The card store's categories are precise.  I scoured the aisles in vain for a get well card for a friend who is ill.  In fact, she's very ill -- she's dying.  She will start home hospice as soon as she's released from the hospital. All of the cards in the get well section say, "Get Well". Most were jokey with open hospital gown backs or baleful looking puppy dogs. It never occurred to me that sometimes it is inappropriate for a get-well card to shout "Get Well'.  Go figure.   I moved over to the rack holding cards with no [...]

Genuine black leather shoes. Iraqi. Size 10, briefly examined by Inspector GWB. Scuffed, dirty soles in plain view. Obvious filth and dirt on bottom. Disgusting and disrespectful. Perfect good-bye gift for disgraced invader, Illinois governor, or other shamed and self-deluded public figure. Sometimes it takes a pair of shoes to tell the emperor that he is wearing no clothes. (Surreally pompous news report on YouTube)

The Becket Fund for Religious (sic, sick) Liberty and other fundamentalist and right-wing religious (sic) groups and individuals took out a full-page ad in the New York Times basically claiming that they are victims of mob persecution because of their Yes on Prop 8 stands and actions. Suddenly they are targets of violence. Here's their headline plea: No, they are not targets of violence. They are well chosen targets of peaceful, non-violent protest. These people who lead the mob to take away my rights want to be protected and pitted because now say they are victims of mob violence. Have you [...]

This time of the year  the electronic newsletter I write for redozdachs's CPA firm includes a recommendation that people give to a charity.  One year we suggested a free after-school program for Tenderloin/Western addition kids. This year we're suggesting either the San Francisco Food Bank or Muttville, a San Francisco organization whose tagline is "because every dog deserves a happy ending". I used pictures from the organizations websites to entice our readers to click and give.  Pictures behind cut

Yes, yes, it's wonderful. It's fun. (Now please stop emailing me links to it. Maybe if I post it here you'll know I've seen it!)

"Since this is our last Christmas here, we wanted to do a patriotic theme."— Laura Bush, commenting on the red, white, and blue theme for this year's White House Christmas decorations No, no, no. Jesus was not an American. He was not a Republican. I kinda think he wouldn't be a Bible-toting right-wing self-satisfied Christian, either. I do appreciate the inappropriate schmooshing together of symbols of shallow self-righteousness, though.

photo- Wall Street Journal Today's Wall Street Journal headline renewed my inability to understand how the United States reacted to September 11th. When India's government failed to protect its citizens from terror, cabinet ministers and other officials are fired. When 9/11 occurred, no one was fired.  Instead, rights-limiting laws were passed even though our intelligence agencies had had a lot of information about the impending attack.  Our intelligence agencies did not talk to each other or act on the information they had.  President Bush and his administration used 9/11 to create more fear and successfully projected the image that only Republicans [...]

Whenever I woke briefly last night to turn over or to move a dog, the dreams that I was in the middle of were those of loss and impermanence.  I don’t recall a particular event, just the general feeling of sadness over the transitory nature of good people and good relationships. They were dreams and emotions that were more common in my life 20 years ago, and I know where they came from. Milk. […]

The Human Rights Campaign (HRC) has created some sharp electronic post cards to send to family and friends to start the holiday conversation about marriage equality.  I subscribe to the Harvey Milk approach to social change: telling our stories is the best way we can fight for our civil rights. These cards are a tool in the Milk-approach arsenal.  "... talk to your family and tell them why marriage equality matters to you, " writes HRC president Joe Solmonese. "The conversation may be easy, or it may be hard. But in the wake of Prop. 8, a dialog to change [...]