Healing

You know, you'd think that the kind of biofeedback processes involved in directed platelette and red blood cell application would put you to sleep, knock you right out. You'd be wrong. Apparently-- and especially in the shifting spring-- your body wants your full attention, to make sure that's going exactly well.

Which is why, even though I went to bed at 1.45am and woke up at 10.35, I only got about 6 hours' sleep, last night.

Good morning.

In other news, I dreamed about a huge classroom, filled with everyone with whom I ever went to school, and sectioned into rooms in a building, which were all the same room. In each room was every teacher I've ever known. (Kate Bush - [Army Dreamers]). A friend and I had to keep leaving class to go fight something, and we missed some kind of contest and/or game. There was something like a lock-in, as all the teachers left at 1am, and all the students stayed there, to guard the place.

This song always makes me think of spring.

Good morning.

What Turns Us On

Underworld - [Dirty Epic]--- I know I'm a bit late, for some of you reading this, but everyone should read this jrblackwell post, in which she talks of pushing limits, expanding boundaries, and what it is that turns her on and keeps her going: http://blackwell.livejournal.com/285829.html

I think these are the kinds of considerations I love to see, from the people, around me, and I'd like to be less voyueristic about it. I don't even know jrblackwell, I only know her through a bunch of other people, so it's a little weird for me to know this, to see this process.

Get to give, give to get, I guess. I'll be back, later, with something important. A key note about the nature of what I will do to this world.

Questions about wolves, and ravens, and devils, and crossroads, and black phoenixes rising and sweeping over and through and across everything, burning the universe clean. The all-consuming fire, inside.

I'll be back, later...

Things to do, today, first

The Peter Watts Case

So, Peter Watts has Been Convicted. You may remember that I mentioned Mr Watts-- Biologist, Pacifist, Anti-War Advocate, SF author-- as having been charged with resisting lawful search at the border, as he tried to exit the US to enter his home country of Canada. He was beaten, detained, and charged, all for asking why he was being detained and searched. So, the trail has happened, and he was convicted of assaulting an officer, and obstructing a lawful search.

Now, I am not a lawyer, but I have a great vested interest in the law, and in the treatment of people by that law, so I've consulted legal professionals, to review what facts of this case are readily and publicly available, and what I've been able to gather is that the reportage on this is probably sloppy. As you know, there are two main brackets of crime, on a state level: Misdemeanor and Felony. A misdemeanor will be calculated in months-- One to 12 months is the range-- while a felony will be calculated in years-- 1 to n years. There is is no charge that gets you "up to two years," and each of those charges-- Assault and Obstruction-- were likely lodged as misdemenors. This means that what was probably levelled as "up to 24 months" (being up to 12 months , for each charge) was not so delicately parsed, by the press. Not their fault, really; short blurbs on a breaking story.

In addition to this, the lawyers to whom I spoke don't think that this was anything other than a calculated move by a competent lawyer and client, advising and having been advised of all the options before him. If he took the pre-trial deal, it could go away, for good, never to be talked about again. Ever. If he took a plea to a lesser charge, much the same. But if he was outraged enough to take the stand, at the border, and he was still outraged at his treatment, then he could see it through to trial. If he won, he could have talked about how Justice prevailed in the face of a border cop's gross misuse and abuse of power. But if he lost, then he would have to talk about how the American system has gone slowly gone mad, due to the War On Terror, in the "Post-9/11 World." Too preoccupied with notions of "Safety," America has lost all notions of reasonable response and civility. Either way, he gets to talk to the world about his experience, and have people hear and think about what he's been through. But only if he goes to trial.

It's a risk, and it is an outrage, both that the incident at the border happened to him, at all, and that he lost, but no lawyer worth her salt would have advised her client to go to trial without knowing all the scenarios he was facing, and giving him various ways to turn them to his potential advantage. And I seriously doubt Watts would have obtained a lawyer who wasn't worth her salt.

The lawyers to whom I spoke have said that the most likely outcome of all of this is several months probation, a fine (let's call it a max of $1000), and a whole lot of outrage, across the Blogoplex. So, I'll be watching, and waiting, to see what happens.

Keep in mind, this is all simply with what's available, thus far. I suggest clicking the above link, for Watts' own take on the matter.

Also, clarification on whether the charges were felony or misdemeanor charges would be helpful, and are hard to come by.

EDIT: According to Michigan statute (PDF; search for "81d"), it IS a felony. That's... Very odd phrasing.

Sucks.