So, CBS aired an episde of Without a Trace that had some teens having a sex orgy. Well, not really, but it sorta looked like it was a sex orgy. It was supposeto be a sex orgy to the viewer, but evidently in context it was probably OK. HBO has sex orgies, CBS just uses editing techniques and it looks like a sex orgy. This site has the video.

So, of course, Conservative “family groups” got pissed. Well, sorta. Maybe one or two people in the “family group” taped it and wanted to complain. Now one or two people complaining, that is one thing, but 4,211 people complaining. Wow! The FCC should fine CBS

$3.3 Million Dollars

So CBS is appealing the fine. On what grounds? 100% of the 4211 people filing a complaint either straight up didn’t watch the damn show or the 2 of them that had mentioned anything in the show noted the wrong scene. (Source)

Turns out the Conservative “Family Group” sends out an email formletter, people print it out, put their info on it and mail it to the FCC. The “Family Groups” do everything but pay for postage to the FCC.

But there is another thing, if you complain about a show, the people who are actually making the complaint (the people who spend their days and nights monitoring every station for shit like this) have to be in the market that the show is broadcast to. Evidently CBS lawyers figured out how to do that.

From BoingBoing

I am watching HBO’s Deadwood, and a ton of it is of course the swearing, prostitution and the drinking. What do they drink you may ask: whiskey. Shots of whiskey.

I don’t know why I like Whiskey. It is a brutal drink, the definition of a strong drink (or at least what I have been introduced to.) But don’t think that a shot of whiskey is some sort of expression of masochism for me. And it isn’t for the alcohol effect. If I wanted just alcohol I would drink a smooth vodka (flavored Grey Goose, you can even sip it, and we (I) have some.)

Oh how long it has been since I have had a shot of whiskey (or bourbon, don’t start yelling to me how they are different.) We have Jack Daniels upstairs. It isn’t the best whiskey in the world, but I should take a shot.

So it’s 4AM.. what do you do other than watch infomercials? Easy, watch Current.tv (Wikipedia Entry.)

Current Television is a television channel co-created by former Vice President Al Gore’s investment group. So what is Current? It is a channel that has a simple theory: Viewers can create content that should be on TV for others to see. Anyone with a 6 minute idea, a camera and the ability to encode the video to submit online can possibly get content on Current. That is what is so cool about it, because a lot of the stories are genuinely interesting, only you would never otherwise find it on TV.

One of my favorite series over the past few weeks has been a US Soldier in Iraq who shows the other side of serving in Iraq. Like taking a shovel and sledding down a sand dune, or waiting for hours because their plane is delayed with soldiers whose biggest worry is that their XBox may be destroyed in shipping.

Or, like I am watching like now. Something about 24 hours in Rome and what there is all to see. The video shows Italian women shopping and things like the Parthenon and other ancient Roman buildings and tourist traps.

Oh, and of course the pubic drinking squares. And the post drinking all night bakeries. It is like Chicago only MUCH cooler.

Every half hour they have “Google Current,” a summary of what people are searching for on Google and what is going down on the internet.

Definitely a 18-39 Channel, anyone outside of that age range may not enjoy it, but who knows.

So if you are bored, check out Current. Both major satellite providers have it, and odds are it is a channel on your digital cable.

Lets talk about the constitutional amendment that would ban Gay Marriage and Civil Unions in Wisconsin. There was this buzz in the air at the convention that the state constitutional amendment could threaten private businesses and their ability to provide benefits as they choose to their employees. AKA making it impossible for a company to provide full coverage for unmarried couples of the same sex. The people I talked to may be wrong or have false information, but it sounds logical.

So… A constitutional amendment that prevents tax-paying private businesses from offering a private non-government-overseen non-legally-required benefits package(s) that it feels is most appropriate for it’s organization and it’s goals. Goals like making money to grow it’s business. Here in Wisconsin. What if a company wants to offer that package and feels it is necessary to continue it’s business? What if and organization is based in another state and are looking at coming to Wisconsin? Even if you fucking hate the idea of two men kissing, (and yet “your neighbors” rent all of the girl-on-girl dvds in the back of the video store) this amendment (assuming people are correct) is anti-business in Wisconsin.

What the fuck?

And while we are on the topic: Why the fuck is the government involved in the union of people anyways? Let other people define marriage, unions, etc. Catholics define it as one thing, Lutherans another. The two religions never got along in the first place…

Ahh yes, Saturday of the Convention. It is a rather boring day, all you have is some breakfasts in the AM (sponsored by Herb Kohl, nice guy in person) and a few other people (Teachers Union had a private one, so did labor unions, and in the middle was a congressperson.)

I decided against blogging about it. Rather I was just going to sit at the College Democrats table selling I (heart) Birth Control t-shirts for $18. I had my laptop there so I spent a lot of time surfing the web, trying to fight off how tired I was. Eventually if you stay up long enough adrenaline kicks in and you aren’t tired anymore. Well, and my run to the store (well, it involved about a mile of walking, me running across La Crosse would be a sad sight) for 3 RedBulls was useful.

So I didn’t see much. I went in for Bryan Kennedy’s wonderfully written speech. “Now Sensenbrenner is in the district every weekend. He sees me in his rear-view-mirror but what he forgets to read is the text that says ‘Objects in mirror are closer than they appear’” Bryan is the Democrat running against my congressperson, the beautiful Jim Sensenbrenner.

The other thing I went out was to watch Mike Tate. He is working for FairWisconsin, a group who is trying to defeat the referendum that advises the legislature if there should be a ratifies the proposed State Constitutional Amendment to prevent Gay Marriage, Civil Unions, and possibly prevent ANY EMPLOYER IN THE STATE the ability to provide domestic partnership opportunities. Of course the place was almost empty and all the college dems and some other people who knew him were brought in to cheer him on from the back of the place. I guess the spattering of 100 or so people in the audience lightly clapped. Was like the Attorney General Candidate Kathleen Falk, where all the young people yell… but this time it was like MAX 30 people. Don’t mistake anything, I was there cheering on… who knows, he could get me a job in politics some day. Or so this Democratic Party Leadership Institute binder says. All I have is “network” and “intern.” I have networked with a lot of important people and I have some people guiding me in this process. And I did a lot of free work for Kerry and organized a large amount of high school students I helped get on the sidewalk or on the phones. Plus people know about my school board run. So people know about me. Not necessarily GOOD THINGS about me (but… but… I was in high school… I’m better now…) *rolls eyes*

It was basically just the morning when everything went on. And nobody was there, most of the candidates/officials that people wanted to see were on Friday night, making Saturday morning rather pointless.

I tried to get into a fundraiser lunch but it filled up too quick, so after having a confused loop about me I was told that there would be pizza given to the staff back at the convention center. Of course I didn’t have a staff badge (probably could have swiped one the first day) so I had to figure out a way to get into the backstage area to get pizza. I just told the nice woman who was controlling who could get behind stage that I was told I could come back for lunch. She asked who told me, I said, and she let me back. Pizza took a bit longer than expected to get to the place, but once it came it was tasty. Nothing but napkins, so eating it was awkward, but it was food. And after eating NOTHING but some fruit, 2 donuts, and a muffin early in the morning, then walking around and standing up all day, I was rightfully hungry. The pizza filled me up for basically the entire night.

After the event was over the two women that gave me a ride had to go to an executive board meeting. First off, if I am ever in Wisconsin and there is a seat open on that I want a spot. There is one student at Marquette my age (who I talked with quite a bit at the Democratic Leadership Institute) on the board. Getting on the executive board is difficult but not impossible. They are definitely elected positions. A boring 45 minutes, but worth seeing. After that we went to an old fashioned ice creme place. I said I didn’t want anything (I really wasn’t hungry) but when one of the women insisted and offered it as a gift, I said OK and asked for chocolate and a waffle cone. Only wanted one scoop but she ordered 2 scoops. It was tasty, but I have never been a fan of straight up ice creme. Custard is much better in my opinion. But it was a gift.

The ride back was fun. I tried to sleep but could only get a half hour nap. Then we started talking politics and what they felt happened in the downfall of Dean and the success of Kerry. Then what they felt was going to happen in 2008.

Update: I had to update the gay marriage/civil union/etc ban. Death Penalty is advisory, Marriage ban is the real Constitutional Amendment.