on politics and livejournals and mailing lists

Short Political Note

Okay, so the entire political thing is boring, but I have to keep up somehow. Official policy doesn't allow me to talk to a legislator, a reporter, or any member of the media.

Does my LJ count?



This is news to me. I mean, not news-news--there's a section in training on how to handle court cases where we have to act as witnesses or defendents or what-not, and I believe in personal privacy almsot as deeply as I believe in God.

But. It's one thing to refuse to disclose personal information about my clients--quite another thing to be told not to answer questions. Again, *this* is not new either--God may know, but I do not, how many cases the state has pending against it. But it *is* new to be reminded that this ban doesn't just cover a specific circumstance--apparently, should I be, for some insane reason, contacted by a legislator, I am *not to answer any questions*, but refer everything to my supervisor, who will refer it up, etc.

For the life of me, I can't figure out what I could say that would be of *any* interst. I mean, if they want snark, they can listen to the radio.

A current legislator has discovered this little policy. Let us say, he is not amused. He's ordered down the commissioner and the supervisor of the poor chick he scared to death in HHSC to his office for questioning, because he called in for information adn apparently couldn't get a straight answer after playing Our Very Special Version of the Telephone Game..

And here I was all, huh, about the resignation yesterday of dep commissioner. This is starting to make sense. I tend to think anyone who says they are resigning "for health reasons" combined wiht "more time with the family" is actually saying "I am trying to get away before I am lynched in the streets, 'kay? Bye!"



I'm torn on taking all my entries on this stuff and locking them to my work filter. None of it is actually inflammatory information. On the other hand, Jenn Seperis doesn't work for the state either, she writes kinky gay fanfiction.

Happily in this case, I am so far down the food chain that there's no reason for anyone to be *curious*.

Hmm. Will debate further when I'm less amused by everything and more paranoid.

People Who Think

If you aren't reading pandarus, you should be. Three long, fascinating meta posts on the nature of fandom, fanfiction, and so forth, running off of Jenny-O's Ten Unpopular Fannish Opinions thing, and is that thing making a comeback on the meta circuit?

Meta gives me hives, but I've been thinking on the List Versus LJ thing again, mostly because I'm in a fandom that does feel like it has a very *definite* split between list culture, which *seems*--and this is pure perception here, so work with me, I could be wrong--composed of the more veteran writers/readers of the fandom, and the LJ contingent, which is the qaffers-come-lately post-season-three. Not to say that there isn't crossover. There is. Just not that much.

Again, could be wrong. I'm wrong a lot. Of course, a lot of my perception of the mailing lists, not to mention the forums, is the complaining about the LJs that went on early on, and pretty much twice a month for the last year. Because really, nothing makes *me* feel more warm and fuzzy in my fandom of choice than seeing my primary method of interaction being bitched about.

I sometimes think I don't bitch enough about things that annoy me in fandom. I should make a list and get it all out of my system. Like, a cleansing, maybe?

Hmm. I should think about this. With coffee, even.