I grew up liberal Quaker. We just had potlucks and meetings and committees for fucking everything.

In my United Methodist church, it was a "this Sunday we greet our new pastor, Rev. Whozit!", and he might do a particular sermon on how happy he was to be there, and there'd be extended mingling afterwards. Mostly he'd make the rounds of the various groups to get to know people. The biggest to-do was when Reverend Biondi, the young, handsome, unmarried preacher showed up. The elders of the parish were dismayed, the young women of the parish set off the hunting horns (with the encouragement of the elders of the parish). (I ended up winning that particular race, and who knows what might have happened if he hadn't decided to go back to the big city. But it was definitely noticed that he and I snuck way from the zoo trip to go eat pizza in his old neighborhood. Heh.)

committees for fucking everything

I read that a whole different way the first time.

Happy Birthday, Ginger!

Why do we need police at all, really? They're obviously not serving or protecting civilian populations. In fact, they were originally created as guards for corporate shipments and offices--civic governments thought it would be good to co-opt the idea. Not working out so well. Neighbors policing neighbors might be a better way to go. It might well come to armed confrontation though if we challenge the infrastructure, and they're the ones with tactical gear.

Neighbors policing neighbors might be a better way to go

Oh, good god, no. Neighbors policing neighbors means neighbors shooting each other because someone thought somebody else was too close to their house or "looked at them funny"--Treyvon Martin was shot by a neighbor policing his neighbors.

committees for fucking everything

It's very much like the Royal Society for Putting Things on Top of Other Things, except -- no, wait, it's exactly like the Royal Society for Putting Things on Top of Other Things.

And keep in mind, Quakers decide by consensus.

no, wait, it's exactly like the Royal Society for Putting Things on Top of Other Things.

::fist bump::

I sincerely hope everyone's ball-hand-foot-kicky-thing competitions ended in results they found satisfactory! Or, if not, that pleasing alcohols and other creature comforts are available to ease the pain.

I just IM'd a non-Buffista friend on FB, which I almost never do, except that I couldn't find the right words to comment on his page without starting a fight. He'd just posted about Day of the Dead, Halloween costumes, and who is entitled to say that certain things make them uncomfortable (he was born here, but his parents immigrated from Guatemala as newlyweds 50 years ago), and someone just said, "Well, it doesn't matter to me what you are. Whether you are green, purple, or whatever, you are a great person! And maybe your family has had to deal with more than mine, but as an unattractive redhead I have also felt my share of pain and unacceptance." FB tells me that her most recent job was as Ariel at Disneyland.

I couldn't, really couldn't, say anything in-thread, but I wanted to let him know that the lurkers support him in email and also Former Ariel TOTALLY feels his pain.

Just, OMG, white people. Why do we even open our gobs, ever?

Hm. Sportsball is not quite going as hoped at the moment. It's not over though.