love ly

I cannot support a movement that claims to believe in limited government but backed an unlimited domestic and foreign policy presidency that assumed illegal, extra-constitutional dictatorial powers until forced by the system to return to the rule of law.

I cannot support a movement that exploded spending and borrowing and blames its successor for the debt.

I cannot support a movement that so abandoned government’s minimal and vital role to police markets and address natural disasters that it gave us Katrina and the financial meltdown of 2008.

I cannot support a movement that holds torture as a core value.

I cannot support a movement that holds that purely religious doctrine should govern civil political decisions and that uses the sacredness of religious faith for the pursuit of worldly power.

I cannot support a movement that is deeply homophobic, cynically deploys fear of homosexuals to win votes, and gives off such a racist vibe that its share of the minority vote remains pitiful.

I cannot support a movement which has no real respect for the institutions of government and is prepared to use any tactic and any means to fight political warfare rather than conduct a political conversation.

I cannot support a movement that sees permanent war as compatible with liberal democratic norms and limited government.

I cannot support a movement that criminalizes private behavior in the war on drugs.

I cannot support a movement that would back a vice-presidential candidate manifestly unqualified and duplicitous because of identity politics and electoral cynicism.

I cannot support a movement that regards gay people as threats to their own families.

I cannot support a movement that does not accept evolution as a fact.

I cannot support a movement that sees climate change as a hoax and offers domestic oil exploration as the core plank of an energy policy.

I cannot support a movement that refuses ever to raise taxes, while proposing no meaningful reductions in government spending.

I cannot support a movement that refuses to distance itself from a demagogue like Rush Limbaugh or a nutjob like Glenn Beck.

I cannot support a movement that believes that the United States should be the sole global power, should sustain a permanent war machine to police the entire planet, and sees violence as the core tool for international relations.

TBD

Thu, 03 Dec 2009 03:32:13 -0500

I asked life for a calling, relentlessly these past few days. And it answered. Unexpectedly. With a blast from the past. Not sure where this road may lead. Perhaps it’s another dead-end, or another fiery 8-car pile-up waiting at the conclusion. In any case it’s a direction out of the roundabout. Not because of what may or may not happen with this idea, but because it prompted me to think about what I offer the world, what I can tangibly accomplish based on the things I know, the skills I have right now. Remembering that gave me more hope and purpose than I’ve felt in a while. It’s frustrating to be stuck. But if I want to move forward, I have to remind myself that even this moment of constancy, wrought from chaos, is fraught with change, and thus possibilities, bright and burnished as well as sinister and somber.

je me suis amusée

Wed, 02 Dec 2009 21:42:53 -0500

Pendant les vacances de Thanksgiving, j’ai dormi beaucoup mais j’ai travaillé beaucoup aussi. Je suis allée à la maison de ma grand-mère et de ma mère et j’ai mangé avec elles. Jeudi je ne suis pas sortie et je suis restée à la maison. Mon amie est venue, nous avons cuisiné beaucoup de choses et après nous avons mangé beaucoup. Je déteste faire des courses “vendredi noir” et je n’ai pas fait des courses mais je suis sortie aux bars avec mon petit ami et j’ai rencontré ses amis de l’école secondaire. Samedi soir je suis allée au cinéma avec mon petit ami et nous avons regardé le film “Monsieur le Renard Fantastique.” Après nous sommes allés à une boum pour l’anniversaire de mon amie.

Take Action: America's Commitment to Development Petition

Wed, 02 Dec 2009 20:45:15 -0500

Take Action: America's Commitment to Development Petition:

Right now, President Obama and his senior advisors on the National Security Team are debating the future of U.S. efforts to alleviate poverty, fight disease, and create economic opportunity for the world’s poorest people.

WE NEED YOU TO JOIN the entire development community and QUICKLY SIGN the first-ever petition asking the White House to make a strong statement about America’s commitment to Development.

OUR GOAL: 150,000 signatures delivered to the White House on December 16th

heavy

Wed, 02 Dec 2009 01:26:37 -0500

thinking about:

selfish role models
losing my voice
the fear of happiness
being grown up
the past
unforgiven friends
being alone
not being alone
shelters, shells, walls

Some Biologists Find an Urge in Human Nature to Help - NYTimes.com

Tue, 01 Dec 2009 15:30:07 -0500

Some Biologists Find an Urge in Human Nature to Help - NYTimes.com

String Quartet (Tribute to Beatles) - All You Need Is Love

Wed, 25 Nov 2009 23:45:17 -0500

String Quartet (Tribute to Beatles) - All You Need Is Love

The Nine Nations of China - The Atlantic (November 5, 2009)

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 19:50:14 -0500

The Nine Nations of China - The Atlantic (November 5, 2009)

Obama-mania Sweeps China - The Atlantic (November 13, 2009)

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 19:41:31 -0500

Obama-mania Sweeps China - The Atlantic (November 13, 2009)

Official Google Blog: World Bank public data, now in search

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 10:35:08 -0500

Official Google Blog: World Bank public data, now in search

Think Progress » The Future Is Chaos: GOP Threatens Retribution Against Cao For Health Care Vote

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 00:08:44 -0500

Think Progress » The Future Is Chaos: GOP Threatens Retribution Against Cao For Health Care Vote:

these days, i’m always behind on things. i try my best to resist identity politics but i am pretty offended by the report of GOP congressmen calling their colleague “Mao Tse Tung” and “racial epithets.” aghast would be a better word actually. i have conveniently forgotten the racial slurs and pernicious prejudices i endured in my childhood. weren’t that many and they decreased as the quality of the schools i attended increased, but they were there. i also feel kinda trivial saying this, but … really, no minority, no one, is exempt or free from discrimination. no matter how successful or powerful. boy, it really didn’t take long for the GOP to make race an issue, did it?

"You are not here merely to make a living. You are here in order to enable the world to live more..."

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 19:22:59 -0500

“You are not here merely to make a living. You are here in order to enable the world to live more amply, with greater vision, with a finer spirit of hope and achievement. You are here to enrich the world, and you impoverish yourself if you forget the errand.”

- Woodrow T. Wilson (via reluctantbuddha)

"There are many kinds of good to be done in the world. But if you wish to promote education as a..."

Fri, 30 Oct 2009 15:01:44 -0400

“There are many kinds of good to be done in the world. But if you wish to promote education as a force for social justice, there are better and worse ways to do it. Ethics is not just intentions; it’s also effectiveness.”

- Should You Give to Harvard? - The Moral of the Story Blog - NYTimes.com

Should You Give to Harvard? - The Moral of the Story Blog - NYTimes.com

Fri, 30 Oct 2009 15:00:23 -0400

Should You Give to Harvard? - The Moral of the Story Blog - NYTimes.com:

read of the day