Die Wachen

Hahahaha this is great!!! Oh my gosh I love littl...

2010-01-05T17:11:58.176-07:00

Hahahaha this is great!!! Oh my gosh I love little stories like this! the way you wrote it was fantastic! I love how i was guessing until the end!

I like Adam Fuller's 'Frankenpunk' idea. Reminds m...

2009-07-04T02:19:18.534-06:00

I like Adam Fuller's 'Frankenpunk' idea. Reminds me of a great store in Venice, CA, calld Jadis, where props of that nature are kept.

http://dogtownink.com/11/jadis/

I actually have some Clockpunk of my own from '95 I'd like to mention

http://www.digitalartform.com/archives/2009/07/fury_of_the_ill.html

How about Frankenpunk, which has a nice ring to it...

2009-03-07T22:22:00.000-07:00

How about Frankenpunk, which has a nice ring to it, and would center around a society making heavy use of Dr. Frankenstein's discoveries. Small problem: I don't know of any stories actually matching this.

But, Anonymous, that is the same logic used when p...

2009-01-20T19:45:00.000-07:00

But, Anonymous, that is the same logic used when people blame the rape victim for getting raped. "Oh, she was tempting fate with that short skirt and excessive make-up," "Well then she shouldn't have been at the bar in the first place," or "She deserves it for marrying the guy." You say that you'd partially blame the drunken man if he got mugged for letting himself be an easy target. What about a woman who wears her hair in a pony-tail, making it easier for the assailant to grab and control her? Or wears a skirt, so it's easier to be violated? Is it her fault for "making herself an easier target?" Hardly. It is the rapists/assailant's fault.

I would agree, however, that the basic concept has *some* validity. It is unwise to drink excessively in an unsafe environment and it is unfortunate that so many people do so. Yes, it's a good idea to try to educate people on their limits. But it is morally reprehensible to pin responsibility and blame on the victim just because she had a few drinks.

i think this campaign has some validity. It teache...

2008-12-26T14:26:00.000-07:00

i think this campaign has some validity. It teaches people to take responsibility for what happens in their life. Going out and getting drunk so you have barely any idea what you are doing isn't a good thing and I think the point of the campaign is to KNOW YOUR LIMITs to avoid injury and harm. Wouldn't you partially blame a man who gets drunk and then gets mugged because he allows himself to be an easy target. It is your responsibility if you weaken yourself intentionally and then place yourself in danger and thats truly what this is all about.

I am glad you are writing about the sexist nature ...

2008-12-06T09:11:00.000-07:00

I am glad you are writing about the sexist nature of this 'artist's work. I am sick and tired of artists using art as another outlet for their sexism. It even seems that the more sexist they are the more respected and popular they become and they know it!

Nevermind the dumbass who called you a 'puritan', just too retarded for words.

Nico,I think the issue of religion is one that nee...

2008-11-19T16:34:58.026-07:00

Nico,

I think the issue of religion is one that needs to be taken out of the argument all together. Marriage is a basic civil right. If someone wants to have a religious union, so be it. This argument, however, is one asking for an equal civil marriage--with all the societal freedoms and legal recognitions inherent in it.

Yes, the LDS church is a religious entity, but it is also an organization with money, power, and a mass of ready voters. Forcing religious beliefs onto a secular and civil argument is exactly what got us into this mess.

Chanel,It isn’t just an issue of semantics. Your b...

2008-11-19T16:20:20.934-07:00

Chanel,

It isn’t just an issue of semantics. Your beliefs, and those of many Christians, stem from your religion—but by forcing those beliefs on a minority group, you are preventing them from receiving basic civil rights. It isn’t an apology that is needed. Rather, the LDS church needs to stop acting like a targeted group, and start answering to the group they targeted.

With that in mind, the LDS church has been asked to provide support for six bills which will not alter their “definition of marriage,” but would expand health care, ensure fair employment and housing, remove inheritance and insurance barriers, provide domestic partner rights, and clarify Utah’s Amendment 3 (http://www.equalityutah.org/CommonGroundInitiative.html). The church was the leader in providing assistance for removing such existing rights for same-sex couples in California, but in nine days has yet to respond to the request to care for their neighbors.

Providing such rights for couples is a start, but the problem of separate but equal policies remains. Civil rights may be declared “equal” for domestic partnerships and marriage, but the system is segregated to ensure couples outside heterosexual roles are deemed lesser. Would you be willing to give up the marriage you currently have, in order to have a civil union with your husband? Are you concerned that your spiritual marriage will mean less if other couples are given the right to have a civil marriage?

Perhaps, and as Chanel says, it might be an issue ...

2008-11-19T04:48:00.000-07:00

Perhaps, and as Chanel says, it might be an issue of semantics. Yes, marriage is a holy institution. However, are there not people who being in a same sex union still believe in god? Isn't marriage also the method by which people are rejoined in the afterlife? If we are to believe that it is, then those god-fearing GLBTQ people should also have the same right to be rejoined in heaven. Perhaps I should petition god, maybe we should put prop. 8 up for a vote in heaven. Now I understand that a great number of people would interpret the bible as saying that GOD is inherently anti-gay. If attachment to dogma is made to be some sort of sacred standard, than the mormon church would still freely engage in polygamy and the exclusion of black people. Also, if god creates all people than why would he knowingly create someone of a queer sexuality whose destiny would be condemned to hell? If god loves all of his creations, and he created homosexuality, well then it must be good, and therefore the union or the marriage of same sex couples should not me condemned but condoned. Alas it is impossible to speculate on the nature of god and I as a rational human being recognize it, but those irrational people that proliferate religious institution think that got god pinned... Ah ignorance is bliss, and in some cases ignorance is power. We must look to history to see how the organization of society has become based on commodity fetishization and that even the notion of the family is not a standard throughout history, but has evolved through history as a sexist way of ordering commodities and keeping men on top. I say in the grand tradition of Moses, LET MY PEOPLE GO, or at least let them be free, free as long as it doesn't do anyone harm.

Instead of making this a war about religion (which...

2008-11-18T23:15:00.000-07:00

Instead of making this a war about religion (which I believe contributed to the amendment passing in the first place) why can't activists and prop. 8 opponents just forget about the definition of marriage (which the majority of Christians, LDS and non-LDS alike, have defined as between a man and woman) and instead work toward establishing a civil union that any two people can enter into.

Right now we are looking at an issue of semantics. As a member of the LDS church I feel that marriage is defined as a union between one man, one woman and God. That won't change for me. But I would support a law that gave homosexuals the right to form a "civil union" that gave them all the same legal and economic privileges granted to heterosexual married couples.

One last comment: To LDS church members the family is the single most important unit of society, and gender is an essential characteristic of individual identity and purpose. If what you mean when you say you want us to answer for what happened is that you want us to accept responsibility for the law passing, . . .well, it wasn't us, but we helped and we won't deny it. If, however, you mean that we should apologize, I think the fact that so many church members worked to help the law pass is a sign that no apology will be forthcoming.

P.S. In the time it took me to write this I could have written at least a thousand words for NaNoWriMo, so if you are trying to distract me from my novelling, it's working.

Brian,The LDS church was out of line and went too ...

2008-11-18T12:14:55.223-07:00

Brian,

The LDS church was out of line and went too far. I’m sure there was dissent, and agree that other faiths and cultures supported Prop. 8. Nevertheless, the LDS Church was the leading contributor in pushing this non-secular law. The response since isn’t anti-Mormonism, it’s a fight for equal marriage through peaceful assembly and free speech.

There is no evidence that envelopes or vandalism stemmed from Prop. 8 opponents, and calling these “attacks” and “domestic terrorism” is a pretentious victim stance. This may surprise you, but Mormons aren’t a “despised religious minority” anymore. In fact, most Americans don’t think much about Mormons until they knock on our doors (and then it’s just with irritation), or decide to become unelected moral authority over marriage.

The LDS Church needs to stop acting the martyr. It’s dishonest and offensive--not only to the minority group they are targeting, but to their own history.

"Hetero-normative." Amazing how smoothly that word...

2008-11-17T10:22:00.000-07:00

"Hetero-normative." Amazing how smoothly that word's become acceptable and common in our society. I'm Mormon, but I honestly don't care who marries who. I actually thought the LDS church, with its actions, and Orson Scott Card, with his editorials, were out of line in the days leading up to the Proposition 8 vote. I thought they'd gone way too far. But the amazing level of anti-Mormonism that I've seen spring up since then has made me wonder why I bother being tolerant. I don't believe for a minute Mormons were singled out for supporting Prop 8; we were singled out because we're a despised religious minority and most people on either side of the political spectrum won't lift a finger to defend us. Start protesting and attacking Catholics and Evangelical Christians, or maybe some of the other 98.2% of the state that largely voted "yes" on the issue, and I'll believe it's actually about Prop 8 and not about cashing in on anti-Mormonism to further your own political ends. And for the record, not even all of the LDS 1.8% of California's population voted "yes" on Prop 8. There was a lot of dissension within the church on this issue. We're individuals with our own minds, believe it or not. I think it was when two LDS Temples received envelopes with white powder that I finally stopped and said, "Wow, maybe Orson Scott Card's delusional rantings were on the mark."
http://archive.deseretnews.com/article/1,5143,705262822,00.html?pg=

I honestly don't see how it degrades woman, his wo...

2008-10-28T04:24:00.000-06:00

I honestly don't see how it degrades woman, his work seems nothing but a man's sexual frustration and love of woman.. let's also remind ourselves that these are not WOMEN at all - they are paint on a canvas. and why do you assume that the liquid coming from his characters belly buttons is semen? has he told you this? it could be any type of body liquid, he usually paints it pink!

I'm a woman and I don't find his work "degrading" at all.

Glad you liked it.Good catch on the typo. I've fix...

2008-09-26T16:37:29.405-06:00

Glad you liked it.

Good catch on the typo. I've fixed it, but... yeah, that one could have served to confuse. Thanks.

Feel free to use the article. It’s available under a Creative Commons License so it can be copied, distributed and transmitted, as long as it isn’t for commercial purposes and my words aren’t changed. Just be sure to attribute me if you print it or post it anywhere.

This article is dope.. you should totally let me u...

2008-09-26T15:33:00.000-06:00

This article is dope.. you should totally let me use it in the struggle.. watch the typos tho..

Dave

very interesting. I am always keen to see good wri...

2008-08-14T10:46:00.000-06:00

very interesting. I am always keen to see good writing turned into comics and films.

See? I wish I were like that. If it had been me,...

2008-07-21T23:16:00.000-06:00

See? I wish I were like that. If it had been me, I would have 1. given her a death ray glare 2. commented to whomever was with me about over population, how the gene pool was getting shallow, and how I thought there was a need for reproduction control. Might have thrown in a few curse words, something about sheep, and walked away.

Oh, and it would have all been said so she could hear.

But I'm passive aggressive like that. You're much more direct. Good job!

Wish granted.

2008-07-19T17:53:09.437-06:00

Wish granted.

I would love to hear the story behind this rant.

2008-07-19T09:31:00.000-06:00

I would love to hear the story behind this rant.

Yes, in fact, it is. Harder to write than you migh...

2008-07-11T17:52:21.354-06:00

Yes, in fact, it is. Harder to write than you might think.

I liked the exploratory nature of your initial pos...

2008-07-09T20:27:00.000-06:00

I liked the exploratory nature of your initial post better than the argumentative nature this one adopts.

I think the most interesting thing about both posts is you systematic dissection of something as complicated as wanting children.

You list seven motivations for reproducing, and for the life of me, I can't imagine someone who has children based on any individual reason. A combination of all seven seems more likely.

People are complicated. Most of the time they don't even know why they feel the way they feel. And if they think they do, they are often wrong.

I could probably list at least 50 very personal and emotional things that motivate me to want children. (sample: 1-I just like kids and want to be around them more. 2-My nieces and nephews are cute. 3-I want to share the pregnancy/childbirth experience with the women who have come before me. 4-I am curious as to what my kids will look like.)The important thing is that I make my own decision and fully accept it.

So, if the purpose of this post is to fully come to accept your personal decision, good for you. If the purpose is to convince others to agree with you, good luck.

I doubt your reasonings will carry much weight against those who disagree.

So, is this a Haibun?

2008-07-09T19:52:00.000-06:00

So, is this a Haibun?

Yes, I know, it's not the truth, but in a great hi...

2008-07-08T22:47:00.000-06:00

Yes, I know, it's not the truth, but in a great history little truths can be altered so that the greater truth emerges.
~Umberto Eco, Baudolino, Chapter 40

Special thanks to Jeff Winke (www.jeffwinke.com) f...

2008-07-07T17:33:05.636-06:00

Special thanks to Jeff Winke (www.jeffwinke.com) for his assistance in creating a more accurate definition for haibun.

I fail the memoir game. It's been a week and I sti...

2008-07-01T13:49:00.000-06:00

I fail the memoir game. It's been a week and I still can't do one.

I tried I tried I tried.

there. best I can do.