“I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just”
–Thomas Jefferson

Seeing as how I’m supposed to be reading for school and not for fun, it took me the better part of the semester to read this anthology. But that was a okay, as it allowed me to enjoy it for longer, and going back to look at some of the stories as I wrote this, it was like reading them all over again.

The Faery Reel edited by Ellen Datlow & Terri Windling

Any time I see a fantasy anthology edited by Ellen Datlow and Terri Windling, I’ll often as not pick it up, because I know that it’s going to be good. Usually very good.

Read More about The Faery Reel

As I said previously, there is a lot out there right now about “what went wrong.” There are also lots of suggestions about what to do about it, including the “blue states” seceding from the “red states”. To which I reply: Excuse me? My state just elected a Democratic governor by the biggest margin EVER, and sends Robert Byrd and Jay Rockefeller to the Senate. Two of our three representatives are Democrats. Our state legislate is dominated by Democrats and local politics are dominated by Democrats.

Did you think that maybe, just maybe, the fault lies in the national party more than it does in the populations of the states that voted for Bush?

But this post isn’t about laying blame. It doesn’t matter who was at fault, if anyone. What matters is what were going to do about it in the future.

Lots of people are talking about activism and getting out there and “doing something.” Well, that’s great to hear, but I’ll be more impressed if I’m still hearing that in six months, and I’ll be really impressed if I actually see people out there doing things.

So it boils down to what exactly should we be doing? I’ve seen lots of comments about giving money to the Democratic party, and even people suggesting that we need to get out and help people. Something that I’ve been saying for awhile, and I’m glad to hear. But it seems to me that many of the same people who complain about the “ignorance” of the voters have their own blind spots.

So what do I think people should do?

Pay attention to what’s going on in our own backyards. People are (justifiably) upset over the way companies like Nike have treated their workers. But few people seem to pay any attention to the way that workers are treated in the US.

The minimum wage is only $5.15 and has not been raised since 1996. If you’ve never worked a minimum wage job, tried to live on minimum wages, I don’t think you can really understand how little money that actually is. So one place to start is to fight to raise the minimum wage, to make it a living wage.

Then go and actually look at the places that pay minimum wage. Look at how they treat their employees. And go read Eric Schlosser‘s Fast Food Nation. See if you can find out what chain restaurants in your area offer benefits to their employees. (Certainties in this area are Eat ‘n’ Park and Ruby Tuesdays.) Find out what places treat their employees decently.

Then: STOP GOING TO PLACES THAT DON’T TREAT THEIR EMPLOYEES DECENTLY.

It’s not difficult. Stop going to McDonald’s and other fast food places. When you go out to eat, avoid chains that don’t offer benefits to their employees. It’s work, finding out what places offer benefits and what places don’t, but it seems to me that if we truly believe in social justice it’s our duty to do this.

Then take a look at other things you buy. Do you know why your food prices are so low? (Again, see Eric Schlosser’s Fast Food Nation.) When people ask me why I don’t eat mammals, they really don’t want to know the answer. It is disturbing not only the way that animals are treated by our big food corporations, but that these places don’t treat humans any better. Again, I recommend Eric Schlosser, especially Chapter 8 The Most Dangerous Job.

If we insist on paying artificially low prices for our food, then those involved in food production are going to be taken advantage of more and more.

And the same goes for other products. Americans, it seems to me, are unwilling to pay in any way, shape, or form, to make sure that their fellow Americans have decent living conditions. We don’t want to pay higher prices to guarantee that workers have benefits, while at the same time we refuse to provide health care to those who work yet have no health insurance.

We cannot have it both ways.

So what I would ask my fellow Democrats who are in despair and wondering what to do, is to put their money where their mouth is. Stop going to places like McDonald’s and Wal Mart that have a history of treating their employees badly. Start buying products that are environmentally responsible, which means buying organic, buying sustainable, and buying from places that treat their employees well.

Will it change the political process? Not really. But it may make life better for our fellow Americans, and maybe next time we’ll have a better understanding of those who we are so willing right now to label “ignorant” and “fools.”

Last night’s Ethics and Law class was very interesting. We discussed human rights and poverty.

Did you know that the majority of welfare recipients are white women with children? Or that women on welfare have fewer children than the average American? Or that: “(o)f black women considered ‘highly dependent,’ that is, on welfare for more than seven years, 81 percent of their daughters grow up to live productive lives off the welfare rolls.”

Did you know that in the US the fastest growing group in poverty is children?

from:
Weston, Anthony. “A 21st Century Ethical Toolbox” (2001) Oxford University Press, New York.

But at least our corporate welfare system is working well.

It seems like half the places I like to read are asking “what went wrong” and “what’s wrong with the Democratic party”?

Lots of ideas, but nothing concrete, and nothing that strikes me as particularly helpful useful.

My thoughts are this: I wasn’t pleased when Kerry was nominated. I had nothing personal against him, but I felt that he wasn’t the best candidate–that he wasn’t going to appeal to the voters needed to win the election.

That led me to wonder if perhaps something is wrong with our primary process. Which led me to this question:

How much of a say do the swing states–those states where the election was close (or should have been)–have in the nomination process? I know that personally I’m rather frustrated by the fact that I have never had a say in the nomination process–our primary is in May. This year the primary was essentially over in the beginning of March.

Sure, the first two states to hold primaries are Iowa and New Hampshire–major swing states. But do Iowa and New Hampshire reflect the rest of the country?

Here is a list of state that held their primaries after 9 March, and the number of electorial vores for each of those states:

Kansas 6
Illinois 21
Alaska 3
Wyoming 3
Colorado 9
North Carolina 15
Pennsylvania 21
Indiana 11
Nebraska 5
West Virginia 5
Arkansas 6
Kentucky 8
Oregon 7
Idaho 4
Alabama 9
New Mexico 5
South Dakota 3
Montana 3
New Jersey 15

In bold are the states with elections that were relatively close
In italics are state that went for Kerry

19 states, all but four of which went for Bush. States with 159 Electorial votes had no say in the primary process.

Does all this mean anything? I don’t know. But I do know that I’ve felt frustrated by my lack of say in the primary process, and felt it difficult to rally behind a candidate I felt only half-hearted about.

Sources:
http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2004/primaries/pages/scorecard/
http://www.cspan.org/
http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2004/

ADDENDUM the First: Here’s the table I complied.

Lance Cpl. John T. Byrd II was killed in Iraq, Saturday 30 October.

As of Tuesday, 2 November 2004, 1119 soldiers have been killed in Iraq, 146 soldiers have been killed in Afghanistan.

List of soldiers killed: from the Baltimore Sun, from CNN, from the Washington Post

Fallen Heros Memorial

The dark, grey skies outside perfectly reflect my current mood.

And I usually like rainy days.

It’s so bad that the only bright spot in my morning was the resounding defeat of Waner–and I dislike Manchin.

9:27 PM
“Joe Manchin is expected to easily defeat opponent Monty Warner in what might turn out to be the widest gubnatorial margin in state history.” (Metro News)

An humiliation for Warner. Perhaps he’ll take this message to GET OUT and STAY OUT.
(But I don’t have strong opinions about this or anything.)

The rest of the races I’m interested in are too close to call. And apparently Mon county is clue free, as last time I checked, 0% of Mon County precincts were reporting in. Bah humbug.

ADDENDUM the First: 9:54 and 0 Precincts reporting in for Mon county 44th Delegate district.

ADDENDUM the Second: According to the people on the TV, the reason that Mon county is taking so long to count is the number of write-in votes. (For those not in Mon County, Magistrate Alan Wheeler died two weeks ago, and so there is a write-in campaign since there was not enough time to take his name off the ballot.) Apparently all ballots with write-in candidates have to be tallied by hand before they can be run through the optical scanner.
I feel much better about things now.

ADDENDUM the Third: Yetch. Think it’s about time to head home…

VOTE!!

VOTE!!

VOTE!!

Mountainstage came to the CAC Sunday night. As with last time, it was primarily a bluegrass show, and we had a great time.

Started out with the Old Crow Medicine Show, which made me think of Charles deLint. Oddly enough their sound did remind me a bit of the music he describes in some of his stories, although whether that’s his intention or not, I couldn’t say.

Diana Jones was next. She had what I heard someone on the way out describe as “an old time voice.” Very strong. I particularly liked her a cappella tune.

I really liked Jonathan Byrd and Dromedary. Dromedary played a strange variety of instruments, including a strange instrument that looked like a banjo with too many strings and a marvelous sound. I think that I would like one of their albums.

The biggest surprise to me Kris Delmhorst, who had fantastic voice. Once she started singing I remembered having heard her on Mountainstage previously, but she didn’t like old enough and careworn enough to have such an incredible voice.

Dwight Miller & John Morris (I hope I got those names correct) were the old time musicians of the evening. Two old men sitting on chairs playing banjo and fiddle and telling tales between songs. They looked like they belonged sitting on a porch, leaning back, fiddling and picking and telling tales. I was pleased and surprised by how much the audience appreciated them–they received a standing ovation when they were done. Absolutely lovely.

Finishing up the night was the Nashville Bluegrass Band. Very good, very polished group. Their a cappella tune was just amazing–what I liked best of what they did. Oddly enough, I think they were a bit too polished at what they did for me to really love them. Don’t get me wrong, they were good–even great–but something about them just didn’t seem right to men, and I can’t really put my finger on what precisely it was, other than it seemed perhaps too polished. But as I said, they were very very good.

If you were looking to buy me some music from the evening, I think I’d really like something from Old Crow Medicine Show or Dromedary. But everything was very good.

In case you missed it, Friday was the 17th annual Pumpkin Drop off the Engineering building. Apparently it was an exciting event as “one was even disqualified for being too far from the target when it hit an audience member in the head.”

Also:

Mountaineer Week is November 11-21st. Apparently the craft fair starts Friday the 19th, but it’s difficult to tell as the “schedule” on the website is far more confusing that helpful. The football game is 13th.

I finally got some good pictures of the latest acquisition from Jungle Jim’s, made when we were in Cincinnati for Andy and Heather’s wedding.

I’m not planning on eating it, but if anyone is interested: it’s sugar-free!

Hadn’t had much of a chance to go through any of the pictures I’d taken this fall.

Pictures taken at my grandmother’s house.

I also got a couple of senic pictures on the way home–the weather however didn’t really cooperate, so despite the beautiful fall color, I got few pictures.

Me: Michael?
Michael: What?
Where are you?
I’m in the basement.
What are you doing?
I’m looking for my eye.
Oh.
(pause)
Me: That reminds me, have you seen my big stick?
Michael: I can’t look for yout big stick until I find my eye!
(later)
Michael: AAAAAAAAAAYYYYYYYEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE! (holds out eye)
(more…)