soupy says

from the latest issue of Wired

My 5-year-old picked up the September issue (13.09), looked at the photo of Jon Stewart on the cover, laughed, and said: "The president has a remote in his mouth!"

Roger Connor
Poughkeepsie, New York

See, Wal-mart isn't that bad.
Oh wait.
Never mind.

Exurbanites Occupy an Unsettled Place in Va. Politics

"We had conflict," said Jamie Lechner, referring to her old Germantown neighborhood. "And we wanted to move away from that. . . . That's why we're here -- to be sheltered."
---
"Yeah, but there aren't really troubles in the schools," said Craft, pointing out that they are too new. "Traffic and golf scores, those are the two big topics."

"There was the timing of the gate," Perilla said, "community issues like that. But if it doesn't affect you personally, you don't have to think about it, unfortunately."

"You don't have to leave here," said her neighbor, laughing. "That's the key. You don't have to leave -- it's almost scary."
---
"It sounds awful," Perilla said, "but it was turning into a more working-class neighborhood. More pickups -- not that there's anything wrong with that. . . . There were problems we didn't want to deal with -- at least on a personal level."
---
"At a certain point, you want your kids to grow up in Mayberry," Jamie Lechner said. "And this is as close to Mayberry as we can get."
---
In his book, "Democracy in Suburbia," University of Chicago political science professor Eric Oliver asserts that, in general, the absence of conflict in suburban areas tends to go hand in hand with diminished participation -- not necessarily in elections, but in other parts of civic life, such as volunteering. "It turns citizens into consumers, basically," he said in an interview. ". . . They disconnect and disassociate themselves from the greater community in which they reside."
---
"As exurbs become more powerful, more populated, more legislatively represented, there is the danger that the hidden concerns of the central cities and older suburbs will be ignored," he said. "We do tend to leave our problems behind, always searching for that new frontier that doesn't have any. Of course, there is no such thing."

This about sums it up.

The Kansas Supreme Court on Friday unanimously struck down a state law that punished underage sex more severely if it involved homosexual acts, saying "moral disapproval" of such conduct is not enough to justify the different treatment.

The case involved an 18-year-old man, Matthew R. Limon, who was found guilty in 2000 of performing a sex act on a 14-year-old boy and was sentenced to 17 years in prison. Had one of them been a girl, state law would have dictated a maximum sentence of 15 months.

The high court ordered that Limon be resentenced as if the law treated illegal gay sex and illegal straight sex the same. He has already served more than five years.

Damn.

currently Modest Mouse, "Float On"

And I had to explain to some releatives why outrage should be directed at the federal government.

Mr. Bahamonde stayed near the Superdome, where he had been told that a FEMA medical team, as well as 360,000 ready-to-eat meals and 15 water trucks, were being sent ahead of the storm.

None of that turned out to be true. Five water trucks and 40,000 meals were in place. The medical team did not arrive until Aug. 30, the day after the hurricane hit.

And that's just the tip of the iceburg.

An arrest warrant issued for Tom Delay

"To any sheriff or peace officer of the state of Texas, greetings, you are hereby commanded to arrest Thomas Dale DeLay and keep him safely so that you have him before the 331st Judicial District Court of Travis County."

!

My liberal heart has started to swell.

Ladies! Help!

As for many women, Shopping for pants frustrates me. However, once I do find pants that fit, I love and wear them until they physically wear out. (Unless of course, I happen to lose weight, and I must discard them before their time. Bittersweet. Oh, chocolate brown pants I bought on sale from The Limited! I miss you!) Always, my pants "wear out" by developing holes in the crotch region. (Unless of course, I happen to gain weight, and the pants split open. This only happened once.) Now, holes in jeans can seem trendy and hip. Except for holes in the crotch. Is this just an inevitability due to actually having thighs? Or are there some amazing non-crotch hole pants out there?

The Revealer uncovers shitty journalism in relation to Miers' faith.

He said he'd done perhaps 100 interviews since the announcement of Miers' nomination, with reporters who were clearly looking for an angle on the church's fundamentalism. Why hadn't they noticed the raging lunacy of the Gospel Broadcasting Association?

currently Liz Phair, "Whip-Smart"

In lieu of flowers, please send acerbic letters to Republicans.

Reporting from Ft. Stockton, Texas.

My last few days in Albuquerque kept me busy. On Friday I did not leave until 11am, and since I was driving on four hours of sleep, I decided to crash for the night in Ft. Stockton. I worried about getting sleepy in BFE Texas (which is really all that lies ahead until close to SA) and erred on the side of caution.

Last night I got a little taste of Midland, TX's ABC station's 10 o'clock news where the high school football games coves seem more like college. The sports reporter knew who had just come back from injury, and he actually called the highlights instead of a montage. However, the highlight for me was the coverage for "Beads and More." Why? Its jingle: "Beads and More! Beads! Beads! Beads!"

At the hotel I'm staying at, I am treated to a free copy of the Odessa American. Now, for those that aren't quite familiar with Texas, Midland is where Bush Jr. found God. Yesterday the editorial page featured the title: "Missing the base with his real base: THE POINT - President Bush seems tone deaf to concerns of limited government advocates." Today, this associated press article graces the front page: "Doubts about Bush up, poll finds: Optimism about country's future fading." Times, they are a changing.

I didn't quite luck out with the timing of this trip. Usually Beth's weekdays are free and clear. Work takes place mostly on weekends. However, Beth's parents' visit happens to fall on this upcoming weekend, and Beth needed to request time off. She thought this time off request was pretty much taken care of until she went into work on Monday. She was presented with a list of people that weren't working this weekend and was told, "Find somebody to trade shifts with you." Many phone calls later, Beth got the weekend clear of work but ended up with 12 hour shifts both Wednesday and Thursday. Yes, the working world blows. I am bummed that my time with Beth got cut, but I do have a city to explore and am not worried about having to keep myself occupied.

Yesterday Beth took me to Old Town to soak up the touristy culture. On the way, Beth got turned around, and we ended up exploring a neighorbood, and I got to experience my first Speed Table.
She had a salsa class at the end of the day and insisted that I came along. I wanted to but hesitated due to my lack of cordination and sense of rhythm. Before we left she taught me the line dance that is done at the beginning of every class and basic salsa. Still a little nervous we walk to the class only to disvoer that it was cancelled for the day. Oh well. I got the tour of the UNM campus instead and got to stand in the Center of the Universe.

currently Sondre Leche, "Modern Nature"

I arrived in Albuquerque at approximately 8:30pm last night. Yesterday's drive offered me a preview of what the 2nd leg of the journey will look like: a whole lot of nothingness. There doesn't seem to be much of anything in New Mexico except in the middle.

After arrival, Beth promptly took me to the infamous Frontier for a dinner of a quantities vegetarian burrito and two equally gigantic tortillas. Oh, you better believe I cleaned my plate. Since it is across the street from UNM, we ate among many studying students, but a fair number of locals represented as well. I arrived in the dark last night and haven't really gotten a feel for the city. As soon as Beth gets off of work, I will get the tour.

currently Joni Mitchell, "Paved Paradise"

I am no longer employed. I canvassed my last day on Friday.

The reason for my sudden resignation ultimately stems from the want to live with the spirit of "no day but today." Or maybe I'm just looking for excuses to leave Parker.

I leave tomorrow to visit my wonderful friend Beth in Albuquerque, NM. By shear luck, the Albuquerque International Balloon Festival overlaps my visit. After New Mexico, I am off to San Antonio, Texas. In late October, I will be attending my university's Alumni Weekend. I decided to extend my visit to try and do some good. My intentions might be entirely misguided, but I'm staying with Granny during my visit so at least I will get some family time and have a free place to stay.

I will be back in CO before Halloween because I am leaving for Korea and Taiwan on November 7th. Oh, but before that, I have three Matt Nathanson shows to attend.

See, living at home post-college isn't all that bad. You can save up money, and then blow it all traveling!

currently Talking Heads, "Burning Down the House"