Sunday, March 31, 2013

Botched Execution Day



Yep, that is what housemate calls "Easter" as it is celebrated by Christians-- that is to say, the holy aspects of it that involve church-going and stuff like that-- in many places.  Search engine search revealed plenty descriptions of botched executions of people put to death by various judicial systems but no searches that reference Easter as being the botched execution of Jesus Christ.  At least none that I was able to locate.  So I really don't know if housemate is the originator of the formula {Easter = botched + execution + day} or not.

The origin of the word "Easter" itself is in dispute.  Some hold that it is a word referenced within the New Testament.  Others hold that the etymology is related to a Saxon goddess.  I am no language specialist.  I have not studied this question in depth so I will admit to simply not knowing.

Most [but not all] Christians celebrate Easter as the day when Christ split from the cave where he had been laid out after his crucifixion and took his corpse with him.  [Some Christians do not celebrate holidays at all.  Others do celebrate Easter but there is a central dispute on how to calculate Easter's annual moveable date].  Alongside church attendance, American families get together and eat stuff.  Kids wait for the Easter Bunny to bring baskets full of candy.  If they are lucky, they will get to participate in an Easter Egg Hunt. 

We are atheists in an atheist household.  We celebrate whatever holidays we want to in whatever manner we desire.  Thus, tomorrow we will be getting together with some Christian and some atheist family members.  The Christians will have gone to church earlier that morning.  The dog and I will have gone for a peaceful early morning ramble in the woods.  Once we are fully assembled, the kids of the Christians and the kids of the atheists will have an Easter egg hunt.  There will be a ham [which some people claim is a swipe at Jews when eaten on Easter Sunday] and a bunch of other stuff to eat.  I will endeavor to partake of the food offered to me sensibly and not over-stuff myself.  Housemate and I will stumble home at some point to the atheist dog, the atheist cat, the atheist frogs, and the newest atheist kitten.

sapphoq n friends say:  Easter is both a religious holiday and a secular holiday here in the U.S.A.  Although I am beyond the superstition of fertility eggs and I don't cotton to the Christian ideology of Easter, I enjoy watching kids zooming around the yard looking for those colored eggs and getting together with some good friends.  If you object to my enjoyment, quite frankly I give zero frucks.  As an adult and an atheist, I get to determine how I will spend Easter and what significance I attach to it.  At any rate, I wish you a happy day regardless of what you are celebrating or not celebrating. 

 

Wednesday, March 27, 2013

Hashtag Socks



And it came to pass that there was one who had many many socks on the social media platform Twitter [no copyright infringement intended].  These socks were not used in a righteous manner but in order to promote her cause.  These socks and variants were found sprinkled across the world wide web as well, defending her butthurt against the hoards.

     In the morning, #Fakery sneeks into Twitter with little trollette feet.

      #GrossCustodialInterference: I am the custodian of my snots and you just tried to pick my nose. Bawaaaaaahaaaaah.

     When #Fakery quotes lies at me, my head implodes.

     #Fakery stalks her own #socks.

     Amazing #socks how warped the brain...

     #Socks and #Fakers and #Lies-- oh my.

     There's something #twisted about #socks tweeting to each other.

     A #sock without a #fake persona is like a peanut butter sandwich without the pickles or mayo. #JustSaying

     Sorting through the #socks... [sung to the tune of "bringing in the sheaves"] 

     The #socks are great with that one.

     When life gives you #socks, sign up for more email addys. /snark 


And thus there came to be the hashtag #socks, having judged it to be preferable to #overthehumpday Wednesday.  And a few of the people laughed and fewer of the people were #butthurt and most of them didn't really care either way.

     Now Playing: serious #LULZ and #butthurt. Joke'em if they can't take a fruck.

     Security tip: Change your #socks.

     #IfYouGazeLong into the eyes of a #Fake, all of her #socks will gaze back at you. 

     You must remember this. A #sock is just a #sock. A #fake is but a #fake... 

     #Socks, socks, what would we ever do without socks? Our feet would be lonely and our shoes would be smellier.

     Row row row your #socks  
     Gently down Twitter Stream.

And the promoter of the hashtag #socks [not having paid to promote it, because that would be not in true form with the promoter's personna] and the two or three others who found it delicious laughed until they spewed their coffees on their tables and desks.

     My #socks love me this I know, Cuz my fanbase tells me so.

     Oh, what a tangled heap of #socks we weave.

     It's beginning to look a lot like #Sockmas.

     Some #socks over the rainbow...

     I spent my last ten dollars on birth control and #socks.

     Smoke #socks. Smoke #socks. Everybody smoke #socks.

     There's some #socks in my beer and I want to know what they're doing there.

And that was as it should be.  

     I snark #socks, therefore I am.

     #Sock the planet.

     I am the recipient of #hostile looks from my #sock basket. Equal rights for all #socks! Huh? Uh, nooooo.

     #Socks on the run.  

     Oh we gotta have #socks...

     Celebrate. Celebrate your #socks. 

     BE the #sock.

     The #socks compelled me. 

     #Sock-a-do. 

And so, the great #sock-a-thon was ended.

     #Sock-ing right along. The dog compels me to come up for air, so I must go out for air, away away from these smelly #socks. #awayfromtwitter


sapphoq n sapphoq's sock puppets say:The creator of this blog post has many #socks and email accounts to go with them.  The creator of this blog post understands the necessity of laughing gently at ourselves.                          If you or your #socks were #butthurt by this blog post, then maybe you are in the wrong #drawer.
 

Monday, March 25, 2013

Strangely and Wonderfully Evolved



The other day I fell.  I have balance problems and I have almost become used to toppling over suddenly and randomly.  Only this time, I didn't fall over and to the right as usual.  I fell under.  I landed on my back.  And it hurt.  Like a muther it hurt.

I did hit my head but that blow was cushioned by my hat, my winter coat which is rather puffy, and the automatic straining of my neck muscles forward.  If my neck muscles hadn't instinctively pulled forward, I could have found myself with a whiplash.  But they had.

The dog came and stood very still next to me, allowed me to shove my face into her coat and hold her until I was ready to get up.  She also allowed me to pull up to a standing position using her harness.  For that I was at once both grateful and impressed by her actions.

I went home, swallowed a couple of o.t.c.s and took a hot soak.  I did go for a nap.  I spent the rest of the day being quiet.  The next morning was the onset of hell.

Hell came in the form of strained muscles.  I had strained muscles in my back, my gut and of course in my neck-- the neck muscles which had acted to prevent a whiplash were now suffering for their heroics.  Another hot bath was drawn and then a long walk with the dog.  I know from past experience that the worse thing that I can do for my aching back is to sit or lay still for any length of time.  Movement is healing.  In a general way, the act of walking keeps us walking longer as we age.  In a very specific way, walking elevates my mood and keeps my dog happy.

It is several days later.  I am signed up for a bit of physical therapy to start in a few weeks.  Meanwhile, I keep on walking with the dog.  I've started my own routine of stretching and flexing various muscle groups in order to prepare for p.t.  I've got both ice in the freezer and a tens unit in a case should I need either to manage the pain of the strained muscles which acted to protect me from more calamity.

sapphoq n friends    

Monday, March 18, 2013

The Verdict



So the verdict over in Steubenville is in.  The two high school rapists have been adjudged juveniles and face sitting in juvie hall until the age of twenty one.  They should have been tried as adults in my unhumble unlegal opinion.  But hey, some time is better than no time.  Having to register as sex offenders would be a "nice touch."  I'm waiting to see if that will be part of the sentences.

Random phrases that peeked out at me from the news coverage, very much paraphrased:

"I hope Jane Doe the courageous young woman who came forward will forgive the two boys someday."
It's too early to talk about forgiveness.  Those two boys certainly haven't asked to be forgiven.

"Please don't tell on us.  My great and wonderful and utterly important football career will be ruined."
Maybe you can play football in juvie.

"We should be getting kudos for taking care of you."
Because you got to sleep on a couch.

"She wanted it.  She was staggering around and drapped herself over me as a prop to help her stand up.  I figured sex was a yes."
What ?

"She lies, lies, lies.  We dumped her as a friend after she told us about her sexual encounter with those two boys."
She is better off without you two girls as 'friends'.

"She is a tramp."
And the boys who raped her while she was very intoxicated or passed out are-- what? -- I can't hear you.

"This trial divided the town."
Huh?

"Social media confused the issue.  Those Anonymous people should have just stayed in their basements.  We would have been better off without them."
Yeah.  Without social media, you wouldn't have had to do anything like arrest anyone or investigate a case.  Without Anonymous, things would have been 'football as usual' in Steubenville.

sapphoq n friends salutes Jane Doe the courageous young woman, Sean, Anonymous and other activists who showed up to protest in Steubenville, and survivors of rape everywhere.



http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/03/17/us-usa-crime-ohio-idUSBRE92E0ZS20130317

https://www.nydailynews.com/sports/steubenville-high-school-football-players-found-guilty-rape-16-year-old-judge-article-1.1291087

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504083_162-57574728-504083/steubenville-rape-trial-verdict-judge-finds-both-teens-guilty-of-raping-16-year-old-girl/

http://www.cnn.com/2013/03/17/justice/ohio-steubenville-case/?hpt=hp_t1

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/03/17/steubenville-rape-trial-verdict_n_2895541.html?show_comment_id=237711224#comment_237711224

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/03/17/ohio-rape-case-football-players/1993975/

https://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/18/us/teenagers-found-guilty-in-rape-in-steubenville-ohio.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504083_162-57574728-504083/steubenville-rape-trial-verdict-judge-finds-both-teens-guilty-of-raping-16-year-old-girl/

http://bostonherald.com/news_opinion/national/midwest/2013/03/
ohio_teens_guilty_of_rape_face_year_plus_in_jail

http://www.cnn.com/2013/03/17/justice/ohio-steubenville-case/index.html

Saturday, March 16, 2013

Dear Courageous Young Woman, Sean, and Scum


Dear Jane Doe Courageous Young Woman,

I believe you.

And I believe in you.

No one has the right to do what they did to you.  No one.  It does not matter that you were drinking.  They had no right.  Period.

It hurts to lose friends.  It hurts when you are not believed.  It hurts when rumors fly.  [I know because I have been through that too].  Know that the actions of others say much more about them than it does about you.

No matter what happens in the morning, know that you are strong.  Know that you are who you are and no one can take that away from you.  You are honorable.  You have integrity.  You have your own true self.

Much Respect,

sapphoq 



Dear Sean,

Out of the seventeen teens who were sent text messages and photos and vids, you were the only one who replied that this stuff is wrong.  I honor you for that.

sapphoq



unDear "alleged" rapists and other victim-makers and defenders of football teams Scum,

Just because the accused are on a football team, it does not follow that butt-hurt over that is a rational response to the horror of what happened to a teen from West Virginia that night.  I hate that you are butt-hurt over that.  How about reserving some butt-hurt for the "accuser" courageous young woman? 

Here's a question: Would have gotten in such a butt-hurt if the accused were members of the school's ping pong team? Debate Society? Misfits or nobodies who didn't really fit in anywhere?

And just so we are clear about this, there is no excuse for sexually assaulting someone-- whether with fingers, a penis, or other-- when they are drunk, on the verge of passing out, passed out, or "dead."  Regardless of what the judge decides tomorrow morning, I despise you.

sapphoq

sapphoq n friends says: Obviously the stuff I write is my own carefully thought-out opinion.  Obviously I have no intentions of defaming anyone.  Obviously if you don't like what I write you don't have to read what I write.
                                        And a big shout out to Anonymous who worked to bring what happened to national attention, to the other human beings who also protested on behalf of the courageous young woman, and to everyone who strove to do the right thing in spite of so much pressure to do otherwise.
    
References:

http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/03/16/17341154-judge-in-steubenville-rape-trial-to-issue-verdict-sunday 

https://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/judge-set-issue-steubenville-rape-case-verdict-sunday-article-1.1290900

http://www.cbssports.com/general/story/21892772/accuser-in-steubenville-rape-case-cant-remember-assault

http://www.wcvb.com/news/national/Accuser-in-Steubenville-rape-case-testifies/-/9848944/19345254/-/xp5h35z/-/index.html

http://www.cnn.com/2013/03/16/justice/ohio-steubenville-case/

http://www.wptz.com/news/national/Accuser-in-Steubenville-rape-case-testifies/-/8869978/19345254/-/laifya/-/index.html

http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/news/us/victim-of-alleged-rape-in-steubenville-tells-friend-she-did-not-have-sex-according-to-testimony-679587/

http://radaronline.com/exclusives/2013/03/steubenville-rape-victim-liar-friends-former-friends-claim-during-testimony/

http://www.timesleaderonline.com/page/content.detail/id/545508/Three-witnesses-granted-immunity.html?nav=5010

http://www.timesleaderonline.com/page/content.detail/id/545507/DNA-at-center-of-testimony.html?nav=5010

http://www.sfgate.com/news/crime/article/Teens-with-immunity-testify-in-Ohio-rape-trial-4359533.php

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2013/03/16/teen-witnesses-granted-immunity-testify-about-allegations-in-ohio-hs-football/

http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/03/15/17330245-steubenville-rape-suspects-teammates-testify-they-saw-them-commit-sex-acts?lite

http://abcnews.go.com/US/steubenville-rape-trial-taking-advantage-alleged-victim-texts/story?id=18737131

https://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/teammate-steubenville-football-players-testifies-taped-sex-act-article-1.1290358?localLinksEnabled=false

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504083_162-57574617-504083/steubenville-rape-trial-these-kids-didnt-know-what-they-were-seeing-was-rape-says-advocate/

http://www.thenation.com/blog/173370/only-yes-means-yes-what-steubenvilles-rape-trial-reminds-us-about-sexual-consent#

http://www.ktbs.com/news/Teen-eyewitnesses-testify-in-Ohio-rape-trial/-/144844/19331882/-/14wybhh/-/index.html

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504083_162-57574563-504083/steubenville-rape-trial-texts-from-witnesses-defendant-describe-alleged-victim-as-dead/

http://www.cnn.com/2013/03/14/justice/ohio-steubenville-case/index.html

http://abcnews.go.com/US/steubenville-rape-trial-prosecutor-accuser-drunk-consent/story?id=18720098


The following urls were shortened from Yahoo news pages, which offer [in my opinion]
ridiculously long urls:

http://tinyurl.com/byr2b8b

http://tinyurl.com/bkp4gxr

http://tinyurl.com/9wty5ut

http://tinyurl.com/cz7w7z9

http://tinyurl.com/b3d5wng

http://tinyurl.com/c9oquek  





 

Wednesday, March 06, 2013

Autistic People Are



Autistic people are people.  Autistic people do not have "special needs."  Autistic people have the same needs that anyone else has.  

Autistic people are people.  Autistic people have a need to love and to be love, just like all people everywhere.
 
Autistic people are people.  Autistic people have a need to be understood, just like all people everywhere.

Autistic people are people.  Autistic people have a right to personal choice, same as everyone else does.

Autistic people are people.  Autistic people have a need to dream and a right to pursue those dreams, just like the neighbors.

Autistic people are people.  Autistic people have a right to take risks, a right to experience both success and failure.  

Autistic people are people.  Autistic people are not labels or statistics.  Autistic people are not problems.  Autistic people are people. 

Civil rights for all civils.  This is 2013.  Autistic people are people and have a right to be here because we are here.  Autistic people are people.  Don't forget it.  Your approval is not wanted, needed, or demanded.  Autistic people are people.  Real people know that.

sapphoq n friends