Diane Feinstein, Bad Web Sites, and Me
John Whiteside
So, here in DC, we've got a little debate going on about vouchers for
private school tuition. This is not unusual; this debate is going on
all over the country, fueled in part by right wing jerk-wads looking
for a way to get tax money to religious schools or generally undermine
public schools, but also by parents in places with crappy schools who
are just completely frustrated and looking for any help in getting
their kids a decent education.
In DC we have some of both, but because this is DC, we have peculiar
dynamics to the situation. Overall vouchers are not a popular idea
among the residents of this city. But, since the residents of this city
don't actually have self-government, we have to contend with
conservative members of Congress who are fond of using DC as their
little lab for programs they can't sell at home or to the country at
large.
So a bill to set up a voucher program for the DC residents is making
its way through Congress. Along the way, our mayor - who has been
coasting for years on his achievement of being someone who is not
Marion Barry - suddenly, after a white house meeting, decided that
vouchers were a nifty idea, putting hm on the same side of the issue as
a fairly incompetent city councilor trying to get ready to run for
mayor in 2006.
All this is background to yesterday's news that Diane Feinstein has
decided that she will vote for the voucher bill. In her statement she
was careful to explain that she things vouchers are a good idea for DC
- but not, mind you, for California. (She clearly understands that she
can't piss the liberals off at home too much.)
Now ignoring the her complete hypocrisy on the issue at hand, there's
the little issue of why a Senator from California finds it necessary to
help run a city three thousand miles away. We are used to this kind of
nonsense from conservatives. In fact, Kaye Bailey Hutchison of Texas
became the queen of Not Getting It a few years ago when she publicly
explained that it's important to DC citizens to make their own
decisions about governing their city, but when they get it wrong, the
federal government has to change the local laws - something that
doesn't generally apply to, say, Dallas and Houston. But anyway...
I decided that I wanted to let Ms Feinstein know that she's an asshole
(worded in a much more polite way, of course). So, I went over to her
official senate web site, clicked "Contact Me," and wrote a polite
letter explaining my concerns with her position. As part of the web
form I had to fill in my name, and my postal address, which was fine
with me.
About five minutes later I received an autoreply explaining that since
my postal address was not in California, my message would not receive
a response. It was a bit vague about whether anyone would actually read
it.
The best part: the instructions to resend the text of my email as a
postal letter if I wanted a response. Since they use a web form to
collect "letters" on the site, there IS no text to resend - it's gone
when you hit SUBMIT.
So some observations:
1. Diane Feinstein sucks.
2. Her web people are stupid.
3 .She joins the many people and companies who have started using their
web sites as barriers to actually interacting with their
constituencies. This is one of my peeves - you know, the web sites that
make it impossible for you to just TELL someone at an organization what
you're trying to tell them - and I really hate seeing it from a "public
servant." (I have trouble with the phrase when, despite paying taxes,
I'm not actually part of the American public they serve.)
OK, I'm done.
David W. Fenton
<050920030659310436%logan_SKIPTHIS_john@mac_THISTOO_.com>:
All the Senate websites work this way. I wrote to Orin Hatch when
he said that people's computers should be destroyed if they were
pirating music. I got exactly the same web form/response. I wrote
to Hillary, my Senator, when the anti-gay marriage constitutional
amendment came out, and it was the same web form/response.
So, take it up with whoever is in charge of the Senate's websites
-- it's the same for everyone, not a DiFi issue.
--
David W. Fenton http://www.bway.net/~dfenton
dfenton at bway dot net http://www.bway.net/~dfassoc
Timothy McDaniel
John Whiteside <logan_SKIPTHIS_john@mac_THISTOO_.com> wrote:
>Along the way, our mayor - who has been coasting for years on his
>achievement of being someone who is not Marion Barry
While the achievement is not particularly difficult in general,
the benefits of it are large enough that you should be grateful.
>In fact, Kaye Bailey Hutchison of Texas became the queen of Not
>Getting It a few years ago when she publicly explained that it's
>important to DC citizens to make their own decisions about governing
>their city, but when they get it wrong, the federal government has to
>change the local laws - something that doesn't generally apply to,
>say, Dallas and Houston.
But does apply to Austin -- I think the state legislature nuked the
Save Our Springs ordinance a few years back. From this I conclude
that conservatives seem to be in favor of small government and local
control only when it's liberals in control overall.
I used to think it was bad and inefficient that the Texas state
legislature regular sessions are only sixty days every two years.
--
Tim McDaniel, tm...@panix.com; tm...@us.ibm.com is my work address
KiloDeLate
says...
I wrote Sen. Jack Reed about the anti-hay marriage amendment and got a
nice letter in the mail that in essence told me "This is an issue I
don't want to touch with a ten foot pole. My time in the Senate has been
much too comfortable for me to actually take a stand for the people I
represent as opposed to the business that funds my campaigns."
> So, take it up with whoever is in charge of the Senate's websites
> -- it's the same for everyone, not a DiFi issue.
It is. So you can always just fake the address to the congress critter.
Most every city/town has a Main St., or a Broad St. etc. Just hit USPS's
web site and key in the address/city and it'll give you a zip code.
Imagine Mr./Mrs./Ms. Conservative getting a letter from their congress
critter chastising them for being so liberal as to suggest that gay
marriages should be ok.
John Whiteside
<tm...@panix.com> wrote:
> >Along the way, our mayor - who has been coasting for years on his
> >achievement of being someone who is not Marion Barry
>
> While the achievement is not particularly difficult in general,
> the benefits of it are large enough that you should be grateful.
Sorry, but it's not enough. It was enough to get him elected. He's
coasting on it now.
> But does apply to Austin -- I think the state legislature nuked the
> Save Our Springs ordinance a few years back.
Not quite. I assume that the citizens on Austin get to vote for members
of the state legislature? So that there are actual representatives with
votes there for the people of Austin?
I also assume (correct me if I'm wrong) that the state can't just
arbitrarily change Austin's city laws, but can only do so in cases
where they contradict state jurisdiction (i.e., Austin can't have gay
marriages because the state makes marriage law); or, if the state
expands its jurisdiction in a way to effectively kills an Austin law,
it does so by enacting something that affects the entire state (i.e.,
no "this is a prohibited in Austin but allowed elsewhere" laws)
Finally, I assume that the Texas legislature doesn't have to explicitly
approve (and change, if they wish) Austin's city budget before Austin's
government can spend its own money.
None of this is true of DC....
John Whiteside
<dXXXf...@bway.net> wrote:
> All the Senate websites work this way. I wrote to Orin Hatch when
> he said that people's computers should be destroyed if they were
> pirating music. I got exactly the same web form/response. I wrote
> to Hillary, my Senator, when the anti-gay marriage constitutional
> amendment came out, and it was the same web form/response.
Which is less offensive if you have the option of writing to your own
Senator about something, which I don't.
Timothy McDaniel
John Whiteside <logan_SKIPTHIS_john@mac_THISTOO_.com> wrote:
>I also assume (correct me if I'm wrong) that the state can't just
>arbitrarily change Austin's city laws, but can only do so in cases
>expands its jurisdiction in a way to effectively kills an Austin law,
>it does so by enacting something that affects the entire state (i.e.,
>no "this is a prohibited in Austin but allowed elsewhere" laws)
The Austin Chronicle had an article saying that "Lowe's is suing the
city of Austin for rejecting its site-plan application", and that "to
bone up on the fine print of HB 1204. The newly signed law has
provisions written specifically to help Lowe's bypass certain
development irritants -- like the city of Austin and its Save Our
Springs Ordinance.".
<http://216.239.33.104/search?q=cache:vAc0FGPYX3MJ:www.austinchronicle.com/issues/dispatch/2003-06-27/pols_feature6.html>
I haven't read the text, at
<http://www.capitol.state.tx.us/tlo/78R/billtext/HB01204F.HTM>, but
just skimming it I see, near the top,
(a) This section applies only to a county operating under Sections
232.001-232.005 or Subchapter B, C, or E, Chapter 232, and a
municipality that has extraterritorial jurisdiction in that
county. Subsections (b)-(g) do not apply:
(1) within a county that contains extraterritorial
jurisdiction of a municipality with a population of 1.9
million or more; or
(2) within a county within 50 miles of an international border,
or to which Subchapter C, Chapter 232, applies.
I wonder whether those cited sections restrict it even more closely to
Austin. But even without that, it looks like they can tailor laws to
pretty precisely target Austin.
<http://www.ci.austin.tx.us/watershed/ordinances.htm> mentions city
home-rule provisions from the Texas Constitution, and
The SOS Ordinance has withstood a number of legal
challenges. Efforts to protect water quality in Austin and
throughout Texas are still beset by a State law that provides
"grandfathering" of some developments from current
regulations. The most recent enactment of this state law was as
House Bill 1704 by the 76th legislature. 1704 is the culmination
of previous legislation that essentially freezes regulations on
the date the first permit application is filed until the project
is complete. The implications for a city like Austin are that
projects with older development approvals, if they qualify for
1704 protections, can be built under regulations that will not
protect water quality as well as projects built under more recent
ordinances.
So apparently it wasn't utterly gutted; my apologies for not
researching it before posting.
>Not quite. I assume that the citizens on Austin get to vote for
>members of the state legislature? So that there are actual
>representatives with votes there for the people of Austin?
>
>Finally, I assume that the Texas legislature doesn't have to
>explicitly approve (and change, if they wish) Austin's city budget
>before Austin's government can spend its own money.
I recall reading that at least one major state legislator, I think in
the 2001 legislature, proposed establishing a District of Austin to
function just like the District of Columbia. But I can't find a
reference by Googling their site, so you should take this with a grain
of salt.
(While looking, I notice that in 1998,
South Carolina voted -- by a closer margin than expected -- to
remove a ban on interracial marriage from its state constitution.
The removal of a clause prohibiting "marriage of a white person
with a Negro or mulatto or a person who shall have one-eighth or
more of Negro blood," was approved by only 62% of the state's
voters.
)
John Whiteside
<tm...@panix.com> wrote:
> In article <050920031713344350%logan_SKIPTHIS_john@mac_THISTOO_.com>,
> John Whiteside <logan_SKIPTHIS_john@mac_THISTOO_.com> wrote:
> The Austin Chronicle had an article saying that "Lowe's is suing the
> city of Austin for rejecting its site-plan application",
> (snipped a bunch of interesting stuff about how Texas passes laws aimed at restricting Austin)
Fair enough. But there is still an element that's fundamentally
different, and that's that Austin voters are still part of the process.
So, your state reps conceivable can challenge these laws, work with
other legislators to try to block them, add unappetizing amendments to
them, and so forth.
This is different, in a very basic way, from a situation in which a
"District of Austin" contained voters who had to pay fulfill all the
duties of citizenship (including, if you had one, paying income tax)
yet did not have any representation in the legislature.
it's also fundamentally different from a situation in which the state
didn't just pass laws carefully written to single you out, but had the
explicit power to change any ordinance or budget item on a whim.
It's also different in that the state could do the same thing to any
community in your state, whereas the way DC run is unique and we
operate under restrictions and lack of representation that none of the
50 states do.
So, yes, it sucks that your state legislature passes laws to restrict
what one of its most liberal cities might decide to do, but it's really
not the same thing.
Brian Kane
>I decided that I wanted to let Ms Feinstein know that she's an asshole
>(worded in a much more polite way, of course). So, I went over to her
>official senate web site, clicked "Contact Me," and wrote a polite
>letter explaining my concerns with her position. As part of the web
>form I had to fill in my name, and my postal address, which was fine
>with me.
>
>About five minutes later I received an autoreply explaining that since
>my postal address was not in California, my message would not receive
>a response. It was a bit vague about whether anyone would actually read
>it.
Dontcha just *love* e-mail management systems? I'm (very) indirectly
guilty for your experience, because my former employer bid for the
Senate web email management contract.
I can guarantee you that someone will read it, as long as their programs
grep words and phrases that are deemed hostile or threatening. That said,
their biggest problem had been the deluge of e-mail which they couldn't
keep up with.
--
Brian Kane (Washington, DC) | Sad-eyed baby I'm not that kind of girl
astroplace.com/brian.asp | When the dice stop rolling, there's no
>bri...@SPAMastroplace.com<| more to the game :::: Stephin Merritt
David W. Fenton
<MPG.19c2a7b9...@news.east.cox.net>:
>In article <93ED77653df...@24.168.128.74>,
>dXXXf...@bway.net says...
>> So, take it up with whoever is in charge of the Senate's
>> websites -- it's the same for everyone, not a DiFi issue.
>
>It is. So you can always just fake the address to the congress
>critter. Most every city/town has a Main St., or a Broad St. etc.
>Just hit USPS's web site and key in the address/city and it'll
>give you a zip code.
>
>Imagine Mr./Mrs./Ms. Conservative getting a letter from their
>congress critter chastising them for being so liberal as to
>suggest that gay marriages should be ok.
Faking it does not guarantee a response, as I didn't get a response
from Hillary, who is, in fact, my own Senator.
And faking it would be easy to detect, as it would be pretty easy
for the Senate website to add address verification to be sure that
the street address given is real.
David W. Fenton
That's an excellent point -- all Senators ought to treat DC
residents as their own constituents, since Congress is basically
the Super City Council of DC.
Sorry if I seemed like I was minimizing that -- I had not really
thought about it explicitly.
I'm also no fan of DiFi, I just think we should blame her for the
things she *does* do wrong, instead of including things that aren't
really her fault.
John Whiteside
<dXXXf...@bway.net> wrote:
> That's an excellent point -- all Senators ought to treat DC
> residents as their own constituents, since Congress is basically
> the Super City Council of DC.
Well, I guess that would be better though it doesn't really address the
central issue - they are not the Super City Council. We get to choose
our city councilors. We don't get to choose Senators.
I have jokingly suggested that one way to end disenfranchisement would
be not to give DC itself voting rights, but to allow each DC resident
to select a state to vote in. It would be really fun if one year we all
picked one of the several states which have smaller populations that
ours; we could decide who the Senator from somewhere like Wyoming would
be!
> I'm also no fan of DiFi, I just think we should blame her for the
> things she *does* do wrong, instead of including things that aren't
> really her fault.
A fair point. But, I doubt it's impossible for a senator to decide that
they will respond to everyone, even if they don't have to. One would
hope a Senator who's decided to become a local DC politican in her
spare time would think about doing this, at least for DC
correspondents.
Mike McKinley
>The Austin Chronicle had an article saying that "Lowe's is suing the
>city of Austin for rejecting its site-plan application",
>
>
>
I had a letter published this week in the Chron....
--
¿...qué podemos saber las mujeres sino las filosofías de cocina? Bien dijo Lupercio Leonardo, que bien se puede filosofar y aderezar la cena. Y yo suelo decir viendo estas cosillas: Si Aristóteles hubiera guisado, mucho más hubiera escrito."
("...what can we women know, save philosophies of the kitchen? It was well put by Lupercio Leonardo that one can philosophize quite well while preparing supper. I often say, when I make these little observations, "Had Aristotle cooked, he would have written a great deal more.")
Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz, La Respuesta
Frank McQuarry
Mike McKinley wrote:
>
> Timothy McDaniel wrote:
>
> >The Austin Chronicle had an article saying that "Lowe's is suing the
> >city of Austin for rejecting its site-plan application",
> >
> >
> >
> I had a letter published this week in the Chron....
Can you post your letter here, or provide a URL where we can read it?
Mike McKinley
I may have it at home. Call me tonight and I'll read it to you over
the phone.
Frank McQuarry
Mike McKinley wrote:
>
> Frank McQuarry wrote:
>
> >Mike McKinley wrote:
> >
> >
> >>Timothy McDaniel wrote:
> >>The Austin Chronicle had an article saying that "Lowe's is suing the
> >>city of Austin for rejecting its site-plan application",
> >>
> >>
> >> I had a letter published this week in the Chron....
> >>
> >>
> >
> >Can you post your letter here, or provide a URL where we can read it?
> >
> >
>
> I may have it at home. Call me tonight and I'll read it to you over
> the phone.
Was this the letter in question:
<http://www.austinchronicle.com/issues/dispatch/2003-09-05/cols_postmarks.html>
xym...@suds.com
Don't you want to hear his voice?
Katie, who'd opt for the Logitech Quick Cam rendition
Mike McKinley
Brad Macdonald
> Frank McQuarry wrote:
> >Mike McKinley wrote:
> >> I had a letter published this week in the Chron....
> >Can you post your letter here, or provide a URL where we can read it?
>
> I may have it at home. Call me tonight and I'll read it to you over
> the phone.
Aren't you in line for a column there?
http://www.austinchronicle.com/issues/dispatch/2003-09-05/cols_postmarks.html
http://www.austinchronicle.com/issues/dispatch/2000-06-09/cols_postmarks.html
Brad
Mike McKinley
One of my ballerinas told me that she was going to start working as
"cam girl." Well!
Frank McQuarry
xym...@suds.com wrote:
>
> On Mon, 08 Sep 2003 19:49:24 GMT, Frank McQuarry
> <fmcq...@earthlink.net> wrote:
> >
> >Mike McKinley wrote:
> >>
> >> Frank McQuarry wrote:
> >> >
> >> >Can you post your letter here, or provide a URL where we can read it?
> >>
> >> I may have it at home. Call me tonight and I'll read it to you over
> >> the phone.
> >
> >Was this the letter in question:
> >
> ><http://www.austinchronicle.com/issues/dispatch/2003-09-05/cols_postmarks.html>
>
> Don't you want to hear his voice?
Yes, but not tonight, and I don't have his phone number.
>
> Katie, who'd opt for the Logitech Quick Cam rendition
You, *tramp*, you.
Frank McQuarry
> Mike McKinley wrote:
>
> Frank McQuarry wrote:
>
> > Mike McKinley wrote:
> >
> >
> >> Frank McQuarry wrote:
> >> Mike McKinley wrote:
> >>
> >> Timothy McDaniel wrote:
> >> The Austin Chronicle had an article saying that "Lowe's is suing
> >> the
> >> city of Austin for rejecting its site-plan application",
> >>
> >> I had a letter published this week in the Chron....
> >>
> >> Can you post your letter here, or provide a URL where we can read
> >> it?
> >>
> >> I may have it at home. Call me tonight and I'll read it to you
> >> over
> >> the phone.
> >>
> >>
> > Was this the letter in question:
> >
> >
> > <http://www.austinchronicle.com/issues/dispatch/2003-09-05/cols_postmarks.html>
> >
> >
>
> You are so fast. Naturally, I'm indebted to that crotchety old
> man in Madison for, well, *every*thing!
So, how many letters to the editor do you write per year?
Mike McKinley
>On Mon, 8 Sep 2003, Mike McKinley wrote:
>
>
>>Frank McQuarry wrote:
>>
>>
>>>Mike McKinley wrote:
>>>
>>>
>>>> I had a letter published this week in the Chron....
>>>>
>>>>
>>>Can you post your letter here, or provide a URL where we can read it?
>>>
>>>
>> I may have it at home. Call me tonight and I'll read it to you over
>>the phone.
>>
>>
>Aren't you in line for a column there?
>
>
>
You're sweet, darling, but that rag is nothing but compendium of
knuckleheads at best.
Anyway, I wouldn't want *any*thing to come between me and motss.
Robert S. Coren
Brad Macdonald <br...@columbia.edu> wrote:
>
>Aren't you in line for a column there?
>
>http://www.austinchronicle.com/issues/dispatch/2003-09-05/cols_postmarks.html
>
>http://www.austinchronicle.com/issues/dispatch/2000-06-09/cols_postmarks.html
Now *that* one (the June one) is the true MissKinley! Brava!
--
---Robert Coren (co...@panix.com)------------------------------------
"You can't reason with a dead herring."
--BBC
Ellen Evans
And do you think the guy who wrote the letter in question knows what the
word "risible" means?
--
Ellen Evans 17 Across: The "her" of "Leave Her to Heaven"
je...@panix.com New York Times, 7/14/96
Get your Ellenwear at http://www.cafeshops.com/ellexia
All the cool kids are doing it.
Mike McKinley
I only read the Chronicle a couple of times a year. So, usually
about a couple of times per year.
Mike McKinley
>In article <3F5CDD40...@earthlink.net>,
>Frank McQuarry <fmcq...@earthlink.net> wrote:
>
>
>>Mike McKinley wrote:
>>
>>
>>>Frank McQuarry wrote:
>>>Mike McKinley wrote:
>>>
>>>Timothy McDaniel wrote:
>>>The Austin Chronicle had an article saying that "Lowe's is suing the
>>>city of Austin for rejecting its site-plan application",
>>>
>>> I had a letter published this week in the Chron....
>>>
>>>Can you post your letter here, or provide a URL where we can read it?
>>>
>>> I may have it at home. Call me tonight and I'll read it to you over
>>>the phone.
>>>
>>Was this the letter in question:
>>
>>
>>><http://www.austinchronicle.com/issues/dispatch/2003-09-05/cols_postmarks.html>
>>>
>>>
>And do you think the guy who wrote the letter in question knows what the
>word "risible" means?
>
>
Of course not, but I live to patronize and condescend.
Mike McKinley
>In article <Pine.GSO.4.50.030908...@sawasdee.cc.columbia.edu>,
>Brad Macdonald <br...@columbia.edu> wrote:
>
>
>>Aren't you in line for a column there?
>>
>>http://www.austinchronicle.com/issues/dispatch/2003-09-05/cols_postmarks.html
>>
>>http://www.austinchronicle.com/issues/dispatch/2000-06-09/cols_postmarks.html
>>
>>
>
>Now *that* one (the June one) is the true MissKinley! Brava!
>
>
>
Y'all don't want to hear about my cloth tampon issues.
Robert S. Coren
Mike McKinley <mpmck...@mail.utexas.edu> wrote:
>Robert S. Coren wrote:
>>
>>Now *that* one (the June one) is the true MissKinley! Brava!
>>
>>
>>
> Y'all don't want to hear about my cloth tampon issues.
You're right, we don't.
--
---Robert Coren (co...@panix.com)------------------------------------
"I'm not as dainty as AnnB." --Gwengolyn
Ellen Evans
Robert S. Coren <co...@panix.com> wrote:
>In article <bjise9$7s0$4...@geraldo.cc.utexas.edu>,
>Mike McKinley <mpmck...@mail.utexas.edu> wrote:
>>Robert S. Coren wrote:
>>>
>>>Now *that* one (the June one) is the true MissKinley! Brava!
>>>
>>>
>>>
>> Y'all don't want to hear about my cloth tampon issues.
>
>You're right, we don't.
I know I certainly don't.
Mike McKinley
>In article <bjipuo$4hb$1...@panix5.panix.com>,
>co...@panix.com (Robert S. Coren) wrote:
>
>
>>In article
>><Pine.GSO.4.50.030908...@sawasdee.cc.columbia.edu>,
>>Brad Macdonald <br...@columbia.edu> wrote:
>>
>http://www.austinchronicle.com/issues/dispatch/2000-06-09/cols_postmarks.htmlNow *that* one (the June one) is the true MissKinley! Brava!
>
>And is that the first appearance of the word 'cababble' in a serious
>newspaper?
>
>Robert, Ellen, you could be next
>
>
Thank you, darling, but I would not call the Austin Chronicle a
serious newspaper.
WontParse
@panix5.panix.com:
> In article <bjise9$7s0$4...@geraldo.cc.utexas.edu>,
> Mike McKinley <mpmck...@mail.utexas.edu> wrote:
>>Robert S. Coren wrote:
>>>
>>>Now *that* one (the June one) is the true MissKinley! Brava!
>>>
>>>
>>>
>> Y'all don't want to hear about my cloth tampon issues.
>
> You're right, we don't.
"We" don't?
--
Will
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Homepage http://www.geocities.com/parsonswont
"You are the only one who cares about the Jeep."
- Mike McKinley
Cornelia Wyngaarden
DROPTHIS...@bellsouth.net wrote on 9/9/03 7:56 PM:
> co...@panix.com (Robert S. Coren) wrote in news:bjjf9r$ark$1
> @panix5.panix.com:
>
>> In article <bjise9$7s0$4...@geraldo.cc.utexas.edu>,
>> Mike McKinley <mpmck...@mail.utexas.edu> wrote:
>>> Robert S. Coren wrote:
>>>>
>>>> Now *that* one (the June one) is the true MissKinley! Brava!
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>> Y'all don't want to hear about my cloth tampon issues.
>>
>> You're right, we don't.
>
> "We" don't?
I'll admit I'm a mite curious but it's probably more than I want to know.
corry
Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen
> I'll admit I'm a mite curious but it's probably more than I want to
> know.
I'm dying to hear all about the tampon issues.
Perhaps we could take a vote?
--
(domestic pets only, the antidote for overdose, milk.)
la...@gnus.org * Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen
Clay Colwell
> Robert Cumming wrote:
>
> >In article <bjipuo$4hb$1...@panix5.panix.com>,
> >co...@panix.com (Robert S. Coren) wrote:
> >
> >
> >>In article
> >><Pine.GSO.4.50.030908...@sawasdee.cc.columbia.edu>,
> >>Brad Macdonald <br...@columbia.edu> wrote:
> >>
> >http://www.austinchronicle.com/issues/dispatch/2000-06-09/cols_postmarks.htmlNow *that* one (the June one) is the true MissKinley! Brava!
> >
>
> >And is that the first appearance of the word 'cababble' in a serious
> >newspaper?
> >
> >Robert, Ellen, you could be next
> >
> Thank you, darling, but I would not call the Austin Chronicle a
> serious newspaper.
Such restraint! I swore up and down that, for the thread-self-tying
effect alone, you'd call it a "rag".
-- Clay, who appreciates the newspaper's unabashed and self-admitted
liberal bias
Mike McKinley
>Cornelia Wyngaarden <cor...@telus.net> writes:
>I'll admit I'm a mite curious but it's probably more than I want to
>know.
>
>
>I'm dying to hear all about the tampon issues.
>
>Perhaps we could take a vote?
>
>
>
Years ago, the subject of reusable cloth tampons as a preferred
hygenic option and the desires of some females to reclaim their monthly
cycle as a natural occurence fraught with metaphysical energy became a
topic of discussion in the letters to the editor. I wrote that with the
dissolution of the Soviet Union (which was going on at that time), NAFTA
looming and God knows what other things that were happening then (this
was so long ago, I can't even remember and the archive search is too
complicated for my aesthetic and lard-addled brain), a discussion of the
pros and cons of cloth tampons was perhaps not that important.
Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen
> a discussion of the pros and cons of cloth tampons was perhaps not
> that important.
Somehow I'm disappointed.
Mike McKinley
>Mike McKinley <mpmck...@mail.utexas.edu> writes:
>a discussion of the pros and cons of cloth tampons was perhaps not
>that important.
>
>
>
>Somehow I'm disappointed.
>
>
>
What were you wanting? Snaps? Twirls? Dish?
I *try* to be as shallow as a mirror.
Cornelia Wyngaarden
mpmck...@mail.utexas.edu wrote on 9/10/03 7:07 AM:
> Years ago, the subject of reusable cloth tampons as a preferred
> hygenic option and the desires of some females to reclaim their monthly
> cycle as a natural occurence fraught with metaphysical energy became a
> topic of discussion in the letters to the editor. I wrote that with the
> dissolution of the Soviet Union (which was going on at that time), NAFTA
> looming and God knows what other things that were happening then (this
> was so long ago, I can't even remember and the archive search is too
> complicated for my aesthetic and lard-addled brain), a discussion of the
> pros and cons of cloth tampons was perhaps not that important.
So looking back over those occurrences and their permutations are you still
of the same persuasion?
corry
Mike McKinley
I dunno. What is your take on this?
Cornelia Wyngaarden
mpmck...@mail.utexas.edu wrote on 9/10/03 11:52 AM:
> Cornelia Wyngaarden wrote:
>
>> in article bjnb6u$7sn$1...@geraldo.cc.utexas.edu, Mike McKinley at
>> mpmck...@mail.utexas.edu wrote on 9/10/03 7:07 AM:
>>
>> Years ago, the subject of reusable cloth tampons as a preferred
>> hygenic option and the desires of some females to reclaim their monthly
>> cycle as a natural occurence fraught with metaphysical energy became a
>> topic of discussion in the letters to the editor. I wrote that with the
>> dissolution of the Soviet Union (which was going on at that time), NAFTA
>> looming and God knows what other things that were happening then (this
>> was so long ago, I can't even remember and the archive search is too
>> complicated for my aesthetic and lard-addled brain), a discussion of the
>> pros and cons of cloth tampons was perhaps not that important.
>>
>>
>> So looking back over those occurrences and their permutations are you still
>> of the same persuasion?
>
> I dunno. What is your take on this?
What I think is rather complicated, since both issues fall into two separate
arenas and you do what you can. One can choose both and have just as much
affect as choosing to spend one's energy on affecting the events in just
one.
I believe in economics they call it the bullwhip effect. Small changes can
have big results, but that can include a letter to the editor about what is
important to write about in one's local newspaper. More people in your
community are likely to read it and think about it, so it is more likely to
be effective than in a national paper.
The same can be said about the Feminine Hygiene Industry however.
Both arenas are not necessarily mutually exclusive.
corry
WontParse
news:m3u17l3...@quimbies.gnus.org:
> Cornelia Wyngaarden <cor...@telus.net> writes:
>
>> I'll admit I'm a mite curious but it's probably more than I want to
>> know.
>
> I'm dying to hear all about the tampon issues.
>
> Perhaps we could take a vote?
>
Isn't there a single queen around here that could
just declare we must hear about it?
John Whiteside
<cor...@telus.net> wrote:
> I believe in economics they call it the bullwhip effect. Small changes can
> have big results, but that can include a letter to the editor about what is
> important to write about in one's local newspaper. More people in your
> community are likely to read it and think about it, so it is more likely to
> be effective than in a national paper.
Speaking of which - and popping back to the topic that launched this
thread - I received an email informing me that my comments on the
subject (which were also posted in a local email discussion group) have
inspired a column in a certain national newspaper, which will appear
tomorrow. I have no idea what it is going to say but I'm awfully
curious. Stay tuned...
John Whiteside
John Whiteside <logan_SKIPTHIS_john@mac_THISTOO_.com> wrote:
Well, I just looked at the morning paper... Washington Post metro
columnist Marc Fisher wrote about the DC voucher bill, noting that it
passed the House by one vote ("a painful reminder of the vote the
District lacks") and then commenting on Feinstein:
"You would think that a politician who inflicts an offensive policy on
a populace that never elected her to anything might at least be open to
discussion. You would be wrong.
"Feinstein's Web site offers a chance to contact the senator with
'comments and concerns.' When District resident John Whiteside
expressed outrage about her position on vouchers, he got an automated
reply from Feinstein informing him that 'we are only able to respond to
messages that contain a California postal address.'
"When I e-mailed Feinstein, I got the same reply.
"'We receive from California alone more than 35,000 pieces of mail and
e-mail a week,' spokesman Howard Gantman said when I called seeking an
explanation. 'The Web site is set up to respond to her constituents.
There is some concern about opening it up to the entire world.'
"But the senator isn't mucking around in the lives of the entire world
-- only this city, which has zero say in Congress's little experiments
with us.
"A few hours later, Gantman called back to say, 'After your inquiry
came in, the senator said she hadn't been aware of the restrictions on
responding just to California residents. She's directed the staff to
try to expand our e-mail response program.' (Gantman says Feinstein has
received more than 600 calls from District residents, 'a large
preponderance of them opposed to vouchers.')"
I write letters to politicians, I write letters to the editor, and I
know that for the most part, doing so has little to no effect on what
happens. I do it anyway because I think people need to hear what actual
citizens think, and because I know if enough people do it they might
have some impact - but I'm very realistic about the likelihood of that.
So the idea that my bitching and moaning may actually have helped
changed the way Feinstein's web site works is kind of pleasing to me.
David Horne
> So the idea that my bitching and moaning may actually have helped
> changed the way Feinstein's web site works is kind of pleasing to me.
Yup- good for you!
David
--
David Horne- www.davidhorne.co.uk
davidhorne (at) davidhorne (dot) co (dot) uk
David W. Fenton
<110920030726470231%logan_SKIPTHIS_john@mac_THISTOO_.com>:
>So the idea that my bitching and moaning may actually have helped
>changed the way Feinstein's web site works is kind of pleasing to
>me.
That's great, John.
I wonder, though, if it's possible for one Senator to have the code
operate differently from the other Senators. If I had implemented
the site, I probably wouldn't have designed it to allow for such
things.
--
David W. Fenton http://www.bway.net/~dfenton
dfenton at bway dot net http://www.bway.net/~dfassoc
John Whiteside
<dXXXf...@bway.net> wrote:
> That's great, John.
>
> I wonder, though, if it's possible for one Senator to have the code
> operate differently from the other Senators. If I had implemented
> the site, I probably wouldn't have designed it to allow for such
> things.
I thought of that too. I guess we'll see...