(Untitled)

[almightychrissy]

Two things.

1. I became overwhelmed with desperation due to my current failure to connect with the new Lynch, so after ten years of having Mercedes Lackey recced to me (in retrospect, I think it was my friend Mike's way of coming out to me), I got Magic's Pawn at the library and I have to ask-- am I SUPPOSED to hate Vanyel already? He reads to

Comments

[bkm5191]

I would be terrified if abortion was made illegal, jut because women will get them anyway.

God I want religious folks to get their bibles out of my vagina.

[almightychrissy]

Because desperation is EXACTLY the feeling you want to induce in pregnant women.

[annapeace]

Hooray for the old standbys like wire hanger abortions and a good right hook to the gut.

[fullycompletely]

How hard is it to amend your constitution? That seems to get thrown around a lot, gay marriage, abortions, and like, it is a huge pain in the ass to go mucking about in our constitution. Man, Quebec's never even signed the damn thing, and we still gave up on changing it. This is why the Queen is still on our money. So, is it easier to change yours? I mean, I know you already have a bunch of amendments, so I'm assuming it is.

[almightychrissy]

Okay, so I had a horrible government teacher, so I could be totally off, but I don't think it actually is THAT easy to amend the constitution on a national level. I think it's more a...I don't know what to call it. I think it's something politicians do to make certain groups happy, knowing full well it won't work. The state constitutions seem to be much easier to amend, though.

According to wikipedia and my own hazy memories, we haven't had a successful amendment since 1992 (it was about congressional pay) and the one before that was the one changing the voting age to 18 in the early 70s.

[early_afternoon]

There are twenty-seven amendments, but the first ten were passed in a block at the signing of the Constitution in 1789, so that's seventeen amendments over the past 220 years or so, which isn't a terrific rate.

The short version of Constitutional amendments is thus: Both houses of Congress, the 100-member Senate and 435-member House of Representatives, must approve a resolution calling for the amendment by a two-thirds vote in both houses. Since this is very difficult to obtain, the amendment rarely passes into the second stage, wherein three-fourths of the fifty states must approve the amendment. I believe the time limit is five or seven or ten years or something, so clearly it's an involved process. Because it's such a big honking deal, this is generally why Constitutional amendments concern things they don't want to be left up to the states individually--hence, slavery, women's suffrage, poll taxes--and/or matters of federal importance, like elections, presidential and congressional terms, income tax, and the like.

[hsiuism]

No, I think you're supposed to hate him in Magic's Pawn, and then like him in the sequels, but I mostly laugh at him all the way through. It's one of those series where the supporting characters are way cooler and less ridiculous than the protagonist. (The sequels do get better, though).

[almightychrissy]

I am glad to hear this, because if there is not improvement I might get worn out from the "Really? REALLY?" of it all.

[bluerosefairy]

What drives me even more nuts is how Sarah Palin is well-known for supporting anti-abortion laws, and yet keeps saying in interviews that her daughter "had a choice". That's sweet of you, but if your daughter is worthy of a "choice" (which I don't think is true, given how she seems to have been pressured into keeping the baby), I should be too.

AUGH. John McCain, you're a Vietnam vet and you seem like a decent enough guy despite our disagreement on every major issue facing our country, but KEEP YOUR RELIGIOUS-RIGHT INTOLERANCE OUT OF MY VAGINA.

Icon used FOR GREAT JUSTICE.

[almightychrissy]

how Sarah Palin is well-known for supporting anti-abortion laws, and yet keeps saying in interviews that her daughter "had a choice". That's sweet of you, but if your daughter is worthy of a "choice" (which I don't think is true, given how she seems to have been pressured into keeping the baby), I should be too.

I have been avoiding a lot of that, but I would bet that Palin means that her daughter had a choice to either raise the baby herself or give it up for adoption.

Of course it could also be "my daughter had a choice but she made the RIGHT one."

[khylara]

It's stuff like this that makes me want to vote "None Of The Above" in November.

"Magic's Pawn" - I read it totally differently, but maybe that's because when I first read it I was coming out at the time and could see my own agonies in his character. You also have to keep in mind that her Vanyel series was one of the first ones Lackey wrote upteen years ago - when I reread it now, it is a little heavy handed, but it still rings true for me.

[almightychrissy]

when I first read it I was coming out at the time and could see my own agonies in his character.

I'm not to the actual coming out part yet, just a lot of Vanyel sulking up in his room because no one loves him.

when I reread it now, it is a little heavy handed, but it still rings true for me.

I think it's the heavy-handedness that's getting to me-- it almost seems like everyone hates Vanyel SO IRRATIONALLY MUCH which makes it harder for me to get into a mindset where I sympathize/empathize with him. I'm not saying that it's bad, just that that aspect is getting to me.