I don’t think I’ve mentioned here before that I’m the list owner for UUS-L, the oldest existing Internet-based mailing list for Unitarian Universalists.  UUS-L started in early 1991 when Steve Traugott gathered a list of people interested in a UU mailing list and got it created at the University at Buffalo, part of the State University of New York, on their mailing list service.  I joined the administration team in 1994, and eventually took over sole ownership and management of the list in the late ’90s.  At its peak in early 1996, UUS-L had almost 750 subscribers.  SInce then it has tailed off until just a few dozen remain today, but it still hosts good discussion on just about any kind of topic.

Today, I moved UUS-L from its hosting service at the University at Buffalo to a server that I own and operate.   I received an email from the list service admins that all lists hosted by them must now be sponsored by a university organization or relate to the mission of the university.  UUS-L doesn’t meet either criteria so it had to move.

As of today, the new home for UUS-L is at http://www.bearcircle.net/mailman/listinfo/uus-l.  I’d like to publicly thank UB for hosting the list for so many years with excellent service.

Blatantly swiped from John Scalzi:

Spotted in various places on the Internet, in response to Governor Palin’s “community organizer” jab at Obama:

“Jesus was a community organizer. Pontius Pilate was a governor.”

I stopped at the doctor’s office for a quick weigh-in this morning: 349lb.!!!!!!!! Yahtzee!!! That’s -16lb so far. I’m so psyched! I had my eggs this morning over-medium with a slice of toast and thought I was in heaven. It was the first starchy food I’ve had in two weeks and I savored every small bite of yolk-soaked toasted bread. Mmmmmmmm…..

I’ve also adapted to Nutrasweet! In the past, every taste of aspartame left a thoroughly disgusting aftertaste in my mouth and made me nauseous. A good gulp of diet soda by mistake usually left me wanting to run to the bathroom and hurl. For whatever reason, this time I’m not having issues with it. Jello and soda-flavored popsicles were my into to it and they went down just fine without making me sick. This opens a wide range of diet foods to me that were pretty much off-limits before. I’m very pleased.

Here’s to loosing weight!

Two weeks ago my SO and I embarked on Phase 1 of the South Beach Diet. This is my 3rd time down this road, but her first. So far, I’m down at least 13.5 lbs., but won’t know for sure until I can stop in and weigh myself at my doctor’s office tomorrow. Consumer scales that can handle my current weight (!350lb.) are quite expensive and current scale only goes to 330lb so I’ll be dropping by weekly for a while longer. B hasn’t lost as much as me and is a bit annoyed at me for it, but I attribute most of the loss to shedding excess water I was carrying due to poor eating habits and lots of caffeine intake. Luckily, I didn’t get the massive caffeine withdrawal headache I was expecting, which is a blessing. I’m a very grouchy bear when my head hurts and nothing hurts worse than a full bore caffeine withdrawal headache.

Tonight, we get are first “regular” carbs in two weeks and I sure am looking forward it: chicken in mole sauce with brown rice. and we’ve got bananas and apples to have for fruits during the week when we don’t have a carb with either breakfast or supper. I’m also looking forward to eggs over-medium with toast. I think I miss toast more than anything else.

We are committed to making this work and I think it might actually this time. I’m very excited! We even have plans for a big blowout for my birthday in October, including plans to go back on Phase 1 for a week afterward to restart the diet. I’m not sure what we are going to have for dinner yet (probably eat out somewhere), but we are definitley having a big rich chocolate cake, or maybe a totally decadent uber-chocolate cheesecake. It will be worth the price of going back to Phase 1 for a week for it.

Until next time, yes, I’ll have an entire can of green beans with my chicken breast, thank you!

I hope someone at FEMA is paying attention this time. My thoughts and prayers are with everyone about to be plowed over by it.

Here it is.

Once we start letting the fear of offending some group of people control what books are published, where does it stop? Books are about ideas. I might viscerally hate the ideas in a book, but I don’t think my hatred of those ideas should prevent the book from being published or sold. Publishers should have the courage to market books wherever they think they might sell.

Trying to avoid offending people is a race to the bottom leading to pablum and mediocrity.

Link to B92 article ganked from Jamie Larue’s wonderful blog.

Why is the Defense Department and Bush Administration even going through the motions of the military commissions for the Guantanamo Bay detainees if they are seriously talking about not releasing them after they are acquitted or have served out their sentences:

Bryan Whitman, a Pentagon spokesman, said it has always been the Defense Department’s position that detainees could be held as enemy combatants even after acquittal at military commissions or after serving a prison sentence. “That’s always been on our minds in terms of a scenario we could face,” he said. “He will serve his time for the conviction and then he will still be an enemy combatant, and as an enemy combatant the process for potential transfer or release will apply.”
– http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/story/2008/08/09/ST2008080900876.htm

Having demolished the prestige and respect of the United States on the world stage, now they start worrying about how their actions will look?

Defense Department officials said there are concerns about the public perception of holding Hamdan after his prison term runs out, because it could label the military commissions a “show process” with no meaning to its sentences. They also worry about possible precedents that could be set in U.S. courts if Hamdan’s attorneys immediately file a habeas corpus petition seeking his release in five months. Hamdan previously won a Supreme Court case that invalidated the Bush administration’s earlier military commissions procedures. – ibid

I almost hope they do decide to detain him and Hamdan’s attorneys file a habeas corpus petition. The government would lose.

Someone finally captured the essence of air travel today.

The following is the text of an email my girlfriend sent to her family today.  I can’t think of a worthy introduction, so I’ll just let her words stand on their own.

This hit hard for Lance and me. We go to a UU church in a conservative area, and Lance is even on the coordinating council. Lance has personally been to this congregation when he was in graduate school at Univ of TN.

While obviously I think that this was a desperate act by a deranged man, this story reflects a deeper concern for me, one which fuels the political climate today. The last 8 years of President Bush’s conservative, Republican administration has lead to an increased intolerance of people who are not of the main stream religion, Christianity, which includes Lance and I. If you’ve been keeping up with the news, the Bush administration has even gone so far as to stack what are supposed to be non-partisan offices of government with a majority of employees that believe in his conservative agenda.

Report Says Partisanship Reigned in Justice Department Hiring Program

Believe what you will from the media, but the truth is that Lance and I actively refrain from mentioning our spiritual and political beliefs frequently, because we are aware of the negative repercussions this will have and the confrontations that could ensue. I have the seen the look of disbelief and disgust on people’s faces when I tell them that I am not Christian; God forbid I mention the word “pagan” to them. One acquaintance has not spoken to me again, although I have seen him on several occasions, after I told him some of my spiritual beliefs. I will not wear shirts with certain logos, obvious pendants, or put political or religious bumper stickers on my car–all these things could out me as a liberal, non-christian at an inopportune time. I will continue going to UU services, supporting liberal groups, and attending public pagan rituals and celebrations. To alter my activities in the slightest out of fear would undermine my person creed and allow the other side to win the ongoing and not-so-subconscious battle of wills.

I am a good person. I deserve to have the same rights and freedoms as any other person, which includes being able to choose and actively participate in the religion that works best for me. This not a new principle; it was one on which our country was founded, but is conveniently forgotten today. Unfortunately, some of the loudest Washington proponents would utterly disagree with my assertion of my rights. I think it is seen most notably with Islam, but believe me it doesn’t end there. It’s only a jumping off point for the intolerance that is sweeping this nation. I believe, whether consciously or not, conservative Republicans are encouraging and increasing the religious hostility prevalent today. My point in writing all of this is to implore you to fight for tolerance with your actions, words, and votes.

While I am nuanced enough to realize that there are always more than one issue to consider when choosing a candidate, I would ask you to consider my above words in your decision for President. I do not trust the Republican National Committee or John McCain to improve the religious and political schism in this country and restore tolerance. I believe that they will continue to cater to conservative religious groups and further divide this country. I do not believe that the right or left should win, or one should have more power than the other. Rather, I believe that balance between the two would more justly serve the needs of all instead of some, and the only real chance for this, however slim, lies with the Democratic party. More importantly, maybe I wouldn’t be worried that I’d get that look of disgust and loathing or worse if, for instance, I’d slip and say something “liberal” in a gas station in the middle of no where in the bible belt when my car’s broken down and I am in need of assistance, or perhaps in some similar but wholly likely situation.

Please do not see this as an over reaction to an obviously sad and troubling event. This tragedy merely served as a source of inspiration to relay the realities that I am faced with everyday as a religious minority in this country. This is my life. My fear and concern are as real as the words on this page, and my desire to see change as strong.

If you’re still on the fence, I hope this pushes you left.