Disqus - Latest Comments for dotlizard

Re: It Was a Good Week for Choice

dotlizard — Sat, 08 Nov 2008 10:06:57 -0000

i was delighted, and a little amazed, that we managed to defeat prop 4. it was such an insidious little thing, you know, the first step in a campaign to relegate women to the role of fetal hosts. the "personhood" one was the most frightening - you can imagine women being denied things like cancer treatment if it might cause harm to the pregnancy.

i will continue to fight for this, and i have renewed my commitment to fight for gay rights, since by about the same margin as prop 4 failed, somehow, prop 8 passed.

why is it so hard for some humans to grant rights to other humans? i don't understand the mentality. but there is a lot of it.

Re: Open Thread: Your Voting Experience

dotlizard — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 07:34:21 -0000

I went in my kitchen, unfolded my ballot, and whipped out my ballpoint pen. a few minutes later i was done, i placed it in the envelope and scurried down to the mailbox. i will be doing this from now on. sure it lacks the certain sense of excitement of going to the polls on election day, but it makes up for it by being pleasant and effortless.

maybe we're supposed to suffer a little for our voting rights? our ancestors had to brave violence and intimidation to have their voices heard, maybe it should be hard. but my life is hard enough right now, so i was grateful for the ease.

Re: Bristol Palin is Currently Pregnant

dotlizard — Mon, 01 Sep 2008 23:46:51 -0000

exactly. there are just not enough affluent white people breeding with reckless abandon. except for those wacky Spears sisters, that is.

Re: Bristol Palin is Currently Pregnant

dotlizard — Mon, 01 Sep 2008 23:41:20 -0000

oh i just posted a link to that in a reply to you! i think Obama handled it quite perfectly.

as to the abstinence only approach, i have nothing but terrible anger and frustration knowing that there are parents condoning teaching their children (among other unrealistic things) that *condoms are ineffective*. yes! that's what they tell them! they tell them condoms aren't any good, like that's going to prevent them having sex. all it's going to do is discourage them from using protection, when it could quite literally save their lives. and even in these hopeful days when advances in "drug cocktails" have enabled some HIV and AIDS sufferers to survive in the long-term, for the uninsured, under-insured, or those without tens or hundreds of thousands of thousands of dollars a year to pay for these advanced therapies, it's still a death sentence. and let's not even get into the thought of teenage girls giving birth to HIV positive babies.

to tell a child that condoms are ineffective is criminal. it's child abuse. the law dictates that we put helmets on our children's heads when they ride bikes, and strap them in car safety seats when we drive them. we've placed limits on teens with new drivers licenses. why on earth is it not mandatory that children receive an appropriate and honest sex education, including a stern lecture on the terrible danger of failing to use a condom?

i have much sympathy for Bristol, but not nearly as much as i do for the young girls out there who suffer an unwanted pregnancy without the family support and resources that Bristol has. if she chooses to complete her schooling and attend college, she won't be struggling to work two jobs and pay for child care, or forced to get by on food stamps and welfare if her baby daddy bugs out on her. sure, her unfortunate situation is national news right now, but there are worse things than that. there are far, far worse things.

and i really, really wish the 'pro-lifers' would just STFU. either that, or get out and protest this stupid war, stand up and make your republican overlords listen and take action to end this terrible slaughter of the already born! if you're gonna be pro-life, you should damn well be anti-war, specifically this war which we got into because our administration LIED to us. good men and women are being killed every day because of these *lies*. anyone who is in favor of life, should be deeply offended at that thought.

Re: And She Did So Much While Pregnant! Right?

dotlizard — Mon, 01 Sep 2008 23:08:29 -0000

and look, Obama handled it all just perfectly http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080901/pl_nm/usa_p...

Re: And She Did So Much While Pregnant! Right?

dotlizard — Mon, 01 Sep 2008 17:47:22 -0000

Janet, that is some excellent picture-finding. that's extremely compelling. and now poor Bristol is pregnant *again*, does Mom realize this is a really bad thing? two babies by age 18? that's a simply horrible thing to inflict on your kids by denying them access to birth control and sex education. I'm not going to say her life is "ruined" but it's certainly indicative of the terrible damage that this mindset can do.

Re: And She Did So Much While Pregnant! Right?

dotlizard — Sun, 31 Aug 2008 23:56:50 -0000

i used to like McCain - at least, the McCain who was a crazy upstart maverick, the one who was beaten in the 2000 primaries by the Rove/Bush machine, the one who went on Jon Stewart and seemed like a decent sort, that McCain. but that McCain was the one who chose to get all Roved-up himself as soon as he had the chance, which is to be expected, but no less sickening. and his choice of VP and his timing could not have been more Rovian, a blatant move to pander to the undecideds and disaffected Clintonistas, no matter how ridiculous it is to put someone with no qualifications for the job of President, one heartbeat away from it.

and while i considered the notion that dragging her daughter into this was out of line, i dismissed it with the same logic you did, that when Ma Palin accepted the nomination, she effectively sacrificed any expectation of privacy for all of her children. though i feel sympathy for Bristol, who at the very minimum has just been called "fat" by a bunch of bloggers.

in any case, thanks for all the work you did on this and for your willingness to put yourself out there. the small but vocal group of people who have made a stand on this issue are for sure coming under some fire, many have backed down, thank you for not being among them. "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it's the only thing that ever has." - Margaret Mead

Re: And She Did So Much While Pregnant! Right?

dotlizard — Sun, 31 Aug 2008 21:32:31 -0000

no i absolutely agree with you. it's an important issue, one that (if true) is a very damning indictment of her character, not to mention of the whole religious right hypocrisy over abstinence-only not working an whatnot. and if (has anyone looked up a birth certificate?) there is falsification of identification documents, that could be a federal crime on the part of all who participated. so it's important! it just scares me, the whole backfiring thing.

sadly, it's the bloggers and private citizens who must get their hands dirty in such situations, thus exposing themselves to all manner of anger and backlash, and the officials must (like Mission Impossible) "disavow any knowledge of your mission".

after the initial fuss on Daily Kos, there were some diaries that were pulled and replaced with apologies. one of the comments, though, had such a good point: what if this was Michelle? do you think Fox and the rightie pundits wouldn't be alllll over this like white on rice? would Hannity and Billo not be yelping and growling and foaming at the mouth like a pack of rabid wolves, demanding answers and DNA tests immediately? so there's that.

maybe i'm just used to being part of a political philosophy often defined by its sheepish passivity, and i'm having a hard time adjusting my reactions from flight to fight?

Re: And She Did So Much While Pregnant! Right?

dotlizard — Sun, 31 Aug 2008 05:30:04 -0000

my biggest worry on all this speculation, is that it could backfire horribly. i mean, we know this has all the signs of a classic teen pregnancy cover-up, but with only this circumstantial evidence, it's a huge risk. if the embattled Mrs. Palin were to come forward with medical records refuting these allegations, the backlash would be severe, and a terrible public relations disaster. the sympathy that would be afforded Mrs. Palin and Bristol could easily sway a significant portion of the undecideds.

i would hope that, as this story spreads across the internet, the Obama/Biden camp should step forward and issue a strongly worded statement condemning those making the allegations. i'm not saying you, or the diarist at Daily Kos, or any of the other hundreds of bloggers out there digging into this deserve condemnation, just that the campaign must make sure to steer clear of any connection.

if it is true, then there were a good number of people involved in the coverup, and chances are someone will succumb to the intense pressure (or a huge chunk of cash) and give some hard evidence.

until then, i think it's important to tread lightly on this, if only to avoid burdening the Obama/Biden campaign with the potential consequences. but, it's probably a bit late for that, eh?

between this and Michael Moore's HUGE faux pas on the Olbermann show in which he implied that the hurricane bearing down on New Orleans was proof there was a God and he was punishing the republicans in the week of their convention, the left has given Fox News enough ammunition today to do some serious damage to the Obama campaign. this could not be worse timing, on the heels of a powerful convention.

i am not blaming you, i am glad that there are people willing to put themselves out there to expose corruption and dishonesty. my best hope at this point is that someone does come forward with hard evidence, and that this turns out to be true.

Re: Sarah Palin is Not a Feminist

dotlizard — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 22:04:20 -0000

i could not agree more without spraining something. and it's not just her views on denying women their reproductive rights, supporting oil, and being pro-war -- it's the thought of someone with NO foreign policy experience WHATSOEVER, not even a little bit, being a heartbeat away from having to lead this country and keep us out of World War Three, which you can't tell me isn't looming right here in front of us. North Korea? Russia? Iraq/Iran? Israel/Palestine?

And the corruption allegations that have already surfaced in her brief tenure as Governor are very worrisome, as they speak to the kind of cronyism and old-boy networking that has been so disastrous with the current administration. and when you consider the oily company she keeps, i don't even want to think about the back-room deals that would be struck.

if McCain would be Bush, continued, McCain/Palin would be Bush squared.

the only hope would be that her lack of experience at high-level corruption would prevent her doing too much damage. i mean, sure, she's bad, but she's no Dick Cheney.

Re: PETA Makes Light of Cannibalistic Attack

dotlizard — Sun, 17 Aug 2008 20:34:55 -0000

i'm disgusted but not surprised. as PETA has proven time and time again, they have absolutely no limit to how low they'll go to - they have no standards, no ethics, no taste, and no class. they show an overwhelming disrespect for their fellow humans, and in this case, for the murdered man's family. http://www.timmclean.org/ http://www.myspace.com/108390479 if i was Mr. McLean's family, i'd be suing like crazy. http://www.canada.com/windsorstar/news/story.ht...

Re: PETA, You Just Make It So Easy

dotlizard — Sun, 17 Aug 2008 20:20:54 -0000

the worst thing about PETA, beyond their blatant exploitation and twisted body-image messages, is that they could be doing something constructive and good with all the money they apparently have (those ads ain't cheap!), rather than act like terrorist hypocrites. they could do actual good for animals. they could support rescue organizations and low-cost spay/neuter clinics and use that ginormous PR budget to educate people on being rational, caring, responsible pet owners. as to the fur/skin issue, they could easily hire a good agency that is skilled in influencing public opinion and convince people that it is uncool to wear fur without sinking to the oldest trick in the book -- "hey, let's use a naked chick". it's been done people, it's been done and done and done some more, it's the ad agency version of the no-brain campaign. they have enough money to be more creative.

but instead, they are using their money, power, and influence to perpetuate stereotypes, insult women, and contribute to the already overwhelming pressure young girls feel to attain an unrealistic body image. for shame, PETA, for shame.

as for myself, i don't wear fur but i do wear leather, because i also eat cows. i'm an omnivore by birth, and i'm ok with that. i have a lot of pets, all but one lizard and the toads are rescues, i believe in rescuing, and i do what i can to support local rescue agencies.

and the pig image pisses me off beyond all belief. omg. omg. those assholes.

Re: Twitter bombing #dontgo and false grassroots movements | LizaSabater.com

dotlizard — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 08:47:47 -0000

this is just such awesomeness. i wish i had more time that i was not beset with work, to participate in this delightful uprising. who said being revolting was a bad thing? not me!

Re: Lumpit - the way it is, randomly

dotlizard — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 09:10:26 -0000

totally mad. also annoying, for those of us who choose to participate in sites one site at a time, and therefore see the same message over. and over. and over. enough!

meh. or not. i suppose it's ... whatever. i don't like it, but don't feel i should poop on other people's multi-posting parties.

Re: Birthday me

dotlizard — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 08:45:11 -0000

better a birthday shirt than a birthday suit, i always say! or, was it the other way around?

anyway, happy b-day!

Re: I’m In Another Onion Radio News

dotlizard — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 06:47:04 -0000

classic Onion. well done!

Re: Twitter’s New Redesign

dotlizard — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 06:35:48 -0000

i think the screenshot provided represents a vast improvement in their UI, and i hope to see it return soon. oh, and they always showed how many DMs, it just wansn't really somewhere you'd notice that much.

Re: lizard.be

dotlizard — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 04:26:53 -0000

well, the company i work for designed it. and we sent it out to a few of the right design blogs and created a publicity storm like you wouldn't believe. it was the right thing at the right time to fill what was apparently a crying need for something cool & desirable to replace the addictive plastic water bottles we've all been hauling around and tossing out. there's a huge crisis of plastic, and this is an elegant answer. also i am proud that i re-blogged a re-blog of this thing my company created, which was discovered by design blogs here at tumblr.

Re: Willy Nilly Day

dotlizard — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 15:40:34 -0000

well sorry to hear about your roommate's job, but, yay for amusing cell phones & other assorted toys we have now that make getting unexpectedly stuck entertaining. back in my day (oh here i go) we just had to sit there. maybe read the car owner's manual :)

Re: Hot Dog

dotlizard — Sat, 07 Jun 2008 22:38:03 -0000

ohhhh such a cutie pie! sorry, i'm a random stranger who wandered over from Plurk and is now ogling your dog. isn't that weird when that happens?

Re: 4-8-92: Bill Clinton is the Democratic Nominee

dotlizard — Tue, 27 May 2008 06:05:14 -0000

at this point i'm pretty sure she's an actual pathological liar - she's not so much telling untruths, as she is unable to differentiate between reality, and her own version which makes a better story. i have known pathologicals. they can't even tell you the truth about whether or not the clothes are in the dryer. and even if the answer doesn't matter & the lie is definitely going to be caught, they still just tell the version that most appeals to them rather than the real one.

either that or she's just evil. but the shit she makes up is so refutable, so well-documented, so absolutely blatantly made-up stories, that she'd have to be crazy to lie about it, you know?

Re: Comments switching to Disqus

dotlizard — Sun, 25 May 2008 02:18:47 -0000

i use disqus on my seldom-used tumblr blog, and i am completely happy with them -- over there. on my MT blog, which i did lose quite a bit of comments in the last import, i'm glad that somewhere in a text file on my hard drive i DO have everything archived.

i'd like Disqus to offer a local backup option (even though i admit the thought of having to work out something to DO with such an archive would be daunting, i'd still like the option).

Re: Her political career is over (Scripting News)

dotlizard — Sat, 24 May 2008 00:22:57 -0000

please, please be right about her career being over. i am so afraid that (since there is nothing too low for her to sink to) that she will somehow steal the presidency.

Re: Preschool Politics

dotlizard — Tue, 06 May 2008 05:39:23 -0000

omg. funny and heartbreaking all at once...

Re: lizard.be

dotlizard — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 14:59:35 -0000

yeah, but the kids weren't even sitting in it - they were over to one side, where the sand was soft.

actually i just saw some parallels to my own choices in life, how i seem to choose to do the equivalent of sitting in rocks when there's comfort not far away. it seems such a simple thing -- if you're uncomfortable, don't sit in rocks! but maybe it's not as easy as it sounds?