Miranda Bastard's blog

So far it hasn't been too bad. We haven't started the medication yet, just done blood draws and bp measures. We had a few hours where we were allowed outside today. Unfortunately it was too cold to just walk around, and what wasn't closed was really boring. About half the people have been sent home for one reason or another. My roommates suck and don't really talk at all, but the rest of the people have opened up quite a bit. The food is terrible also. It's supposed to be low-carb, low-sugar but they do this by giving us tiny portions of high-carb foods. And I keep having to pick meat off of and out of everything. Lame.

So I'm not sure if I mentioned it, but I'm doing a paid 2-week medical study at a clinic 45 minutes from my city. I checked in at 4pm today. It's been sort of weird so far. Someone I used to hang out with is in the study with me, which is sort of cool. Everyone else is really quiet.

I expect to be really bored for the next couple weeks. I've brought an entire duffel bag of books, zines, and tapes.

I'll let you guys know if I end up growing a tail or gaining superpowers or something.

p.s. Let's have a show of hands: how many of you thought "the clinic" in this blog's title was refer

Kind of hurts.

edit: apparently must meet ten word re quire ment.

"Melissa (hat-tipping Shaker Moira, who gets credit for the post title, as well) called my attention to an Executive Order issued by the White House, titled “Blocking Property of Certain Persons Who Threaten Stabilization Efforts in Iraq” and dated July 17, 2007, and asked me to review it. In my considered opinion, I have to say…Holy SHIT.

[I’ll translate from legalese into English as best I can. Where I write ‘person,’ remember that it applies to all groups as well, including (arguably) Shakesville.]

Under this order, the Executive Branch can ’starve out’ a person by completely freezing their assets, without trial, without the need to present evidence, and without appeal. The Treasury Secretary has sole discretion to determine who is in violation of this order, in ‘consultation’ with the Secretary of Defense and the Secretary of State. That last part is verbiage; Treasury has the power per this order. Even better, the Secretary of Treasury has the explicit authority to delegate this decision to any flunky or flunkies of his choice per Sec. 6. This order applies to all persons within the United States. If Treasury declares that a person is a ‘SIGNIFICANT RISK’ to commit violence in Iraq, or a ‘SIGNIFICANT RISK’ to support violence in Iraq in any way, or to have assisted in any way a person who is a ‘SIGNIFICANT RISK’ to do so, all their assets are to be immediately frozen.

So I've been kicked out. I leave in just over 2 weeks and now I'm homeless. Hostel is too expensive. Don't want to go to a DV shelter. I only know about 2 people who are still in town.

Ugh.

Fuck.

People older than me (which is pretty much everyone but Alex and Katie): how did you deal with such a frustrating political climate? Seriously, I'm starting to worry about my mental and physical health. How did you guys do it?

I'm looking into a. finding a desert island or b. becoming an idiot so I won't care anymore.

Edit:
See also: Surviving the Administration of Bush the First, Surviving the Administration of Clinton.

http://www.webpronews.com/topnews/2007/06/06/american-reporters-arrest-c...

"But something else was going on among the press corps, according to bloggers. A YouTube video has surfaced showing InfoWars.com's Matt Lepacek, who claimed to have proper press credentials at CNN's Republican debate, being arrested at the command of Giuliani's press secretary after asking a question.

Never mind the question itself. It was a rather audacious query about Giuliani's knowledge of a terrorist threat prior to 9/11. And that's something we'd rather not get into here.

But Lepacek's arrest brings up some serious questions about freedom of the press, especially since Lepacek is being held on charges of criminal trespassing and espionage.

Driven by some snotty yippie woman while I was riding my bike. Took off most of the skin on my left knee, where I can't get some chunks of road out, but overall I'm okay.

Pretty scary though. If traffic had been coming, I would have been knocked into it. A couple weeks ago the exact same thing happened to a 14 year old boy, but in his case cars were coming and he was killed on the spot.

President Bush has signed a directive granting extraordinary powers to the office of the president in the event of a declared national emergency, apparently without congressional approval or oversight.
…The directive establishes under the office of the president a new national continuity coordinator whose job is to make plans for “National Essential Functions” of all federal, state, local, territorial and tribal governments, as well as private sector organizations to continue functioning under the president’s directives in the event of a national emergency.

“Catastrophic emergency” is loosely defined as “any incident, regardless of location, that results in extraordinary levels of mass casualties, damage, or disruption severely affecting the U.S. population, infrastructure, environment, economy, or government functions.”

At a friend's birthday party. Yes, that is one of RJohn's shirts. Yeah, I'm cool.