HeiBlog

You might remember my friend who was accused of running through a stop sign. He had words with an officer that initially didn’t seem like general, all around dick. Then you might also remember the hearing last February where the officer never said he saw us not stop at the sign and the district magistrate sided with him instead of the two citizens who said the cop was wrong. My friend appealed that farce of a decision and we had our day in Lancaster County Court on August 21, 2007. The result of the hearing had added to my fear that the tendency to prosecute the accused as much as possible in this country is steadily increasing.

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I’ve railed here before about same-sex marriage which is a reoccurring issue back in Massachusetts were I used to live. Currently, opponents to same-sex marriage are trying to amend the state constitution to define marriage as between a man and a woman. Many other states (sorry they had the best map) have already done this and an amendment to the federal constitution has been propose by President Bush.

My opinion on the subject is simple, people should not be discriminated against because of their sexuality (I realize there are tons of holes in that statement). I really don’t care if two gay guys or two lesbians want to get hitch and more than a man and a woman. Either way it doesn’t affect me at all. It’s their life and their choices, not mine. What I do mind is people using the government to force their morals on the people. It is the government’s role to maintain the public welfare and good. If my actions don’t infringe on another’s rights I don’t think the state should have any say over what I do. We need government and we need laws, but there is also a time where you can go too far.

That’s the point that they Washington Defense of Marriage Alliance (WDOM) is trying to make with their filing of Initiative 957 (via Metafiter, linked to this blog), proposing to:

• add the phrase, “who are capable of having children with one another” to the legal definition of marriage;
• require that couples married in Washington file proof of procreation within three years of the date of marriage or have their marriage automatically annulled;
• require that couples married out of state file proof of procreation within three years of the date of marriage or have their marriage classed as “unrecognized;”
• establish a process for filing proof of procreation; and
• make it a criminal act for people in an unrecognized marriage to receive marriage benefits.

The Secretary of State accepted the initiative finding that is was in line with a previous ruling of the state Supreme Court that upheld the Washington State Defense of Marriage Act, stating in the ruling that “Limiting marriage to opposite-sex couples furthers procreation, essential to the survival of the human race, and furthers the well-being of children by encouraging families where children are reared in homes headed by the children’s biological parents.”.

The initiators clearly state in their press release that “The time has come for these conservatives to be dosed with their own medicine. If same-sex couples should be barred from marriage because they can not have children together, it follows that all couples who can not or will not have children together should equally be barred from marriage. And this is what the Defense of Marriage Initiative will do.” Saying further that “Our agenda is to shine a very bright light on the injustice and prejudice that underlie the Andersen decision by giving that decision the full force of law.”

WDOM is putting up a proposal that is so ridiculous that will never pass but will be a strong example and will spark discussion. If it does pass it is ready-made fodder to be stuck down and set president. This is an obvious parody, still some media outlets don’t get joke.

Washington is a split state with the coastal area being much more liberal than the eastern section s of the state. For those in the state that don’t get the joke I hope they ask themselves some questions (this if of course assuming that it even makes it on the ballot). What about the heterosexual couples that can’t have or don’t want to have children? Even without children aren’t they still holding up the idea of marriage? Should a barren women be denied proper heath care? She couldn’t be covered on her husband’s plan under this action. What about if the husband just has low sperm count?

While I can appreciate the purpose of this action I still see a sad state of affairs in the country. The problems that it addresses are questions that should not really be addressed in the public eye. Perhaps I have different views on which of a society’s morals should be regulated by the State. You could draw up all sorts of arguments on any issue. It’s illegal in most parts of the US to be naked in public areas, but there are many who would consider this to be inoffensive and even an infringement on their expression.

As long as there are those who seek to impress their moral structure on the rest of society actions like Initiative 95 will be necessary. The only comfort that I get from this and much of the proceedings in Massachusetts on the issue of same-sex marriage is that all initiatives have been passed while honoring the Rule of Law. Both sides have made use of the tools available to them with in the context of the American Social Contract. I can take some comfort in the fact that as country we still agree on the fundamentals (founding principles if you will) that are the United States of America even if we can’t fully agree on what it represents.

While I was visiting my parents over the Thanksgiving holiday a good friend and I hung out a bit. I don’t get back to the hometown that much any more, so part of our reunions is us driving around and my friend showing what was changed in the last year, homes or areas he’s found interesting, etc. Mostly it’s just us chatting and getting caught up. For certain our activities are not a threat to society. One evening we were just driving around, checking out some new development in the township next to where we grew up. We didn’t know that we’d get a chance to meet the townships finest dick. What should have been a few simple situation as turned into a incident by failings of observation, attitude, and non-professionalism.
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I finished my draft a month ago right? Well, I got the first two chapters back from my second reader. He really went to town on it, and I am sorry to day that it needed it. My hope was that the other chapters would not be as bad. I enter the correction and hand them off to my third reader (yes I am required to have more than 2). Spring Break comes, and people are away. I try to schedule my defense date only to find that out of 15 different days my committee members’ schedules only overlap by 2 hours on 2 different afternoons. Right.

Fast forward to last week and I get the news from my second reader that the remaining chapters will take him too long to edit and that they read like a first draft. So they come back to me and my advisor (also my first reader). Now we had a chance to read all the chapters and gave his blessing. He wants me done and finished (no complaints from me), but there is apparently a standard of quality to maintain for dissertations coming out of the Boston University Department of Chemistry. So now I am on my ass editing. After reading the chapters a month later I can see that I really need to work on my editing skills.

So I should be able to get chapter 4 into my advisor by Friday. They back to the other readers. When will this process end?

I finally got the sucker done and handed in. Well, at least the first draft. Now we see what happens

I think that part of my brain that handles writing is dysfunctional. Yesterday I had my advisor a chapter, all proud of myself, 45 pages of neatly formatted text and figures. I’d given it a screen edit that morning just to be sure.

During choir practice I get a phone call on my cell. It’s my boss telling me that he could help me more if I would write in “English.” “Fix it up and THEN I’ll take a look at it.” I has upset, left practice early, and rushed home to edit a printout. There are so many stupid mistakes that I trashed the printout and started a screen edit. Did that until I collapsed last night and still have editing to do this morning.

My friend Mario directed me to a website of a guy who finished his PhD recently. I’m stealing his graphic because it’s close to how I feel right now:

I’m taking a break tonight to go to a wine tasting dinner with a friend. I just hope that I am reasonable company for her. She’s thinking about doing a PhD herself, I’ll try and avoid giving her any “advise” because it will give both of us indigestion.

The wall that is my thesis is finally settling in on a large portion of my mind. I have little interest to do anything else but get it over with, but at the same time I fine a desert in front of me and an uncanny sense that I really don’t know what the hell I’m going. My temper is short and I find myself in amazement over how inane and worthless everyday conversation is.

Really this is a horrible and inhuman state that I am entering. For example, last night on the way home I was snarled at by a little yappy dog, the ones about the size as a football, and I told it to “fuck off.” This is going to get worse before it gets better. On the elevator ride down the cafeteria of the medical school it was a about all I could do from yelling “SHUT THE FUCK UP if you don’t have anything relevant to say” at the top of my lungs. So for anyone who knows me and is reading this it might be best to stay away for awhile (until after April 14th would be a good date) or consider yourself warned that I will be short-tempered, intolerant, cynical, bitter, and generally an unpleasant person for the next few months. And for God’s sake, if you’re in the library with me keep those candy wrapper and snack food bags that make the crinkle noises away from my ear. Corduroy pants are another no-no as well.

I really hate the writing phase. It just plan sucks cock in a bad way, ie using too much teeth.

After spending a year in Germany during my junior year in college I become a big fan of Hefeweizens (wheat beer). Coming back to my college in Pennsylvania I had to search around for good “wiezens.” When I did it was always served with a lemon wedge. I have no memory of Weizen being served with lemon in Germany. There was Radlermass, Bocks with canned peaches in them and a lovely Wiesbeir with current suryp, but no lemon in Weizen. At first I thought this was just small town thing. Huntingdon was not that big and Boxers was really the only place the served a good pour of anything except Bud, Miller, or PBR.

Upon moving to Boston I was delighted to find the large number of bars serving good beer, but the Wiszens were served with lemon. A few places would ask, but this was rare. My friends just didn’t get why I complained, claiming that Hefeweisen was supposed to be served that way. Finally I find soemthing to back up my claim in the Wikipedia (now becoming my source for all knowledge) entry on wheat beer. “Hefeweizens are frequently served with a slice of lemon in the U.S., but this habit is frowned on in Bavaria. In other parts of Germany, you should expect the lemon slice unless you specifically request not to have it.” See! Now I can drink my citrus free beer with the awareness that some Germans (the inventors of Hefeweizen) agree with me.