Crap about how adults keep trying structure children’s play, making it all about and led by them, rather than just letting the children do it any way they want. Whether it’s “productive” in any way or not.

Totally agree. I found this part interesting, too:

3. Play isn’t just for children. The idea of play is closely related to imagination, inventiveness, and that state of deep absorption that Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi dubbed “flow.” Read virtually any account of creativity, in the humanities or the sciences, and you’ll find mentions of the relevance of daydreaming, fooling around with possibilities, looking at one thing and seeing another, embracing the joy of pure discovery, asking “What if….?” The argument here isn’t just that we need to let little kids play so they’ll be creative when they’re older, but that play, or something quite close to it, should be part of a teenager’s or adult’s life, too.[4]

It brought back memories from college. A few times, I inexplicably carried around with me a miniature playground ball. And the looks and remarks I got were interesting. Of course, I threw it at a few of my friends’ heads and they weren’t too happy, but usually I was just strolling around campus, bouncing it around, or tossing it to people I knew and they’d toss it back. I was the first arrival at one of my classes and the teacher interrogated, “Why do you have a ball?” And I said, “For fun.” And he mulled this over and remarked that it’s perhaps therapeutic.

Therapeutic! Ha! Why must there be a reason? I just felt like having ball with me! It was fun. That’s reason enough.

Such boring and unimaginative people! Don’t have real fun. The desire has been squeezed out of them in a world that demands productivity at all times. And those who do have some unexplainably fun seem weird or immature. They’re just jealous!

But the FDA came in and said “why stop those under 17? this is safe for all young women capable of pregnancy!”

But then HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius told the FDA, the people who actually know WTF they’re talking about, “nah, the idea of this being available to YOUNG GIRLS OMG sounds scary! so I’m going to say no to this and keep the current age restriction LOL”. And Obama supports her decision.

*sigh*

Really? I mean, I’m not surprised in a way. Typical pandering bullshit, trying not to make the Republicans too uncomfortable. And politics doesn’t like women or youth and therefore especially doesn’t like young women! So the Obama administration wants to make its policies less squeamish to the average anti-youth misogynistic Joe Six-Pack by not – gasp! – letting 12-year-olds access emergency contraception!

Sebelius claimed that she wasn’t so sure it was actually safe for those under 17. Because she knows better than FDA, the people who have to comb through mountains and mountains of research that’s been conducted before they come to such a conclusion. Right. Hey, Sebelius, you know what’s actually not so great for young girls? PREGNANCY!

Again, though, shouldn’t be surprised. Politicians reach astounding levels of cluelessness when it comes to just about anything about young people, especially their reproductive issues. They ignore any statistics and sense and just cover their ears and go “la la la la la!” and just pass more laws to hurt young people for their political gain. Hey, it’s not like those young people can VOTE!

Anyway, here’s a Change.org petition about it. And here’s a lovely piece by Scarleteen! And here’s a lovely paragraph from that piece:

It’s so tremendously important that your requests for rights like these be heard. And that the incredibly sound, sage things you say like this from reader Arai, “These politicians really need to get on the same CENTURY as the one young people live. All the questioning for contraceptives, abortion rights, gay marriage are real in today’s society,” or this from reader Katrina, “Politicians on both sides of the aisle reach unheard of levels of cluelessness when it comes to youth reproductive rights and needs,” are heard and seen. It is, of course just as important that they are also very thoughtfully and with great intention considered in choices like this, but we can’t help much with that part, save continuing to say things like that and continuing to be ardent supporters of youth rights, including reproductive rights.

Yes, that Katrina is me!

And today came the verdict at last…

7-2, in favor of EMA. Two dissenters were Stephen Breyer and (surprising absolutely no one) Clarence Thomas.

WE WON!!!!

Check out the official document here!

I’ve been retweeting a lot of remarks and articles today in response to this ruling, so here’s a nice roundup.

Hypervocal says

This marks the first time the Supreme Court has ruled on video games, and now, because of this decision, it seems that video games have earned an equal place at the First Amendment cultural table along with books, music, movies and other entertainment products.

Slashdot notably notes that

Notable in the opinion is a historical review of the condemnation of ‘unworthy’ material that would tend to corrupt children, starting with penny-novels and up through comic books and music lyrics. The opinion is also notable for the odd lineup of Justices that defies normal ideological lines, with one conservative and one liberal jurist dissenting on entirely different grounds.

Good ol’ Reason, complete with a pic of Schwarzenegger signing something behind a Protect Our Children sign, quotes some of Scalia’s great majority opinion and concludes with:

Acknowledging the legitimacy of concerns that some violent entertainment is inappropriate for minors, Scalia nonetheless reminds us that ‘even where the protection of children is the object, the constitutional limits on governmental action apply.’

Ars Technica seems just plain sick of this shit and is glad to see the ban failed, saying

The law, as it was written, was bound to fail. Every previous state law that tried to enact some sort of ban has been struck down as unconstitutional. California’s law sought to control the sale of games with “deviant violence” to children, but lacked a clear definition of what deviant violence would entail. While the California law would have added an exception to the first amendment to exclude certain content from protection, in essence saying that video games were not speech, the Supreme Court has decided that video games are in fact expression, and are afforded the same rights and protections as every other art form sold to consumers. With a decision this clear, we’ve hopefully seen the last of state laws attempting to regulate the sale of video games to minors.

GamePolitics shows that butthurt California State Senator Leland Yee, the guy who proposed and has relentlessly pushed for this video game ban and wasted a lot of taxpayer money on it, is butthurt

California State Sen. Leland Yee said that today’s ruling by the Supreme Court “put the interests of corporate America” before the interests of children.

…

Yee went on to say that the eight years of legislative and legal battles were worth it because it raised the consciousness of this issue for many parents and grandparents, and has “forced the video game industry to do a better job at appropriately rating these games.”

Taxpayers in California probably disagree with Yee, who encouraged the state to spend money to defend a law that was inevitably struck down. The only ones truly enriched by the legal battle and victory was the videogame industry because this ruling has set a precedent that can’t be ignored by lawmakers daring to tackle the subject of violent videogame legislation.

Alyssa Rosenberg of Think Progress goes in-depth about the opposing arguments between Justices Scalia and Thomas.

Thomas draws a draconian line in the sand, saying that children have no right to read or access any material or speech without obtaining their parents’ approval first: “The historical evidence shows that the founding generation believed parents had absolute authority over their minor children and expected parents to use that authority to direct the proper development of their children. It would be absurd to suggest that such a society understood ‘the freedom of speech’ to include a right to speak to minors (or a corresponding right of minors to access speech) without going through the minors’ parents.”

Yeah, Clarence Thomas is a douche. But then Antonin Scalia rips him apart!

And it’s a delight to see Scalia utterly dismantle his total disregard for the rights of minors in a footnote, saying:

Justice Thomas ignores the holding of Erznoznik, and denies that persons under 18 have any constitutional right to speak or be spoken to without their parents’ consent. He cites no case, state or federal, supporting this view, and to our knowledge there is none. [...] It does not follow that the state has the power to prevent children from hearing or saying anything without their parents’ prior consent. The
latter would mean, for example, that it could be made criminal to admit persons under 18 to a political rally without their parents’ prior written consent — even a political rally in support of laws against corporal punishment of children, or laws in favor of greater rights for minors. [...] In the absence of any precedent for state control, uninvited by the parents, over a child’s speech and religion (Justice Thomas cites none), and in the absence of any justification for such control that would satisfy strict scrutiny, those laws must be unconstitutional.

In other words: “Jesus Christ, Thomas, STFU already!” But go read that whole piece for the two justices’ opposing recounts of history.

Our good friends National Coalition Against Censorship give NYRA and the ACLU a shoutout in mentioning our joint amicus brief for this case, and say

The impulse to ‘protect’ children by restricting what they can read, see, and hear is pervasive, and the decision issued today makes it clear that vague assertions about harm, or social disapproval of certain kinds of material, do not justify government restrictions. That also applies to books in public schools and libraries, which are of course challenged regularly.

The Court also rejected the claim that “the state has the power to prevent children from hearing or saying anything without their parents’ prior consent.” The decision thus leaves it up to individual families to set their own rules, without officials saying “what the State thinks parents ought to” do.

Whether it’s video games, movie, comic books, or music, parents and youth have a legitimate interest in making choices about what is appropirate without unwanted and unwarranted state interference.

And there’s Mother Jones in all its glory, promising that

To the nation’s young gamers—

I know you are no longer satisfied by the rantings of Cave Johnson, the eccentric dead billionaire in Portal 2. I’m aware you cannot countenance another 30 levels of Angry Birds. I sense that, just for once, you want to see something hemorrhage like the old days. Well know this: the judicial branch has not forgotten about you.

In a 7-2 decision, the Supreme Court on Monday put an end to a long-stalled California law that would have prohibited the rental or sale of violent games to minors.

That articles also points out…

There are of course more extreme cases of double standards and slippery slopes. With all the demands to have video games like the Grand Theft Auto series (content includes gang warfare, indiscriminate violence, colorful language, and some tongue-in-cheek depictions of sex) kept out of reach of children, an impressionable youngster can still stroll into any Barnes & Noble and pick up a copy of Justine by Marquis de Sade (content includes sado-masochistic Christian monks, orgiastic rape, mass murder by arson, and rampant torture).

It’s not a stretch to claim the latter would be more damaging to your average fifth grader.

Reminds me of a guy at our rally who brought with him a comic book or something, whose video game version was M-rated and would have been banned, while that comic book would be perfectly okay for anyone to buy.

Unfortunately, there was the annoying one from Scientific American, harping on that Leland Yee is a child psychologist and therefore knows best what’s good for children

Yee’s stance on whether to let children under the age of 18 play video games depicting violent scenarios—murder, car jackings and the like—is that such games cause “an increase in aggressive behavior, physiological desensitization to violence, and decrease [in] pro-social behavior,” according to an earlier statement on Yee’s site. His position lines up with those of the American Psychological Association, American Psychiatric Association and the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Among other supporters of Yee’s position is a group of psychologists and social researchers led by Craig Anderson, director of Iowa State University’s Center for the Study of Violence, who last year authored a paper that pointed to “clear and convincing” evidence that “media violence is one of the causal factors of real-life violence and aggression.” The study, entitled “The Influence of Media Violence on Youth” and published in Psychological Science in the Public Interest, concluded that “research on violent television and films, video games, and music reveals unequivocal evidence that media violence increases the likelihood of aggressive and violent behavior in both immediate and long-term contexts.”

Somewhere I think Tipper Gore had an orgasm.

SciAm does throw a bone to the opposing side. Uhhh, sort of.

The other side of the violent video games disagreement claims that violent crimes among juveniles are declining even as video games have gotten more violent and that it is difficult to establish a causal relationship between any one medium and a group’s behavior, let alone the actions of an individual.

In a June 2010 Scientific American article social psychologist Dara Greenwood evaluated arguments on both side of the debate. Whereas research by Cheryl Olson, a public health specialist at Harvard, found that children’s reported motivations for video game playing and found that their top rated choices were to have fun, to compete well with others, and to be challenged. Olson also elaborated on the psychological benefits such play might afford, describing how video games facilitate self-expression, role play, creative problem-solving, cognitive mastery, positive social interactions and leadership.

Greenwood acknowledged that “no media psychologists worth their salt would conclude that violent video games will turn your children into gun-toting sociopaths.” Still, she concluded that violent media, including video games, may affect people in “countless subtle ways, increasing hostility and apathy to those around us.”

That’s… something? Maybe?

Well, then there’s this at the end…

California’s loss in the Supreme Court has a greater impact than simply scuttling that state’s attempt to limit children’s access to violent video games. The 11 other states—Connecticut, Florida, Hawaii, Illinois, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Texas, and Virginia—that submitted an amicus brief in support of California’s law now find their options likewise limited.

OMG like oh noes! You mean states who want to infringe on the free speech rights of young people and game sellers are finding their options limited? Oh, we must feel so sorry for them! How dare they be blocked from violating their young citizens’ basic liberties based on not-very-conclusive “science”?

Yeah, go to hell, Scientific American. I am disappoint.

Hate to end on that note. So here’s one more bit of awesomeness from Mother Jones on the Scalia versus Thomas battle!

So it’s a good day for free speech and youth rights! My beloved organization NYRA was closely involved in this case, signing onto the amicus brief and holding that kickass RALLY late last year, and today all of our work has come to fruition, and justice has been served! Even just the tiniest victories take enormous work and dedication, but we’re on our way to a world where rights of youth are actually respected. It may seem a video game issue is trivial, but it’s not, it’s sooo not. Because when something turns discriminatory and could mean criminal penalties, especially for no real compelling purpose, it gets real.

In closing, here’s Eric’s review of the case on the NYRA blog.

This has been Day 35 of the 100 Days of Summer, Round 11.

Wow, my ass sure does hurt. From all the humongous gold bricks I shat.

Five Alive?! In my United States?!

Well, almost. There was one teeny tiny thing, back in October when I was first doing the design. I was all set with a lovely design, a green background with some holly on either side of the annual meeting picture! Beautiful. Was ready to show it to the board and await praise. Except… I couldn’t help the feeling it looked too “Christmas only”. What with the red and green, despite not saying Christmas anywhere on it, and being free of Jesus or angels or Santa. So when we met up in the NYRA office around that time, I showed it to Alex, and he thought the card was awesome. I mentioned my concern, though, and he agreed. But, well, Alex and I are lifelong Christians, so we’d be biased, as I said to him. So then Hal showed up at the office, and I asked him, as someone who is Jewish, what he thought of the card. Yeah, he got one look at it and said “no fucking way!” LOL! Alright, can’t use the awesome holly design, so back to the drawing board. My own dumbass fault, really. I’m supposed to be more mindful of it, I guess. It’s alright. I had other choices. My second choice, though, had ornaments on it, and I figured if holly was a no-no, ornaments probably were, too. So I went with my third choice, a blue one with little snowflakes on either side of the bottom of the picture. Averted! And the card is still awesome.

So anyway, since 2007, on the forums, I’ve been posting my own little musical reflection of that holiday card run. Stuff the Cards! Rather unimaginatively on my part, to the tune of Deck the Halls. And here is each one!

2007

Stuff the cards for NYRA members
Fa la la la la, la la la la
It’s what I do each December
Fa la la la la, la la la la
Christmas cheer is why I do this
Fa la la, la la la, la la la
Though these names look awfully Jewish
Fa la la la la, la la la la

Told the board about my plan
Fa la la la la, la la la la
Card with collage and a snowman
Fa la la la la, la la la la
To wish our friends a happy new year
Fa la la, la la la, la la la
Spread our message with some cheer
Fa la la la la, la la la la

So asked the board to help with this
Fa la la la la, la la la la
Just had to add names to the list
Fa la la la la, la la la la
This all sure did take forever
Fa la la, la la la, la la la
They complied in mid-December!
Fa la la la la, la la la la

Last year’s hundred wasn’t too hefty
Fa la la la la, la la la la
Now I ordered two hundred fifty!
Fa la la la la, la la la la
For politicians pro-youth rights
Fa la la, la la la, la la la
And our faithful members, you guys!
Fa la la la la, la la la la

One to Post article writer Linton
Fa la la la la, la la la la
And to Bill and Hillary Clinton
Fa la la la la, la la la la
Recipients sure run the gamut!
Fa la la, la la la, la la la
If you don’t like it, you can cram it
Fa la la la la, la la la la

I sent you a card, my friend
Fa la la la la, la la la la
That is, if I know where to send
Fa la la la la, la la la la
So if there’s not one in your mail
Fa la la, la la la, la la la
That’s because you’re made of fail.
Fa la la la la, la la la la

I sure have worked awfully hard
Fa la la la la, la la la la
To get you your holiday card
Fa la la la la, la la la la
So enjoy your card already
Fa la la, la la la, la la la
Or I’ll give your info to Eddy
Fa la la la la, la la la la

If I missed you, don’t shed a tear
Fa la la la la, la la la la
I’ll try to include you next year
Fa la la la la, la la la la
So stay with us, you won’t regret it
Fa la la, la la la, la la la
And the next holiday card, you’ll get it
Fa la la la la, la la la la

2008

Stuff the cards for NYRA members
Fa la la la la, la la la la
That’s what I do each December!
Fa la la la la, la la la la
Christmas cheer is why I do this
Fa la la, la la la, la la la
Though these names look awfully Jewish
Fa la la la la, la la la la

Told the board what it would be
Fa la la la la, la la la la
Cake picture next to a tree
Fa la la la la, la la la la
To wish our friends a happy new year
Fa la la, la la la, la la la
NYRAnian joy spread far and near
Fa la la la la, la la la la

So asked the board to help with this
Fa la la la la, la la la la
Just had to add names to the list
Fa la la la la, la la la la
Don’t know why I thought they’d do this
Fa la la, la la la, la la la
I forgot the board is useless!
Fa la la la la, la la la la

Last year’s two fifty, it was plenty
Fa la la la la, la la la la
Now I got three hundred twenty!
Fa la la la la, la la la la
For politicians pro-youth rights
Fa la la, la la la, la la la
And our faithful members… you guys!
Fa la la la la, la la la la

To the crew of Jeff Nadel
Fa la la la la, la la la la
Ralph Nader and Ron Paul as well
Fa la la la la, la la la la
Recipients sure run the gamut
Fa la la, la la la, la la la
If you don’t like it, you can cram it!
Fa la la la la, la la la la

Do I have your correct address?
Fa la la la la, la la la la
How else will I know where to send?
Fa la la la la, la la la la
So if there’s not one in your mail
Fa la la, la la la, la la la
Then, my friend, you’re made of fail
Fa la la la la, la la la la

Alex tried to alter the list
Fa la la la la, la la la la
Holy hell, I was so pissed!
Fa la la la la, la la la la
Scratched his eyes out and all along
Fa la la, la la la, la la la
Told him “YOU ARE DOING IT WRONG!”
Fa la la la la, la la la la

I sure have worked awfully hard
Fa la la la la, la la la la
To get you your holiday card
Fa la la la la, la la la la
You’d better enjoy your card already
Fa la la, la la la, la la la
Or I’ll give your info to Eddy
Fa la la la la, la la la la

Did I miss you? Well don’t you fear!
Fa la la la la, la la la la
I’ll try to include you next year
Fa la la la la, la la la la
So stay with us, you won’t regret it!
Fa la la, la la la, la la la
And next year’s holiday card, you’ll get it!
Fa la la la la, la la la la!

2009

Stuff the cards for NYRA members
Fa la la la la, la la la la
That’s what I do each December
Fa la la la la, la la la la
Christmas cheer is why I do this
Fa la la, la la la, la la la
Though most recipients are Jewish.
Fa la la la la, la la la la

The design was fun to make!
Fa la la la la, la la la la
Meeting picture and snowflake
Fa la la la la, la la la la
To wish our friends some joy and cheer
Fa la la, la la la, la la la
To end this amazing year!
Fa la la la la, la la la la

Started to make up the list
Fa la la la la, la la la la
Asked the board to add to it
Fa la la la la, la la la la
Holy crap, some actually helped!
Fa la la, la la la, la la la
The awesomeness that’s Jeff Nadel
Fa la la la la, la la la la

Lots of cards to send this season
Fa la la la la, la la la la
Ordered 500 for some reason
Fa la la la la, la la la la
For politicians pro-youth rights
Fa la la, la la la, la la la
And our kickass members… you guys!
Fa la la la la, la la la la

To friendly orgs, I sent a few
Fa la la la la, la la la la
And to all of ZSRU
Fa la la la la, la la la la
And Congressmen who proposed
Fa la la, la la la, la la la
Lowering the age to vote.
Fa la la la la, la la la la

Saw a threat to my hopes
Fa la la la la, la la la la
When I ran out of envelopes
Fa la la la la, la la la la
Complained to printer, gave them what for
Fa la la, la la la, la la la
So they send one thousand more!
Fa la la la la, la la la la

Need more names! Where are you, Alex?
Fa la la la la, la la la la
Hurry up, Koroknay-Palicz!
Fa la la la la, la la la la
Though you’re busy, I won’t holler
Fa la la, la la la, la la la
WE WON TWENTY FIVE THOUSAND DOLLARS!!!
Fa la la la la, la la la la

By the 18th, I was done
Fa la la la la, la la la la
Yay! Holiday cards are fun!
Fa la la la la, la la la la
NOW Alex adds names to the slate!
Fa la la, la la la, la la la
Sorry, Alex, you’re too late!
Fa la la la la, la la la la

I sent you a card, I guess
Fa la la la la, la la la la
That is if we have your address
Fa la la la la, la la la la
So if there’s not one in your mail
Fa la la, la la la, la la la
Then that means you’re made of fail.
Fa la la la la, la la la la

I sure have worked awfully hard
Fa la la la la, la la la la
So enjoy your holiday card
Fa la la la la, la la la la
If not, your info, in a hurry
Fa la la, la la la, la la la
Will be on /b/ saying you’re a furry.
Fa la la la la, la la la la

If I missed you, well that’s a shame
Fa la la la la, la la la la
Make sure we have your address and name
Fa la la la la, la la la la
Stay with NYRA, you won’t regret it
Fa la la, la la la, la la la
And next year’s holiday card, you’ll get it!
Fa la la la la, la la la la

2010

Stuff the cards for NYRA members
Fa la la la la, la la la la
Like I do every December
Fa la la la la, la la la la
Christmas cheer is why I do this
Fa la la, la la la, la la la
Though most of these people are Jewish
Fa la la la la, la la la la

Originally it was green with holly
Fa la la la la, la la la la
But Hal said no, it was not jolly
Fa la la la la, la la la la
Redesign I had to do
Fa la la, la la la, la la la
Now has snowflakes and is blue
Fa la la la la, la la la la

Annual meeting pic of everyone
Fa la la la la, la la la la
We’re all having lots of fun!
Fa la la la la, la la la la
Wishing you all much joyous cheer
Fa la la, la la la, la la la
For now and for all of next year!
Fa la la la la, la la la la

Fall fundraising mailing list
Fa la la la la, la la la la
Got many addresses from this
Fa la la la la, la la la la
First they get a money plea
Fa la la, la la la, la la la
Then they get the card from me!
Fa la la la la, la la la la

Five hundred cards, is that safe?
Fa la la la la, la la la la
Got a hundred more just in case.
Fa la la la la, la la la la
For politicians pro-youth rights
Fa la la, la la la, la la la
And our awesome members, you guys!
Fa la la la la, la la la la

To former board member Steve Ross
Fa la la la la, la la la la
And lots of friends of Dave Moss
Fa la la la la, la la la la
Interns, donors, leaders, of course!
Fa la la, la la la, la la la
Thank you all for your support!
Fa la la la la, la la la la

I sent you a card, I guess
Fa la la la la, la la la la
That is if we have your address
Fa la la la la, la la la la
So check, is there one in your mail?
Fa la la, la la la, la la la
If not you might be made of fail.
Fa la la la la, la la la la

I’ve been working awfully hard
Fa la la la la, la la la la
You’d better enjoy your holiday card
Fa la la la la, la la la la
If not, I’ll tell your info to /b/
Fa la la, la la la, la la la
And claim you attacked Wikileaks.
Fa la la la la, la la la la

If I missed you, well that’s poor luck
Fa la la la la, la la la la
This is why you should sign up!
Fa la la la la, la la la la
Stay with NYRA, you won’t regret it
Fa la la, la la la, la la la
And next year’s holiday card, you’ll get it!
Fa la la la la, la la la la

Hehehe! Happy Holidays!

That’s one infamous thing about me that anyone who knows me even a little bit knows or will find out soon enough. When I first mention it, I get some strange looks and shocked reactions, as if I’d just praised Satan or something. Some wonder if I’m healthy. Some ask if or assume I’m a vegan. A college roommate said “but cheese is a nutrient!” (If that quote hurt your brain a little, that’s nothing. The same girl once told me that I shouldn’t carry such a heavy backpack or I’ll give myself cerebral palsy… yeah.) I’m not really a big fan of dairy products in general. Don’t care for yogurt. Only ever buy milk if it’s to have it with cereal. I like ice cream, of course, but most ice cream has very little milk in it anyway. I was glad to notice on a Cool Whip tub one time that it contains no dairy (or, well, at the time, it does now). I mentioned this to someone and the immediate response was “yeah, I know, that sucks, stick to Redi-Whip instead” or something like that. They just assumed the observation of no dairy was to me a bad thing, but not at all. To be normal, you must want lots and lots of dairy products.

Then I saw yesterday’s Cracked list, 6 Insane Conspiracies Hiding Behind Non-Profit Groups. Go read it. I’ll wait.

See that? Right there in #1. Our society is being intentionally overloaded with cheese.

In 2009, Dairy Management worked with Domino’s Pizza on its now-famous “new menu,” otherwise known as “our pizzas no longer taste so much like ketchup-splattered drywall” campaign. Not surprisingly for a bunch of guys who like dairy farmers, this involved adding a lot of cheese to Domino’s pizzas. Forty percent more cheese. So much cheese, in fact, that you can now go over your recommended daily saturated fat level by eating two slices of some of Domino’s pies.

Ah, thanks for the warning, Cracked. I shall be avoiding the new Domino’s pizza then. I avoid pizzas with too much cheese, of course. Pizza cheese’s only function to me is topping-glue. Over copious amounts of tomato sauce!

It’s the United States Department of Agriculture. Granted, the majority of Dairy Management’s funding now comes from fees imposed on American dairy farmers, but last year the USDA added funding to the tune of $5 million. This is despite the fact that other people in the USDA are also using your tax money to continually promote a diet low in saturated fats.

So why the intense government-sponsored focus on cheese, rather than milk or other cow products? Well, over the years Americans have increasingly come to prefer low-fat milk, and dairy farmers have been left with a huge excess of extracted milk fat that they’ve skimmed off it all. We’re talking millions of pounds here. All this fat, and nothing to do with it. So why not make it into cheese, and then spend a lot of money encouraging Americans to eat it?

Yeah, goodness, how dare people try to lower their fat intake? Just pump that crap into them through other, devious ways.

While, true, Cracked is full of shit on occasion and is certainly ableist, very ageist, sexist, and other nasty traits now and then, I was quite glad to see this! Everyone’s all like “oh, Katrina, you’re so weird, you don’t like cheese!” yet I’m not the one falling for government-sponsored “put this milk fat into your body some way or another!” campaigns.

Okay, true, lots of things I do eat are still under the category of some big business and/or the government wanting people to eat it for their own profit beyond that from merely selling the product in general. But the cheese is one I do avoid. Whatever that’s worth.

December 2, 2009: Inaction of Grace
December 2, 2008: Meet the Snipers
December 2, 2007: For Children
December 2, 2006: I Met Chip

Mohammed! The Prophet of Islam! That is who this extremely crude drawing is meant to represent. Anyway, what kinds of things does our friend Mohammed here like to do? Let’s have a look at a few ways he spends his time, shall we?


Looks like Mohammed is out taking a walk through a park on a lovely sunny day! What a great way to clear your mind of all the nastiness the day can bring us. What else?

Ah! Just like all of us, here’s Mohammed the Prophet of Islam out shopping for some groceries. He’s standing there by the produce, looking to find good stuff that isn’t rotten and wondering if he wants the conventional vegetables or to spring for organic ones.

A hard working prophet with billions of followers sure needs to relax now and then! So here is Mohammed just chilling out at the bar with a frosty cold beer. Maybe he’ll join Moses in a game of darts a little later.

Here’s Mohammed helping out the community by giving a speech in a classroom. He’s teaching the students all about the importance of freedom of speech and religion, and the evils of censorship and of forcing one’s religion on another. Mohammed the Prophet of Islam is a guy who believes in tolerance and equality!

Now Mohammed is at the home of his good friends, the Silversteins, who have invited him over to join them in their Passover seder! Mohammed enjoys eating the delicious meal and celebrating with his friends.

Awwww! It seems our friend Mohammed has been thinking about the attacks of September 11, 2001, and he seems to be very sad to think of all those people who died on that fateful day. He sheds a tear wishing all the senseless violence would stop, that all the hatred could go away and we could all live in harmony.

Alright, Mohammed! Here our prophet friend has joined in a feminist protest, holding up his own sign, demanding that women are not inferior to men, that we get equal pay, have full reproductive rights, and that there be a swift end to the horrors of sexual assault. That’s what Mohammed believes!

And finally, Mohammed is just sitting down at his laptop, randomly surfing the web. Then Jesus IMed him with a link he should check out, and Jesus LOL’d, as it seems Mohammed has now been tricked into watching 2girls1cup.

Here’s to You!!!!

So I raise my glass and say, “Here’s to you, college protesters!”

Today, March 4th (”march forth”, get it?! ha ha ha), at a fuckton of colleges around this country students are occupying their school buildings and even interstates! It’s a beautiful thing!

What for? What else? Tuition keeps going up, yet there are constant layoffs, lower quality education, cut programs, and all kinds of other ways the students are getting the royal screw job. So GOOD FOR THEM for all their activities today, standing up for themselves! I’m at awe at all that has gone on!

Look at this! A map of all the day’s student protests and occupations. Look at that! Holy crap!

Look at all that has happened! Mostly in California, but also stuff right around here at good old College Park.

Go here for more info on everything.

Yay, students! Kick some ass!

So I went outside earlier to brush some of it off my car, then slipped on some ice, went back inside for a minute, then went back out, brushed some more snow off my car, froze, and back inside again. Good times.

Check it out…

It’s like a cross between a blue sedan and a jagged snowy mountain. This was before I started brushing snow off, but I didn’t really finish the job, and it now looks more like a jagged snowy mountain growing over my little car, all covered except for the red NYRA sticker.

Anyway, first I commented on the ACLU’s Blog of Rights, where they condemned sentencing juveniles to life without parole. Here’s my comment:

It is sick, especially when you consider how very few rights teens have. Everyone is always talking about how they can’t handle responsibility and that they shouldn’t be voting or driving or outside past a certain hour or whatever other unjust stereotype-based regulation, yet for some reason, if one were commit a heinous crime, then everyone suddenly thinks they’re fully developed and accountable and should get the harshest punishment. Can’t have it both ways, folks. Don’t treat them like kids and punish them like adults. As Dr. Mike Males said in on this subject in one of his books, we treat teens as kids when doing so is convenient for adults, and we treat them like adults when doing so is convenient for adults. Adult convenience and privilege should not be the basis for our justice system.

Awesome.

Then just a bit ago, NYRA-SEFL posted on Twitter an article about how Rochester, NY just got their youth curfew law struck down by the court. Score!

And here’s my comment:

For those who think a curfew is to protect young people from being victims of violence, I have a question. Why are you blaming the victim? If a young person is attacked at night, the REAL question should be “why are your streets so unsafe from violence?” not whether someone under a certain age is out past their bedtime! Arrest the CRIMINALS, not the potential victims! The worst thing you can tell a young victim of a violent crime is that it was her own fault because of her “improper” behavior, and that is exactly what curfews do. Glad to see this one gone and I hope Rochester keeps it gone. Hope all other curfews see an end sometime soon and people wise up and realize we have to treat young person with more respect and to come up with REAL, non-discriminatory ways to control crime.

Mmmm, yeah. (Despite them both containing typos I’m rather pissed about.)

Want to be awesome like me? Or at least as close as you, someone who isn’t me, can get to my astronomical levels of awesomeness? Then go leave a comment yourself! Only thing more annoying than a vocal youth rights opponent is a silent youth rights supporter.

And I totally got this in in time for this week’s Youth Blog Tuesday! Which is chock full of more blog entries you should totally comment on. Power to the Youth Rights Blogosphere!

This has been Day 17 of the 100 Days of Summer, Round 9.