Snortblog

An article by Naomi Wolf beat me to the punch with an analysis of how the Bush administration has been taking the signature steps taken by other fascist regimes. She notes that the move towards fascism is a gradual process. In recent years, I’ve found myself encrypting fairly innocuous things with the presumption that the Bush administration is illegally monitoring my internet traffic. I’ve seriously pondered how to escape the United States should the federal government take a serious turn for the worse and close the borders. It can happen here and I’m deeply concerned that the infrastructure has already been put in place, at our expense. Here are the ten easy steps according to the article:

1. Invoke a terrifying internal and external enemy
2. Create a gulag
3. Develop a thug caste
4. Set up an internal surveillance system
5. Harass citizens’ groups
6. Engage in arbitrary detention and release
7. Target key individuals
8. Control the press
9. Dissent equals treason
10. Suspend the rule of law

Via boingboing.

We drove to Oklahoma and attended a wedding celebration. The company and good times were unsurpassed.

Overheard:

• “I could definitely get laid tonight. It might be with my cousin, but…” — My best friend, “T”, talking about his fly wardrobe (see below).
• “You’re pretty.” — A friend of the bride, “B”, to my very pretty wife.
• “All the married women think you’re cute.” –A friend of the bride, “B”, to yours truly. I think we need to hire “B” as a personal affirmation coach.
• “My brother’s pimping my wedding.” — The bride in regards to her brother, who was all decked out in a flat cap and a pale blue and white seersucker suit.

After the celebration, the wedding revelers headed to a gay bar in Tulsa, Oklahoma, where there was a transvestite cabaret under way. It made for some of the best quotes of the evening:

• “How did this happen?” — The groom, wondering how we ended up in a gay bar.
• “So you both have had intimate relations?” — The groom, more or less, when doing some impromptu counseling in the bar.

I made my way to the bar for a round of drinks. I had taken off my suit jacket earlier. I was wearing a windbreaker, a white shirt and dark pants. A rather effeminate man approached me, and asked if he could fix my collar. My wife had left early, she usually attends to these matters. I vaguely consented, or at least I didn’t resist. He arranged my collar, then proceeded to unbutton my top button. I stopped him as he attempted to unbutton the second. He took a look at what I was wearing and asked, “were you catering?” Meanwhile, someone cupped my right buttock. I scurried to a chair in a corner and stayed there.

“My last words? ‘Life is no way to treat an animal, not even a mouse.’”
From a I Love You, Madame Librarian, Kurt Vonnegut, In These Times, August 6, 2004.

Bluebonnets near McKinney Falls State Park, Austin Texas, U.S.A.

Wanting to find a gift for my mom, who’s in the hospital recovering from surgery, my sister suggested Organic Bouquet, which sells organically-grown cut flowers. My mom’s a plant lover and we wanted to get her something that wouldn’t die. Flowerpetal.com sells plants, and contributes to carbonfund.org, providing carbon offsets for all the plants flown around the world. They ship peace lilies, one of the few indoor plants that flowers in low light conditions. It’s also reportedly one of the best plants for indoor air pollution abatement.

While I’m not sure how effective carbon offsets are in mitigating climate change or in reshaping the economy, I can only hope it’s the thought that counts.