War is hell / Hell is other people

In California currently the death penalty has run into trouble; a judge ruled that there has to be a physician in attendance to make sure the condemned isn't conscious during the lethal injection. The American Medical Association is like, "Fuck that, aiding in killing isn't our business." Impasse!

Both positions are fine so far as I'm concerned, and I only mention it at all because I happened to browse past a completely ridiculous column on the subject by one of the liberal columnists in the SF Chronicle. Joan Ryan says, "I really don't care if Michael Morales suffers when he is put to death" blah blah blah he tortured a girl he deserves torture. "Isn't the death itself a bit more critical, ethically speaking, than the manner in which the death is brought about?"

( No, it isn't, fool )

It went "Zip!" when it moved

This morning just before waking I had a dream I was sitting in an auditorium that reminded me of the Grand Lake theater (though I don't know why, since it had tall windows along the sides like stained glass only clear, which let in lots of white light), waiting. Maybe it reminded me of Grand Lake because it was full of Berkeleyites, or at least Bay Area folk. I was sitting sideways in my chair in boredom. On my right was a youngish guy and then his son, about 7. On the quiet piped-in background music a song ended, and then began Peter Paul and Mary's "The Marvelous Toy." I perked right up. The father began singing along to his son quietly, and given the excuse I started singing along, too, agreeable eye contact between us encouraging me to start singing at normal volume. Nearly the whole auditorium started singing; before hit the first chorus we were all belting it out together.

Very nice dream.

I suppose, thinking back, it was inspired by when I went to see Howard Dean talk on St. Patrick's Day two years ago, and he got stuck in traffic on the way, and the hundreds of people packed into the ballroom sang various American songs while we waited.