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May 15th, 2009
 | 04:20 pm - Three Strikes You're Out
Every now and then, I like to let people know how their tax dollars are being spent in California's prison system, where we have the Three Strikes Law. It's very simple in practice. You get convicted of two violent or serious crimes (and these are usually robbery, rape, murder, things you SHOULD, in fact, go to prison for), then, after you've done your time, if you commit one more felony, any kind of felony, you get 25 years to life.
Here are a few of the felonies people are getting 25 to life for:
Sneaking into a church basement and eating one (1) slice of cold pizza. (It's burglary because the dude had the intent to steal something; without the pizza eating, it would have been misdemeanor trespass.)
Spitting on a prison guard. (Technically assault by an inmate on a non-confined person.)
Denying a prior knee injury on a worker's comp claim. (The prior knee injury was a washout -- 0% disability -- and not apportionable against the new claim.)
It is also a felony, in California, to conspire to commit misdemeanor. I've never heard of anyone getting 25-life for this, but that doesn't mean it couldn't happen.
It's this sort of shit that makes me SO proud to be a Californian. :/
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May 5th, 2009
 | 08:43 am - How old am I again?
Please forgive a totally self-indulgent post, but there's an old person who lurks in my mirror first thing in the morning. Red eyes, frumpy hair and sagging jawline, and the rest of the body: not fat, but with an extra fifteen or twenty pounds definitely hanging off the bones.
In my dreams, I can't figure out how old I am. This morning I was at my (deceased) grandmother's house on Oneida Lake, sorting through the stuff I had to pack before my Mom took me home to our house -- where? Edinboro? Flagstaff? I looked through our old records, trying to figure out which ones I wanted -- Deja Vu by Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young? Ella Fitzgerald? Mint condition Barabajagal Donovan record? -- and I noticed the sun on the lovely orange paint job I put in the living room of MY house that we just bought this year like sort-of responsible adults. Then Mom came in and told me I had to do several hours of gardening work for her. I could not remember if I had the time or not. Did I have legal briefs due, or did I have homework?
Am I fifteen, or am I forty-five?
Current Mood: ![[mood icon]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/mood/charitycam/goth_girl/curious.gif) confuzzled
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April 9th, 2009
 | 11:59 am - What Big Cat Are You?
| You Are a Cougar |  You have more strength than most people, and with it, the ability to inflict a lot of harm.
Your power gives you confidence, and you find leading others to be easy.
You believe that you need to the best, and you are very driven to excel.
Most people immediately admire you, but some people feel very envious of your abilities. |
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March 24th, 2009
 | 03:55 pm
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March 18th, 2009
 | 12:05 pm
 | I am:Ursula K. LeGuin Perhaps the most admired writing talent in the science fiction field. |
Which science fiction writer are you?
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March 9th, 2009
 | 09:38 am - This has nothing to do with RaceFail2009
But I am privileged. Really, really privileged. How privileged? I have a daughter, and my daughter's birth mother, a woman of color, doesn't. Her government conspired with me to take her child away and give it to me, essentially because I am a rich white American and she is poor.
Yes, she abandoned the child. I assume she had no choice, being unable to pay the fine imposed for having more than one baby, or because her family wanted a boy. I assume that it broke her heart to carry that baby, to feel it kick, to know that its tiny heartbeat depended on hers, to give birth -- and to have to give her up when she was three days old. Never to know this child. Never to see how, when she was fourteen months old, she loved to offer a toy, then snatch it away when you reached for it, and laugh and laugh. Never to see how the sweat beaded on her tiny nose when she was wrapped up in three layers on a stifling day. Never to hear the funny things she said, or know how smart and beautiful she would grow. How gentle she is taking care of sick animals. How she can pick out "Camptown Ladies" on the keyboard by ear.
And Autumn's nanny, let's not forget her. Hired to take care of a baby in her own home for one year. How do you give up a child after you've had a year to bond? And she loved Autumn, you can tell, because Autumn was so happy and so responsive, she returned affection unstintingly. She learned how to trust.
Two women of color gave up their daughter so that I could have one. I am swimming in privilege, painted with it, saturated with it. I am so privileged, that if I meet a person of color on the sidewalk, he will get out of my way, and if we bump into each other, he will apologize even if it is my fault. I might as well be living in the antebellum South.
Current Mood: ![[mood icon]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/mood/charitycam/goth_girl/surprised.gif) shocked
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February 7th, 2009
| 06:42 am - Here we go again, into the abyss
To: Appellate Court-Appointed Counsel:
The Administrative Office of the Courts (AOC) received word today from the
Office of the State Controller (SCO) that payments to court-appointed counsel
will be held at their office, and not paid, for at least 30 days. All
compensation claims submitted by the AOC to the SCO on or after January 29 are
being held at least 30 days before they will be paid.
Any compensation claims transmitted from the appellate projects to the AOC on or
after January 27, 2009 will be held at SCO for at least 30 days. Please contact
your project, if you have questions about whether your claim will be paid or
held for at least 30 days.
As the AOC receives more information, we will pass it on to you. We know the
current situation imposes an extreme hardship on you and your families and we
are in daily communication with the SCO to get more definite information about
the budget impasses effect on appellate court-appointed counsel.
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January 20th, 2009
| 09:13 am - September has ended.
A dear old friend has refriended me on LiveJournal in the last few days, which makes me think it is way past time I actually blogged about something and of course, today provides something awfully important to blog about.
Up until it got so overplayed on the radio that I couldn't stand to hear it, I summed up the last eight years by humming "Wake me up when September ends."
Now I need to find a new song. One that brings me to tears like today does.
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December 18th, 2008
 | 12:59 pm - LOLmas
I did not do this one, but it goes so well with the one I did.
more animals
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December 10th, 2008
 | 01:21 pm
1. Put your iTunes on shuffle.
2. For each question, press the next button to get your answer.
3. YOU MUST WRITE THAT SONG NAME AND ARTIST.
IF SOMEONE SAYS "IS THIS OK?" YOU SAY:
The Becoming -- Nine Inch Nails. (Um, yikes?)
WHAT WOULD BEST DESCRIBE YOUR PERSONALITY?
Your Song -- Elton John. (Wow, I thought I was more selfish than that.)
WHAT DO YOU LIKE IN A GUY/GIRL?
Leave It -- Yes.
HOW DO YOU FEEL TODAY?
Solsbury Hill -- Peter Gabriel. (Okay, that's one of my all-time favorites. I feel good today, but not THAT good.)
WHAT IS YOUR LIFE'S PURPOSE?
(Hang on while I finish listening to Solsbury Hill. Okay.) Troy -- Sinead O'Connor. (Again, yikes.)
WHAT IS THE MEANING OF LIFE, IN GENERAL?
I Do Not Want This -- Nine Inch Nails. (I'm sensing a theme here.)
CAN YOU BE MORE SPECIFIC?
Driving The Last Spike -- Genesis. (Apparently not.)
WHAT IS YOUR MOTTO?
One Of Us -- Joan Osborne.
WHAT DO YOUR FRIENDS THINK OF YOU?
Flyaway -- Joan Osborne. (They think I'm going to be caught up in the Rapture? Not bloody likely!)
WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT VERY OFTEN?
See That My Grave Is Kept Clean -- Bob Dylan. (Cause yeah, I'm that anal.)
NAME YOUR FAVORITE MEMORY:
Long Road To Ruin -- Foo Fighters. (Not.)
WHAT IS 2+2?
Imagine -- Joan Baez cover of John Lennon. (How Zen.)
WHAT WOULD YOU DO IF I SANG OUT OF TUNE?
Someday Never Comes -- Creedence. (I guess I'm not too worried about it.)
WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR BEST FRIEND?
Sledgehammer -- Peter Gabriel. (HAH!)
WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE PERSON YOU LIKE?
My Song -- Moody Blues.
WHAT IS YOUR LIFE STORY?
Desert -- Cirque de Soleil.
WHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE ANECDOTE?
She's Like Heroin -- System Of A Down. (I can think of several anecdotes like that.)
WHAT DO YOU WANT TO BE WHEN YOU GROW UP?
Family Portrait -- Pink. (That should be my life story.)
WHAT DO YOU THINK WHEN YOU SEE THE PERSON YOU LIKE?
Enter Sandman -- Metallica. (HAH!)
WHAT DO YOUR PARENTS THINK OF YOU?
Wish You Were Here -- Pink Floyd. (Exactly right.)
WHAT DID YOU DANCE TO AT YOUR WEDDING?
Marco Polo -- Loreena McKennit.
WHAT WILL YOU PLAY TO YOUR KIDS IN THE CAR?
You Make Loving Fun -- Fleetwood Mac. (Yeah, okay.)
WHAT DO YOU WANT AS YOUR LAST DANCE?
Different People -- No Doubt.
WHAT WILL THEY PLAY AT YOUR FUNERAL?
Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down) -- Nancy Sinatra. (LOL!)
WHAT IS YOUR HOBBY/INTEREST?
Counting Bodies Like Sheep To The Rhythm Of The War Drums -- A Perfect Circle. (Um, okay.)
WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST SECRET?
Poor Boy -- Rolling Stones. (A song about the biblical prodigal son?)
WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR FRIENDS?
Everybody Knows That You Are Insane -- Queens Of The Stone Age.
WHAT'S THE WORST THAT COULD HAPPEN?
Bye & Bye -- Bob Dylan.
HOW WILL YOU DIE?
A-Tisket A-Tasket -- Ella Fitzgerald. (Of embarrassment, apparently.)
WHAT IS THE ONE THING YOU REGRET?
Never As Good As The First Time -- Sade. (Yeah.)
WHAT MAKES YOU LAUGH?
Dog Train -- Sandra Boynton.
WHAT MAKES YOU CRY?
One Of My Turns -- Pink Floyd.
WILL YOU EVER GET MARRIED?
Boy From Tupelo -- Emmylou Harris. (Sounds like that's a "no.")
WHAT SCARES YOU THE MOST?
Singing In The Shower -- Sandra Boynton. (Scary!)
DOES ANYONE LIKE YOU?
Bell-Bottom Blues -- Eric Clapton.
IF YOU COULD GO BACK IN TIME, WHAT WOULD YOU CHANGE?
I Am The Walrus -- The Beatles.
WHAT HURTS RIGHT NOW?
Madman Across The Water -- Elton John.
WHAT'S ON YOUR MIND RIGHT NOW?
Untouchable -- Garbage.
WHAT'S YOUR NEW YEAR'S RESOLUTION?
Infamy -- Rolling Stones. (Sure, if you can't have fame.)
IS THERE SOMETHING WE SHOULD KNOW ABOUT YOU?
Nothing Compares 2 U -- Sinead O'Connor
ANY FURTHER THINGS YOU'D LIKE TO ADD?
The Return Of The Uninvited Parade -- Sandra Boynton.
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December 9th, 2008
December 4th, 2008
November 19th, 2008
| 09:14 am - Mind-bogglingly stupid
A Prop 8 supporter has filed an amicus brief on God's behalf in the California Supreme Court.
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November 11th, 2008
| 09:52 am - Happy Veterans' Day
I'm afraid my family is really short on veterans, but...
Thank you, Grandfather, for working as an engineer at General Electric during World War II so that the troops had stuff that they really needed.
Thank you, Dad, for protesting the Vietnam War so that thousands today would have the courage to demand our troops be brought home safely.
Thank you, troops, and come home soon.
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November 5th, 2008
| 09:37 am - PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA!!
OMG OMG OMG OMG!
*thud*
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October 30th, 2008
October 22nd, 2008
 | 03:12 pm - Just posting this because I like the image
Your result for What Your Taste in Art Says About You Test... Non-conformist, Visionary, and Independent
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October 10th, 2008
 | 08:56 am - I Voted -- And Didn't Jump
There's a strange relief in having filled out my mail-in ballot. All the media I've been immersed in lately -- all the stuff about racist, callow, anti-intellectual Palin and irrationally angry, entrenched GOP dinosaur McCain -- has made me so tense, I approached voting as if I were getting too close to the edge of a cliff.
Neil Gaiman wrote that fear of heights is really just a mistrust of your irrational self. The temptation to jump, to experience your entire life and your death in one moment of sensory overload, ecstatic flight and horrible pain, can be insidious. Voting, for me, had acquired a similar tension. A fear that, in a moment of insanity, I would vote for McCain. After all, lots of other people are succumbing.
But the moment is past. I safely voted for Barack Obama, and made, I hope, rational choices about all the state propositions on the ballot. Now perhaps I can relax a little while the sky is falling.
Current Mood: ![[mood icon]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/mood/charitycam/goth_girl/sleepy.gif) drained
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October 7th, 2008
 | 08:42 am - Just When I Think It's Safe
and just when I've been paid about two-thirds of what the state owes me, there's this. I'll let it speak for itself.
In more cheerful news, our house is almost ready for us to move in. The stove now works, the kitchen cabinets have been scrubbed and partly refinished, the hallway and bathroom cabinets repainted, the walls are orange, purple, blue, and green, the floor has been replaced with "antique oak" laminate, and the baseboards have been painted and over half of them installed. One more weekend ought to see it all done. I've even packed a few boxes.
I look forward to having a weekend off someday. :D
Current Mood: ![[mood icon]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/mood/charitycam/goth_girl/working.gif) busy
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September 16th, 2008
 | 09:29 am - Weird Dream Channel
I was leafing through an anthology of recent fantasy short stories. One of them was written by ![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif) kirizal, so I decided to read it. It became live-action, with me sometimes participating and sometimes just observing. King Oberon was making love to a human woman on the beach. As part of the foreplay, he plastered her shoulders with sand. She said it felt good and requested him to do her whole body. He smoothed the sand all over her, and sculpted it so that she looked like an ancient Greek statue of a dryad, wearing a short tunic. The folds of the tunic were amazingly detailed and beautiful. Once she was entirely covered in sand, except for her short, bright blond hair, it hardened, trapping her inside. Oberon took the statue home as a memento of yet another conquest.
kirizal, what were you thinking? ;-)
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