Kill the Bill, DC March 20, 2010 [with a couple pictures]

We're heading to DC is a couple hours. This is a place holder to see if I can get some pictures loaded from the phone while down there. (Still can't upload pictures from phone to here, will have to be links from Twitter.)

In a related topic, my town had a Kill the Bill rally earlier this week. We didn't know it was happening, of course, because we aren't on any mailing lists. We went to the July 4 one last year and would have signed up then. But you know what? We're the sort of people who don't like to have our names on lists! So that got me thinking: how do you have email lists to organize for a group of people who don't want their names on any lists? Even though I know that's what the list would be for, I still don't want my name on it! So I guess that means that it's even more remarkable that so many people show up to the various Tea Party events around the country.

Anyway, pictures hopefully soon. And I'm bringing a video device, but don't know if anything will be worth recording. The last time I started recording speeches the guy went off on a How Awesome Ron Paul Is speech. So I didn't post that.

UPDATE below the fold:

I had my iPod on me, but wasn't close enough to really be able to see or hear what the speakers were saying. But I got a couple pictures. Everyone liked my shirt (Obama on a Unicorn) and my sign.

And then just a few of the crowd:

We stayed toward the back of the crowd by the traffic circle. We couldn't even see where the speakers were from way back there. Walking up the street towards the Capitol (we were late) you could here everyone cheering for whatever someone said before you could see them. And the way it all echoed of the buildings made the sound carry a lot farther down the street. It was pretty cool. And then to slowly be able to make out all the yellow flags in the huge crowd of people in front of the Capitol. I actually had goosebumps!

So, my rough estimate is maybe 1/4 of a Rose Bowl, so 25ish thousand people. It sounds like a lot, but it felt like a lot of people. [apparently at the thing they announced they were at 25000 people.] I was just on the outskirts the whole time, but I could see that the crowd was stretching out a long ways. I saw lots of white people, which makes sense since there is mostly white people in this country. There were plenty of different ethnicities there also. A group of Japanese exchange students (is my guess as to who they were) asked me who the man on my sign was, so I explained. There were a lot of kids coming through on tours, who probably just wanted to get a nice picture of the building. I really felt bad for them, because I hate having people in my pictures. Especially when I was in Philly trying to get a clean picture of Independence Hall.

Saw a sign of Pennsylvania Nurses against HCR, so looks like there were some groups who actually came from pretty far away. Talked with a retired couple for a long time (while Mr. Voight was speaking :( ), but they were like us and most people there who hadn't done that sort of thing before. The mood was like the one July 4 rally we went to in my town last year. People cheer when they hear throw the bums out, or cut taxes, or whatever. But mostly it's just a bunch of people milling arund admiring each others signs. I don't know why every one like mine so much, it wasn't very original. There was a guy who does caricatures for a living, and did a great Obama as Pinocchio (with the long nose and leaves coming off of it). That sign was really a piece of art, and he's saying "Oh, it only took me a minute to do up."

Anyway, I had a good time, even if we spent a lot more time travelling than actually there at the event. I thought this one was pretty awesome, so I can only imagine how goosebumpy the 9/12 march was!


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Things Trebek sucks

(or, Potpourri)
Would you have got that joke without the explainer? Do you still not get it? Does this help: "Rough; just the way your mother likes it, Trebek." Fine then just look it up.

Snow
It's melting! We've had a few nice days in a row, so the piles of snow are slowly shrinking. The sun is out, the birds are chirping. Makes me feel like quitting my job and sitting on the deck all day. OK, step one of the plan is already in the works.

This sudden change from winter to spring weather has got the geese all migrating at once. Instead of the many small groups of birds flying south in the fall, there are few giant groups all heading north at once. Big groups like 50 birds in one V instead of the 5 or 10 your usually see. Still the same amount of racket coming from the sky. And poop too.

Lizards
It took a little while, but they are both done brumating. The little dude I'm not sure he ever was fully under, but he did slow down for a few months. Big dude, though, he was out for like three months. I had fed him just a couple veggies and fruit maybe a week ago, he took them reluctantly. Now yesterday feeding him more, he practically took my hand off. I think he's awake and ready for food. He just needs to make a good poop then he'll get his veggie and crickie regimen back.

Toyota
I am thoroughly disgusted at how the media has portrayed this outrageously scandalous scandal with their news stories every day: "XX more instances of sudden acceleration!! WEREALLGONNADIE!!" Now, that's fine to report that more instances are coming to light. But I think they need to make sure it was a genuine occurrence and not, say, a floor mat or an old person jamming on the gas before flipping their shit with the freakout factor. The particular example I'm thinking of is the video of the police cruiser stopping the Prius with the brakes of the cruiser. Obviously the Prius driver forgot or never knew to flip it into neutral. Also something he could have done? TURN OFF THE FUCKING CAR. Yes I know that is not the first step to try, as you lose power steering and power assist brakes. BUT YOU STILL HAVE THEM. And yes, the cars with a push button start can be tuned off while driving down the road. You know how you do that? By pushing the button. Well, holding the button I guess, for however long it takes. 5-10 seconds, I'm guessing, if it's like a computer that froze up (yes, I'm looking at you work computer).

Anyway. Back on topic. The driver obviously needed some direction on how to handle the situation. Maybe he already burned out the brakes, I don't know the story I'm only reacting to the visual this story created. So the cop comes along the help. Apparently the cop also forgot about putting the car into neutral because he resorted to the most dangerous situation possible. Seriously, running a car down the freeway without power steering is WAY less dangerous than trying to stop a moving vehicle with another moving vehicle.

So my point: why didn't the cop just say over the PA: "Take your right hand and put it on the gear select lever. Move the lever to the N position. Steer to the side of the road. Have a nice day."

It is unfortunate for Toyota that my fantasy situation didn't happen. There would have been no sensational graphic to be blasted on every news outlet for the next three days. Instead the cop risked everyone's lived and we end up with a sensational graphic that is blasted on every news outlet for the next three days. I just feel like Toyota doesn't really need this piling on right now. They got a couple things to worry about, and they are addressing the issues. So why are we determined to drive Toyota's good name down into the mud? These freakout stories have been running long enough now that John Q Public's immediate reaction to just the mention of the name or a glimpse at the logo is "Danger! Unsafe! Run away!"

All I'm saying is Toyota is going to have a tough enough time recovering their reputation after this already. But they wouldn't have such an uphill battle if the media would treat this as they would any other recall from a GM or a Ford model. OK, with the exception of exploding fireballs of death trucks as seen on Dateline way back when. The media would say "Ford Taurus XL model years 2002-2003 have a seatbelt problem that will strangle children and small adults. Go to you dealer or call this number for more info." Done. No slander, no libel, no defamation.

End rant

Moving
Still no word

Health Care Reform
A friends' 11 year old daughter is right this minute in the ER with a bad asthma attack. This is a known thing to the family, so she has inhaler and all that stuff. Just a particularly bad attack, is all. That part isn't the point of the story. That point is that this is a lifetime military guy's kid, so he has a just a little experience with the way government run healthcare is going to work. [Aside: People seem to forget that there a few groups in this country that already experience this miraculous new way of doing things: active military, anyone in the VA, American Indians living on reservation (I think). I feel like I'm forgetting someone. These groups know the system, and know it sucks. Just ask any one of them. Anyway: this guy's daughter is not responding to the nebulizer treatments, Prednisone, etc. She started off at the base hospital, but has been moved to one closer to their house, the regular hospital for everyone else. His statement on her getting moved from the government system to the private citizen system: "She should start getting better now. I hate to say it, but it's true." From a lifetime military man and exceptionally honorable and good human being.

OK, that's all.


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