Today marks the 35th anniversary of Roe v. Wade.

I am thankful it has not been overturned yet.

I am thankful for every private and public health care provider that offers women's health care with compassion, understanding and a minimum of moral judgment.

I am thankful for every person who offers support to women who have made choices about their reproductive health, regardless of the outcome.

And I don't regret the abortion I had.

...

Reading: "Unlike Alveda King, I Am Neither "Reformed" Nor A Murderer" at Jezebel.

A little something to think about today from bookslut:

Everyone in America owes Kathy Glick-Weil a big thank you.

A matter of principle -- and law -- made Newton Free Library's director, Kathy Glick-Weil, insist that FBI agents cool their heels in their pursuit of an alleged terrorist threat.

Glick-Weil said yesterday she had no choice but to prevent the FBI from seizing library computers last week, because they came without a search warrant.

You can send that thank you at Newton Free Library - Email the Director.

While looking at the latest in LJD, I followed a link to a true crime blog, The Dark Side (which Ann Rule plugged in her blog!) and found an interesting site I hadn't seen before: Map Sex Offenders.

It uses the Google Maps API, which shows results significantly faster than the map-based search in the Texas Department of Public Safety Records Database, and gave exactly the information I was expecting for the registered sex offender in my neighborhood. I also found a registered sex offender convicted for sexual assault on a child ten years ago that lives a half-mile closer to the elementary school than we do.

*files mental notes*

Carry on.

(Background: Himself moved out of my parents' house in May 2004. I filled out mail forwarding requests for me and Laurel with our Texas address in August and filled one out with Himself's mother's address for him to sign and mail. He never mailed it and the Postal Service split the difference between continuing to deliver his mail to my parents' house and forwarding it to me. I called the Postal Service to correct the mail being forwarded to me, but was told they'll change it when he files his own change of address form.)

Today's mail had two more Denver parking tickets addressed to my parents' address and forwarded here. I'm not his free forwarding service anymore since I've sent him three packages at my expense (via Priority Mail, no less), so I filled out address change forms online and printed them. I can't submit the one with my parents' address online because the billing address has to match either the old or new address, so I decided to print both and hand the one with my current address to my letter carrier.

I am unsure whether it's legal for me to file a change of address for him, but he's obviously not going to do it himself so the only way I'll stop getting his mail is to do it for him. The legal fine print on the form reads: "Anyone submitting false or inaccurate information on this form is subject to punishment by fine or imprisonment or both under Sections 2, 1001, 1702 and 1708 of Title 18, United States Code." None of the information I'm submitting is either -- he moved out of my parents' in May and has never lived at my Texas address -- so I think I'm covered. If I'm not, let them deal with it. I've had it with getting his mail.

As I was winding down before bed last night, Vogon's phone made an exceptionally irritating noise that is apparently his text message sound, as I found out when I fished his phone out of his coat to make it stop. The message read:

Now all you have to do is enter your Jamster! password [six-digit number] at the website! (Please save your password for further visits at www.jamster.com)

My first reaction was confusion, since I've previously entered our respective cell numbers in our wireless provider's opt-out request form (if you were an AT&T Wireless customer before 15 Nov 2004, you can fill it out at https://www.attwireless.com/privacy/consumer_opt.jhtml). After that, I was just mildly irritated and brought up the Jamster website to read their TOS, where I found:

8. Termination and Cancellation of Services

To cancel your subscription plan, send a text message with the text "STOP" to 35555, or such other number as may be designated on our Website, or go to "My plans" under "My Jamster!" on the Website or send an e-mail to billing@jamster.com. The termination shall become effective at the end of the billing period in which you gave your notice of termination.

I promptly sent a text message to the number and will remind Vogon to keep an eye on his bill in case he's billed with a month's subscription for the time elapsed between the original message's arrival and the cancellation message I sent.

I find it somewhat amusing that he got the message at all, since Jamster's only offerings that apply to his phone are monophonic ringtones and black and white logos.

Your checkbook just became obsolete
A new law makes canceled paper checks a thing of the past. Say goodbye to the 'float' -- and the chance to stop a transaction or spot forgery.

I think this will be the nudge a lot of people need to make the move to automatic debiting and online bill payment.

It turned out I'm not actually nuts enough to get out of jury duty, even though I voted for Nader in 2000. *wry grin*

At any rate, I'll be out of the house from about 0700-1800 for the rest of the week since yours truly gets to be on the jury for a criminal case. Once the verdict is handed down, I'll post on it so you can either be disturbed or amused.

When answering the question about friends and relatives in law enforcement, I remembered to mention Zack (my favorite Marine MP *g*) but forgot to mention Sunnie's a dispatcher. It's a shame, 'cause the judge probably would have had a chuckle if I'd mentioned the May incident involving a naked man in a wizard's hat.

Incidentally, I also met a Guardsman stationed at Buckley that I think Himself would get a kick out of; he didn't get picked for the jury but I caught him afterward and gave him our URL written on the back of one of the Rosie Ring-Around business cards I had on me. I may have forgotten to tell him that I only face-paint for now, though. Heh.