Do you think we Americans would ever get off our fat asses to protest a stolen election? I look at the faces in the crowds of Kiev and I wonder if we are still capable of exhibiting mass displays of righteous indignation. The long decades of peace and frivolity we’ve had in this country may have robbed us of our capacity to feel passionate about much of anything anymore. Oh, I know we were supposed to be really tuned into the last election, that this was the first time lots of people voted. But I’m feeling cynical right now. I think that more people are thinking about how much they can afford to charge on their credit card this Xmas than they’re thinking about the big issues.
You know, big issues–like the potential collapse of our debt-ridden economy. And then last night I was watching Charlie Rose and he was interviewing some former Microsoft exec who now dabbles in policymaking. He was forcefully making the point that the technological barriers to creating bioweapons are very low and could be surmounted by a small, determined group of zealots. Nothing like some apocalyptic foreshadowing before bed.

The shooting rampage that occurred in western Wisconsin (maybe 75-100 miles east of Minneapolis) has received a lot of coverage in the local media over the last day. I’m as mystified as everyone else about the shooter’s motive. Deer hunting is a big deal in these parts. A lot of families will take their kids out of school for extended periods during hunting season. But I have no idea if these murders really had anything to do with hunting. Neighbors of the suspect describe him as a quiet man who kept to himself. Is it ever the loud, gregarious types who snap and go on shooting sprees? Just once, I want to hear about a mass murderer who is the office clown or who always threw the best block parties.
Managed to smash my foot into an elevator door today. I can’t seem to go more than a few months without brutalizing one of my feet. If it wasn’t for the ascetics and my aversion to surgery, I’d have the damn things chopped off. Besides being the raison d’etre for my shoes and socks, they aren’t really doing anyone much good.
Why do I still have my VCR? I think it’s been a year since I last used it. If I want to capture something off television, I’ll either use my TiVo or bittorrent it. All the VHS movies I have could easily be replaced with DVDs. I suppose I want to be prepared for some kind of analog emergency, but one of these days I should consign it to the dustbin of irrelevant technology.

Holy crap! Target is selling anal massages for only $35.96! That’s a steal, trust me. My last anal massage set me back at least fifty bucks. But do I have to actually go to the store to get my massage, or will they deliver it to my home? And who actually does the massage? A matronly-looking Swedish woman or some sweaty ex-con named Buck?
I predict that someone in the Target IT department is going to get a pink slip in five…four…three…

I recently wrote about a multi-year grant that my employer was being awarded. Today, I found out that I have to go to Baltimore next month to meet with representatives from CMS and discuss the details of implementing the grant. Never been to Baltimore before. When I was finishing law school, I applied for a fellowship at Johns Hopkins but wasn’t accepted. I know the best crab cakes are supposed to be had in Baltimore. And it’s the city where Edgar Allen Poe did most of his writing. Baltimore in December doesn’t sound exactly charming, but it should be interesting nonetheless. My only concern is that I’d like to bring two nurses with me for the trip. After Miami, I’ve realized how much easier it is to travel with two people, especially when there’s a flight involved. I’ll have to see what I can negotiate with my employer.
This is too cool. Kevin Kling, a writer and storyteller from Minnesota, is profiled on the BBC. You may have heard Kevin on NPR from time to time, where he is a frequent contributor. Kevin is an artist with a disability, but his disability is the least interesting thing about him. I shared a table with him at a recent fundraiser and I listened to some of his stories about visiting Turkey. Kevin is a sophisticated observer of human behavior and his stories are so much fun to listen to because he knows how to play off the audience’s emotions. If you’re in the UK and have an interest in storytelling, you should really try to go see him.

There have been some grumblings in Democratic circles that the issue of gay marriage may have cost us the election. If ever there was a red herring to rationalize our loss, this is it. In states that had ballot initiatives banning gay marriage, Bush improved his level of support by the same margin as in states without gay marriage on the ballot. Bush simply did a better job of selling himself than our guy did. But we Democrats always love a good scapegoat on which to pin our electoral frustrations. The issue of gay marriage may be this year’s Nader, which is completely unfair to gay activists. We have already won this culture war. I am convinced that the antipathy towards gays is more of a generational issue than a religious issue. Once the Boomers start shuffling off this mortal coil, we’ll probably look back and wonder what all the fuss was about. In the meantime, people in red and blue states will continue to live and work alongside gay neighbors and colleagues. Let the wingnuts like Dobson have their final hurrah. Call me naive, but I believe that most Americans are decent, fair-minded people who won’t go along with the repressive policies of a hateful few.