suricattus

A quick guide for New Yorkers wondering where their senator stands on Marriage Equality:

http://tools.advomatic.com/24/nyequality/totals?

If your senator is "opposed" or unknown," call and let them know where you stand. If they're supporting, call and thank them, encourage them to keep up the fight.

I've already thanked Senator Espada, saying "to deny marriage equality is to embrace bigotry and fear -- two things New Yorkers should stand up and reject."

"I acknowledge that the gains we have made with the health care plan are a strong and valid first step towards reclaiming our place as a First World nation. However, as a woman who believes nobody has the right to take away my freedom of choice, the Stupak amendment is not acceptable.

And I say to those who tell me to wait, that it will be overturned, that I do NOT trust in the same organizations that said this was acceptable to reverse it later. Blind faith in anyone can get you killed -- be it by a bullet, or a wire hanger."

The New York Assembly passed marriage equality legislation earlier this year, and Governor Paterson has pledged to sign it, so the only step left is the New York Senate.

The Senate is scheduled to reconvene tomorrow, Tuesday, November 10, and marriage equality is on the agenda.

You might want to let your senator know how you want him/her to vote. Give the person who answers the phone your name and address, and then tell them that you want the senator to vote for marriage equality.


(if you tell him/her to vote nay, that's your right, but please don't tell me about it. I'd like to think better of you)

I keep getting e-mails and pings to call my 'critter to ask if s/he's going to support health care reform this week, when it comes down to the vote.

My rep is Eliot Engel (D-NY-17). From his website:

Since it is unacceptable that a country that spends $1.9 trillion has sixteen million uninsured citizens, Rep. Engel is co-sponsoring H.R. 1200, the American Health Security Act of 2007. This bill sets up a single payer system providing health care coverage to all Americans regardless of ability to pay, requiring each state to prohibit the sale of health insurance that duplicates the benefits under the program and establishing an American Health Security Standards Board and a Quality Council to administer and guide this egalitarian endeavor.


Calling to ask how he's going to vote... um, yeah. That I think we got covered. How's your 'critter looking, in this fight? Have you told him what you want him/her to do?

If any of you missed this on Twitter or Facebook:

Oh HELL YES. RT @lilithsaintcrow ATTN AUTHORS: petition to protect your copyrights. Need 500 sigs by 9/25 http://bit.ly/Fm0cA


"We, the undersigned, are just a few of the more than 11 million artists living, working, and creating across the United States. Our work brings significant cultural and economic value to our society - and contributes $1.52 trillion to the nation's GDP. Yet that value is being disregarded as our rights and incentives to create are increasingly under threat.

Hear us as we speak with one voice about the importance of creators' rights."

ETA: If you don't agree with what the letter is requesting: fine, don't sign it. But don't try to tell me it's not specific enough, or it's not addressing the 'real' problem, or any of the other thing people have pushed back at me as a complaint as to why they don't think it's 'worthwhile.' Because the one thing I have learned over four decades is that not doing anything assuredly does nothing.

EtA2: ( the meerkat snarls )

rachaelcaine opens the floor to a discussion of health care, which I strongly suggest you go over and take a look at. There's a lot of fear being raised by the new insurance proposals, and most of the OMG it will be TERRIBLE for US! seems to stem directly from ads paid for by... the insurance companies. Wow. Who'd a think it?


For me -- What She Said. I'm self-employed, healthy, with a surprisingly good plan (thanks to living in a state that recognizes freelancers are a viable voting bloc) and I'm still paying through the nose for very basic coverage. I've been told to "get a real job" if it's a problem, but beyond the WTF insult that was to those of us who consider what we do "a real job" to begin with, how many jobs are out there, and of them, how many are offering benefits? More and more consulting, which keeps insurance off the table.

The for-profit insurance model is broken. Waiting around another 60+ years to talk about fixing it is Not Acceptable. The new plan may not be the perfect solution, but not doing anything is far worse -- unless of course you already earn over 100,000 and/or are a Congresscritter with a Federal health care plan....

http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2009/06/irans_disputed_election.html

(warning: scenes of graphic violence follow the click)

I remember the Revolution of 1979, but it was so far away, then. Now... it's much closer. That's a good thing, I believe... but a terrifying one, too.

Bill O'Reilly and the rest of the Fox talkers have been busy proclaiming their utter innocence in the assassination of Dr. George Tiller -- as well as the innocence of the anti-abortion groups that were harassing Tiller prior to his death. They've been adamant that only Scott Roeder, the assassin, bears any actual culpability.

Which may be why one of their former guests, Jill Stanek, has been busy playing the anti-abortion version of Radio Rwanda by posting pictures and addresses of the nation's only two remaining late-term abortion providers. Emily Douglas of RH Reality Check (via Jill at Feministe) has the details


I am furious. Absolutely furious. How is this not inciting violence? How is this not accessory to murder, if anything happens? How the FUCK is this 'pro-life?' IMO, Ms. Stanek and her ilk should be publicly disowned by every pro-life organization that disavows violence, or be culpable in their silence.

As with so many of the right wing loons, if someone were to do this to them and their family, no doubt they would be squalking about Rights and Safety and Violation of Laws... but if you're God's Self-Appointed Warrior, apparently, it's okay.


[sort of like those right wing pundits bitching about Oabama's speech, and 'forgetting' that when the Left Wing criticized Bush's speeches overseas they were told it was "wrong" to do so, and "detrimental" to the United States as a whole...]


Right now I'm damn well fed up with 80% of the human race. Anyone got cute puppy/kitten/foal photos to share?


(thanks to havocthecat for the news)

EtA: Why I have cats. Pandora is sitting in my lap, and Boomer is on the desk in front of me, making winsome faces and showing his belly. They are doing this totally unsolicited. barometer-kitties, yes.

Last night I abandoned earlier plans in order to attend the vigil for Dr. Tiller (the doctor murdered for performing medical abortions) down in Union Square, unofficial home of all such things.

There were actually two vigils -- the 'official' one sponsored by Planned Parenthood and other local organizations, and a 'solo' effort led by an impassioned but somewhat emotionally disorganized woman. The PP organizers asked her to join with them, but she seemed unwilling. She wrapped up her bit just before the PP one started, thankfully, so we didn't have conflicting speakers, and the crowd merged quietly. I'm not good at estimating from within a crowd, but we had a more than decent turnout for two hours notice, filling the entire south side of the square.

Some moving speeches from people who had known or worked with Dr. Tiller, some speeches from local politicos, including the woman who helped pass the free clinic access law here in NYC (that gave cops the right to arrest anyone who tried to block access to a clinic for any reason or by any means, a law that is sadly still needed here in the five boroughs), and several medical workers. Most telling moment: when one woman talked about hearing the news in the background and thinking it was a retrospective of past decades, because she couldn't believe "it was happening again, now."

I left before the vigil was over, because I was starting to get the "must get out of crowd" feeling that usually keeps me out of said crowds, and then something happened that I'm still processing, but figure talking about it might help.

( here's where it gets odd. )

Personally, I'm not going to cast stones at California until my own state gets its act together WRT the topic. Hopefully, it will be soon... (you hear that, state legislature? Do the right thing, for once. If you can't handle the moral implications, then think of the wedding business cash infusion!)


This whole thing confuses me: I've never quite understood why someone else's partner-preference is any of my (or your, or the government's) business, so long as it's legally and emotionally consensual [goats can't give consent, so hush]. So how can We The People, in any form, say one aspect of partner-preference gets rights, and the other doesn't? Is there any argument against marital equality that doesn't start, end, or in any way involve "My interpretation of God says so?"

Forwarded from a mailing list I'm on:

The religious right is mounting a nationwide campaign to push back against the loosening of restrictions on embryonic stem cell research, during this current 15 day comment period. 99% of the thousands of comments received so far are from people who oppose it. Those of us in favor of loosening the restrictions are asking folks to get informed on the new guidelines, comment (there's an online NIH form; see below), and alert their friends and family members to do likewise.

Here's more info: http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=dd5vs2xt_0hkwp6xd8

---------------------------------------------

I know and respect that other people have differing opinions, but I'm not going to debate them here. I strongly support stem cell research. It isn't evil, it's not 'murder.' It is scientific exploration to better the medical condition not just of those suffering now, but to stop that suffering in future generations. If you agree with me, if you support rational medical experimentation and discovery, then tell the NIH not to be swayed by fear or ignorance to halt even this one step forward, and to do the right thing for our children, and our children's children, that they never know the agony of a disease we had the chance to cure....

EtA: This is all breaking news and the updates are coming too fast for me, at least, to keep up. The alarm went up in the LGBT community but it seems to have spread to anything that has any overt inklings of even slightly non-straight or overtly non-vanilla sexuality (including the Kushiel books). A quick looks shows that my books are still listed, as are Anne Bishop's books, even the ones that involve the sexual abuse of an underage child. EtA: Lynn Flewelling is waiting to see if they go after her books next. If they do, and my books remain listed... my books are slightly more explicit than hers, only difference is mine are m/f and hers are m/m.

Meta Writer seems to be on top of it, so I point you there or to Dear Author or Smart Bitches

My comments below stand. I will not buy there, I will not send people there, I will not include them in any of my announcement links. Until they get the head back on the chicken that's running that place, they are dead to me.




ETA: on the road. updates when I'm home.

Via EBear, via http://community.livejournal.com/meta_writer/11369.html:

"If you write books with homosexual characters, read books with homosexual characters, please look at this: http://markprobst.livejournal.com/15293.html

Mark, Erastes, and Alex (among others) had their Amazon sales rankings removed over the last few days for The Filly, Transgressions and False Colours respectively. On enquiring about this, Mark was told the following:

In consideration of our entire customer base, we exclude "adult" material from appearing in some searches and best seller lists. Since these lists are generated using sales ranks, adult materials must also be excluded from that feature.

Hence, if you have further questions, kindly write back to us.

Best regards,

Ashlyn D
Member Services
Amazon.com Advantage

-----------

suri here. it seems, at first glance, that the only books getting hit with "adult" ratings are those dealing with homosexual or transgender characters -- even if the books are YA. I haven't had a chance to check into this further (pending a call in to romance editors on Monday) but I haven't heard of mainstream 'sexy' or 'adult' books getting the same treatment.

Amazon, being a privately-owned company, is free to make whatever marketing decisions they choose to. And I, being a private citizen, am free to make whatever buying decisions I choose to. And until this is reversed -- or applied across the board to any book that has adult material -- which would include my own! -- I will not be buying from Amazon; not books, not music, not anything. And certainly not a Kindle. And I will be telling Corporate Headquarters of my decision.

You might want to do the same, if you're feeling the same disgust at their actions....

having actually managed to accomplish...oh, about half of what she should have done, but more than was done this mroning. So...yay?

Other stuff that happened today:

I guess the response for STAYING DEAD at Audible.com was good, because they've requested the entire series (2-6) for their lineup. If I were less tired I'd be doing happy author chair dance [sub-rights modification].

Of course, I have no idea what "good response" is to Audible, so it's a modified modified chair dance I'd be doing. Still. It's always nice to get positive feedback.

Also have been invited to an anthology -- and the story is due in August. I should be able to manage that no problem, right? It's not like I have anything else going on.... *facepalms*



Oh, and speaking of Other Things Going on -- if you're tired of "R@ceF@il" and want to see "R@ceWin?" Check out Scalzi's Whatever -- http://whatever.scalzi.com/2009/03/12/mary-ann-mohanraj-gets-you-up-to-speed-part-i/ So far, interesting, even-handed, and un-Troll-infested. Long may it continue so.

And now I need some dinner, and a glass of wine, and some feline appeasement....

A bunch of things, of which probably the most important to y'all is at the bottom, just so's you're warned.


First and foremost: kateelliott manages to say beautifully what I've been trying to verbalize elsewhere, and so I am using her words instead:

I think, on the whole, we are wise to err on the side of recognizing connectivity, not just in terms of seeking connectivity but in recognizing how deeply interconnected the system of people and their societies is and must be because we are band animals; it’s how we evolved, to make connections both in the familial kin sense and in the pattern-making sense of trying to see how the world fits together, to make sense of the place we live and how we function within it and how and where we relate to others and the landscape.

Things get mashed together in the grieving mind. They all become connected, intertwined, difficult, necessary. You can’t look away. You want to look away. You mustn’t look away. Maybe you can’t make it right, or maybe you can make something right, but the hard things have to be faced, grappled with, embraced.

Yes. That. Face, grapple, embrace. Every single day.


Meanwhile, in addition to the book I'm writing and the short story I'm writing, and the collaborative project that is probably going to be a novella, and Lunacon and Passover coming up hard, and oh yeah, a CEM expected soon, the management company has ok'd my paperwork (never underestimate the value of an experienced contractor who can herd ducks and line up cats) and we have a demo start date of...next Monday. Once it all begins, expect a hold on all cooking neep (except, possibly, "cooking with toaster and take-away") for a week or so...

Be warned: there will be photoblogging. And, since my office is off the kitchen, probably occasional whinging about the noise, too.

Boomer will be in his element. More!People! Pandora will hide in the bedroom. In the end, it will all be worth it. The kitchen will be better, the apartment overall will be better, and it's not like the money was earning interest in the bank any more, right? *whimpers* My poor credit cards aren't going to be speaking to me when this is done. But it will be worth it. I know it will.


In the further meanwhile, and on a totally different topic, I am once again participating in the Brenda Novak on-line auction to raise money for diabetes research. This time around, I'm offering:

1: the full set of "Retrievers" books (6 in all, including the newest just out in May '09) in trade paperback, packed with a beach towel and water bottle in a reusable tote, suitable for lazing about pool or
beach, or in your back yard, for a summer reading getaway.

2: an ARC of my forthcoming hardcover fantasy novel, FLESH & FIRE: BOOK 1 OF THE VINEART WAR (October 2009), with a pair of wine glasses with identifying charms [since the basis of the book is wine-magic!)

Bid early, bid often! [or at least, as soon as they put the offerings up!] And check out some of the other stuff available... this auction bring in the heavy hitters, and amazing opportunities (mine best-evah agent Jenn Jackson will be offering a critique. You Know You Want It.)

And now the coffee is ready and the working must begin...

Some things from the White House blog you might want to check out:

The unveiling of http://healthreform.gov/ effective today, and worth browsing, even if you already have a stable employer-subsidized medical plan.

"We are here today to discuss one of the greatest threats not just to the well-being of our families and the prosperity of our businesses, but to the very foundation of our economy – and that is the exploding cost of health care in America today." (full remarks available at http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2009/3/5/11956/64929/855/704945)

Also:

On Not lining the pockets of contractors . Priorities excerpt: The President signed a Presidential Memorandum that will reform government contracting by strengthening oversight and management of taxpayer dollars, ending unnecessary no-bid and cost-plus contracts and maximizing the use of competitive procurement processes, and clarifying rules prescribing when outsourcing is and is not appropriate. The OMB will be tasked with giving guidance to every agency on making sure contracts serve the taxpayers, not the contractors.