sorry things have been so quiet, but the server issues seem to be sorted now, so hopefully all will remain healthy.

First of all, to all my peeps in NYC – you have my complete sympathy. I can only imagine trying to get to work, do errands, etc. for more than one day with no public transportation. Even during a blizzard, the subways are operating – they truly are the lifeblood of the city. You can pick up groceries, etc. locally. But getting to work? I imagine most people don’t even bother, since if you dont own a bike, there’s nothing much that can be done if you’re not walking distance. Hopefully it will all be resolved shortly. I shudder to think about the people trying to get to the airports in a day or two.

secondly, thank god people are coming to their senses. “intelligent design” is just a pretext for promoting religion, which has no place in the public schools. you don’t like it? send your kid to private. really, this just says volumes about the current climate in the u.s. today, that an idea this farcical had to be struck down by the courts.

After dragging his feet and trying to pretend he’s *not* an asshole for protesting something so morally right, bush finally agreed to mccain’s anti-torture amendment. However, as this article points out, what no one is talking about is the fact that this was even a discussion at all is alarming in the extreme (thanks for the link, a):

So, why would democratically elected leaders of the United States ever want to legalize what a succession of Russian monarchs strove to abolish? Why run the risk of unleashing a fury that even Stalin had problems controlling? … if Vice President Cheney is right and that some “cruel, inhumane or degrading” (CID) treatment of captives is a necessary tool for winning the war on terrorism, then the war is lost already.

in the same return-to-cold-war vein, the u.s. is trying to build a wall to keep out mexico. the sheer inanity of such a move is just stunning. there are lots of people who die trying to come to the u.s., or sacrifice anything they have. the far more effective (and less ineffectually simplistic) thing to do is to prosecute the corporations that hire people illegally. Until they stop making shitloads of money off of an already disadvantaged labour force, this despicable practice will continue to be perpetuated. And as long as demand continues, it will also artificially prop up the economy. Building a wall?? C’mon – how unrealistic can you get? Where people already risk life and limb to come to this country, a *wall* is unlikely to do much. Where the reasons and motivation for illegal immigration are so complex, simple bricks and mortar is hardly the answer. A physical barrier is easily circumvented when you’re willing to risk it all. Therefore, it’s not only a waste of money, but also detrimental to US/Mexican relations. We already profit greatly from Mexico not only through immigrant labour (legal or illegal) but also through NAFTA. We exploit that agreement to the fullest and economically, it’s in our best interests to play nice. So why are we trying to re-enact east v. west berlin??

the rest of my vitriol will have to wait for another time, since I have to head off to face the chaos of the christmas crowds… wish me luck!

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nyc transit strike, intelligent design, mexico wall, mccain torture bill