pick helps more with *men*. Think we’d much rather watch Governor Palin than Sen. Biden for the next four years?” —hahaha because men only like pretty women and sex!!1! they are stupid!! hahahaha!! sigh. didn’t take long for sexism to get back in the race. (via the corner, of course)

Aug 29, 2008

Aug 29, 20083 notes

Limits

bereasonable:

So basically speech is free unless you’re personally offended by it.

That’s insane and stupid.

squashed:

Apparently today is Unfollow Friday, and I have something to say that may rub a few people the wrong way.

no - basically speech is free as long as you’re willing to take the consequences for offending people. say what you want, but don’t cry when people unfollow you for being a jackass. the fact that what you said is covered by free speech does not mean that people do not have a right to be offended by it.

Aug 29, 20084 notes