Measure 9

This is based on a nightmare or possibly nightmares I had 20 years ago,

For the younger readers, at that time the Oregon Citizens Alliance (OCA) had gotten a ballot measure passed overturning an executive order by the state's governor that had forbidden discrimination based on sexual orientation by state agencies.

Emboldened by that success, they had put another measure on the ballot. This one forbade the state, or lower levels of government from "recognizing" homosexuals, sadomasochists and witches. With language that said that recognizing included issuing any sort of license or permit.

And there may have been something about schools saying anything "positive" (essentially, worded such that the only allowable mentions would have to be negative). Or that may have been part of the one they tried the next election.

Supposedly the bit about licenses and permits was supposed to keep them from becoming "professionals". You know, doctors, lawyers etc. But as some folks pointed out, the actual wording allowed a lot more.

Campaigning on both sides got rather heated. And then there was a firebombing of a house that a number of folks in the state capitol who were important in the campaign against Measure 9. It latter turned out to be totally unrelated to the campaign (idiots got the wrong house!). But at the time it really ratcheted up the fear.

Now consider that at the time I was on the Board of a local BDSM group and before the ballot measure went public we'd done some publicity that included photos of all the board members. And while not strictly gay, I was definitely bi.

So against that background...
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Not clear on the concept...

I'm sure their hearts are in the right place but the local Unitarians are reacting to the Tuscon shootings by trying to get a "gun free zone"set up. They are passing out signs to businesses and the like.

But they don't seem to grasp the idea that someone like Loughner would have just ignore any "gun free zone"if there'd been one there in Tuscon.

I'm not gonna get into a "gins are inherently bad"/"the people misusing them are the problem"argument.
But wherever you stand on the issues please try to keep in mind that only law abiding people will pay attention to any such "zone".

It's the worst sort of "magical thinking". "If we forbid this, it won't happen."

Sorry, the world doesn't work that way.

I R an addict

Y'see, Friday fayanora dropped off a couple of books that she'd checked out of the library so I could read them.

One was the latest Jim Butcher Dresden files book. She'd got it for herself, but was letting me read it too. I dove in a little harder than normal because it was apparently already past due. I finished it around 8 am.

The second was the second book in John Birminghams Axis of Time trilogy. I'd read the first shortly after it came out, but hadn't been interested enough to get the next book.

I'd been reminded of it again by someone else mentioning it in their LJ and had asked Fay to see if the library had the rest of the books. They had and she'd checked it out for me.

Silly me. I picked it up after finishing the Dresden Files book. And finished it 4 hours later. And couldn't get to sleep for several hours.

Sadly, this is an old pattern with me. There were times, back in the day when I had to call in sick to work because I stayed up all night reading a book and wasn't fit to go in after that.

I do believe this qualifies as an addiction.