"Where you decide to put your time and attention says a lot about who you are." 2007

That's what Merlin Mann said in a great recent lecture at Google which he's kindly made available as part of his Inbox Zero series of posts.

So I was thinking about that, as well as the good practical email management advice from his talk, and I realized that one thing I really care about is science. But I have not been investing a proportional amount of my time into science compared to my interest in it.

I thought "Where do I have room in my day to fit in some science without pushing out something else that also matters to me or which I choose to make important in order to pay my bills and have some sort of career?"

Hello, commute!

And hello again, cute pink 4gb iPod which was a present from my friends Edmond & Shannon a few years back when they shared my place while escrow on their place cleared. I'd been neglecting it and only remembering about it when I was on the bus next to some incredibly banal and annoying conversation - usually one side of a cellphone conversation at that.

I'm now subscribing to a whopping 10 new podcasts in addition to the lovely 60-Second Science which I had already been enjoying on my laptop. And boy do I listen to them! Somehow even though my brain is sick of email and articles by the end of the workday (or in anticipation of it), listening to even fairly complex discourse is thoroughly enjoyable.

I've signed up for
- NOVA scienceNOW
- Ockham's Razor (the August 5th piece on Abolishing Weapons of Terror was very good)
- Point of Inquiry
- Science @ NASA Feature Stories
- Science & the City (from which I particularly enjoyed last Friday's episode with Alan Walker on The Search for "The Missing Link", a really top-notch ramble through physical anthropology. Highly recommended!)
- Science Friday
- Science Talk: The Podcast of Scientific American (and now I will out myself as a new huge admirer of Steve Mirsky's writing/delivery, both when he's seriously sharing knowledge and when he's barely restraining his sarcasm on, for example, people who play the lottery & their understanding of probability </fangirl>)
- Science Times
- Science Update Podcast weekly edition
and
- This Week In Science

You can get all these, as well as Merlin Manns 43 Folders podcast and They Might Be Giants podcast (my other subscriptions) most easily through iTunes, but you can also download them from some website somewhere, no doubt. Google is your friend in need for that.

What do you love? Go fit a little more of it into your otherwise idle moments and get reconnected.

And if you love science too, and have recommendations for more good podcasts, please share them in the comments.

Yum! Science!

The "tragic" story of the very very rich, continued? 2007

My uncle Larry pointed me to this Kevin Drum column about wealth and tax rates from the Washington Post from April 2005. In it he presents the figures to show that "Their incomes have tripled in the past couple of decades and at the same time their tax rates have decreased by 9 percentage points. That's a pretty sweet deal in anybody's book."

Anyone seen any more updated figures? I can't imagine it's gotten any more fair (by which I mean fairer to society as a whole instead of the current bias toward the fattest of fat cats) since then.

Belatedly, Keith Olbermann's fine speech in response to the Libby commutation 2007

Bush would have had to piss on the flag to be more insulting to our democracy. He and Cheney have got to go.

The MetaGrrrl Slate 2006

Here's how I've marked up my sample ballot, barring any additional research before Tuesday morning.

Governor: Phil Angelides
Angelides seems to be more aligned with my goals for the state and I can't endorse the campaigning Schwarzenegger has done for the Republicans or its implications for commitment to true traditional American values as expressed in the Constitution and Bill of Rights.

Lieutenant Governor: John Garamendi
No brainer here. I like Garamendi's work.

Secretary of State: Debra Bowen
Her strong stance against election manipulation makes me more than happy to vote Democratic party lines here.
[Side note for this one: did anyone else think the Libertarian candidate Gail K. Lightfoot's statement in the voter information guide was a hoot? It is, in its entirety, "FULLY INFORM VOTERS." Lip service with no followthrough and delivered in an overbearing fashion; seems pretty accurate for many of my encounters with Libertarians.]

Controller: John Chiang
Very good endorsements from people I respect.

Treasurer: Bill Lockyer
Haven't heard anything to make me decide not to vote Democratic here. I recall voting for him in past elections with no subsequent wincing.

Attorney General: Jerry Brown
With pleasure. I'm a lifelong Californian and I respect the man.

Insurance Commissioner: Tom Condit
Bustamante's suspect relationship with special interest donors to his campaign sent me looking for an alternative. I think Condit's an optimist, but his goals are commendable.

Member, Board of Equalization, District 1: Betty T. Yee
Doing a fine job, from all I hear and I love her statement in the voter information booklet.

United States Senator: Dianne Feinstein (with some reluctance)
I am very unhappy about some of the choices she's made in the last half decade or so - such as supporting this horrible, unjustified war -  but she is a strong force and she's closer to the person I'd want in the position than the opposition.

United States Representative: Nancy Pelosi
Possibly the most powerful elected official in the country with whom I share more goals for the country than not.

Member State Assembly: Mark Leno
Yaaaay! Mark Leno! I really like what he does.

The whole judicial section always weirds me out a bit. It seems like a popularity contest. Sound jurisprudence, that's a reason to keep someone on the bench. Not knowing any reason to remove or applaud them, I will be skipping over this part of the ballot.

Member, Board of Education: Jane Kim (because her statement is impressive and my friend MJ is a long-time campaigner for Jane),  Kim-Shree Maufas (particularly for advocating small-by-design), and Hydra Mendoza (because this is one place where I think political ties will be useful to get resources allocated better & faster).

Member, Community College Board: Lawrence Wong, Bruce Wolfe, John Rizzo.
Seems like it's hard to go wrong with picking three from this list of candidates.
[Well, after 2 automated phone calls today - AFTER I had voted - for Bruce Wolfe, I'm really regretting that particular choice. Jeez, back the hell off, dude.]

State Measures
1A - No
This was a tough decision, but I think we need to have some flexibility to resolve state budgets and I firmly believe that schools trump freeways.

1B - Yes
Something does have to be done to address pollution and seismic safety issues. I wish it was less for roads & more for transit, but it will help.

1C - Yes
I support Habitat for Humanity and the Emergency Housing Consortium and they support 1C.

1D - Yes
We've got to do something to start making up for the damage Prop 13 did. I would rather restore the property taxes, particularly on corporate property, but bonds apparently is the best way to get the money approved in this "charge it" culture. At least this is once case where it isn't completely ridiculous to pass the costs on to the next generation...

1E - Yes
You'd have to be an idiot not to see that safe drinking water is absolutely critical and that it's in significant danger in the event of a major earthquake. Yes, this is something that we should be getting federal money for, but the current administration is blowing it all on a war they had to lie to get us into. This may be too little too late, but it may save some lives and some homes.

83 - No
Completely impractical. How about spending the money this would take instead on efforts to reduce the kind of dysfunctional situations that lead to sex crimes?

84 - Yes
Another important one; it's all about the water.

85 - No
I do so wish the bloody conservatives would put a tenth the interest into the well-being of the born as they do the unborn.

86 - Yes
Tax the shit out of the damn coffin nails. If the only way to get people to quit ruining their health and that of people around them is to make them outrageously expensive, then fine. The whining about the "tax on the poor" arguments carry no weight with me - cigarettes do no one any good and have a significant health care cost impact for the state. It's the addiction to smoking itself which is the real unnecessary "tax".

87 - Hell yes!
About time; it should have been done 30 years ago. This is a good investment. Yes, it will probably wind up making some folks rich off new alternative fuel sources. So be it. We don't have time not to solve this problem and if they're at least rich off something domestically available that'd be a fine start.

88 - Yes
Property tax is an appropriate way to fund schools. As usual, the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association is a good indication for me that I want to vote the opposite way they recommend.

89 - leaning to No
This is a tough one. Right intentions, but potentially very bad implementation.

90 - No
And this one was easy. Have you seen the lineup of organizations & individuals opposing this? Most impressive.

Local Propositions
A - Yes
A good companion to 1D

B - Yes
No brainer. Just catching up with technology.

C - Yes
This is a fair wage increase.

D - No
People I respect say this is a badly constructed proposition and could do more harm than good. Jennifer Granick's slate said:

The intent of this proposition is to stop the City from disclosing or selling personal information. Like most propositions, it is half-assedly drafted. Media law experts believe it has the potential to conflict with the Sunshine Ordinance and could be interpreted to bar the public disclosure of information that ought to be public. Protecting private information is important, but it has to properly define what is protected.

E - Yes
Cars have an enormous impact on a city and should pay disproportionately to pedestrian and transit users.

F - No
Places an unreasonable demand on small businesses

G - No
Inappropriate government interference in free trade and neighborhood decision making.

H - No
Places a completely unreasonable demand on landlords. People would be trying to get evicted with this one in place!

I - No
What a waste of paper and an example of bad government relationships!

J - Yes
I do believe that George W. Bush and Dick Cheney have criminally violated their oaths of office. Does a city statement make a difference? Maybe, maybe not, but someone's got to stand up and say what they have done is wrong.

K - Yes
This statement, on the other hand, implies an action being taken when in fact it doesn't put anything binding in place. I think it shouldn't have been on the ballot, but it's not a bad statement.

Assessor-Recorder: Phil Ting
Seems to be doing fine and has good endorsements.

Public Defender: Jeff Adachi
Sounds like he's doing a very good job and should be given time to continue his projects.

Member, Board of Supervisors: Bevan Dufty
I like Bevan Dufty; I think he does a very good job. I've been increasingly put off by Alix Rosenthal's campaign and even more so by her machinations over the Halloween hullabaloo. First she was slamming Dufty for trying to end the party early and control it, then after the shooting incident she flipped to slamming him for not doing enough. I have no faith that she cares about the neighborhood. Dufty obviously does, deeply.

Giving gifts that really matter 2005

Haven't done your holiday shopping yet? Or feeling gloomy over putting out money for things that someone might not really like or need? Do something better with your money and make a real difference in someone's life.

Loan someone some money - as little as $25! - to help start a business using Kiva, a site supporting microcredit in the developing world. These are peer-to-peer loans, which I love partly because of the "small scale making a big difference" factor but especially for the recognition that people in less wealthy countries are our peers.
- Kiva.org site
--- Read about Unity Grocery, one of the businesses currently repaying a loan through Kiva
- Alternet story about Kiva
- Daily Kos mention of Kiva along with lots of other microcredit opportunities

Sponsor a child to provide funding for education, health care and nutritious food.
- My family has done this for as long as I can remember through Christian Children's Fund

Give a family the gift of independence with farm animals and training from Heifer Project International. They have projects in agroecology, animal management, disaster rehabilitation, gender equity, HIV-AIDS, microenterprise and urban agriculture.
- Try giving animals as gifts in someone's name. Some family gets a huge boost in their household economy and your friend gets a goat with none of the bother of the actual goat!
- Contribute to my dropcash campaign and help me raise $1000 for Women in Livestock Development

Help someone get into their own home by supporting Habitat for Humanity. They help get people into their own home through building projects around the world.
- Donate money and/or volunteer your time to help a project

And don't forget the small things you can do every day of the year to make a difference:
- shop in locally owned businesses
- eat locally grown food
- boycott products produced with sweatshop labor
- support fair trade products
and please tip your waitress.

More ideas? Please add them in the comments!

The Tyranny of Structurelessness 2005

One of the interesting posts over in that thar LiveJournal I've been reading was one from 2002 in which Gordon ranted engagingly about the pleasure of good honest sarcasm and pointed comments when compared with the "passive aggressive, new age, pseudo-therapeutic, bullshit masquerading as 'communication'" found in some hippie groups.

My frustration with this zine [Communities Journal of Cooperative Living] is that I agree with the importance of communication and process (I work and live collectively myself), but this issue mostly presents issues of power and language in a way that would make any sane person run for their lives. Words and phrases like "having a clearing", "checking out a fantasy" (not as titillating as it sounds), "non-violent communication" and "pushing my own buttons" do damage to the language and, in my humble opinion, hide the power of skilled manipulators by creating a new set of rules in the name of clarity and process. Unintentionally funny at times, but mostly useful as a flashing neon sign saying "DANGER! If you’re not a hippie, new-ager, or needy process queen STAY AWAY!"

Go read the subsequent example if this kind of stuff entertains you as much as it does me.

In fact, the answers to most of the problems posed in these pages are all about looking within for answers. Introspection and self-examination have their place of course, but inward looking thought combined with a paranoid obsession with process and "non-violent communication" always leaves me looking for who’s really in control. Tools for "democracy" can become tools of manipulation rather easily, especially as language is rarefied into more and more esoteric constructions. In these situations, it’s usually the most skilled at word games who can keep deflecting issues away from their own actions and towards their feelings.

"When you got mad at me for partying and waking you up, it made me feel that you don’t appreciate all the work I do to make Commune X a wonderful place. It makes me feel like you think I’m a bad person. Do you think I’m a bad person?"

As for process, read "The Tyranny of Structurelessness"  and move on. Even if the author is some reform Democrat these days, It’s the best thing ever written about collective process.

So I did go off and read that fascinating 1970 contemplation of the influence of group structure (or lack of it) on the women's movement. I thought this was a particularly interesting insight and a suggestion as to how the internet may enable the kind of individual communication which promotes philosophical change, but not necessarily political change:

The more unstructured a movement is, the less control it has over the directions in which it develops and the political actions in which it engages. This does not mean that its ideas do not spread. Given a certain amount of interest by the media and the appropriateness of social conditions, the ideas will still be diffused widely. But diffusion of ideas does not mean they are implemented; it only means they are talked about. Insofar as they can be applied individually they may be acted upon; insofar as they require co-ordinated political power to be implemented, they will not be.

This ability to apply ideas individually is certainly a big part of the success of projects like MoveOn.org and its counterparts elsewhere in the political spectrum, but I don't think the internet solves all problems and allows informally structured groups to apply tremendous and sustainable power.

Consider this:

As long as the women's liberation movement stays dedicated to a form of organisation which stresses small, inactive discussion groups among friends, the worst problems of unstructuredness will not be felt. But this style of organisation has its limits; it is politically inefficacious, exclusive and discriminatory against those women who are not or cannot be tied into the friendship networks. Those who do not fit into what already exists because of class, race, occupation, parental or marital status, or personality will inevitably be discouraged from trying to participate. Those who do not fit in will develop vested interests in maintaining things as they are.

Is that like or unlike what we find on the Web?

This I Believe 2005

Like Penn Jillette, I believe there is no God.

Having taken that step, it informs every moment of my life. I'm not greedy. I have love, blue skies, rainbows and Hallmark cards, and that has to be enough. It has to be enough, but it's everything in the world and everything in the world is plenty for me. It seems just rude to beg the invisible for more. Just the love of my family that raised me and the family I'm raising now is enough that I don't need heaven. I won the huge genetic lottery and I get joy every day.

Believing there's no God means I can't really be forgiven except by kindness and faulty memories. That's good; it makes me want to be more thoughtful. I have to try to treat people right the first time around.

No excuses. No secret plan. No divine will. No sin. No damnation. No salvation. This is it, folks. It is what we make it.

Bloggers Without Borders, lessons learned 2005

Those of you who visited Bloggers without Borders back in December and January who have visited it in the last month or so have no doubt noticed a change; it got real quiet. This is not because Sean, Jonas and I suddenly decided it was a bad idea. It's just that it was Sean, Jonas and I doing most everything when it was hopping and we are some of the worst people you could choose for a site to depend on our full attention. We are just too busy to give it all it deserves.

Here are the lessons I've learned in taking on a major project like this:

1. You need at least one person who can devote at least 20 hours a week to it, week after week.

2. You need more than one person who knows how to make all the backend technical stuff work.

3. You need to make time for a weekly meeting - in person, chat session, on the phone, whatever - between the key people on the site where you talk about not the project of the moment or crisis du jour, but about where you're going with the site, whether you're meeting your goals (or if they've changed), and what needs to happen in the next week.

4. You need to keep a list of stuff that needs doing and the kind of person who could do it AND who can supervise the project. This will allow you to put interested volunteers to work so you can both find out if they are a good fit for the project. If they work out well, then give them more from the list or let them evolve to a more responsible position.

5. Each of the key people should have two more lists: "Things I'd like to be able to delegate" and "Things I'd like to be able to spend more time on".  This feeds into making good use of those more responsible & involved people when they come along and provides a safety valve to keep your key people from burning out.

6. You should also keep a big list of finite tasks which you can give to those people who don't have much time but do have major skill or clout. Find a way to make use of them instead of having an "all or nothing" approach to involvement.

Why are half my points lists? Yes, okay, I do like lists, but it's not just that; key people will get busy and need to drop out. They get new projects, have babies, change jobs, fall in love, get sick, or just plain need time off. It's important to get ideas out of their heads and into the group's knowledge before they fade out of the project.

Does all this mean that Bloggers without Borders will stay quiet? Not necessarily. Does it mean I may not be very involved in the next few months? Yeah, probably. Does it mean you shouldn't take on your big wild idea? Hell no. If nothing else we promoted the idea, tested the technology and, incidently, raised a pile of money for tsunami relief. I'm mighty happy about all that.

Acceptable risk? Apparently not, according to the folks who make risk assessment their business. 2005

Just came across this clause while reading my renter's insurance documentation*:

"Discharge of a nuclear weapon will be deemed a warlike act even if accidental."

Gee, even my insurance company thinks the dang things are too risky to have around at all. Maybe we could save social security AND let the fat cats keep their tax cuts if we stopped wasting all this money on nukes it's dangerous just to build? I mean, come on; it's like investing in expensive venomous snakes to defend your home. Sooner or later someone's gonna get bit.

*Yes, I actually read the policy details. Give me a frickin' medal or at least a bunch of dark chocolate.

A reminder 2005

I, an American woman, am still not considered equal under the law to any male citizen.

Eighty-five years ago, in 1920, when my grandmother was four years old, women in the United States received the right to vote, seventy-two years after that basic right had been declared by Elizabeth Cady Stanton at the first convention on woman's rights.

In 1923, and every year since, an Equal Rights Amendment to the Constitution has been fought for - and against - in Congress, but remains three states short of ratification. The states in which it has not been approved are:
Alabama
Arizona
Arkansas
Florida
Georgia
Illinois
Louisiana
Mississippi
Missouri
Nevada
North Carolina
Oklahoma
South Carolina
Utah
Virginia

I don't know how people in those states can even look themselves in the mirror.  How can you say your mother, your sister, your daughter, is not the equal under the law of any man in the state?  Because, really, that's what you're saying and that's all you're saying.

The complete text of the Equal Rights Amendment is

Section 1. Equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any state on account of sex.
Section 2. The Congress shall have the power to enforce, by appropriate legislation, the provisions of this article.
Section 3. This amendment shall take effect two years after the date of ratification.

That's it. The ERA does not invalidate state abortion laws. The ERA does not provide the right to same-sex marriages. The ERA does not make single-sex institutions illegal. It says that what's between your legs shouldn't entitle you to more or less protection under the law.

Yes, I have freedom and some legal precedent and no manifest threat against my liberty, but that is not enough. I want my basic equality declared by the country of my birth and the home of democracy.

Frederick Douglass said at that convention for the rights of woman in 1848, "All that distinguishes man as an intelligent and accountable being is equally true of woman. ... Our doctrine is that right is of no sex."

Spend in accordance with your values 2005

MetaGrrrl is anti-sweatshop. I just bought a bunch of great shirts and some nice plain cotton thermal underwear (which seems to have gotten oddly hard to find elsewhere) from American Apparel. I encourage you to visit one of their stores. The people are nice, the colors are beautiful and the retail outlets often have stuff that's not in the online catalog yet. (Unfortunately, that includes the thermal pants, so my quest for pink ones in my size continues...)

Watching the presidential debate in St. Louis from St. Louis 2004

A few observations:

The town hall format is a better one in which to learn about the candidates positions. Average people asked better questions than the moderator of the first debate.

Though Bush did much better and Kerry flubbed at least one answer this time, I think Kerry was still definitely the winner of this debate as well.

I have to wonder if the local channel 5 news team sent the guy they did to the Bush rally after the debate so there'd be some person of color on the screen. The homogeniety of the Bush supporters was truly alarming when compared to the range of ethnic backgrounds and clothing styles of the Kerry supporters in the shots panning over the crowds at their respective rallys.

Though I could have been at the Kerry rally, I'm kinda glad I stayed away from the hoopla and watched the debate in a quieter environment.

Bonus observation from watching t.v. for the first time in a long time:
Neither Jay Leno nor David Letterman has a better chance of making me laugh in five minutes than 10 seconds of surfing through my friends' websites.

I pledge... 2004

... to have sex with voters.
And nobody else.

Democracy is sexy.

This year it REALLY matters. 2004

Register to vote and remember to vote and help others to vote.

And, by the way, maybe win $100,000 for being a voter.

Don't forget: if you don't vote, you can't complain.
(And if you don't vote this time, you'll probably have plenty to complain about...)

CSS, reputation and gender 2004

In response to conversations happening at Doug and Molly's sites among others, I have to say I agree most with Angie's comments.

As someone who studied history, I do understand that to effect change you sometimes need to stir things up. G.B. Shaw said "The reasonable man is content with things as they are, therefore all progress depends on the unreasonable man." Substitute woman and we've got a good argument for not taking whatever bias or oppression we get handed.

However...

I don't see bias or oppression as pervasive among the top thinkers on CSS or even in web design in general. In my experience, these are people who do not care what's in your pants when it comes to judging your work. How do you "make the list"? Not by nepotism ("bestowal of patronage in consideration of relationship, rather than of merit")

You make the list by doing great work and/or enabling others to do great work; by being a muse and a teacher. And you don't do great work or teach because you're looking forward to the glory; you do it because good design matters. It matters.

You do it even before you're good. You do project after project after project, paid and unpaid. You continuously learn about design, actively and unconsciously through observation. You talk about it with other people who are passionate about it. That's how you get good.

If you are really exceptionally good; your work will probably get you noticed, but there are role models and there are muses. Muses are catalysts. It's not just that Doug does good work; it's that he talks about his work in a way which makes us understand and appreciate good design more. He plants the seeds for us to do better design.

This is what I think someone (Molly, I think, but I'm getting lost in too many threads) was getting at in commentary on this when talking about how weblogging can help improve diversity. Yes, you let the work speak for itself in terms of whether or not it's good, but you do speak for yourself as the creator to inform about the process of its creation. Doug's recent series about the header images in the redesign of his site is a great example.

Add to that more personal and subtle form of teaching attendence at conferences, participation on panels, writing of books, teaching of classes, and, providing you're good at it, you become respected.

It's not about stridency, about fighting for respect; it's about getting good and then sharing your strengths. If you think you can be the female Doug Bowman by getting in people's faces, then you haven't learned much about him or his design sense.

So, here we are with a short list of the most respected people in a field and there are more men than women on the list. Don't blame these men or women for that. I didn't choose to respect Doug or Eric or Dave or Molly because of their genitalia. To the best of my knowledge it plays no significant role in CSS. I respect them because not only do they do good work, they've contributed to the community so that the quality of everyone's work can be better.

What I think has come out of all these conversations is that in some, probably many, places young girls will be discouraged by adults or their peers or pop culture from being technically savvy. If you're bothered by the lack of women on that list, get out there and start visiting schools. And your message will mean a whole lot more if you don't just go in saying "I'm a woman and I want to get girls interested in technology." If the whole feminist point is that gender doesn't matter, then women need to stop giving the "even though you're a girl" part of the "you can do this" message. If a woman designer visits a class and inspires kids to become designers or even just to care about good design, that's what counts. It really doesn't matter if the ones inspired are boys or girls.

"Patriot" Act 2004

Simply put, anything that so terrifies and angers librarians that they destroy records, vow to impede federal searches, and post warnings to their patrons is probably Your Basic Bad Idea." - Dallas Morning News book critic and syndicated columnist Jerome Weeks, May 26, 2003

We're gonna be f... 2004

Run, do not walk, run to watch this clip on electronic voting from Wednesday's Daily Show with my hero, Jon Stewart. It's a lovely summary of what you need to know before casting your next ballot.

Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. 2004

At about 5pm tonight I went down and joined the impromptu protest of the halting of marriages for people of the same-sex. People were sad, but not disheartened and the march was optimistic, peaceful and very determined. Between Market & Castro and the courthouse steps it swelled from 50 to what one of the friendly cops helping everyone get there safely estimated was about 300 people. Mark Leno, Carole Migden and Mabel Tang all spoke. We heard from couples who had gotten married and those who had just missed their chance when things were stopped today. One of the men who had gotten married last month is the son of an interracial couple (Chinese/Anglo, I think he said) and he talked about how important it was for California to legalize that marriage. He said "Now my mom wants her son to stay married!"

Mabel Tang said that she'd worked late tonight making sure everything was correctly recorded and announced that they had completed 4008 marriages of same-sex couples. She said she was confident that the courts would uphold these marriages and that they'd be able to carry on with number 4009.

I am so proud to be part of this great city.

(Oh, I carried a sign I made that reads "What if they had stopped your wedding?" If you find any pictures or video of me or of Mabel Tang's speech, snag a copy for me. Thanks! I found some video of me at KTVU's site but its teensy and I can't figure out how to save it even if it wasn't).

Another lovely wedding 2004

I was so pleased to see a picture of kind and friendly Donald Bird, who I volunteered with back on February 20th, performing a ceremony for this happy couple:

(Copyright San Francisco Chronicle, photo by Liz Hafalia)

There's a sweet article about the wedding by Ilene Lelchuk which I encourage you to read. They're getting a lot of attention because the groom on the left is the estranged son of the man who authored the anti-same-sex marriage law in California. It's so sad that he won't share in his son's happiness. I mean, look at that sweet husband he's found for himself; how can you deny the love in that face? And their lovely boutonnieres are a gift from his mother-in-law. Awwww!

I was also delighted to read a quote from my friend Joe Pambianco in the Chronicle's article on the decision in San Jose to extend spousal benefits to married same-sex couples:

"You make me proud to be from San Jose today. There is a quiet majority out here who will support you in passing this measure."

Right on, Joe. So glad to hear you took time to attend the meeting and voice your support for civil rights.

At that meeting, local attorney Margaret Leonard summed it all up with this question:

I ask you very simply: if the federal Constitution did not support same-sex marriage, then why does our president want to amend it?

Recommended Reading 2004

I was reading the comments following an excellent post from Wil Wheaton (whose current and forthcoming books, Dancing Barefoot and Just A Geek, I must remember to buy) and saw the following recommendation from someone named Jim:

As an attorney, I would encourage everyone to read Loving v. Virginia, 1967 Supreme Court case. (Just Google it.) It is a short but enlightening read.

Jim's right. It's brief and highly worth reading. I even found the link for you.

Love, love, love... 2004

 	 	 	 	 	 
Marriage is love.

Go buy this great poster Derek made and help support the fight against a Constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage.

Read about my day volunteering at City Hall and check out more good links in the comments.

Preparing to vote 2004

*whew* It's a big ballot when you're carefully choosing your party central committee members. I re-registered from Green to Democrat so I could vote in the primary. As I mentioned before, I'm still voting for Dean because I want to see his delegates helping set the party platform. I support the ideals of the Dean campaign and want to see them as the ideals of the Democratic Party. However, as I also said before, after the primary I will be supporting the strongest candidate against Bush, who will almost certainly be the Democratic candidate, who is likely to be Kerry.

In case you're wrestling your way through the ballot this weekend and are also in California District 13, here's what I decided on. Maybe you'll agree, maybe you won't, but if you've been reading here a while you know my politics and this may help you decide on anything you're still sitting on the fence about.

President - Dean
Senator - Boxer (though I wish she'd fully support Newsom)
Representative - Pelosi
State Senator - Migden
State Assembly - Leno
Prop 55 - Yes
Prop 56 - Yes!
Prop 57 - No
Prop 58 - No
Measure 2 - Yes!
Yes on all city measures except:
Measure G - No
Measure J - No, no, no. I support Newsom on some things, but most definitely not on this pandering to developers.

Democratic Central Committee members:
Roger Gordon
David Serrano Sewell
Owen P. Stephens
Gerry Crowley
Holli Thier
Robert J. Haaland
Rick Hauptman
Rafael Mandelman
Ryan Clary
Tracy Baxter
Bill Barnes
Sue Bierman

Not this time. 2004

I've just sent this letter to Ralph Nader:

Dear Mr. Nader,

I supported you four years ago. I wanted to vote my conscience. By the time November rolled around, I was scared to do so. I convinced a friend in a state we were already confident would go to Gore to vote for you and I, a Californian, voted for Gore.

As we now know, it was just too close a thing for Democrats and Greens not to be more strategic with our votes. We didn't realize just how bad Bush would be. We should have known better.

This time we do. Please, don't run. Do what you can to help change the agenda, promote awareness, protect civil liberties and advance progressive thinking. The most important thing you can do is convince progressives that Bush must go. The first step is to get his administration out of power. The democratic candidate is our best hope of that.

Believe me, I am very sorry not to get to vote my conscience this time. I've been working hard on Howard Dean's campaign. I think he's done more for democracy and political participation in this country that anyone in the last 4 years, probably the last decade. I supported Matt Gonzalez for mayor of San Francisco and was so sorry to see him lose and by such a close margin. But we've learned in the past week that sometimes a less liberal candidate can surprise you. Gavin Newsom has done a wonderful thing in supporting same-sex marriage and human dignity. I don't expect to have my opinion turned around as dramatically by Kerry or Edwards, but I do know this: either leading democratic candidate would be vastly preferable to another four years of Bush and I will absolutely not tolerate another election like the last one.

What do I want you to do instead of run? Save our votes. Put your skill and credibility to work on the issue of fair voting. We know there are major issues with electronic voting mechanisms. People trust you on technical issues. Give us safer voting booths the way you gave us safer cars.

Please, Ralph, don't run.

Maybe next time, okay?

cheers,
Dinah Sanders
San Francisco, California

Dean's contribution to democracy doesn't stop here 2004

I stand with Dr. Howard Dean when he says:

First, keep active in the primary. Sending delegates to the convention only continues to energize our party. Fight on in the caucuses. We are on the ballots. Use your network to send progressive delegates to the convention in Boston. We are not going away. We are staying together, unified -- all of us.

Secondly, Dean for America will be converted into a new grassroots organization. We need everybody to stay involved. We are -- as we always have -- going to look at what you had to say about which directions we ought to be going in, and what we ought to continue to do together.

We are determined to keep this entire organization as vibrant as it has been through this campaign. There are a lot of ways to make change. We are leaving one track, but we are going on another track that will take back America for ordinary people again.

Third, there have been a lot of people who have decided to run for office locally as a result of this campaign.

We want to encourage you out there in the grassroots effort, run for office, support candidates like you who run for office, and we will use this enormous organization to support you as you run so we will change the face of democracy so that it represents ordinary Americans once again; government that will not be bought and sold.

Let me be clear, I will not run as an independent or third party candidate and I urge my supporters not to be tempted to support any effort by another candidate.

The bottom line is that we must beat George W. Bush in November whatever it takes.

I will support the nominee of our party. I will do everything I can to beat George W. Bush. I urge you to do the same.