Abby Normal Brains

The 2008 Republican Platform calls for a nationwide ban on embryonic stem cell research, public or private

( Because, you know, Korea and China and Germany will never use this technology to their benefit, right? )

Court rules that testing dead animals for disease constitutes "treatment," bans universal testing for Mad Cow.

( A 1913 Law gives the USDA the power to ban competition )

George Stephanopolous: The team to vet Sarah Palin left for Alaska the day after McCain's announcement.

( It's not about Palin, it's about McCain )

Brutal: The Digest digests Dick Francis' Silks

( But let's take things slow for a few chapters. Why don't you keep your regulars happy by getting in some riding action first? Then we could shag. )

Why Bristol Palin matters

Bristol Palin is a 17-year-old woman, apparently pregnant, apparently about to undergo a shotgun wedding with an equally young man, whose mother was recently nominated to be the Republican candidate for the vice presidency of the United States.

I avoided all weekend talking about the pregnancy stories that were circulating around the Internet. My own family has had its share of personal difficulties like this, some of it my own doing, and many families have weird, sad little stories like this one. The stories as they stood until Sunday were scurrilous and circumstantial. It didn't seem worth commenting on.

Here's why it's worth attention today, though: Sarah Palin, as a city councilwoman, as a mayor, and as a governor, fought to de-fund comprehensive sex education in the school districts over which she had authority. Palin thought that if there was to be sex education in schools, it should be abstinence only, but her strongest words were that such issues should be taught by parents in the home.

It may just have been coincidence: some girls are going to become pregnant at 17 no matter how hard the family and the school system try to teach them not to. Bristol may be one of those.

Yet it is striking how Sarah Palin seems to have failed her daughter: failed her as a parent, and as the head of government. Abstinence-only sex education doesn't work and yet Sarah Palin apparently believed in that for her schools and silence for her home.

When we look at John McCain, do we want to elect to the highest office in the land a man whose first major administration-affecting decision is a snap judgement to hire a woman who's own record of decision making is mediocre at best.

So Say We All

Tigh / Roslin 2008

The Stupid, OH, THE STUPID! MAKE IT STOP MAKE IT STOP MAKE IT STOP!

I was reading through the Republican National Party Platform (hey, someone has to!) and I came across this jaw-droppingly stupid paragraph (page 11):

It is also important, as part of cultural integration, that our schools provide better education in U.S. history and civics for all children, thereby fostering a commitment to our national motto, E Pluribus Unum.

The National Motto of the United States of America is not "E pluribus unum." "E pluribus unum" was authorized as a motto to appear on the Great Seal of the United States, and was often used de facto, but the phrase itself was never signed into law as the national motto.

The national motto of the United States is "In God We Trust." It has been "In God We Trust" since Dwight D. Eisenhower (R) signed the law establishing it as such. It is the only official motto the United States of America has ever had.

The hacks who put together the Republican Party Platform don't even know their own history (American or party) or their own law. How the Hell did this thing make it out of committee?

Idiots. It's time the Republican party just gave up pretending to care about America.

Back to school shopping

Oy. Who knew that back-to-school shopping could be so damn exhausting? Omaha and I drove out to the local shopping center, hitting Target and Office Depot, to pick up four pairs of pants and a new pair of shoes for Kouryou-chan, as well as a ton of paper, pencils, notebooks, and miscellaneous school supplies for Yamaraashi-chan. Target was a wreck; they just didn't have the manpower to keep the place cleaned up.

After all that, we went over to the evil mall and hit a restaurant on the periphery. Although it wasn't as bad or frenetic as the mall itself, the music was still too loud. You know what that mall needs? A family-friendly restaurant with no music and sound-baffling ceilings.

Afterward, we ran back to Target because we had forgotten one thing, a backpack for Yamaraashi-chan. Omaha took Kouryou-chan over to a little park while Yamaraashi-chan and I went into Target. "What are we here for?" she asked.

"Didn't you hear what Omaha and I were talking about in the car? We forgot something for you."

"What?"

I rolled my eyes. "A backpack, kid. You weren't paying attention, were you?"

"I was listening."

"No you weren't. If you were listening, you'd know why we were here."

"There's a difference between listening and paying attention." Now there's a slogan for an eleven-year-old.

It took five hours to do all that.

Anyway, after that, we went over to lisakit's place for dinner and socializing. She fed us wonderful steaks and grilled corn and zucchini, and we were comfortably full when we got home.