Politics

links for 2008-02-28

Continue Readinglinks for 2008-02-28

So much to blog, so little time

I actually have things to write about lately, but haven’t geared up to do it. Lets see, where were we when we last tuned in? Oh, yeah, I was probably playing Packrat. Well, the gloss has come off that Facebook game somewhat, as I got collected most of the cards I could get a hold of easily and was stuck gold mining endlessly and hoping the rare cards would pop up for me, which they weren’t. It didn’t help that the developers changed several rules of the game and it’s not quite as fun, and pretty uneven on the fairness scale. And discovering that there are only 100 of the very rare Leopard card that once popped up for me but I couldn’t pick up due to a glitch in the game was disheartening. If only 100 people can win, it kinda sucks.

We’re far behind in wedding planning, but we finally got registered a couple of places. (They’re listed at our wedding page; you can get there from the image on the right.) Of course, we still need to add lots of items to the registries.

Stephanie went to Wyandotte, Michigan for a figure skating competition. We initially thought I’d go with her, but decided not to farm out the dog, so I stayed home and ran some errands and went (gasp) wedding dress shopping. Yes, I’m wearing a dress to our wedding. Don’t act all crazy. It’s the one and only day I will. I can be a princess on my wedding day, even if i don’t want to be any other day. (Okay, I actually own a tiara, so I act like a princess on other days, too. But just while vacuuming.)

Anyways, you may already know this, but wedding dress shopping can be crazy. I only found one thing I liked, and they didn’t have it in my size. You have to make an appointment for a sales person, and there was a 45 minute wait for dressing rooms. At one of the other places, you had to register with them to even set foot in the door. All I wanted to do was look, but they wouldn’t let me. I was planning on going to a few more places, but I think I’ve run down an alternative that, if it works as planned, will complement Stephanie’s dress nicely.

There are lots of other things we need to get in order, but if I start making a list here, I’m get an upset stomach with worry, so I won’t.

In other news – SJR7 – the marriage discrimination amendment is effectively dead at the Statehouse. On Friday, Rep. Scott Pelath, D-Michigan City refused to hear the bill in committee, meaning that it’s dead for this legislative session, and they’d have to take at least 4 years to get it through the Statehouse again.

This still doesn’t mean we can get legally married in Indiana, because there is a law on the books saying we can’t. It just means that the state can’t double-plus super deny us marriage. So, you know, that’s nice. Or something. Clearly, we’re getting married anyway. (See above shocking paragraph about me wearing a dress!) We just can’t get a piece of paper from the government saying so, which just seems sort of arbitrarily bitchy of them, when you look at it that way. But the nice Canadian government will give us a piece of paper saying we’re married, which is why we’re honeymooning in Toronto. Those Canadians are darned nice. And Massachusetts will recognized that we’re married with the piece of paper from Canada, but only if we live there. Also California, Vermont and a couple other states will say we’re civil-unioned. Which is like marriage, but without all the same legal rights. So, not really like marriage at all, but basically our own water fountain. Yay! At least we can get a drink. Except not here in Indiana. We don’t even get our own water fountains.

Whatever. I’m thinking pink and lavender gladiolas for my bouquet. What do you think?

Continue ReadingSo much to blog, so little time

Electoral Compass 2008

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I’ve taken Political Compass quizzes on back in 2003 and again in 2006 here on this site.

This new Electoral Compass is a different take – it’s written in flash, for one thing, and it places you on the compass with current electoral candidates.

Here’s my score on the current one:

Political Compass 2008

Compared to previously in 2003:

Political Compass 2003

And one I took in 2006 from Okay Cupid. Note that on all of them, the axis changes, which makes them harder to compare.

You are a

Social Liberal
(88% permissive)

and an…

Economic Liberal
(26% permissive)

You are best described as a:

Strong Democrat

Link: The Politics Test on Ok Cupid
Also: The OkCupid Dating Persona Test

The new compass seems to think my politics are closest to Obama’s positions. I’m not terribly sure about that – the questions are pretty general, and Obama hasn’t really give specifics about many of his stances. He’s given some general outlines and a lot of inspirational speeches, which I do find inspirational. But I know more about Hillary’s actual politics.

Continue ReadingElectoral Compass 2008

HB 1197 – Data Breach Bill

A message from local blogger Chris Soghoian on legislation in the Indiana statehouse:

11 Indiana State Senators will be voting on an important data breach bill next Tuesday (the 12th). This bill (which I helped to draft with my local state representative) will shed a significant spotlight on companies who lose or misplace sensitive consumer financial and other personal information.

The bill, HB 1197, sailed through the house a couple weeks ago, passing 94-0.

Read more about the bill here.

I drove up to Indianapolis on Tuesday to testify in front of a Senate committee, expecting to have just as easy a time. Unfortunately, there were about 10 lobbyists there representing such firms as AT&T, Comcast, Verizon and Microsoft who are doing everything possible to kill the bill.

It will be voted on at 9AM on Tuesday the 12th of February, and I’d like to do all that I possibly can to mobilize the blogosphere to pressure the State Senate to pass this bill – and to not gut the pro-consumer provisions in the bill.

I have written up a lengthy blog post on the subject here.

I would greatly appreciate it if you could write a brief post on your blogs, and link to it. Or, if you’re willing to, perhaps write your own more lengthy post on the subject. If you’re interested in calling your state senators, that would be fantastic too.

A few more details on the bill:

We all do business with companies. They know our names, addresses, financial and medical information, mothers maiden names, and social security numbers. This information, if gotten into the wrong hands, can be used to commit identity theft, which can ruin your credit, and make your life miserable.

Unfortunately, some companies do not do the best job in keeping this data safe: It is left unlocked on laptops – which are then lost, or stolen. Computers are not kept secure, and hackers break in, or sometimes upset employees steal the data to get revenge on their employer.

Companies have a duty to tell their customers when they lose our personal data. Indiana passed a law a couple years ago to do that, but unfortunately, it has a few loopholes, which can allow companies to avoid this requirement, or to do it in a way that can be difficult for consumers to find out about.
House Bill 1197 closes the loopholes in the law. It will require that any company that loses customer data tell the state attorney general, and will require that the attorney general post this information online. The info will mention how many Indiana consumers were impacted, what information was stolen, and steps that consumers can take to protect themselves. No personal info (i.e. people’s social security numbers) will be posted by the attorney general – it will be broad info, not on any one individual.

A number of companies have rallied their lobbyists to try and kill this bill. They do not want to have this information online, as it makes them look bad. Consumers should have a right to know what is happening – and by putting these reports onto the Internet, it will be easier for consumers to learn about the problems. It will also be much easier for the press to learn, and then publicize it.
For the last couple of years, New Hampshire has been doing this – and it’s been a huge success. No consumer has suffered as a result of these reports being online in New Hampshire.

Please act now, and stop Microsoft, AT&T and others from killing this bill. Consumers have a right to know when their data is misused or lost.

Continue ReadingHB 1197 – Data Breach Bill

Election 2008 and Hillary Clinton

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A while back I posted about my belief that the media was illustrating a sexist bias against Hillary Clinton in their coverage of election 2008. Erinposte actually collects and documents numerous examples of it here in s fascinating catalog of anti-female hate.

And pop matters has a great list of helpful hints for Hillary, compiled from various media reactions to her campaign.

It’s a great list because it applies not just to Hillary, but to all women out in the workforce today.

It’s okay to appear ambitious. Ambitiousness shows that you’re confident and secure—a leader.

Don’t appear too ambitious; it freaks men out and offends less accomplished women.

Don’t cry, or it will expose you as too weak to lead our fine nation. And, remember, if you cry, then Jesse Jackson, Jr. will accuse you of crying out of self-pity, rather than for Hurricane Katrina victims.

Do cry, because you don’t want to appear unfeeling and robotic; crying humanizes you! And even if you simply well up a bit, they’ll call it crying, anyway, so you may as well let the waterworks flow.

For God’s sake, don’t laugh. Your laugh is a crazy cackle, and whenever you let loose, you’ll be accused of deflecting attention away from an issue you don’t want to confront.

Do laugh, or else people will think you have no sense of humor, and the last president to lack a sense of humor was Nixon—you certainly don’t need that comparison.

Don’t allow fine lines to appear on your face, or Rush Limbaugh, that paragon of GQ handsomeness, will question whether the nation is ready to witness a woman age in office.

Do age naturally, because if you go for cosmetic surgery or even Botox, it will reinforce the perception among some voters that you are not genuine.

Flash some cleavage to remind us you’re a woman.

Cover it up because it’s unseemly for a woman “of a certain age” to dress like a slut.

Wear pantsuits because they make you look both fashionable and authoritative.

Don’t wear pantsuits, because Anna Wintour says not to, and you don’t want to mess with the devil.

Use Bill Clinton to campaign on your behalf because he’s the best there is (or at least he used to be) and people still like the two-for-one deal.

Don’t use Bill Clinton because you ought to run on your own record and, besides, he’s really annoying the crap out of a lot of party leaders.

Refer to yourself as ‘Hillary’ because it makes you seem accessible.

No, refer to yourself as Senator Clinton because it reminds people of your experience.

No, call yourself Hillary Rodham Clinton to show show you maintain an identity separate from your husband’s.

No, call yourself Hillary Clinton (without the Rodham) to show you are committed to your marriage despite all the whispered rumors.

Oh, hell with it, call yourself ‘Hill’. It’s a win-win-win: it makes you one of the gals and it reminds people that you work on Capitol “Hill” and it lets you avoid the whole ‘Clinton’ imbroglio.

Continue ReadingElection 2008 and Hillary Clinton

Election 2008

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Two things I discovered via bilerico.com…

This stirring music video of Obama’s post New Hampshire primary speech. I’m still not sure whether I’m voting for him or for Hillary, but either way, I’m going to be getting a more intelligent candidate than the utter imbecile in office now, so I’m happy either way.

On the other hand, long-time AIDS and GLBT activist Larry Kramer points out that there is no candidate today that truly supports GLBT people in America the way they should.

I cannot support any of the candidates thus far running for president because none of them supports me and my people in the ways we need to be supported. This is not just about gay marriage, which has become a nonspecific red herring for non-specific maybes. (Why do you hate us so that you will not permit us to legally love?) Of course we want gay marriage, but that is not all we want. We want safety. (We are the only people in America that it is socially and legally acceptable to hate and discriminate against.) We want no more taxation without representation. (When I die, our government gobbles such an unconscionable amount of my estate that my partner will no longer be able to afford the house we both have put so much of our money and energy into.) We want the approximately 2,000 benefits our government provides to heterosexual married couples. (Why don’t we get them? We pay the same taxes they do.) In other words, we want equality. We want everything straight people have and get and are entitled to. And there is not one candidate who has come anywhere near offering anywhere near any of this. In fact, I am afraid that there is not a one of them who, when push comes to shove, would not continue to sell us down the river. In fact, I have come to believe that forbidding us all of these things we are entitled to is based on hate, pure and simple. There are, by some estimates, 20 million of us. But we don’t make as much noise as our enemies do. In fact, we don’t make any noise at all. More fools we.

Continue ReadingElection 2008