Unitarian Address, Gaming and RPG Review, American Politics

[tcpip]

Yesterday I gave an address at the Melbourne Unitarian Church on Religious Freedom and National Self-Determination where I basically argued for both, as limited to universal moral rights. During the congregational talkback the final question raised the danger of religious freedom and indoctrination. This provided an opportunity to recount some comments on "real child abuse" by Dr. Richard Dawkins, a topic I have been recently debating. When I concluded that when the voice of an adult educator with authority is dealing with young minds that supernatural speculations can indeed be dangerous and harmful and that extreme caution is recommended, the congregation burst into spontaneous applause. I didn't expect that! A large number of members of the congregation also came up to me afterwards saying how highly they thought of the address. So I guess it was well received overall.

Afterwards we played the third session of imajica_lj's Call of Cthulhu campaign where, after a slow start, we've finally starting making some serious investigations in what will become a globe-trotting tale to stop evil cultists from well, something. In the other Sunday RuneQuest game, Gaumata's Vision from Shadows on the Borderland is possibly one of the creepiest scenarios I've had the pleasure to run. I'm still selling a fair quantity of AD&D stuff on ebay (and more coming). The upcoming roleplaying magazine, RPG Review is going well. I have received nearly all the articles now (including some excellent Call of Cthulhu and RuneQuest articles from taavi and Steve Perrin has agreed to be interviewed for the first issue.

American politics has been pretty interesting over the past couple of weeks. Denis Kucinich provided a bit of fire and spirit at the Democrat National Convention. Economist Alan Blinder points out that historically that it is the Democrats who preside over periods of greater economic growth and reduced income inequality. Choosing Dan Quayle in drag as his Vice-President nominee has already backfired for McCain, as this 'candidate of integrity' seems have lied about well, a few things, actually. Oops.

Comments

[angel80.livejournal.com]

The Daily Kos story is a shitty attack of tabloid proportions on a 17 year-old girl who didn't choose her mother. I've looked at all those photos and there is no "evidence" at all - actually the other way around. I think the photos show that it was indeed Sarah, not Bristol, who was pregnant.

It really makes me wonder about the rest of the stuff. We've already seen how vicious they were about HC.

I'd rather stick to her politics.

[ytterbius.livejournal.com]

It's not strong evidence by any means, but it sure seems a bit funny.

Sticking with her politics doesn't do her alot of favors anyway. :)

[angel80.livejournal.com]

Not only is it not strong evidence, it is not evidence at all. It was written by a troll. That's probably the funny bit - Daily Kos publishing the work of trolls.

Otherwise it isn't funny at all, it's just sexist.

[tcpip.livejournal.com]

Don't you find it a little improbable that a person is seven months into a pregnancy, and no one noticed? Not even her own staff? What do you think of Alaska's Senate President Lyda Green? Or the comments Alaska Airlines representative Caroline Boren? Don't you find it a little hard to believe that this person is seven months pregnant?

Politics? Well she's a creationist who doesn't believe that human beings are responsible for global warming. It doesn't surprise me that she would pressure a young woman in falsifying an illness why she goes away for a while to have a baby and pretend not to be the mother for the sake of traditional right-wing family honour.

[angel80.livejournal.com]

No I don't find it particularly hard to believe, but then I don't know when the photo was really taken either. In the photo taken next to the other female governor she could easily be pregnant and in the one with the pink coat I'm pretty sure she is. There are other photos in which she also looks pregnant.

I do find it hard to believe that a family trying to hide a pregnancy would pose their daughter in a way that shows her (non-anorexic) tummy bump, clearly emphasised by the stretchy tight-fitting top over hipster pants.

I don't know what all these other people said because I've only read the "quotes" in one place.

[tcpip.livejournal.com]

Of course there is not conclusive evidence at this stage one way or another. What I find interesting is that this can be illustrative of Palin's own policies on related matters; to say the least, her policies on abortion and other forms of birth control, sex education and schools and so forth are downright reactionary. Whilst this story will get some media legs, I hope that people have the sense to move from the sensationalism to the related policy positions.

[angel80.livejournal.com]

I think the evidence is fairly conclusive that the DKos article was written by a troll. I found the photo of the allegedly pregnant daughter on the Alaska Daily News site. It was taken in 2006.

This is not sensationalism, it is a deliberate attempt to tell lies about her in a way that damages her daughter more than anybody else. Like the attacks on Chelsea during the Primaries.

[tcpip.livejournal.com]

I found the photo of the allegedly pregnant daughter on the Alaska Daily News site. It was taken in 2006.

Source? I've checked the ADN archives and the story is from March 9, 2008.

I don't think anyone has mentioned her daughter in a negative fashion. Or even thought negative things about her. That sort of thing is left to the minds of religious fundamentalists who seem to think that teenagers getting pregnant is a condition of wickedness rather than a medical matter.

[angel80.livejournal.com]

The ADN has a photogallery of Sarah Palin. The caption to photo #39 says 2006.

Anyway the story has been somewhat superseded this morning. That daughter is a "wicked sinner" all right, but the mother is not covering it up.

[ytterbius.livejournal.com]

Interesting indeed.

I'm starting to imagine that she might end up dropping out of the running to "attend to family."

That would sure be evidence of McCain's Judgement.

[fryboy.livejournal.com]

Hey dude
I've recently been listening to Penny Arcade's podcast wherein they play D&D 4E and it sounds terrific. I've never RPGed before. Any tips on how to get started?

[tcpip.livejournal.com]

Come join our RuneQuest group on Sundays... You know you want to ;)

[strangedave.livejournal.com]

Gaumata's Vision is one of the greatest scenarios I know of. Always creepy and confronting, and I've found that the reactions to it (particularly the 'cleanup' required once the situation becomes clear) can be a campaign pivotal, character defining, situation. Top stuff.

[tcpip.livejournal.com]

I'm thinking of making the trivial conversion to HeroQuest to run at Unicon which is coming up soon.

The creepiness of the situation - which came especially clear when they discovered Visla's skeleton - was balanced with comic gore in this particular experience as several lucky dice rolls resulting in critical impales on the head and chest on the ogre-children.

[mundens.livejournal.com]

Damn you! You tempt me with your ancient D&D tomes! :)

[tcpip.livejournal.com]

Oh I'll have a few more going up tonight. :)

[cluebyfour.livejournal.com]

I can't stand Palin's politics, but this potential Babygate smacks of swift-boating to me, with even fewer supporting facts. That 40-something women don't often get pregnant can't even be considered circumstantial evidence.

Here's another picture of Palin, supposedly taken in February, that seems to contradict the one you linked to earlier in the comments.

In the end, though, is this what Democrats should be attacking, a possible pregnancy cover-up? Jesus, who cares? It should bother them more that the governor of a state where marijuana is decriminalized supports the drug war, supports the war on terror (and the assaults on liberty which it entails), wants creationism taught in science classrooms, is rigidly anti-abortion, etc. And there are other issues which I have a less of a problem with but would certainly bother the left, such as her position on global warming, oil drilling in ANWR and elsewhere, and so on.

The good news (for Democrats anyway) is I don't think Obama will be stupid enough to broach Babygate, and only partisan bloggers will waste their time with this.

[tcpip.livejournal.com]

*nods* I agree that the court is still out and, as I mentioned earlier today, I desperately hope (like you do) that the sensationalism can be diverted to concentration on related policies that Palin holds on abortion, sex education and the like.

Of course, at the very best Palin has shown remarkable lack of judgement.

[cluebyfour.livejournal.com]

Heh. Well, that map is amusing, but not entirely fair. For one, water breaking is not automatically a sign of labor. And Palin still had to be induced even after she arrived at the hospital. There is absolutely no evidence to suggest the baby was endangered in anyway by her returning to Alaska (although it's certainly unusual--for one thing, airlines would refuse to allow a woman in labor or close to it to board a plane--so she must not have disclosed that fact to Alaska Airlines).

[tcpip.livejournal.com]

There's an interesting discussion on the matter at TPM Cafe Talk.

[jdurall.livejournal.com]

> For one, water breaking is not automatically a sign of labor.

No, but it is a sign that the amniotic sac is now ruptured, and that the baby is at risk for a variety of infections.

Additionally, women who've had previous children almost always have dramatically shorter periods of labor. Sometimes breathtakingly short.

A woman giving birth on a plane causes the plane to land immediately. That a woman in even the earliest stages of labor would even get onto a public airline indicates a callous lack of regard for her fellow passengers.

[idyllic.livejournal.com]

This is the problem with Democrats: They assume too much. In this case, they're assuming that McCain's choice of Palin for VP is so transparent and opportunistic that no one is going to fall for it, that her corruption charges will surface and bite her in the ass, and that her anti-choice stance won't win over disgruntled Hillaryites and women. In other words, they assume the rest of America thinks just like them, when it does not. McCain made his choice knowing that:

-the media will not give proper coverage to the pending charges. Instead it will focus on her love of mooseburgers, guns, and hockey mom status...all things which work in their favor.

-Many people--in fact, quite a lot of people--don't vote based on issues. This includes those Hillary voters who voted for her simply based on her genitalia, or voted against Obama because he's black, or those who voted for her one of many other irrational reasons and now resent Obama, despite the fact that they were basically in agreement 90% of the time.

-Most Americans probably don't even know what the function of a VP actually is (to break ties in the Senate and take over should anything happen to the president..you probably know that already since you seem smart). This also explains why the angry Clinton voters are so foolish: They don't seem to realize that the VP actually doesn't have a lot of responsibilities, and that Obama is likely going to give Clinton a spot in his cabinet so she can continue her work on healthcare reform. We can partly blame Bush and Cheney for this misinformation, as Bush has given Cheney an inordinate amount of control over the past four years to mask (or perhaps emphasize) his own incompetence.

-While more Americans might be pro-choice (to some degree), those who are pro-life tend to be much louder and more obnoxious. Unfortunately those who are pro-choice just aren't as motivated. And as I said before, it's a far cry to even say that people vote on the issues.

-McCain was never really popular with the religious whackjobs who form the base of the Republican party. She is just the kind of nutter that they will flock to.

Historically, VP's have little to no influence on the final outcome, but this year is unique for many reasons, so we can't base what happens now on previous experience.

As a disclaimer, I am generally a pessimist when it comes to American politics, but my reasons for being this way are very real and very legitimate. My feeling is that if Sarah Palin has any effect, McCain will win. If not, it's still a tossup. I am not even much of an Obamaphile. He's far too moderate for my taste and like all US presidential candidates, is likely to be an egomaniac. But even then, I feel that he is too good for America. America deserved eight years of Bush, and it deserves at least four more years of Bush.

Which is why I am trying desperately to get the hell out of here. Might sound melodramatic and emotional, but it is what it is.

[idyllic.livejournal.com]

Oh, and I meant to say basically the same as above: The media and Obama would both be wise to stay away from the pregnancy thing until and unless it's proven. If it isn't, it will only cause people to torch him for being so insecure as to degrade her as a woman, blah blah. There is no shortage of things to attack her over. They don't need to go there.

[tcpip.livejournal.com]

Indeed. The task at hand, now that the story is out, is to concentrate on her appalling related policies on sex education and contraception. With the more dramatic matter, at best she's shown atrocious judgement; at worst she's been involved in an awful conspiracy to cover up the pregnancy of her teenaged daughter.

[angel80.livejournal.com]

Forget the conspiracy about the pregnancy. Keep talking about it and you're doing the troll's work.

She's just one of those nutty American right-wing politicians. There are plenty of them.

[angel80.livejournal.com]

Precisely. And the story is a pack of lies in any case. It is not difficult to check photo dates or to find alternative photos that give a radically different picture.

Daily Kos just ends up with egg on its face.

[taavi.livejournal.com]

Hey, that's me!
Fame at last :)
I always have a lot on my plate - best way to get me to get these done on time is feedback, if you have any...

[djayha.livejournal.com]

I miss talk backs at my church. We simply don't do them often enough, largely because they have a tendency to result in an incredibly long service that leaves half the congregation feeling antsy to leave near the end and the rest of the congregation playing hot potato with the mike so that everyone can get their chance to talk. The last time I actually led a successful talk back was when the high school class had a chance to organize a service all their own and I---being the youngest person on the Worship Council and thus presumably the one they'd identify with most--- worked with them as their WA. They chose the theme, "If UUs Ruled the World" and gave the congregation the opportunity to respond to their sermon and engage them in a dialogue. I was very proud of them; people never quite realize how much kids have to say until they're given the opportunity to say it.

[tcpip.livejournal.com]

Congregational talkbalk is one the best features of the service (I can't imagine many other mainstream churches happy with the idea!) - and of course, further discussion afterwards. We also tend to occassionally dovetail our philosophy class with subject matter that's raised in an address. But yes, the time consideration is something that the person conducting the service has to play a great deal of attention to otherwise you will end up with the situation you describe.

I do like the idea of "What If UUs ruled the world" as a topic. I may raise it for a special discussion...

[direwolf23.livejournal.com]

How did you get a gig like this?

[tcpip.livejournal.com]

Which gig are you referring to? The Unitarian one?

[direwolf23.livejournal.com]

Yep, that's the one. :)

[tcpip.livejournal.com]

Oh, I've been a member for six years or so. Spent some time on the committee and manage their website. I'm a pretty regular face there :)

[feywords.livejournal.com]

I saw Palin as a Dan Quayle type of move also.

[tcpip.livejournal.com]

It's not a bad move on their part to shore up support among the religious right in the party now that Huckabee is out of the picture. Also they've made a pitch to disaffected Hilary voters, although I'm not sure how successful that will be.

If the Democrats are smart they'll use the Biden choice to drive a wedge into the "intellectual conservatives" in Ohio, Virgina and Pennsylvania.

[crooked7.livejournal.com]

I saw this, thought you might appreciate it
http://www.superdeluxe.com/sd/contentDetail.do?id=D81F2344BF5AC7BBA696F269B9D88D70629D940E51E3A2C6

[(Anonymous)]

If Palin as a choice was a "backfire" based on two failed smear attempts, you must dig her now, eh?

Sad.

[tcpip.livejournal.com]

She strikes me as a astoundingly idiotic choice that panders to the most ignorant and backward of the American citizenry. A lot of the hype around her can only be expressed in terms of the surprise and sheer stupidity of what she stands for.