essentially a nerd

Once upon a time we were a migratory species. Some of us still retain this urge to migrate. Some settle deep as oak roots. Some flee, forced from homelands like uprooted plants, seeking soil in which to root themselves and survive. But once we were migratory, like birds and so many of the beasts of our world. For we are beasts of this world, too. I have long been proud of my forebears who in the…

The cruelty, we are often told, is the point. I think it’s probably more used as a cudgel: a reminder that we none of us are worth that much, that we can be crushed if we don’t fall into line. It works well in some places, I guess. The latest Farm Bill has gotten press because this time it allows people to buy hot rotisserie chicken. It also further slashes what funds there are for SNAP and…

I’ve not been keeping up well here, or indeed anywhere. The only thing I have done, more or less consistently, is call my elected officials. I learned fast that if I called without a script (and hallelujah for 5 Calls), I’d babble and cry until the machine cut me off. I’ve also figured out that this works as a trigger for OCD for me: I make anywhere from 10 to 30 (or more) calls every…

Famed Illinois Nazi Mary Miller’s Nationwide Book Ban, H.R. 7661, has made it out of committee and will come to a vote in the full House. That does not mean its passage is a foregone conclusion. Please, reach out to your representatives in Congress and tell them to oppose H.R. 7661. 5 Calls has a script and will help you find your reps, making it easy to make that call. You can also, if you so…

It’s really hard, at times like these, to look around and even know where to start. God knows I don’t really have a good grasp on it either, as we bounce madly from one disaster to another, our cities and regions still under federal occupation even when heads have long since turned away. But I do know that our civic institutions are under attack in the US (and abroad), and one thing we can do…