i know this is old news to some of you, but anyone who hasn't seen the video of stephen colbert speaking at the white house correspondents dinner should see it right now. i haven't been a fan of his show; if anything, i would've rather had rob corddry with his own show instead. however, this goes *way beyond* jon stewart's roasting of crossfire. it's insane. stephen flogs people throughout the room one by one viciously.

someone put up a site with the video at http://thankyoustephencolbert.org. that's really the best way to see it, but if you can't access video, there's also a transcript.

Google Resists U.S. Subpoena of Search Data

i'm sure most of you already know about this, but i'm massively behind on lj and had to post it anyhow for the few who might have missed it.

"As I wrote a few months ago in Savage Love, some folks are opposed to the introduction of a vaccine for two strains of HPV, the virus that causes genital wart and can also cause cervical cancer in women. HPV infections that lead to cervical cancer kill 4000 American women every year. Who could possibly be against the introduction of a vaccine—one that has proven 100% effective in clinical tests!—that will save thousands of women’s lives every year?"

W stands for Dead Women

register to vote online if you haven't already (good for anywhere in the states)

( seattle-specific election info )

cosmicserpent, among others, pointed out the odd capitalization in bush's note about taking a bathroom break.

it seems to me like it had to be a code, or at least refer to something larger than an ordinary piss (and no, i don't mean something larger taking place in the toilet.)

That's why 2257 is a great testing ground for a much broader scheme by the DOJ. This scheme, sometimes called "mandatory data retention," would force all Internet service providers to keep files on everything that people using their services are doing online. Every time you use AOL, the company would have to keep a record of your chat sessions, what Web sites you visited, your e-mail, etc. Sound like another paranoid fantasy brought to you by the tinfoil-hat brigade? Think again: It's a real proposal that was floated by the DOJ at an April 27 meeting with various Internet service providers. News.com quotes US Internet Industry Association president Dave McClure saying that DOJ reps want to mandate, perhaps "by law," a set time period during which ISPs would retain data about the personal online habits of all their users.

my friend r. forwarded me this email:

'On Friday, January 21, 2005 the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) once again gave in to right-wing pressure in deciding to delay its decision on over-the-counter (OTC) status for the emergency contraceptive, Plan B, for women ages 16 and older.

As you may remember in May 2004, Barr Laboratories applied for OTC status for its emergency contraceptive Plan B, but they were given a “not approvable” letter by the FDA. This decision was made despite the fact that the FDA’s own expert advisory panel deemed the drug to be safe and effective and voted 23-4 in favor of making Plan B available over-the-counter.

This past summer a new application for the OTC status of Plan B was submitted with a novel packaging requirement- the “dual label”. If approved under this requirement, Plan B would be available OTC only for women 16 and older. Approval was scheduled for late January 2005, but now there is another delay.

Many advocates and health care experts familiar with this issue and the FDA process feel that politics is trumping science, and that this decision was made purely on political grounds- in accordance with an anti-reproductive rights, right-wing agenda. Right-wing groups and anti-reproductive rights members of Congress have been pressuring the FDA to reject approval of over-the-counter status, but scientific
research has overwhelmingly demonstrated the safety, efficacy, and need for emergency contraception over-the-counter for all women.'

....

it's not an abortion pill - you take it immediately after sex if, say, the condom broke. it's similar to taking a mega-dose of birth control pills all at once. it doesn't kill an already conceived child.. it just makes it so that you DON'T conceive a child if you don't want to. unfortunately, pro-life people don't seem to understand this distinction.

" One of the four panel members voting "no" was controversial pro-life Kentucky obstetrician/gynecologist Dr. W. David Hager. Dr. Hager refuses to prescribe contraceptives to unmarried women and recommends that women with premenstrual syndrome read Scripture and pray. Hager is also the author of As Jesus Cared for Women: Restoring Women Then and Now.

this seriously pisses me off. a lot of my male friends are not even aware that many insurance companies don't cover women's birth control (the pill, the patch, etc.) so you're forced to pay out of pocket.. even though drugs like viagra ARE covered!

making it more expensive for women to prevent birth is bad enough without putting an age limit on it. do these freaks really think it's a GOOD idea to make it harder for a 15-year-old to prevent pregnancy? i realize that there's plenty of other ways to do that without the morning-after pill, but it's not the government's job to decide what an appropriate age to be having sex is. and the same people who want to block this pill certainly aren't keen on 15-year-olds having abortions either.

i'm taking the day off work on thursday to move, but i also plan to stop by the seattle not in our name inauguration day protest.

i don't necessarily believe that bush stole the election this time around. i just disagree so wholeheartedly with the agenda and policies of this administration that i think it's important enough to be worth making a public scene about.

if you work downtown or are able to take the day off, you should come join me ;)
later that night the anti-inaugural ball looks pretty fun.

Photo by Thomas Hurst, courtesy of the Seattle Times.

A man's voice boomed over a public-address system, warning people they must "evacuate the city or risk being shot” mimicking warnings to civilians in Fallujah, Iraq. A stone's throw from the carousel, cardboard cutouts of bloodied bodies lay on the wet flagstones; farther on, women clutching dolls and men with bandages around their heads lay on the ground in a makeshift "refugee camp." A clutch of masked activists circled the park with a coffin draped in red cloth hoisted on their shoulders."

Full story at
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2002105452_wto01m.html

msnbc on the election fraud

'Members of Congress are demanding an investigation to answer this question. The
decision on whether or not there will be an investigation could come as soon as
Monday. Join us in supporting the call for one now, at:

http://www.moveon.org/investigatethevote'

i attended my first anti-war protest today, organized by not in our name.

i know a lot of people feel like there's no point in protesting in seattle because you're essentially preaching to the choir. however, i disagree for two reasons. 1) i think it's important to honestly feel like people give a shit.. otherwise you risk becoming cynical, bitter, and apathetic. 2) before any protesting began, there were speakers discussing other ways to deal with the situation.

you can view my pictures or view them as a slideshow.

sunday's plans = eatin' brunch, then going to Rummage.

i keep forgetting its existence. i thought i was on some kind of mailing list for it but apparently not.

if you want to join me, let me know! ;)

Poll #378169
Open to: All, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 128

After hearing the election results...

In the future I plan to

i vow to become more active politically, both on a local level and a national level. i spammed 15,000 nwtekno people with a 'vote dammit' message, but that's literally all i did this year (other than voting myself). it obviously wasn't nearly enough.

i'll begin with the seattle not in our name anti-war rally this saturday at westlake center. despite my cynicism about protesting, it undebatably has more impact than sitting on my ass.

What Barry Says is a fiercely polemical essay opposing American foreign policy and the neoconservative Project for the New American Century, accompanied by ominous, propagandistic motion graphics. London designer and animator Simon Robson conceived the project in response to his peers' apathy about the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Watch in Quicktime.

more videos here.

my mom says she can't stand either bush or kerry.. but she's voting for bush anyway :( on social issues, she's more of a democrat (pro-choice, pro-gay-marriage, very into education/health care, etc.) but she believes that bush will do a better job managing the country from an economic perspective. i tried to argue to no avail. i suggested voting libertarian but she refuses because she's pro-gun-control.

on local issues, though, we are voting fairly similarly.. pro slot machines, anti 1% sales tax increase, anti monorail recall, pro hanford cleanup. i am torn on the charter schools issue. your thoughts?

i rarely watch tv and i don't have cable, so i've never even seen the daily show. but since i *have* seen crossfire, this was damn funny.

Jon Stewart Bitchslaps CNN's 'Crossfire' Show - (see the video here)

interesting discussion about whether bush was prompted by outside audio during the debate.

via alternet...

"If Urban Outfitters' T-shirts reflected its president's actual values, they would probably say something more along the lines of 'Santorum Is My Homeboy' or 'Sleep With A Musician, But Only If You're Married And Heterosexual," writes Lauren Raheja. Many fans of the 60 store conglomerate don't know what Urban Outfitters really stands for.

Despite Urban Outfitters' appeal to the young, progressive crowd, cofounder and President Richard Hayne's political bent would no doubt surprise many young hipsters. He has, for example, contributed more than $13,000 to Sen. Rick Santorum, R-Pa., most recently noted for comments comparing homosexuality to bestiality."

most of you probably already read the dan savage column about santorum or saw the spreading santorum site (not work safe).