One week. Things happened. Things keep on happening. In the world, in my head..

As you know, BushJr won the election, this time both by the popular and the electoral votes. It really wasn't even close, as much as we'd all like to think otherwise. For everything he did, the American public just eats it all up. Sure, there's the rallying that I get from the liberal mailing lists, Howard Dean and Moveon, pretending that it's hardly a loss at all, because we now have infrastructure and organization. It's all nonsense. Moveon is indeed an organization I'm happy exists, partly because it's not too tied to the democratic party, which I regard as being too moderate and corrupt (although considerably better than the Republicans, who are bad not only in practice, but also in theory). Still, the Republicans won the presidency, a bigger majority in the House and Senate, and more direct support of the masses. Every issue that was visited by the Republicans in the last year where they were held back by insufficient power, they can revisit and get their way. They will try even bolder issues now that will further upset the basis of our society and undo years of progress. We have had a very disappointing loss, and our values will suffer greatly for it. Religious and business interests will rule the day. I want to leave this country.

Also in the news, Yasser Arafat is essentially dead. It remains to be seen what the results of that will be. It does open a minor additional point of conflict -- Arafat's family wishes him buried in Jerusalem, but apparently the symbolism of that is too much for some nationalist types in the government, so that may not be possible.

Unrelated, apparently make-up dates back to Roman times.

Recently, I've been thinking about how, in my life, I have dealt with the ideas of rebellion and societal approval. I conclude that many of my ideas have been problematic, and that I'd like to change them. Undoing such long-lived life habits will be difficult, but worthwhile. Thanks again to N for helping me see these things.

I'm going to a black tie event tonight. Tschau!