Yay it’s Yager Day today!
by V.E. on June 25th, 2006
filed under ladyamedeus, personal
Happy birthday, ![[info]](http://stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small}
galvan_joisner! I hope it’s a good one with your family and friends in Philly. I’m sorry I couldn’t come and see your kitties and help you celebrate.
LURVE*!
*Yes, I know neither of us drink, but this advert fit the mood.
Days One hundred four & One hundred five
by V.E. on June 25th, 2006
filed under 5reasons
23 June 2006
- I cried for almost half an hour and feel a lot better now.
- Although angry with me for not answering the phone, Bennett kept trying to reach me until I picked up…
- … and he apologized for being cross after he realised how much I was hurting already.
- Just two weeks until Dead Man’s Chest! I can hardly wait.
- My awesomely rockin’ printer/scanner/fax/copier.
24 June 2006
- Clean clothes and SHEETS! Yay.
- ShapeWorks shake for breakfast and lunch today; much better than I expected they would be.
- Panera Bread Mediterranean Veggie sandwich for dinner = SO GOOD.
- Being able to turn OFF my telephone’s ring; it’s absolutely horrendous.
- Refrigeration = cold beverages!
I fucking hate this government.
by V.E. on June 24th, 2006
filed under ladyamedeus, lgbt, personal, politics, thoughts
Granted, the U.S. government, assholes and all, is better than, say, the governments of Iraq or Iran or China, but that doesn’t mean it’s a good government. It isn’t, and here is my list of why.
- Abstinence-only programs. Yeah, right. People have been having sex since the dawn of time (I know ’cause we wouldn’t be here otherwise) and to assume that teaching kids NOT to have sex will keep them from having sex is stupid. I’m not saying that abstinence is a bad idea; it’s not. It prevents pregnancy, STDs, and AIDS. But abstinence-only programs are shitty for a couple of reasons. First, most are based on religious teachings. If someone doesn’t subscribe to those teachings, how does anyone expect them to take the program seriously? Second, such programs “have been propelled by the mistaken belief that comprehensive sexuality education itself somehow seduces teenagers into sexual activity.” That seems plausible on the outset, but really, if the kid doesn’t want to have sex, s/he wont, and visa versa, regardless of the sex ed. s/he has received (or not). Third, unlike comprehensive sex ed., abstinence-only education programs actually censor information about contraception, STDs, and other sexual health-related issues.
- The justification for going to war with Iraq. “Operation Iraqi Freedom”, it’s called, but it seems to be anything but freedom for Iraqis. Now, my issues with the war itself aside, the reason we’re at war just makes me so mad. Recently, White House Press Secretary Tom Snow said that Bush said that “there’s no demonstrated link between Saddam [Hussein] and 9-11,and we’re never going to make that argument.” Yeah, right, Bushie; that’s not what you said in March 2003 in writing. Now, I’m glad that Mr. Hussein is no longer in power; he was a bad guy. But WE shouldn’t have stooped to his level just to get to the oil in Iraq, or to get back at him for handing Bush Sr. his own ass (in the first war with Iraq), or to stop terrorists, or because we were angry about 9/11 (in which Iraq wasn’t involved), or whatever the reason we went in there in the first place. Good American soldiers are dying, for Christ-sakes.
- The Patriot Act. Speaking of 9/11… After reading the entirity of the Patriot Act, I have two thoughts. Such an act may have been appropriate just after the World Trade Center towers fell, since people wanted revenge and to feel safe and were willing to give up their liberty to get those things, but to re-approve it is not appropriate at all. It gives the FBI waaaaay too much power, including demanding sensitive documents about any person without that person’s knowledge or consent and without due process. They don’t need to show probable cause for demanding such information (which includes library records, wiretapping, internet spying, and other things) and those who are required to comply with the FBI’s “requests” may not tell anyone that a citizen’s privacy has been compromised, much less the citizen him/herself.
- Lack of respect for our environment. Although “protecting our Nation’s environment” seems to be one of the President’s issues, he (+ his underlings) is considered by many environmental agencies to be doing more harm than good. Big business gets away with murder, Alaska’s wildlife is under attack, and there have been HUGE budget cuts to the Environmental Protection Angency’s resources. I do NOT want to have to explain to my (theoretical) grandchildren why we’re living in a dump of a country 60 years from now.
- The Federal Marriage Amendment. Also known as the [so-called] Marriage Protection Amendment. Even if you don’t think that same-sex marriage is “okay”, the matter should be left up to the states. It’s not really even a “marriage” issue anymore; it’s about states’ rights. The amendment is completely ridiculous. If the government really wanted to do something to protect marriage, they’d make it harder to get married at all and harder to get out of so that people would take the whole idea more seriously. I mean, c’mon, people, there are MUCH more important things we could be focusing upon, like, for example, keeping kids off drugs and/or working to end poverty and homelessness.
- Threat of overturning Roe v. Wade. Wow, this one’s a biggie for me. I seriously felt like I was going to hurl when South Dakota passed that anti-choice law–the one that doesn’t even allow for abortions for rape or incest victims. It takes effect in July and one of it’s goals is to get the Supreme Court to rethink Roe v. Wade and ultimately overturn it. Plus, many states have “trigger laws” that would ban abortion if Roe v. Wade is overturned. Some people tell me that such an action (overturning the 1973 decision) would actually be GOOD for abortion laws, since anti-choice advocates would have to stop complaining about “activist judges” and crap like that. I find that hard to believe, since there are trigger laws in quite a few states and although they probably won’t affect me personally, they WILL affect women in those states, especially those women who don’t have the resources to travel to another state or whatever for the necessary operation. Let me put it this way: abortion is going to happen whether it’s legal or not, so why don’t we keep our women safe by keeping it legal?
I wish I knew what to do, but voting seems useless (I do it anyway, and you all should, too). I don’t want to leave because I love my country and want future generations to have liberty and freedom just like we (sort of) do now. I know it could be a lot worse, but that doesn’t mean it couldn’t also be a lot better. We should never stop striving for excellence.
I feel sick.
by V.E. on June 22nd, 2006
filed under health, ladyamedeus, personal, politics, writing
I feel sick.
It’s not a physical thing,
but it is,
’cause I’m going to be sick.
It’s actually a mental thing.
But it really is a physical thing
’cause my stomach
isn’t agreeing with me.
The thought of that happening
to me
is just
sickening.
What if
I couldn’t
get one
if I needed one?
I feel gross,
dirty;
what if I had to have
a baby?
I’m sick to my stomach
and my heart hurts.
Days One hundred two & One hundred three
by V.E. on June 22nd, 2006
filed under 5reasons
21 June 2006
- Summer Solstice; now the days will get shorter as the year progresses.
- Got my first test back with a score of 99.5/100–how awesome is that?
- A roommate willing to move into the next room when I just reeeeally need to sleep.
- Having something more than nothing to look forward to.
- Poppycock carmel popcorn.
22 June 2006
- No class tomorrow.
- Going to work even when I just want to go home and cry.
- Having more than one room in the apartment so I can do homework in a different room than sleep.
- Class ends next week today. I’ll be going up to NYC for the weekend…
- … and seeing Beauty & the Beast on Broadway with Daylin.
Well, fuck you, too, Mr. Pentagon
by V.E. on June 21st, 2006
filed under ladyamedeus, lgbt, politics
Pentagon Lists Homosexuality As Disorder
By LOLITA C. BALDOR
The Associated Press; original article
Tuesday, June 20, 2006; 6:23 AM
WASHINGTON — A Pentagon document classifies homosexuality
The document outlines retirement or other discharge policies for service members with physical disabilities, and in a section on defects lists homosexuality alongside mental retardation and personality disorders.
Critics said the reference underscores the Pentagon’s failing policies on gays, and adds to a culture that has created uncertainty and insecurity around the treatment of homosexual service members, leading to anti-gay harassment.
Pentagon spokesman Lt. Col. Jeremy M. Martin said the policy document is under review.
The Pentagon has a “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy that prohibits the military from inquiring about the sex lives of service members but requires discharges of those who openly acknowledge being gay.
The Center for the Study of Sexual Minorities in the Military, at the University of California at Santa Barbara, uncovered the document and pointed to it as further proof that the military deserves failing grades for its treatment of gays.
Nathaniel Frank, senior research fellow at the center, said, “The policy reflects the department’s continued misunderstanding of homosexuality and makes it more difficult for gays and lesbians to access mental health services.”
The document, called a Defense Department Instruction, was condemned by medical professionals, members of Congress and other experts, including the American Psychiatric Association.
“It is disappointing that certain Department of Defense instructions include homosexuality as a ‘mental disorder’ more than 30 years after the mental health community recognized that such a classification was a mistake,” said Rep. Marty Meehan, D-Mass.
Congress members noted that other Pentagon regulations dealing with mental health do not include homosexuality on any lists of psychological disorders. And in a letter to Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld on Monday, nine lawmakers asked for a full review of all documents and policies to ensure they reflect that same standard.
“Based on scientific and medical evidence the APA declassified homosexuality as a mental disorder in 1973 _ a position shared by all other major health and mental health organizations based on their own review of the science,” James H. Scully Jr., head of the psychiatric association, said in a letter to the Defense Department’s top doctor earlier this month.
There were 726 military members discharged under the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy during the budget year that ended last Sept. 30. That marked the first year since 2001 that the total had increased. The number of discharges had declined each year since it peaked at 1,227 in 2001, and had fallen to 653 in 2004.
Day One hundred one
by V.E. on June 20th, 2006
filed under 5reasons
- Ice water, Turkey Hill lemonade, and the fridge that makes/keeps them cold.
- Nate called this morning to thank me for wishing him happy birthday last week.
- Got my bedframe today! After much lugging (up many stairs) I was able to put it together.
- My final paper’s bibliography does NOT need to be annotated, which is such a relief.
- Class cancelled today!
