I've Been Remiss

I've been terrible about posting lately because I've been traveling quite a lot over the summer, but continue to read the blog frequently. And! finally I have something blue to post. I've been knitting a scarf for my husband and plan on making a hat to match (though a bit less stripey) once I've finished it.


In the meantime, I'm looking forward to getting back to the US in a month and catching up on Sicko and all the other news I'm hearing vicariously through you all!

Potentially unrelated post...

... so mods, I won't be offended if you delete it. I just heard about the "Jena Six" case in Louisiana and I: 1) can't believe it hasn't been in the mainstream media, 2) can't believe this is happening, and 3) want to share this info and also get any ideas on what I/we can do to help.

Essentially a series of racist actions by white students against black students at a local high school culminated in a fist fight. One white student went to the hospital and was released the same day. Six black students were charged with attempted 2nd degree murder. Although this charge was later reduced, the first defendant was recently found guilty by an all-white jury and faces up to 22 years in prison. His (presumably white) court-appointed defender called NO witnesses in defense.

More details here:
http://www.alternet.org/columnists/story/57253/
http://www.whileseated.org/photo/003244.shtml
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/070307B.shtml

I am outraged beyond belief. There should be rioting, or congressional action, or something. A man wants to let his poor comatose wife go after 14 years and they're all over it, but 6 black teenagers are about to have their lives destroyed and we hear nary a peep. Where the hell is Atticus Finch when you need him?

A Blue Scarf Askew

Hi Everyone! I'm new to the blog and thought I'd make my first post. I'm knitting "A Scarf Askew" from Magknits in blue for my 83 year old grandfather. I'm knitting this up in Pashima, a cashmere, merino blend. I'm almost to the my 3rd ball of yarn and will cast off once I'm out of yarn. It is hard to get a good picture of the dark navy without getting an overexposed picture so I apoligize if this picture hurts your eyes ;)

Obama '08!

Worth Watching

If you haven't seen Bill Moyer's Journal recently, the most recent installment focusing on Impeachment was a particularly good watch. When I saw Bruce Fein was the guest, I wasn't sure I was going to be too happy with it, but even this resident scholar for the Heritage Foundation had strong words regarding the current administration.

HI

Hello,
I just wanted to introduce myself. I joined a few days ago but this is the first chance I have had to post. Me and my husband are both very very liberal dems who have the extreme misfortune to live in Utah. But, he just got offered a job in Huntsville Al, so I am really looking forward to that. Granted, it is not Seattle, but it is a welcome change. I am glad to have found this blog because it combines my two favorite things to talk about, politics and knitting. I am a big Edwards supporter. Right now, I am in the middle of some serious sock knitting. It is much too hot for anything else.
I look forward to hearing from everyone and seeing your great knitting.
Thanks
Bethany

Contest Reminder

We've had quite a few new people join lately (jump right in and start posting!), so I wanted to re-post the contest I made up a couple of weeks ago. I've had a few entries, and remember, the earlier you enter, the more points you get if you're right!

But 2008 is revving up fastly and furiously everywhere you look (XM Radio--a POTUS '08 channel, really?), so I want to announce a contest.

Submit to me via email your guess for who will be the Republican and Democrat nominees. This contest will obviosuly be open for quite some time, so think carefully about when you want to submit your answers. As we get closer to the primaries, I will announce a cut-off date. However, bouns points will be awarded to those who guess early and end up being right. If more than one person correctly guesses both nominees, the one who guessed correctly the earliest will win.

You an submit guesses for one or both parties. Prizes will be a skein of reddish sock yarn for the Republican side and a skein of blue-ish sock yarn for the Democrat winner.

I just made this contest up off the top of my head and have had a glass of white wine, so if something doesn't make sense, let me know, and I will clarify the guidelines accordingly.

This is ridiculous!

Most of us already read Yarn Harlot's blog. If you don't then you must read her latest entry. What she is talking about is ridiculous and a disgusting corruption of justice. This would never happen if it were some other crime.

So...

Harriet Miers decides that it's okay to not show up in response to a Congressional subpoena. Fortunately, Mr. Conyers and Ms. Sanchez - go Linda!! - know about inherent contempt and have started the process. Subpoenaes cannot be ignored. She could have shown up, with an attorney in tow, and not said anything, which would have been frustrating but would have been responding to the subpoena. But no!! She listens to her dream lover Dubya and stays home. Well, I hope she doesn't mind wearing a jumpsuit, 'cause she can be arrested and hauled away behind bars pretty quickly, and they can keep her there indefinitely as long as she elects not to talk, just like what happened to Judith Miller when she refused to talk about who told her about Valerie Plame. And if it can be argued that she's being held in regard to a civil complaint it may not even be pardonable.

This could get good :)

How long must we endure it?

A lady here in our state is being told by her home owner's association that she cannot continue to protest the war by flying her flag upside down.

PLLLLLEEEAAASSSEE!!!

For quite a while now I have been quietly pasting all of my stamps on the envelopes upside down, my own sort of flying the flag that way as a sign of distress. For several years I had a flag sticker upside down in the back window of my car (the car is gone now, and I haven't yet gotten a new sticker for the new vehicle)

It is totally amazing to me that we have so totally forgotten what our founding fathers had in mind when they wrote:

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created
equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable
Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.

That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men,
deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed.

That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends,
it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to
institute new Government

surely we need to consider these words even when dealing with our local HOA (or perhaps even more so, lest we piddle away our rights little by little until they are all gone!)

New Blue

I just joined the group last week, and was quite happy to find some like-minded knitters out there (OK, I feel happy when I find like-minded anyone these days, but you get the idea)!

Anyway, I wanted to introduce myself, and show you my recent blue knitting:

This is from a class I took this past Sunday at my LYS, to learn how to knit toe-up socks. It's not perfect, but I did finally understand the wrapping/turning/picking up the wraps of the short row heel, after I brought it home to work on a little more. I think I will want to try a me-sized toe-up sock, but perhaps use a different heel ...

As to recent events, I have to say that as infuriated as I am with Bush for pardoning Libby, I'm really not surprised. Keith Olbermann (sp?) has a really good piece on msnbc.com about it, if you haven't already seen or heard it.

The rule of law goes down in flames

once again we have more that adaquate evidence that Bush thinks this is the Imperial Presidency!

Poor Scooter shouldn't be punished after all, he only covered up the outing of a CIA agent, only could have contributed to far worse consequences for her that screwing up her career....like getting her killed.

Martha Stewart's crime was WAY worse, don't you know, it had to do with MONEY.....

Its become all to clear to me that the "Faith Based" groups are about faith in the almighty dollar and to hell with anything that might help someone even a little bit unless (of course) it is one of your super rich cronies

No Justice

Libby's sentence was just commuted. It seems as if this administration can get away with murder these days. Can't wait until '08. And did you read about Cheney saying he's not a part of the executive office? WTF?

http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/07/02/libby.sentence/index.html