But how are they supposed to tell? Because certainly there are people out there who get suspicious-looking bruises for totally innocuous reasons.

That's to JZ, not Beej. Beej, I think even stronger that the I-know-what's-right tradition is the stay-out-of-my-business Strong American Independence.

I'm pretty suspicious these days of the idealized American Individualism, since it seems often to go along with the idea that the Individual in question is more important than other, you know, people.

ETA: Huh. You know, being asked questions like that (the "does your boyfriend hit you" or "do you do drugs" or "how much do you drink" questions) always makes me feel defensive and nervous. I don't know why -- I'm telling the truth! I have nothing to hide! But I get all nervous anyway.

Interesting. I'm watching something about maintenance (oops-- Extreme Maintenance) of national parks. It's really cool, but it'd be better without the Courageous Music.

Good heaven, Beej. The cops just took the word of a child? Didn't even bother asking for your mom?

I was alone (per usual) at 11pm. No mom in the picture, living alone with my violent, alcoholic, convicted pedophile of a father.

Yup. Ain't that America?

Or at least America in 1967. Things have improved in some quarters.

I'm pretty suspicious these days of the idealized American Individualism, since it seems often to go along with the idea that the Individual in question is more important than other, you know, people.

Amen Emily!

Personal freedom is my most cherished value. And yet? I wonder what happened to honor and recognizing that supporting the whole DOES support me. For catsake, game theory even supports working together.

Extreme Maintenance

changing a lightbulb while it's hot?

Bwah!

Today Chicago PBS is having lots of dog tv: right now - Nature on puppy development, then an hour of canine evolution and finally an hour about pugs!

I've already watched about an 90 minutes of dog tv on ESPN2 and an hour on animal behavior on Animal Planet.

Nice Sunday.

(X-post with Natter, cause I started it here:) So far, the Extreme Maintenance has included setting fires in the Grand Canyon, the two-month seven-day-a-week, ten-hours-a-day process to clear the Going-to-the-Sun road in Glacier National Park, and now hunting an alligator, um... somewhere. I missed what park.

God I love dog tv.

Whenever I am at a friend's house...who has a tv, I'm all over Animal Planet.

I'm the sappiest of sapersteins when it comes to "That's My Baby."

But last week? I watched a 'game' show called 'Who Gets The Dog?' on AP. It was like "The Swan" for pathetic/wrongness. Pimp a dog to three families, set them up to fail in training exercises they have no instruction for, then deny two families and watch their kids cry. Lovely.

Oh! They're not so much hunting it as inventorying a nest to check hatchling rates while warding off the mother alligator. (It's on the Travel Channel. Probably the Everglades?)

ETA: Alligators first, now crocodiles. Nifty! Very different kind of nest.

Oh my goodness. Baby crocodiles make incredibly cute noises.

::imagining little wee voices say, "eat you! I'mma EAT you! numnumnumnumnum."::