Postcards from the Bleeding Edge
Wednesday, October 08, 2003
Now is the time for all good men...
to go surfing!Today's waves were at 7+ feet. Facing my first one I got the longest, most elegant ride I'd had ever since I got the shorter stick. I moaned all summer about it being too long - 7'4" is too big to rip around 2-3 foot swells... but 7 foot tall perfect sets rolling in the board came alive underneath me. There was a magnificent sunset on the one side of Le Secre't surfing hole, and a perfect moon rising out of the reflected sunset on the other side... wonderful. I'm so tired I can hardly lift my arms.
¶ 10:02 PM 0 comments
OK, now we have a new governor. The next year or two of California politics ought to be much more interesting.
I liked the recall. Why? It was more entertaining than Survivor - and it was a clear case of democracy - as weird and as plutocratic as it gets, but democracy... What I liked best was how simple it is to force an election: All it takes is a single disgruntled millionaire and a ton of signatures to force an election which is thrown open to all. In this last case, 135 people ran - and people turned out in record numbers to vote. Maybe... just maybe... some will bother voting in the primaries, where the real electoral process takes place.
Will multiple disgruntled millionaires mudwrestle in the primary elections? Stay tuned....
I just want to lock them in a room with each other until millionth monkey syndrome is cured.
Anybody out there know how the state primary process works?. I spent a frustrated weekend trying to figure out how to become a republican party or democratic party candidate for the primaries... as a theoretical exercise... and I got bogged down with things like central comittees and a whole bunch of forms. As best as I can tell, to get into the primary, you have to file between October and November 10th - with a filing fee is 2% of the first year's salary of whatever political office you seek. The rules on signatures are unclear to me at the moment - Somebody out there help me out? If you want to avoid the filing fee how many signatures do you need to run for either the Democratic or Republican Party for something like state assembly?
So all you people out there that so happily just threw out Davis - Just voting isn't enough. Running in the primaries sounds more fun. Everybody should do it.
I can't wait to read what the scriptwriters have in store for the next segment of this virtual reality show. It's just too surreal not to participate in it. It's an insurmountable opportunity... to sell tax deductable thongs! Have porn stars make appearances on your behalf! You can stand up to the little guy as symbolized by gary coleman! Now we get a governor that would look just fine poised with a machine gun on the capitol gates! What next?
Has anyone ever run eliza for an elective office?
It's just too funny - artifical intelligences are prohibited from running for elective... wait... do we know if Arnie... actually represents artificial intelligence? We've come a long way since Eliza and basic animatronics. I guess we're going to find out now, huh! In Terminator 4... do the machines win?
Anyway, after being one of the few to vote for Georgy... I asked myself:
"Self, you know anything about John Laird?" I googled. He seems very environmental, not much else, though - first 2 year term... with an 80s style webpage design.
Then I wondered: I who's running in the primaries as a replacement for the existing state senator....
Hmm....
I wondered who else was wondering about the next - hey, everybody - just pick a primary, and run in it! Let's see some emergent democracy in action!
I've spent the last week moving back into my house. I had packed up my stuff in preparation to move, but there's no way I can leave California without seeing what happens next. ¶ 8:57 AM 0 comments
I liked the recall. Why? It was more entertaining than Survivor - and it was a clear case of democracy - as weird and as plutocratic as it gets, but democracy... What I liked best was how simple it is to force an election: All it takes is a single disgruntled millionaire and a ton of signatures to force an election which is thrown open to all. In this last case, 135 people ran - and people turned out in record numbers to vote. Maybe... just maybe... some will bother voting in the primaries, where the real electoral process takes place.
Will multiple disgruntled millionaires mudwrestle in the primary elections? Stay tuned....
I just want to lock them in a room with each other until millionth monkey syndrome is cured.
Anybody out there know how the state primary process works?. I spent a frustrated weekend trying to figure out how to become a republican party or democratic party candidate for the primaries... as a theoretical exercise... and I got bogged down with things like central comittees and a whole bunch of forms. As best as I can tell, to get into the primary, you have to file between October and November 10th - with a filing fee is 2% of the first year's salary of whatever political office you seek. The rules on signatures are unclear to me at the moment - Somebody out there help me out? If you want to avoid the filing fee how many signatures do you need to run for either the Democratic or Republican Party for something like state assembly?
So all you people out there that so happily just threw out Davis - Just voting isn't enough. Running in the primaries sounds more fun. Everybody should do it.
- "We have an insurmountable problem, said the general to Curtis LeMay. "We don't have problems here", groweled LeMay, "only opportunities!" After careful consideration the general said: "We have an insurmountable opportunity!"
I can't wait to read what the scriptwriters have in store for the next segment of this virtual reality show. It's just too surreal not to participate in it. It's an insurmountable opportunity... to sell tax deductable thongs! Have porn stars make appearances on your behalf! You can stand up to the little guy as symbolized by gary coleman! Now we get a governor that would look just fine poised with a machine gun on the capitol gates! What next?
Has anyone ever run eliza for an elective office?
It's just too funny - artifical intelligences are prohibited from running for elective... wait... do we know if Arnie... actually represents artificial intelligence? We've come a long way since Eliza and basic animatronics. I guess we're going to find out now, huh! In Terminator 4... do the machines win?
Anyway, after being one of the few to vote for Georgy... I asked myself:
"Self, you know anything about John Laird?" I googled. He seems very environmental, not much else, though - first 2 year term... with an 80s style webpage design.
Then I wondered: I who's running in the primaries as a replacement for the existing state senator....
Hmm....
I wondered who else was wondering about the next - hey, everybody - just pick a primary, and run in it! Let's see some emergent democracy in action!
I've spent the last week moving back into my house. I had packed up my stuff in preparation to move, but there's no way I can leave California without seeing what happens next. ¶ 8:57 AM 0 comments
