Ponderings on a small planet

2007-03-31T22:15:00.000-07:00

2007-03-31T22:13:00.000-07:00

Khalid Sheikh Mohammed Confesses To Confessing Under Torture

Beyond the orange curtain

2007-03-17T19:27:00.000-07:00

A time for peace

2007-03-17T19:25:00.000-07:00

A symbol of peace in Budapest. From the LA Times.

Daily Activism

2007-03-06T19:36:00.000-08:00

Tell the Presidential Candidates to Make Global Warming a Priority!

bear hug from Care2

2007-03-06T19:33:00.000-08:00

More Care2 Stickies Here!

the train to nowhere

2007-01-21T07:44:00.000-08:00

illogical legal thinking

2007-01-20T08:31:00.000-08:00

From the MoJo Blog: Gonzales Argues Against Certainty of the Right Of Habeas Corpus

And this guy is Attorney General? Someone in High School Civics could do a better job of interpreting the Constitution.

cute nephew photos

2007-01-07T16:54:00.000-08:00

Holiday photos are available to view online at yahoo photos. Let's just say, I'm the proudest aunty there is.

Poverty is a Threat to Peace

2006-12-16T07:49:00.000-08:00

From Muhammad Yunus's acceptance speech for the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize

I believe that we can create a poverty-free world because poverty is not created by poor people. It has been created and sustained by the economic and social system that we have designed for ourselves; the institutions and concepts that make up that system; the policies that we pursue.

Poverty is created because we built our theoretical framework on assumptions which under-estimates human capacity, by designing concepts, which are too narrow (such as concept of business, credit- worthiness, entrepreneurship, employment) or developing institutions, which remain half-done (such as financial institutions, where poor are left out). Poverty is caused by the failure at the conceptual level, rather than any lack of capability on the part of people.

I firmly believe that we can create a poverty-free world if we collectively believe in it. In a poverty-free world, the only place you would be able to see poverty is in the poverty museums. When school children take a tour of the poverty museums, they would be horrified to see the misery and indignity that some human beings had to go through. They would blame their forefathers for tolerating this inhuman condition, which existed for so long, for so many people.

A human being is born into this world fully equipped not only to take care of him or herself, but also to contribute to enlarging the well being of the world as a whole.

Don't be fooled by the Dems

2006-12-16T07:22:00.000-08:00

Although I am very happy about the election results -- I think any rational thinking human being would be -- I am still skeptical about what the D's are going to be able to accomplish. How are they going to come together to find unity within the "big tent" to pass meangingful social and economic reform measures? It will certainly be an interesting two years in Washington.

Come 2008, Will Kucinich and the “New Democrats” Fool
Us Again?

“Escalating conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan have stretched the all-volunteer force to the breaking point,” declares an October report by Will Marshall of the Progressive Policy Institute, the policy arm of the “centrist” (read: neocon lite) Democratic Leadership Council. “Democrats should step forward with a plan to repair the damage, by adding more troops, replenishing depleted stocks of equipment, and reorganizing the force around the new missions of unconventional warfare, counterinsurgency, and civil reconstruction.”...

sunday afternoon radio

2006-09-17T19:32:00.000-07:00

"With just one senate seat, Connecticut gets a Republican, a Democrat, and an Independent." - Peter Sagal on Wait Wait Don't Tell Me, a radio show that almost makes the week's worth of nasty depressing news worth it.

nature

2006-09-16T21:36:00.000-07:00

"It has been said that wildness is a luxury, a commodity that man will be forced to dispense with as his occupancy of the earth approaches saturation. If this happens, he is finished. Wildness must be preserved; it is a spiritual necessity. Even though few may visit wilderness areas they remain an open back door, a safety valve for those who never enter them." - Eliot Porter

Happy Labor Day

2006-09-04T21:32:00.000-07:00

There Is Power In A Union
by Billy Bragg

There is power in a factory, power in the land
Power in the hand of the worker
But it all amounts to nothing if together we don't stand
There is power in a Union

Now the lessons of the past were all learned with workers blood
The mistakes of the bosses we must pay for
From the cities and the farmlands to trenches full of mud
War has always been the bosses way, sir

The Union forever,defending our rights
Down with the blackleg,all workers unite
With our brothers and our sisters from many far-off lands
There is power in a Union

Now I long for the morning that they realise
Brutality and unjust laws cannot defeat us
But who'll defend the workers who cannot organise
When the bosses send their lackeys out to cheat us?

Money speaks for money,the Devil for his own
Who comes to speak for the skin and the bone?
What a comfort for the widow,a light to the child
There is power in a Union

The Union forever,defending our rights
Down with the blackleg,all workers unite
With our brothers and our sisters together we will stand
There is power in a Union

internet polls

2006-09-04T20:28:00.000-07:00

I hate to admit it, but I often am a sucker for those side-bar polls that you find on internet websites. Yes, as a political science major I know just how unreliable polling is, and as a decently intelligent person, I can pretty much figure how inaccurate internet polls are. However, there is something fascinating about them -- I think it goes into the whole "click activism" phenom - that we can feel like we're being active & connected even though we're at home on our computers.

Anyway -- I just took one of these polls and the results were quite scary. 70% of those answered said that terrorism is the "greatest threat of our times" while less than 1% said global warming. And these are Slate readers, so I'd only hate to guess what the results would be like on foxnews.com Another question asked what communications do you consider to be "most personal." 70% said cell phone conversations, while less than 1% said banking information or medical records. Whoa -- I guess those polled believe that their completely unsecured conversations in the grocery store are "more personal" than their doctor-patient privileged medical records? Ah, geeze.

Humorous commentary on the perils of our planet

2006-08-19T11:13:00.000-07:00

U.S. Dedicates $64 Billion To Undermining Gates Foundation Efforts

Negroponte: "This bill gives us the power to take on these extremists before they create positive global change that will haunt us for generations."

a constitutional theory lesson

2006-08-12T10:06:00.000-07:00

is the impossible impossible?

2006-07-15T22:09:00.000-07:00

From the introduction to The Impossible Will Take A Little While: A Citizen's Guide to Hope in a Time of Fear --

We live in a time fraught with uncertainty and risk: From terrorist threats, pre-emptive wars, and high-level corporate crime, to skyrocketing health care costs, mounting national debt, and an economy that appears rigged for the benefit of the greedy and ruthless, the world can at times seem overwhelming, beyond our control...How difficult it is, though, to address such looming realities as weather gone haywire or a faltering economy when the day-to-day demands of job and family require so much of our attention. Merely thinking about them is to flirt with despair.

And no one is immune, not even those whose occupations or interests directly involve helping others or bringing about constructive social change...Almost everywhere I've encountered people who question whether their actions really matter, whether it's worthwhile to continue making the effort...But as understandable as such moments of doubt and apparent impotence may be, especially in a culture that too often rewards cynicism and mocks idealism, they aren't inevitable. If tackling critical common problems seems a fool's errand, it's only because we're looking at life through too narrow of a lens. History shows that the proverbial rock can be rolled, if not to the top of the mountain, then at least to successive plateaus.

celebrating a nation of laws

2006-07-01T09:26:00.000-07:00

There is a lot of commentary out there about the Supremes' latest ruling on the use of military tribunals. I thought this quote from Andrew Cohen's Washington Post blog sums it all up:

in the end the decision is about one thing and one thing only: terrorism or no, we are still a nation of laws, and of rules, and of precedent, and of balanced government and that means that the President, or any president, doesn't get the final word on what is and what is not constitutional.

integrated power

2006-06-25T09:35:00.000-07:00

I heard Friar Louis Vitale speak last night. He's a wonderful man...fresh out of jail from the SOA protests last November...now he's touring the country urging people to sign the Declaration of Peace. It's an agressive, strategic plan to end the war in Iraq. Who knows if it will work, but at this point, it's worth a shot. So, sign it and "declare peace" in your daily life.

a little political humor

2006-06-25T09:33:00.000-07:00

inconvenient truths

2006-06-10T08:33:00.000-07:00

harmony and dissonance

2006-06-04T15:36:00.000-07:00

"All that is clear is the perfection of what we were given, the unworthiness of our response, and the certainty in view of our current deprivation, that we are judged." -- Robert Adams

Pearls Before Swine

2006-05-29T13:54:00.000-07:00

our neighbor to the south

2006-05-21T12:40:00.000-07:00

had a wonderful week exploring baja california....beautiful country, open spaces, and sandy beaches. And it was nice to get some of that foreign country craziness. Baja was a lot like Namibia -- only w/o zebras and with cactus. it's funny how no matter where you go, things are often the same.

pockets of grinnellians

2006-05-07T20:21:00.000-07:00

Yay for Grinnellians. Had an absolutely fabulous afternoon at the Aquarium of the Pacific enjoying the company of unique, intelligent, and friendly people who all had in common spending four years in the middle of Iowa. And yay for Grinnell - update on the petition of a previous post - the college is looking into creating a wind turbine for most of its energy. I am quite honored to be a part of such an environmentally-conscious school.

skating away...

2006-05-05T22:25:00.000-07:00

So, big purchase of the night: old school roller skates - yes, just like the picture. I feel I am returning to the days when i would skate around in the back yard or hang out at the roller rink. My housemate and I saw some fabulous skating at Venice last weekend and it inspired me to practice my roller dance moves. And hey, it's exercise, too. All for the bargain price of 25 bucks. I think I am going to do some warm ups at Huntington Beach and then I might be ready for the big time at Venice. You have no idea how happy this makes me! yes, I am a dork - but a happy one. :)

reproductive rights in crisis!

2006-04-24T19:51:00.000-07:00

from Planned Parenthood: An Indiana mother recently accompanied her daughter and her daughter's boyfriend to one of Indiana's Planned Parenthood clinics, but they unwittingly walked into a so-called "crisis pregnancy center" run by an anti-abortion group, one that shared a parking lot with the real Planned Parenthood clinic and was designed expressly to lure Planned Parenthood patients and deceive them.

continue reading and take action in the comments...

taxes

2006-04-22T10:01:00.000-07:00

if you're feeling happy about getting some money back this year (like I am), you should think again. The Cheneys are getting 1.9 million back. I don't really understand how this is possible, but my guess is they don't rely on turbo tax to give them tax advice. Of course it does help when you get to write tax law.

nap time

2006-04-20T21:45:00.000-07:00

ok, b/c i've been kind of napping from my blogging...here is a great little tidbit on napping from the Daily Om

A 20-minute nap can sharpen your senses and revitalize you, while a ten minute nap can leave you feeling more cheerful. Falling into a light sleep during the daytime can feel meditative. The thoughts you have as you are taking a nap and the dreams you experience may offer you insights about your life that you may not have at night when you are in a deep sleep.

In order to fully enjoy the benefits of napping, you may need to give yourself permission to nap. Feeling guilty about snoozing or worrying about your to-do list won't do you much good when you are trying to take a nap because your thoughts or feelings will keep you awake. Try to nap at the same time each day, and use an alarm clock to ensure that you don't sleep for too long. If you go to an office, try crawl under your desk for a nap. Learning to nap and enjoy its restorative benefits can help you wake up restored, rejuvenated, and ready for the rest of your day.

we are all american (?)

2006-04-11T19:34:00.000-07:00

Yay for the folks who took to the sidewalks and streets of downtown Santa Ana yesterday in support of immigratnts in Orange County. Take that Congress.

Spring!!

2006-04-09T20:13:00.000-07:00

Ah...I love this time of the year - when the days are longer, the shrubbery is growing, and the flowers are blooming. I was back east for a week and when I came back Southern California was green! It was quite a shock. I'm guessing it only lasts for a couple of weeks before life turns back to brown, so I will do all the outside stuff I can in the meantime.

Another pearl from pearls before swine

2006-03-12T09:51:00.000-08:00

I started reading this comic strip over a year ago. it is quite funny - if not a bit odd sometimes. it mocks politics and society w/humor...and has some interesting crocodiles. Today's Pearls was quite good.

vote for larry - really, you should

2006-03-11T10:08:00.000-08:00

Ok, I just listened to the best book on tape. It was amazing. Vote for Larry. It's about this 18 year-old who runs for President on the Peace Party ticket. It has fabulous stats and lots of humor...made me laugh, cry, you name it. I really fell in love w/this kid. And now I want to run for President and am accepting running-mate applications. :) I'm serious - we can change the world. I know we can.

Me & the general

2006-03-08T19:45:00.000-08:00

So I went to this fundraiser and Colin Powell spoke. He's a pretty funny guy - he told this story about getting strip searched by Nat'l Airport b/c he made the terrorist watch list mistake and bought a one-way ticket in cash. So, even Colin Powell is not immune to our crazy politics - he said the thing he missed most about being sec of state is the private plane. go figure.

I'm the Public Law Center attorney on the far right (no positional pun intended).

girl in the cafe

2006-02-18T14:53:00.000-08:00

just watched the Girl in the Cafe... cute movie, good politics. It's worth the time.

And once you get all riled up, check out the One campaign...

cheney's got a gun...

2006-02-13T20:57:00.000-08:00

I knew Slate would have a great article on the hunting fiascos of our vice president.

windy iowa

2006-02-13T20:52:00.000-08:00

all the Grinnell alums out there should sign this petition which encourages the Grinnell administration to create a windfarm to energize the college.

old-fashioned finances

2006-01-31T20:57:00.000-08:00

After 3 1/2 years I have finally managed to exhaust my check supply. It's amazing how little we depend on checks these days. Anyway, I reorded from the Check Gallery (an environmentally friendly check company, which I recommend). It is awfully strange to see the right address on my checks!

Brokeback mtn

2006-01-21T15:05:00.000-08:00

I think I am the only person I know who has seen Brokeback Mountain and has not thought it is a wonderful movie. Perhaps this is b/c I am from Wyoming and am upset that all the movies made about the state and books written about the state are about cowboys. Really, folks, very few Wyomites actually dorn a 10 gallon hat. I mean Ashlee from NJ has a better selection of cowboy boots than I do. And then there's the whole portrayal of Wyoming folk as close-minded Matthew Shepard hating people (even if the movie took place 3 decades ago, the point is still there). Yes, there is definitely that faction present in my lovely home state. However, there are also people who feel just the opposite and I personally feel the more people are confronted w/these issues (i.e. gay people in Wyoming live openly) the better things will be.

And then there's just the fact that it was a very sad love story. Their relationship was so violent and aggressive. It made me think if I was a gay male if I would embrace this movie. I don't know if I would.

And-- to boot, the film is deceptive as it was not filmed in Wyoming, but in Alberta. So, even though it talks about the Bighorns (my home range) you don't see them.

hmmmm.... perhaps some of my discontent comes w/my home state's portrayal by someone, Annie Proulx who moved to Wyo later in life. She actually lives outside Sheridan. I often meet people who are "fascinated" or "moved" by Wyoming and I think it's very difficult for people to fully understand it-what it means for someone to be born and raised there.

ok...enough rants for today!

la-la land

2006-01-21T14:59:00.000-08:00

going up to LA (like I did this morning) always confronts me w/the best and worst of humanity. There is the worst -- including the traffic, pollution, homelessness, gentrification, and overall poverty suckiness -- and then there is the best -- beautiful city parks, lovely skylines, great culture, wonderful ethnic food, and terrific lawyers and activists working to combat the overall poverty suckiness. LA is such a city of extremes w/rare middle ground. Fascinating place that always gets my head spinning.

mlk day

2006-01-13T17:15:00.000-08:00

so this time of year always reminds me of my young radical self (ha!) in high school - we never got MLK day off from school so a few of my friends and I would get together and ditch afternoon classes and read King's a letter from birmingham jail in the school hallway. good times.

resolutions

2006-01-08T16:19:00.000-08:00

So I am one of those people that makes New Year's Resolutions. Generally, like most people, I break them. Some however, I have managed to keep. I think it is all about picking resolutions you know you can meet and in fact want to meet. None of this running 3 times a week stuff. Nothing to do w/eating healthier or losing weight. So, w/o further ado - here's this year's list:

1. Grow hair long. I need a change-up and my last hair cut sucked so it's a natural reaction.
2. Thank Kuan Yin often. She stays on an alter on a bookshelf being compassionate - and I'm very thankful for that.
3. Read more nonfiction - including finishing The World is Flat which my brother gave me for graduation back in May.
4. Make strides towards deciding upon geographic settling point.
5. Research adoption procedures.
6. Work on my Espanol skills.
7. Get a stamp in my passport. It's been way too long.

I think I'll end w/lucky #7.

christmas ponderings

2005-12-24T16:29:00.000-08:00

'There's just no way that Christ was a capricorn"

- this american life (a show always worth listening to)

kudos to Nancy!

2005-12-23T08:19:00.000-08:00

So my former boss got a mention on the Senate floor this week -- she's an incredible woman and a terrific grassroots organizer and definitely deserves the praise! So, kudos to Nancy and check out the Bill of Rights Defense Committee to learn more.

Senator Edward M. Kennedy (D-Massachusetts), 12/16/05 (Source: Congressional Record):

In November 2001, Nancy Talanian and a small group of neighbors in western Massachusetts came together to launch the Bill of Rights Defense Committee--what has now become a nationwide movement to protect the Bill of Rights.

This small Massachusetts group encouraged similar community discussions across the country. Seven States and hundreds of local governments engaged in vigorous public debate on the scope of the PATRIOT Act. As of this week, 400 resolutions have been passed.

These efforts can't be casually dismissed because the administration claims there have not been any ``verified abuses'' of the PATRIOT Act.

the tyranny of our democracy

2005-12-20T11:45:00.000-08:00

I'm sorry- what country do I live in? the ny times reported that the FBI watched activist groups Those of us involved in political activism know that the FBI has in fact been doing this for years, but this is the first time I remember that they have announced it and have touted it as an achievement. Bush is completely unapologetic of his actions relating to domestic spying in spite of clear evidence that this is square against the 4th Am.

Well at least according to Bush, NASA is doing a fine job. Er, I think he meant to say the NSA. :)

the worst of the worst

2005-12-18T16:42:00.000-08:00

Global Exchange recently released its list of 2005's worst corporations. The list is certainly worth reading. And for more information on why you should boycott Chevron, visit EarthRights International.

my venture into a professional holiday season

2005-12-16T21:40:00.000-08:00

So, I have received my first few Christmas cards as a new lawyer. Clients, fellow lawyers - I never woulda thunk it, but apparently lots of people send Christmas cards to people they only have a professional relationship with. Anyway, I've displayed them in my office and it's all made me feel like a real lawyer! (ok, small steps...)

fair weather dems

2005-12-16T21:33:00.000-08:00

hmmm.. so it appears the democratic party may have some backbone after all. Leahy's speech today in support of a filibuster to prevent a vote on patriot act reathorization gave me chills. Hell ya, it's time for checks and balances, buddy. Just wish you woulda thought of that 4 yrs ago!

So do the Dems only have guts when they think they have the votes? Well, let's just hope this is a foreshadow of fighting days to come. It may just keep me going to Democracy for America meetings...maybe I can reunite w/my former party yet.

urban wasteland - I think not!

2005-12-08T22:30:00.000-08:00

Ok, so whoever says Orange County is an urban wasteland (hmmmm...maybe that was me!) is very wrong. Evidence #1 is the possum I saw during a bike ride last Saturday and evidence #2 is the coyote I saw tonight.

So, maybe these wonderful creatures were having to dodge traffic b/t strip malls...but at least there's wildlife, right?

ponderings...

2005-11-18T21:36:00.000-08:00

from Einstein's Dreams:

"Some have stopped reading altogether. They have abandoned the past. They have decided that it matters not if yesterday they were rich or poor, educated or ignorant, proud or humble, in love or empty-hearted - no more than it matters how a soft wind gets into their hair. Such people look you directly in the eye and grip your hand firmly. Such people walk with the limber stride of their youth. Such people have learned how to live in a world without memory."

bar exam

2005-11-18T21:35:00.000-08:00

From the Cal Bar website:

Name: SHANNON ROSE ANDERSON
The name above appears on the pass list for the July 2005 California Bar Examination.

Whew!

pumpkin guns?

2005-11-12T12:41:00.000-08:00

So generally, the Economist is a good source of news and commentary... but this article may take the cake: Pumpkin-shooting - The meaning of America

uh, right.

swingin'

2005-11-11T14:06:00.000-08:00

it is highly recommended (by me) to take time to swing on a swingset. Play in playgrounds. That's what they're there for. Speaking of.... I am so VERY excited to see my two year-old nephew over Thanksgiving. Check back after Thanksgiving for adorable photos of him.

wealth

2005-11-11T14:04:00.000-08:00

random pondering of the day – I finally got around to watching The Corporation last Saturday. I know, I’m about a year late, but better late than never right? Talk about a film that riles you up. My mind was spinning the entire way through. So, one of the big questions posed in the film is: who creates wealth? An interesting question indeed. Consumers sustain large multinationals and are ultimately the source of their wealth. Some Americans are less-educated about issues such as globalization and corporate structure. I consider myself privileged for having the education – both in-school and out-of-school – that I have had. I recognized almost all the commentators in the film and knew their positions. If the “average” American would see the film, they would most likely be exposed to these ideas for the very first time. So, yes, lack of proper consumer information is an issue. And of course, consumer apathy is always huge. But there’s so much more – the laxity of government enforcement for one. I mean how many environmental laws get broken every day w/o the government doing a darn thing about it? And then, even if the government is doing something, corporations will often do a little cost-benefit analysis and realize it’s cheaper to pay the fines (b/c they are low enough) then it is to change their behavior. In the Global South, brutal military regimes often hand profits over to corporations on a silver platter – sacrificing the lives of their own citizenry in the process (check out my former employer – http://www.earthrights.org if you don’t believe me). So now we have two wealth creators– consumers and the government. Then there’s the corporations themselves. Outsourcing, sweatshop labor, mergers & consolidation, high CEO compensation…. the list could go on and on.

But ultimately – who creates wealth? WE do. The collective WE. WE do in the day-to-day choices we make and in the laws we let our represented officials pass (or not pass). WE do when we vote, we do when we shop. WE do when we drive to work and we do every time we make a call on our cellphones or use our credit cards. So, to turn this thing around it will take the collective WE to get organized and fight back. Ok, enough rabble rousin’ for the day.

waves

2005-11-05T15:21:00.000-08:00

"It's been so long since I've seen the ocean - I guess I should."

Even though I only live 15 minutes from the beach, I hardly ever see the ocean. Sadness. So, taking this line from my newly rediscovered fav band (I guess it has to do w/being out in LA, Counting Crows lyrics have a whole new meaning to me now), I took a trip to the beach this morning. There's a bike path that goes all the way to Huntington Beach so I rode out there.

There is something so very relaxing about watching the waves roll in. The day-to-day stresses of human life get sucked back out with the waves.

manners

2005-11-03T08:53:00.000-08:00

So today as I was writing a thank you note to an attorney who volunteered to present at a workshop I was coordinating, I wondered why we address each other as "dear" - We even address people we don't know as "dear" so and so (including the Board of Equalization member I wrote a letter to last week - he's one of those people that has an "honorable" in place of where I have a "miss").

I am much more in favor of "hi" or "hi-a" or "hey there" but I guess the world of professionals does not agree with me.

geographic (un)happiness

2005-10-29T17:14:00.000-07:00

So I am back in DC for a conference this weekend. It's been lovely to be back in the capitol and I am enjoying the city life...being able to walk to restraunts and having public transport at my fingertips. Thursday I had the perfect DC day with a trip to Julia's empanadas and browsing in Dupont Circle shops. And then Friday, I went to the Smithsonian Jazz cafe and heard REALLY good live jazz. So nice.

Anyway, the point of this story is that it has made me think about why I thought I was so ready to leave to DC last December and why I have in fact felt ready to leave every place I have ever lived. I always seem to find little things (or in some cases big things) wrong with every location I have been....and this means a lot of locations. For instance, Portland was not diverse enough (and the lack of jobs didn't help), DC was too cold, NY was too much city, Northampton was not enough city, Wyoming was too well, Wyoming, Namibia was too far from my family and American friends, Zimbabwe was in social and political chaos when I left and even more so now (ok, so maybe that is a legit gripe!), and you can see my previous posts for my feelings on Orange County.

How do you find balance and peace in where you live? Is it possible to be truly happy about your geographic location? Now that I am ready to settle, I have a big problem in deciding where to do the settling.

I am 26 years old and I am afraid I will forever remain in transition.

Any suggestions, send them my way....

the not-so-commander in chief

2005-10-23T14:30:00.000-07:00

So I think it is rather humorous that BOTH the R's and the D's are upset w/Bush's SC pick. The Senate Jud Comm has actually asked her to redo her questionnaire and she incorrectly cited some ConLaw in support of one of her answers. M'goodness.

Dad and I have decided that I would be a much better pick for the Ct...now if I only I could get our monkey president to agree.

my new skyline

2005-10-23T14:16:00.000-07:00

Here's the LA skyline -- from the Getty museum, which is nicely above the smog-line. Went hiking up to Mt. Palomar yesterday - quite a nice hike and beautiful views. Ocean fog, mountain peaks, and fall leaves. I can't believe it's already the end of october!

break ins

2005-10-16T13:32:00.000-07:00

Right. So I, in a very smooth move, locked my keys in my car this morning while I was at the grocery store. Anyway, while the locksmith in a much smoother move was opening my car for me, it got me thinking how someone ends up breaking into cars and getting paid for it. It also is always an eye opening experience to realize how easy your car is to break into. Ouch.

disturbing facts of life

2005-10-08T10:43:00.000-07:00

a giant cockroach escaped out from the drain in my shower and
visited me while taking a shower. normally i do not get freaked out by
bugs, but there is something about being naked that makes you very
vulnerable....so I freaked and squished him with a shampoo bottle. Anyway,
it got me thinking about how bizarre it is that a bug who is much larger
than my thumb can somehow crawl its way out of a drain with openings much
smaller than my thumb.... no wonder these things have lived for eons.

life in OC

2005-10-02T11:33:00.000-07:00

Hi folks - sorry I have been so MIA. I have been busy...and without internet except at work. Although sometimes frustrating, this has actually been a good thing for me. I like that I limit my computer time to 8 hrs a day. That's enough, isn't it?

So, I have been in OC for a little over a month now. It does not feel like October already. Considering it is still 80 degrees most days, with beautiful sunshine, it still feels like summer. For the most part I am liking it out here -- nice biking weather and the beach is super close. The ocean is very relaxing. Work is ok, except that it's not too intellectually challenging. I'm missing straight-up advocacy work and I'm missing both Portland and environmental law. Perhaps I will be back to both sometime soon... but in the meantime, I am trying to find the best in being where I am. I am gaining quite a bit of new legal knowledge and have been exposed to areas of the law that I know next to nothing about (such as employment law and childcare law). My office is super supportive and it's nice to feel good about what I'm doing.

I went to a Sierra Club beach bonfire the other night and was looking forward to meeting people involved in environmental issues and who are nice 'n'progressive. Instead I found that I was the only one who brough organic veggies.....most everyone ate meat....and basically everyone works for corporations or real estate developers or something equally sinister. Ok, so I try not to be snob, but I think it says a lot about where I landed that members of an enviro group aren't really enviro-conscious.... but it was nice to be social and I realized that that's just the way life is out here - lots of education needed I guess. It's not really in my best interest to give up yet.

Hmmm.... life is pretty much routine most of the time.... but I will try and keep y'all better updated on the occasional non-routineness of my life.

I miss everyone terribly.... why I keep moving to places where I know no one as opposed to moving to places where my friends are is beyond me....and something that I have promised myself I will not do again....

update

2005-05-11T20:39:00.000-07:00

ok- so i haven't posted anything in a darn long while. and i know very few of you actually read this thing b/c well, i haven't posted anything in a darn long while. but for those of you who do check up on me... know that I will take my last ever law school exam tomorrow and then hopefully i will have some semblance of a life again.

more later...

in the meanwhile back to the rule against hearsay and it's oh so many exceptions.... law & order here I come.

political humor from craigslist

2005-03-30T09:18:00.000-08:00

FOR SALE/BARTER: My body in Persistent Vegetative State... - 2

Reply to: see below
Date: Thu Mar 24 09:51:00 2005

Dear loved-ones,
I make the following statement in a sound state of mind and of my own volition:

If I am rendered comatose and determined to be in a persistent vegetative state (PVS) for a period longer than one month and if no imminent cure is forthcoming, I do not wish to be kept alive by artificial means including but not limited to nourishment, hydration, etc.

However....

If, due to the absurd political state of affairs in this country, my persistent vegetative state and impending unplugging can be parlayed into some sort of political leverage, I wholly endorse using my predicament in whatever way possible for the purposes of passing legislation favorable to my general political and ethical outlook. Here is a list of top-tier causes I support and will continue to support, both while in my PVS and after my eventual death.

Debt Relief to Impoverished Nations: I will agree to stay in a PVS for an indeterminate amount of time if the United States aggressively pursues a policy of debt relief and debt forgiveness to developing and impoverished nations.

Nuclear Disarmament and De-escalation: I will agree to stay in a PVS for a open-ended period of time if the United States aggressively pursues a policy of nuclear disarmament and de-escalation. By this I mean desisting from developing new bellicose nuclear technologies and providing significant non-military incentives for nations to avoid nuclear armament.

Humanitarian Foreign Policy: I will demure to the pro-Life contingent's desire that I be kept in a PVS in perpetuum if the United States aggressively pursues a humane foreign policy. This policy should be guided by the idea that this country must use its economic prowess and leverage to bring education, health care, basic services, and opportunity to the millions of disenfranchised, impoverished and oppressed peoples of the world. For example, instead of providing Bradley Fighting Vehicles or F16s to the Israeli army, the United States would open a free, state-of-the-art, health clinics in every West Bank refugee camp.

Environmentally Sensitive Policy: I agree to be kept "plugged-in" and in a PVS until I expire of other natural causes if the United States aggressively pursues a policy of environmental sensitivity. This policy should include an economic emphasis on renewable energy sources, preserving open spaces, protecting environmentally sensitive areas (such as the Biosphere Reserves, ANWAR, Amazon Basin, etc.) and using economic and political leverage to encourage other nations to behave in like manner.

Should my friends or family find a way to use the issue of my impending unplugging to bring Congress into emergency session, to draft emergency legislation, or to encourage politicians to make statements favorable to the abovementioned causes, I hereby grant permission to do whatever is necessary with my body to accomplish said ends.

If the United States Government coldly and callously dismisses the value and sanctity of my life by refusing to enact the policies laid out above, I will offer a staggered plan of unplugging. With each of the following acts, truly pro-Life leaders will be able to secure more time for my existence, sustained via the miracles of modern medicine, while I enjoy my PVS.

Plant 30 mature trees in an inner-city ( + 1 day!! )
Build one basketball court in an inner-city ( + 1 day!! )
Remove graffiti from 10 inner-city buildings ( + 4 days!! )
Build a playground in an inner-city ( + 1 week!! )
Build and staff a library in an inner-city ( + 1 week!! )
Repair an inner-city school and provide adequate heating ( + 1 week!! )
Provide computers and computer classes to an inner-city school system ( + 10 days!! )
Build and staff a community center in an inner-city ( + 10 days!! )
Build and staff a job training center in an inner-city ( + 2 weeks!!)
Build and staff a school in a inner-city ( + 2 weeks!! )
Provide text books for all students of an inner-city school system ( + 2 weeks!! )
Build and staff a health care clinic in an inner-city ( + 3 weeks!! )
Build and staff an emergency room in an inner-city ( + 30 days!!! )

*** EXCITING LIMITED-TIME OFFER!!! ***
Should these staggered incentives prove inadequate to morally motivate the conservative "pro-Life" leadership in this country, for a limited time, I will allow the US Government (State, County and City Governments are also welcome to participate!) to keep me alive in a PVS as follows:

Save my life for an additional minute by contributing two dollars ($2.00 US) to any one of the following non-profit organizations: WHO, OxFam, Greenpeace, Earth Justice, NOW, NARAL, MoveOn.org, Act For Change, Free the Slaves, Anti-Slavery International, ACLU, or Amnesty International.

* Please note: You can purchase blocks of minutes at a discounted rate of $1.75 per minute of life!!

The above statements represent my true and unadulterated wishes, given here under no coercion whatsoever. These statements should be taken as the legally-binding wishes of yours truly.

N.A.B.
March 24, 2005.

int'l dissent of bush cronies

2005-03-22T19:22:00.000-08:00

in response to the nomination of Paul Wolfowitz to be the pres of my arch nemisis- the world bank- this editorial makes a great point:

In the Philippines, an editorial in the Daily Inquirer asks, "Can Wolfowitz take the next step and lead the World Bank to accept its mistakes and change some of its policies?"

The question is relevant, says the Manila daily, because Wolfowitz "is one of the principal architects of the US invasion of Iraq. The war was waged on non-existent grounds: there was no immediate terrorist threat from Iraq, there were no weapons of mass destruction, there was no conspiracy between Saddam Hussein's odious regime and Osama bin Laden's equally monstrous terrorist network."

"If in the face of incontrovertible evidence, Wolfowitz cannot bring himself to admit any errors in judgment, can we expect him to continue the reform of the World Bank -- a process which requires him to publicly accept mistakes?"

scary property rts folks

2005-03-21T18:42:00.000-08:00

so i'm writing a paper this term on Locke's influence on Supreme Court takings clause jurisprudence. This means I'm reading a lot of Richard Epstein - who believes that ALL environmental regulations are takings of private property (except those regulating common law nuisances so to give him credit at least he wouldn't find the clean air act a violation of the 5th Amendment) .

And the sad thing is there are folks scarier than Epstein out there expounding their views on the unsuspecting public -- check out http://www.johnlocke.org/

WHY may I ask is property so darn important to these people? Don't they see the environment crumbling around them?

Maybe my roommate is right in hoping for a huge natural disaster to wipe out the planet!

hooray for peace (or the desire for it anyway)

2005-03-20T13:53:00.000-08:00

big kudos to all the lovely Portland area peace activists that came out on sat to mark the rather depressing milestone of the 2 yr anniversary of the war on iraq.

for pics of the march, visit http://portland.indymedia.org/en/2005/03/313836.shtml

and also kudos to the cops who were well behaved. i love it when legal observing is low key.

stop the backdoor attack on ANWR

2005-02-27T09:30:00.000-08:00

R's in Congress are trying once again to open the Arctic Nat'l Wildlife Refuge to Oil & Gas drilling. As we all, extractive industry development could destroy this priceless habitat. Visit the wilderness society's site for more info and to take action.

Email Your Members of Congress

If you haven't already taken action by emailing your members of Congress about this time-sensitive issue, click here to visit our Arctic Action page.

bushisms

2005-02-24T13:56:00.000-08:00

visit slate.com for more!

"This notion that the United States is getting ready to attack Iran is simply ridiculous. And having said that, all options are on the table."—Brussels, Belgium, Feb. 22, 2005

oh great.

2005-02-21T21:29:00.000-08:00

The new cure for PTSD?

As combat veterans continue to trickle home, many face increasingly bleak futures. A study undertaken last year by the military found that 1 in 8 veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan suffered from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)—and this percentage may well have risen since then, with the increasing frequency of attacks in Iraq.

The study found that more than half of PTSD sufferers don't seek out mental health assistance. Even more disturbing, however, is reporter Mark Benjamin's report in Salon today, noting that the premier military medical facility, Washington DC's Walter Reed Medical Center, is failing to provide adequate PTSD treatment, which has resulted in worsened conditions and even suicide among inpatient soldiers. The hospital is also charging some wounded veterans hundreds a dollars a month for their meals there, all while the Army prevents soldiers with PTSD from receiving adequate disability payments.

But hey, things may be finally looking up for those shell-shocked combat veterans struggling with terrifying flashbacks, debilitating insomnia, paranoia, and urges to inflict violence upon others. The Food and Drug Administration has recently authorized soldiers to participate in a clinical study on the use of ecstasy in treating PTSD—sure to work wonders on the mental damage caused by witnessing death or having killed others in combat.

- Lygia Navarro

lynne stewart info

2005-02-20T07:40:00.000-08:00

The Lynne Stewart Trial
By David Cole
The Nation

07 March Edition

On February 10, a jury in New York City convicted longtime activist attorney Lynne Stewart and two others on all counts in one of the Bush Administration's most heralded terrorism trials since 9/11. Stewart, a 65-year-old who has never committed a violent act, now faces twenty to thirty years in prison. Do you feel safer?

Perhaps more than any other, this case illustrates how out of hand things have gotten in the "war on terrorism." To inflate its successes in ferreting out terrorism, the Justice Department turned an administrative infraction into a terrorism conviction that, unless reversed, will likely send Stewart to prison for the rest of her life. To make sure the charges would stick, the prosecution tried the case in the most inflammatory and prejudicial way possible, introducing as "background" reams of evidence of terrorism that had nothing to do with Stewart's actions.

bush's assault on the poor

2005-02-19T09:46:00.000-08:00

this is no surprise, eh?

washingtonpost.com

Poorest Face Most Risk on Social Security
Bush Plan's Success May Hinge on Perceived Safety

By Jim VandeHei
Washington Post Staff Writer
Saturday, February 19, 2005; Page A01

No group of Americans would be affected more by President Bush's Social Security plan than those earning the least. Just ask 46-year-old Brent Allen.

Allen, who recently lost his job at a Massachusetts paper mill, faces a retirement financed exclusively by the money he has been paying into the Social Security system for the better part of 30 years. Like nearly half the U.S. population, he has no pension or savings to speak of. And his brief flirtations with the stock market have largely flopped.

So Allen, who lives on less than $15,000 a year in disability payments from Social Security and income from his live-in girlfriend, is distrustful of Bush's plan to allow workers to divert a portion of their payroll taxes into personal investment accounts.

"I have had stocks, and have had them for six years, and I have lost money continually," Allen said this week. "What's going to happen to people when they retire when the market is down? There is no guarantee [Bush] can make. There is a guarantee now," under the current system.

More than 60 million Americans 25 to 64 years old reported incomes of less than $25,000 in 2002, the latest year for which government figures are available. Like Allen, most of these workers have small or no pensions, scant savings, and serious concerns about their retirement years, according to government statistics and polling results.

Bush sees personal accounts as the gateway to their financial security -- giving them a chance to join tens of millions of Americans with significant investments in stocks and bonds for their retirement. But unless he can convince Democrats and skeptical Republicans that the personal accounts would be a wise and relatively safe investment option for low-income workers, his proposal is likely to fail, many lawmakers agree...... for more visit http://www.washingtonpost.com

bush's assault on the bill of rts

2005-02-18T09:52:00.000-08:00

From Press Conference in Boston, 2/17/05
Statement by Michael Avery, President, National Lawyers Guild
(Michael Avery is a Constitutional Law professor at Suffolk Law School in Boston)

The National Lawyers Guild is outraged about the prosecution and conviction of Lynne Stewart and has called for a national day of outrage today to protest the prosecution. We are holding press conferences and protests in cities across the country, including Boston, New York, Minneapolis, Chicago, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Portland, OR, Bellingham, WA, Austin, TX, Miami, FL, Birmingham, AL, Durham, NC, Tucson, AZ and Washington, DC. We will be joined in other cities, as we are here in Boston, by other lawyers and activists who are concerned about the right to be represented by legal counsel.

We believe that Lynne Stewart was unfairly targeted by the Bush government in order to deter lawyers from representing politically unpopular clients, particularly individuals charged with terrorism-related crimes. Ms. Stewart was prosecuted on five felony charges and faces a possible twenty-year prison sentence, for violating administrative measures concerning the conditions of confinement of her client Sheikh Omar Abdel Rahman. The evidence against her was that she openly gave to the press information that her client personally opposed a ceasefire in hostilities in Egypt in June, 2000. This action, which Ms. Stewart has never attempted to hide, should have been punished, if at all, with administrative sanctions, not a lengthy prison sentence. In fact, her actions should have been viewed as protected by constitutional principles, including the Sixth Amendment right of her client to counsel and the First Amendment right of freedom of speech.

The Bush government has attempted in a wide variety of ways to interfere with the rights of people in detention to be represented by lawyers and, even more ominously, has attempted to disrupt the constitutional process of checks and balances by cutting off access to the courts altogether in an increasingly large category of cases. These efforts by the executive branch of the government to operate outside the Constitution are detailed in a fact sheet which we have distributed with these remarks. The most well known of these measures are the claims of the government to be able to hold so-called “enemy combatants,” including American citizens, in indefinite detention, incommunicado, without access to lawyers, without making criminal charges against them. But the government has also asserted a right to secretly monitor attorney-client conversations of other prisoners; has sent some detainees to third countries, without any due process, where they have been tortured; and has refused to afford the protection of the Geneva Conventions to prisoners of war held by America. A number of the provisions of the Patriot Act, and other administrative measures, provide for secret searches, electronic surveillance, and the collection of personal information concerning American citizens and others lawfully in this country, all without access to adversary proceedings in court. Indeed, a federal judge in New York held last year that it could be considered a felony under the Patriot Act for a business person who receives a National Security Letter from the FBI, seeking information about a client, to consult with his attorney before responding to the request. On top of this we have trials against immigrants using “secret evidence” that neither the person, nor her attorney, have access to.

The fact is that the Bush government has waged a war on the Bill of Rights since the beginning of his first administration and plans to continue to do so. This effort to hijack our constitutional rights must be opposed by all Americans who care about civil liberties and our traditional freedoms. The members of the National Lawyers Guild will not be intimidated by the prosecution of Lynne Stewart and across the country today will publicly vow to continue to provide zealous advocacy to secure due process of law for all prisoners in detention and all people who are charged with crimes. In particular, we will continue to stand up for those who exercise their rights to oppose the policies of the government, and we will continue to support Lynne Stewart.

a few days late...

2005-01-04T19:38:00.000-08:00

I often think of this song this time of the year. Something about driving around looking at Christmas lights with my Mom brings back memories of late December reflection.
Happy new year.

--

A long December and there's reason to believe
Maybe this year will be better than the last
I can't remember the last thing that you said as you were leavin'
Now the days go by so fast

And it's one more day up in the canyons
And it's one more night in Hollywood
If you think that I could be forgiven...I wish you would

The smell of hospitals in winter
And the feeling that it's all a lot of oysters, but no pearls
All at once you look across a crowded room
To see the way that light attaches to a girl

And it's one more day up in the canyons
And it's one more night in Hollywood
If you think you might come to California...I think you should

Drove up to Hillside Manor sometime after two a.m.
And talked a little while about the year
I guess the winter makes you laugh a little slower,
Makes you talk a little lower about the things you could not show her

And it's been a long December and there's reason to believe
Maybe this year will be better than the last
I can't remember all the times I tried to tell my myself
To hold on to these moments as they pass

And it's one more day up in the canyon
And it's one more night in Hollywood
It's been so long since I've seen the ocean...I guess I should

damn this stupid stupid war

2004-12-29T07:18:00.000-08:00

Eyewitness: Taking detainee testimony in Iraq

US-led international forces in Iraq are currently holding thousands of Iraqi people suspected of involvement in the violent campaign against the Iraqi government and the occupying forces.

But some detainees complain of arbitrary detention and abusive treatment.

Peggy Gish, 62, is an American woman who has spent 13 months over the past two years logging the cases of Iraqi detainees with the ecumenical humanitarian group Christian Peacemaker Teams.

She told the BBC News website about her experiences.... more on the BBC

2004-12-25T21:03:00.000-08:00

more bombs in iraq today.... so much for peace on earth.... but there's always hope. even in times of utmost despair, there's always hope.

quote of the day

2004-12-23T09:22:00.000-08:00

From the Mother Jones website: "It seems to me that the real problem with the Democratic Party is that it has been taken over by a bunch of political hacks who would rather preserve their positions than work for the American people."
Paul Paine

For a vision of an alternative political future, visit http://www.gp.org

And for all your holiday shopping needs....read Down and Out in Discount America: http://www.alternet.org/story/20808/ --if you can catch the Frontline done a few weeks ago about wal-mart I highly recommend it. Hold on folks....here comes China.

travels in a white wyoming

2004-12-23T09:04:00.000-08:00

My Dad and I just returned from a trip down to Colorado to visit friends and family. If you've never driven I-25 down through Wyoming, I highly recommend it. Compared to highways back east, there's just a few less cars (well, a few less thousands)...and the scenary is spectacular- mountains, bluffs, and prairies. Wyoming at its finest. On the drive down we saw bald eagles, hawks, a couple hundred pronghorn, and tons of prairie dogs. Cute little things. On the way back, we hit a small snowstorm and it reminded me how powerful weather can be out here in the Rocky Mountain west. Today it's 10 below 0 and I'm staying inside. But the sun is shining- glistening on the snow-covered hills. My mom lives next to Kenderick Park and you can see Buffalo and Elk from her window. They look a little cold, too.

Merry Christmas!

Hi!!

2004-12-09T13:07:00.000-08:00

Hello and welcome to my blog. I'm new to this tech-savvy world so forgive me while I learn how to make the most of it.

About me-- I'm a third-year law student in Portland, OR. I am focusing in international environmental/ human rights law. Hopefully I will be able to find a job in that field-- if not any job working for social justice will suit me fine.

I love Portland-- the greenness and the woods. I also enjoy travelling and have a love affair with Africa. My random passion is ER-- yes, the TV show so I'm sure some of my upcoming postings will speak of that.

Allrighty - enjoy the read and please send comments.
Cheers,
Shannon

2004-12-09T12:45:00.000-08:00

This is one of my life slogans. I'm a social activist and strongly believe that corporations have too much power in our global society. People need to take back that power.

2004-12-09T12:43:00.000-08:00

This is the research station I lived at while in Namibia.

2004-12-09T12:42:00.000-08:00

My brother, Dave, and nephew, Solon. They live in Portsmouth, NH.

2004-12-09T12:41:00.000-08:00

Me-- high up on Table Mountain in Cape Town