Author: Ruby Sinreich

I know I should be offended by this package, but the idea of promoting chocolate as too manly for girls just cracks me up. Also when I was an english school girl (in 1984-5) I ate Yorkie bars every day. So there. 😛

Here’s some good conference-blogging by the Political State Report at a conference I would have liked to attend this week:

The Director of Internet Strategy for Kerry-Edwards ’04 says that “the 2004 campaign ‘will be the first – and last – campaign to have specific internet teams doing internet operations,’ and that future campaigns will see net-savvy people seamlessly involved with all aspects of campaign operations.”

Someone from CTSG says the “four major outcomes of internet campaigns in 2004: interactivity, segmentation, community (‘the story of 2004, there is no longer one-way communication in modern campaigns’) and money. She says that the most changed aspect of internet campaigning is the two-way communication aspect, and that successful campaigns will seek to involve the voter in the ‘conversation.'”

And an FEC commissioner said “that the 2004 election season may be the last where an internet or media consultant can do work for both issue advocacy organizations and individual candidate campaigns.”

This panel discussion also addressed the issue of whether a blogger linking to a campaign website constitutes a contribution to the campaign. A pretty radical notion.

This is a story just made for the Daily Show: N.C. legislators are proposing an official “shagging” license plate. I know they mean this, but I’ll always be thinking this! “The proposed license plate would bear the phrase “I’d Rather Be Shaggin”‘ and would also have a picture illustrating two shaggers.” – WRAL.com

Can’t you just picture Austin Powers finding out about this and doing a PSA for North Carolina? British tourists will have a good laugh over this one.

Ian nails it: George Bush “claims he’s a ‘war president,’ which is a little like a kid flooding his own house with bathwater and claiming to be a sea captain.”

Here are my photos from last night:

Ben at The Trixie Update describes trying to watch his daughter on the webcams at day care:

…it’s like the Sims Toddlin’ Expansion Pack without the little green crystals floating above the avatars. All the tiny characters are either hungry or sleepy or have to go the bathroom. Social relationships form, grow, and break down. Add more toys to make everyone happy. The only difference is that everything is jerky and somewhat fish-eyed, instead of smoothly rendered in axiometric perfection.

Truth doesn’t render as gracefully as fiction. ;-}

I tried to post of pictures of this event from my phone, but flickr is down. 🙁

So a group calling themselves Called2Action took it upon themselves to bring about 100 people – including a bus of 50 guys from Wake County – to Chapel Hill tonight to tell our Town Council to stop supporting the repeal of the “defense of marriage act.” They failed miserably, of course. The Council voted unanimously to uphold their position, and about 100 Chapel Hillians came out in support of gay rights.

We live-blogged the event at Orange Politics, and I posted some pictures from my phone at flickr.

Only about 2 or 3 people spoke in favor of the anti-gay position, and it was not unlike a tent revival. Which may be fun for church-goers, but is extremely inappropriate in the halls of government in a nation founded on freedom of (and from) religion. It was quite shocking. but it was also comforting to see the 20 or so speakers from Chapel Hill who came out to show their support for gay rights.

When it was my turn to speak, I asked any members of the Called2Action group who vote in Chapel Hill to stand. In a room at capacity with 180 people in it, about 8 folks slowly rose. ‘Nuff said.

UPDATE: Anyone want to try google-bombing the term “called2action?” We can send them to Orange Politics or the Human Rights Campaign Fund or Equality NC… I’m going to try it with links to EqualityNC.org.

A national coalition Don’t Cut the Basics! Federal Budget Action Day will occur on Tuesday, March 8. A toll-free number, 1-800-247-2971, has been provided by the American Friends Service Committee to be connected to your Senators. Activists may also directly call the U.S. Capitol Switchboard at (202) 224-3121. You can also find your Senators’ direct lines at www.senate.gov .