![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
Aug. 13th, 2008
Let us *not* be doing this dumb shit.
Aug. 13th, 2008 05:18 pmThe Bush administration, not content to deny family-planning assistance to women in other countries, appear to be taking a swing at access to contraception here in the US. For double bonus points, they're doing it in a sneaky, underhanded way, equating contraception with abortion in the Department of Health and Human Services rulebook, rather than trying to ban the pill outright.
Now, I don't have to tell you how fucked up this is, do I? How restricting access to contraception increases the number of abortions, and, quite aside from that, rolls back women's rights as human beings by decades? No, I didn't think so. Normally we don't talk politics here, but kids, I get a little upset when people with lower IQs and less general competence than my humble self tell me I'm just a walking incubator, not a real person, or that only the people built on the penis-having chassis are allowed to have sex without being punished for it. So there we are.
What can we do? Probably not much. I signed a petition addressed to the Secretary of Health and Human Services, but that office is not famous for responding to public pressure. I'll be writing a personal letter later on today to same Secretary, and also to anybody I have the vaguest feeling might represent me in the legislature. I'm telling you lot. I'll also be going back to making a small, but regular donation to Planned Parenthood. I encourage you to take similar steps.
And furthermore, I'm gonna reiterate my #1 rule in this matter: Just Say No to Sex With Pro-Lifers. "Aw, honey, you're against contraception? Well, I guess I won't be screwing you until I feel like having a baby, then. Sorry about that."
Now, I don't have to tell you how fucked up this is, do I? How restricting access to contraception increases the number of abortions, and, quite aside from that, rolls back women's rights as human beings by decades? No, I didn't think so. Normally we don't talk politics here, but kids, I get a little upset when people with lower IQs and less general competence than my humble self tell me I'm just a walking incubator, not a real person, or that only the people built on the penis-having chassis are allowed to have sex without being punished for it. So there we are.
What can we do? Probably not much. I signed a petition addressed to the Secretary of Health and Human Services, but that office is not famous for responding to public pressure. I'll be writing a personal letter later on today to same Secretary, and also to anybody I have the vaguest feeling might represent me in the legislature. I'm telling you lot. I'll also be going back to making a small, but regular donation to Planned Parenthood. I encourage you to take similar steps.
And furthermore, I'm gonna reiterate my #1 rule in this matter: Just Say No to Sex With Pro-Lifers. "Aw, honey, you're against contraception? Well, I guess I won't be screwing you until I feel like having a baby, then. Sorry about that."
Let us *not* be doing this dumb shit.
Aug. 13th, 2008 05:18 pmThe Bush administration, not content to deny family-planning assistance to women in other countries, appear to be taking a swing at access to contraception here in the US. For double bonus points, they're doing it in a sneaky, underhanded way, equating contraception with abortion in the Department of Health and Human Services rulebook, rather than trying to ban the pill outright.
Now, I don't have to tell you how fucked up this is, do I? How restricting access to contraception increases the number of abortions, and, quite aside from that, rolls back women's rights as human beings by decades? No, I didn't think so. Normally we don't talk politics here, but kids, I get a little upset when people with lower IQs and less general competence than my humble self tell me I'm just a walking incubator, not a real person, or that only the people built on the penis-having chassis are allowed to have sex without being punished for it. So there we are.
What can we do? Probably not much. I signed a petition addressed to the Secretary of Health and Human Services, but that office is not famous for responding to public pressure. I'll be writing a personal letter later on today to same Secretary, and also to anybody I have the vaguest feeling might represent me in the legislature. I'm telling you lot. I'll also be going back to making a small, but regular donation to Planned Parenthood. I encourage you to take similar steps.
And furthermore, I'm gonna reiterate my #1 rule in this matter: Just Say No to Sex With Pro-Lifers. "Aw, honey, you're against contraception? Well, I guess I won't be screwing you until I feel like having a baby, then. Sorry about that."
Now, I don't have to tell you how fucked up this is, do I? How restricting access to contraception increases the number of abortions, and, quite aside from that, rolls back women's rights as human beings by decades? No, I didn't think so. Normally we don't talk politics here, but kids, I get a little upset when people with lower IQs and less general competence than my humble self tell me I'm just a walking incubator, not a real person, or that only the people built on the penis-having chassis are allowed to have sex without being punished for it. So there we are.
What can we do? Probably not much. I signed a petition addressed to the Secretary of Health and Human Services, but that office is not famous for responding to public pressure. I'll be writing a personal letter later on today to same Secretary, and also to anybody I have the vaguest feeling might represent me in the legislature. I'm telling you lot. I'll also be going back to making a small, but regular donation to Planned Parenthood. I encourage you to take similar steps.
And furthermore, I'm gonna reiterate my #1 rule in this matter: Just Say No to Sex With Pro-Lifers. "Aw, honey, you're against contraception? Well, I guess I won't be screwing you until I feel like having a baby, then. Sorry about that."
Informal Feasibility Study!
Aug. 13th, 2008 09:11 pmI thought about having this locked down to just the KC folks, but what the hell, some of the rest of you might be interested, too.
Here's the deal: Every year, forever, the Gaia Community has done an arts-and-crafts show (the Winter Bazaar, if you've been following along) as a winter fund-raiser. Every year, we make about $1000 on this event. We have put a lot of work into making it bigger and better, which means that we make more money every year, but it also costs more money (and more time) every year, leaving us with a steady profit of, yep, $1000. Getting volunteers to assist with the thing is difficult, getting someone to manage the thing is nigh impossible. Attendance is generally poor. So I'm thinking, this sucks, let's not do it anymore. If we don't do it, we need to come up with some other fund-raising concept that will make at least $1000 profit for the organization.
![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
zylch and I spent some time this evening kicking around the idea of having a Yule Ball, some sort of reasonably upscale (but not obnoxiously upscale) costume and/or fancy dress party experience instead. There would be music and dancing and probably food, and possibly a silent auction and/or raffle. It would be a holiday party that you could take your significant other(s) to, regardless of gender, number, or preferred lifestyle arrangement. It would have a magical theme (possibly but not necessarily something Harry-Potter-ish). There is every possibility that there would be games and/or some sort of participatory art experience. There would be a door charge, previously mentioned silent auction/raffle, and possibly sales of non-alcoholic beverages (because we probably can't get a liquor license).
The thing is, we've not done an event like this. I have no sense at all of whether there would be enough interest in it to make it work or not. Hence, a preliminary investigation, very unofficial. Feel free to comment further on the concept. (Also, if you really love the Winter Bazaar, feel free to defend its continued existence. Nothing's been decided yet at all.)
[Poll #1241479]
Here's the deal: Every year, forever, the Gaia Community has done an arts-and-crafts show (the Winter Bazaar, if you've been following along) as a winter fund-raiser. Every year, we make about $1000 on this event. We have put a lot of work into making it bigger and better, which means that we make more money every year, but it also costs more money (and more time) every year, leaving us with a steady profit of, yep, $1000. Getting volunteers to assist with the thing is difficult, getting someone to manage the thing is nigh impossible. Attendance is generally poor. So I'm thinking, this sucks, let's not do it anymore. If we don't do it, we need to come up with some other fund-raising concept that will make at least $1000 profit for the organization.
zylch and I spent some time this evening kicking around the idea of having a Yule Ball, some sort of reasonably upscale (but not obnoxiously upscale) costume and/or fancy dress party experience instead. There would be music and dancing and probably food, and possibly a silent auction and/or raffle. It would be a holiday party that you could take your significant other(s) to, regardless of gender, number, or preferred lifestyle arrangement. It would have a magical theme (possibly but not necessarily something Harry-Potter-ish). There is every possibility that there would be games and/or some sort of participatory art experience. There would be a door charge, previously mentioned silent auction/raffle, and possibly sales of non-alcoholic beverages (because we probably can't get a liquor license). The thing is, we've not done an event like this. I have no sense at all of whether there would be enough interest in it to make it work or not. Hence, a preliminary investigation, very unofficial. Feel free to comment further on the concept. (Also, if you really love the Winter Bazaar, feel free to defend its continued existence. Nothing's been decided yet at all.)
[Poll #1241479]
Informal Feasibility Study!
Aug. 13th, 2008 09:11 pmI thought about having this locked down to just the KC folks, but what the hell, some of the rest of you might be interested, too.
Here's the deal: Every year, forever, the Gaia Community has done an arts-and-crafts show (the Winter Bazaar, if you've been following along) as a winter fund-raiser. Every year, we make about $1000 on this event. We have put a lot of work into making it bigger and better, which means that we make more money every year, but it also costs more money (and more time) every year, leaving us with a steady profit of, yep, $1000. Getting volunteers to assist with the thing is difficult, getting someone to manage the thing is nigh impossible. Attendance is generally poor. So I'm thinking, this sucks, let's not do it anymore. If we don't do it, we need to come up with some other fund-raising concept that will make at least $1000 profit for the organization.
zylch and I spent some time this evening kicking around the idea of having a Yule Ball, some sort of reasonably upscale (but not obnoxiously upscale) costume and/or fancy dress party experience instead. There would be music and dancing and probably food, and possibly a silent auction and/or raffle. It would be a holiday party that you could take your significant other(s) to, regardless of gender, number, or preferred lifestyle arrangement. It would have a magical theme (possibly but not necessarily something Harry-Potter-ish). There is every possibility that there would be games and/or some sort of participatory art experience. There would be a door charge, previously mentioned silent auction/raffle, and possibly sales of non-alcoholic beverages (because we probably can't get a liquor license).
The thing is, we've not done an event like this. I have no sense at all of whether there would be enough interest in it to make it work or not. Hence, a preliminary investigation, very unofficial. Feel free to comment further on the concept. (Also, if you really love the Winter Bazaar, feel free to defend its continued existence. Nothing's been decided yet at all.)
[Poll #1241479]
Here's the deal: Every year, forever, the Gaia Community has done an arts-and-crafts show (the Winter Bazaar, if you've been following along) as a winter fund-raiser. Every year, we make about $1000 on this event. We have put a lot of work into making it bigger and better, which means that we make more money every year, but it also costs more money (and more time) every year, leaving us with a steady profit of, yep, $1000. Getting volunteers to assist with the thing is difficult, getting someone to manage the thing is nigh impossible. Attendance is generally poor. So I'm thinking, this sucks, let's not do it anymore. If we don't do it, we need to come up with some other fund-raising concept that will make at least $1000 profit for the organization.
zylch and I spent some time this evening kicking around the idea of having a Yule Ball, some sort of reasonably upscale (but not obnoxiously upscale) costume and/or fancy dress party experience instead. There would be music and dancing and probably food, and possibly a silent auction and/or raffle. It would be a holiday party that you could take your significant other(s) to, regardless of gender, number, or preferred lifestyle arrangement. It would have a magical theme (possibly but not necessarily something Harry-Potter-ish). There is every possibility that there would be games and/or some sort of participatory art experience. There would be a door charge, previously mentioned silent auction/raffle, and possibly sales of non-alcoholic beverages (because we probably can't get a liquor license). The thing is, we've not done an event like this. I have no sense at all of whether there would be enough interest in it to make it work or not. Hence, a preliminary investigation, very unofficial. Feel free to comment further on the concept. (Also, if you really love the Winter Bazaar, feel free to defend its continued existence. Nothing's been decided yet at all.)
[Poll #1241479]