Stasis Report

I don't seem to be posting much substantive content to the blog lately. I've been watching all of Visconti's gorgeous films in reverse chronological order and reading Trollope's Palliser novels when I'm not teaching or preparing to teach these days. I have been really pleased by many of the things Governor Brown has signed into California law over the past few days -- limiting ballot measures to major elections to circumvent big money gaming of the political process via propositions in low turnout elections, mandating insurance coverage of behavioral conditions, passing a California version of the Dream Act, allowing HPV testing without parental consent, restricting open carry gun permits, an anti-bullying measure, and other good things, screw you Republican scumbags! I am enormously encouraged by the proliferating Occupy Wall Street protests, and I don't much care about the lameness of the Establishment about them (everybody knows who got screwed and who is doing the screwing and what the protests are about), nor the efforts of radicals who differ in their radicalism from my own to appropriate them, since I think there's plenty for Marxists, anarchists, radical and partisan Democrats to take heart and energy from in these protests, and, I mean, let a bazillion flowers bloom. Since I think Obama 2012 is less about winning (I honestly think it's in the bag, knock on wood) than winning with coattails to facilitate keeping the Senate and regaining the House, and so I actually am pleased to see Romney consolidating his frontrunner status while crazytown plays its Savior Flavor of the Week game over and over again -- since a depressed wingnut base unenthused about Mormon/RINO Romney means margins for Democratic House and Senate races, seems to me, which are what I'm really interested in, especially if legal challenges and DNC GOTV circumvents evil GOP disenfranchisement efforts. I don't think any of this is particularly insightful or contentious and so, I suppose, less blogging is happening. Also, too, the owner we rent our house from has had people banging about a lot fixing our roof (which both pleases us and makes us nervous about rent hikes in our future) and now it's gray and lightly raining, and none of that is particularly conducive to writing either. Even the futurologists are boring, though I note that this year's inevitable futurological screed talking about what! will! change! when! longevity! medicine! kicks! in! sooner! than! you! think! even though it never does kick in has been published by a dot-eyed blonde-locked right wingnut (another right-wing libertopian futurist -- I'm sure it's just another coincidence, eh, readers?) Sonia Arrison, though I predict another book indistinguishable from hers will arrive in! the! future! sooner! than! you! think! even if nothing much of anything else changes.