Mark Maynard | 2006 | June

the definition of a “piece”

By Mark | June 27, 2006

My daughter had four wedges of a nectarine sitting in front of her on a Sesame Street plate. I asked her for “a piece.” Predictably, she said, “no” and “mine.” I asked again, and threw in a “please.” She picked up one of the wedges and weighed it thoughtfully in her hand. I repeated, “Can Daddy have a piece, please?” She stared at me for a moment, then looked back into her hand. She thought for a moment and then, with a kind of sly, self-satisfied grin, reached into her palm with her other hand and snapped off a tiny piece from the section she’d been holding. She then reached out to me with it. Her eyes were smiling like she’d just cracked some kind of unsolvable ancient puzzle… She isn’t even two yet, and she’s already tasted blood. I’m afraid that I may have created my own Moriarty.

Posted in Mark's Life | 5 Comments

national day of action for an oil-free congress

By Mark | June 27, 2006

For what it’s worth, I really like the new direction in which MoveOn is headed. Their recent campaign to get members of Congress to stop accepting contributions from oil companies is spot-on. It’s timely, it cuts across traditional party lines, and it draws attention to 1) the reasons for our being in Iraq, 2) the need for substantive campaign finance reform, and 3) our continued dependence of foreign oil. Here’s a clip from today’s MoveOn missive:

Tomorrow (Wednesday) is the big day: thousands of MoveOn members from Nashville, Tennessee to Phoenix, Arizona will come together at more than 300 rallies across the country to demand an “oil-free” future.

Tomorrow’s National Day of Action is really important because this weekend is the 4th of July holiday and gas prices are on everyone’s minds. We need to seize this moment to make sure the media and the public know that the Republican addiction to oil money is keeping gas prices high and holding America back from the clean energy future that we desperately need…

As we write this email, Republicans are using the national frustration with gas prices as an excuse to push through even more giveaways to Big Oil instead of getting serious about clean energy alternatives that can move us away from oil.

Why? Because the oil industry has bought the majority stake in the Republican party. Big Oil has given hundreds of millions of dollars in campaign contributions to Republicans and in return, Big Oil has received billions in subsidies from Congress.

We can’t afford Congress’ addiction to oil money anymore. It keeps gas prices high, keeps us dependent on the Middle East and is blocking progress on a clean energy future,

Congress needs to know that we’re paying attention. We need them to start working for us, not Big Oil. Tomorrow we’re going to make it clear that we want an oil-free, clean energy future and we want it now.

Can you join us on our National Day of Action for an “Oil-Free” Congress?

Renewable and alternative energy sources, like biofuels, hybrids, solar and wind power are ready today, but Congress’s addiction to oil money is holding us back. Breaking the addiction to oil is the first step towards energy independence and the clean energy future we all want.

For those of you interested in participating, three protests are planned for S.E. Michigan. All will be taking place on Wednesday, July 28, 2006 at 5:00 PM. (I can’t go, as I have meetings at 5:30 and 7:00, but I’d really like to. If any of you do go, I’d appreciate a report that I could post here at MM.com.)

– Mobil gas station at 16 Mile & Ryan
Sterling Heights, MI
RSVP

– Mobil gas station at Woodward and 13 Mile
Royal Oak, MI
RSVP

– Arborland Marathon station
3555 Washtenaw Ave.
Ann Arbor, MI
Link to RSVP

Posted in Other | 4 Comments

ypsi community bike rides

By Mark | June 27, 2006

I’m not sure, but I think this is a continuation of the work begun earlier this summer by the Ypsilanti Health Coalition. Regardless of who’s behind it though, I think it’s a great idea, and, if I can get the old bike tuned-up and a seat for Clementine by then, I’ll be right there with them… Granted, it’s not nearly as cool as Critical Mass, but it’s a step in the right direction. (Speaking of Critical Mass, there’s a special 10th anniversary bike protest against oil-igarchy taking place this evening in San Francisco.)

Posted in Ypsilanti | 5 Comments

navigating illegal searches

By Mark | June 27, 2006

I have quite a few regrets. One of the big ones, that I don’t think I’ve ever mentioned here before, is that I didn’t put up more of a fight when three of my friends and I were pulled over on the way to the Jersey shore one summer morning. We weren’t speeding, or doing anything remotely illegal, but we were pulled over. Maybe the cop was playing the odds, thinking that four 17 year old kids probably had beer and/or weed on them, which we didn’t.

He pulled us over, came up to the window, and asked if he could search the car. One of us, I can’t remember who, asked why, and he said that he’d seen “furtive movements” inside the vehicle as we were making our way to the curb. One of us, and I think it was me, said that the only movement was one of us going for the registration and proof of insurance in the glove compartment, which we then promptly handed over.

The cop asked again if he could search the car and one of us asked what our alternatives were. The cop said that he could either search the car, in which case, if he found nothing, we could be back on our way to the beech in five minutes, or we could spend the day waiting to speak with a county judge. We may have debated it for a few seconds before just giving in to the search. And, it still pisses me off today, some 20 years later. Spending the day on the filthy Jersey shore (which, at that time, was constantly awash in syringes and discarded uteruses for some reason) was obviously more important to us than this cop’s abuse of power and violation of our civil rights, and it’s something that I’ve been ashamed of for years.

So, with that as an introduction, I wanted to share a video clip with you that was produced by a former employee of the ACLU, who is now with a group called Flex Your Rights. It concerns what your rights are when you find yourself in the exact same position. As the blurb at Boing Boing (where I found this) says, it’s cheesy, but the info is great.

If only the internet had been around when I was 17.

Posted in Civil Liberties | 6 Comments

what’s next for “my life in ypsi”

By Mark | June 26, 2006

Mike from Caliblog just had this idea on how to keep my “My Life in Ypsi” comic alive. It depends on how much time I’ve got in August, but I may try to give it a shot.

…Instead of one carrier or distributor for your comic (like a newspaper), you could get a long list of fans and volunteers to carry ‘My Life in Ypsi’ on their sites. There could be a sign-up link for people who are interested, then all you do is: draw a strip like you normally would, scan it, and email it out…

Perhaps you could also, in your email, have footer info that people would post with the picture, for example: a donation link… a sign me up link (for people who want to also carry it)… an archives link (which would just be a link back to your site with a “my life in ypsi” category tag… an RSS feed for it… etc.

I’m still a bit hesitant about the format, as I really think my current style won’t translate well to the web, but I like the community aspect of what Mike’s suggesting. I may try to do a half-dozen or so two-panel pieces and give it a shot later this summer. I’ll keep you posted.

Posted in Mark's Life | 4 Comments