Boundary Issues

(Cover of the Portland Mercury the week Reagan died.)

During the early 1980s, as Reagan launched our current Hate Society, the back windshield of my Honda Civic was smashed one night and my car ransacked. But the only item taken was my address book in the glovebox -- not my tapedeck nor my case of tapes. not my tools or the stack of games visible in the back hatch, Just my address book.

I of course called the Lesbian Rights Project to report it because they were monitoring the reprisals against us, those of us in the group Lesbians Against Police Violence. I didn't call the cops because it was them, and/or their friends, who were doing this shit. One of my friends in the group had similarly had her house broken into and the only thing stolen was her dayrunner. Another friend had her truck towed despite it being legally parked, and when she got it back two days later, missing from it were her checkbook and journals.

Not long after my break-in, two group members lost their jobs after visits to their boss's office by men in suits, and a third friend, a mechanic in LAPV, had the old Volvo she had lovingly restored firebombed overnight. She quit the group amid tearful apologies, saying she was just too frightened.

It cost me $150 to replace my rear windshield at a time when I was living on $380 a month. After that, for several years I kept my address book in code, combining it with my datebook in a tiny leather clasp that never left my back pocket.

They still want that information about law-abiding citizens just as badly, only now they can buy it from Facebook. You can tell how eagerly FB wants this treasure trove of yours by how persistently they beseech those of us who have NOT given them access to our address files by trotting out the names of our friends who used the FB "Friend Finder" to locate that loser from 20 years ago you don't want to be in touch with anyhow.

Every time someone is gullible and lazy enough to allow FB to "access" your email list elsewhere, make no mistake about it, they are copying your data instantly and selling it. As a researcher, I know what kind of gold it contains, a veritable biography of your existence. My guess is that this revenue is FB's prmary moneymaker, given how assiduously they push it.

All to individually "save you the trouble" of typing in the names of the folks you actually do want to friend.

Do you REALLY believe the police state after eight years of Bush is less dangerous that that of the early 80s?

Pass . It . On .

There's more...

Fox News: Evil or Stupid?

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
The Parent Company Trap
www.thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor Tea Party

The Daily Show: Fox fails to mention their CO-OWNER is TERROR FUNDER (per Fox News.)

Let us all turn off Fox News to stop funds from flowing to Fox News' Terror Funder.

H/T HuffPo.

There's more...

GNB is still Alive

HOWTO: Create a Model Solar System

What We're Up To

What does creating a Model of the Solar System have to do with GNB still being alive?

Well, from one point of view, nothing at all. From another, everything.

Our writers have been up to stuff, see. From the usual being ill and recovering, to creating and selling software, starting businesses, working, writing and editing books and screenplays, doing radio broadcasts, writing for other publications, and All That Jazz...

Yes, we know there's an election. Meh. I just don't seem to care. Especially with the President's Press Secretary trashing the "Professional Liberal Left" and saying we should all go get drug tested. I'll take that drug test about the time President Obama keeps his fracking campaign promises.

Bush Lite at best. And in many cases, it's precisely what GWB would have done, just with a liberal face. Oh, I'm glad we got health care and yes, it looks as if with the Supreme Court confirmations we're going to manage to save SCOTUS from going over to the Dark Side for the next 40 years. Especially if Justice Ginsberg will allow President Obama to replace her, although I don't think that will happen unless he wins a second term -- and that isn't going to happen unless both he AND the economy shape the hell up.

None the less, as I said before the election, what really matters in the 2008 election more than anything else, is the Supreme Court. With two Justices now replaced with women (liberal) votes, this, truly more than ANYTHING that President Obama has done or will do in his entire first term of office, is what -- when I get angry at the difference between Candidate Obama and President Obama -- I reflect upon, and relax and am thankful, for indeed, we have saved the Supreme Court for another 20-30 years, a full generation.

As for GNB. Yes, we are here. I imagine that we'll pick up writing again at a faster pace again as summer comes to a close and fall begins. Right now, its much too damn hot to think of doing much of anything. All I want to do is sleep and read and watch old DVDs and take pain meds. However summer will end and the tempo of things will pick up. Right now life feels very "Doc Hollywood"ish... laid-back and just wanting to stay that way. "That's a fine pig you've got there Doc" and all, and summer festivels late in the evening as the sun finally goes down when its still 70 degrees at 9 pm and the teens and the old folks are dancing in the square with the dogs parking and kids running around. That's kinda what it's like at the moment. Writing a bunch when I could be sitting back and watching all the fun, well. I'd rather just sit here and make sure no one steals my pig.

*hugs to all* and hope you're having a fine summer

There's more...