I was checking on one of the many plants in our place this morning and I realized that living in and on the soil are hundreds of tiny worms and other forms of life. For some reason, I found this incredibly exciting–akin perhaps to the Simpsons Halloween episode where Lisa grows a tiny civilization on her tooth, or the Futurama where Bender’s body develops two microbial societies. The thought of independent life burgeoning inside of our suburban Virginia apartment in the soil of a potted plant makes me feel like a demi god. All hail lord Casimir! Your lives are in my all-powerful hands.

–Casimir

I haven’t exactly made my religious views vague lo these many years of posting on Caveat Lector, but there is something that has come to light that I would presume any rational, religious-minded person would concur with me on: Sarah Palin is fucking frightening. Certainly someone might object, “Hey, isn’t her base constructed of pro-American theocrats like herself? Why would religious people side with a heathen like yourself?” Good question.

Palin recently talked with James Dobson; that’s right, the doctor. Now, I know what you’re thinking. You’re gearing up to defend the bastion of nuanced, balanced thought that is Focus on the Family, but hear me out. Let’s first get some of the key quotes out of the way, and then we’ll do a short discussion.

When Dobson suggests that he and other Christian leaders are praying for a McCain-Palin victory, she responds, “Well, it is that intercession that is so needed and so greatly appreciated. And I can feel it too, Dr. Dobson. I can feel the power or prayer and that strength is provided through our prayer warriors [Prayer warriors? Are you kidding me?] across this nation and I so appreciate it…And it’s just a great reminder also when we hear along the rope lines that people are interceding for us and praying for us; it’s our reminder to do the same, to put this all in God’s hands, to seek his perfect will for this nation and to, of course, seek his wisdom and guidance in putting this nation back on the right track.”

And, paradox in three…two…one…

Apparently acknowledging their long shot status, Dobson remarks, “We were just asking for, rather boldly asking, for a miracle with regard to the election this year,” to which Palin responds: “Collectively, we can do all that we have within us to strengthen our country and to let Americans know that government has to be on their side, it’s their government and as we seek God’s wisdom and His will in this election, we have to have faith that it’s all going to be good at the end of the day there on November 4th as this country moves forward.”

Did you see it? It may have been subtle, as it was muddied by all of the other blah-dee-blah-blah, but Palin just betrayed the insidious contradiction inherent in all religious dogma that preaches divine intervention. The contradiction is this: it is not possible to believe in the value of democracy while insisting that god will intervene as needed.

My understanding of democracy insists that the will of the people is sacrosanct, but Palin and Dobson are both hoping that regardless of who the people of America choose as their candidate, their will shall be overridden in place of divine wisdom. There are a host of other issues related to the McCain-Palin campaign’s take on the role of religion in politics and political outcomes, but this one seems to me to be patently seditious.

“Dear Lord, Please make it so that ballots of the sinners are lost, or that those who have strayed from the righteous Republican path are made to see the error of their ways. We know that whoever wins has your divine backing, and that you would only pick a ‘hard-core’ pro-lifer such as Sarah Palin, so let’s show those A-rabs who’s boss. And whatever you do, don’t let Obama win.”

And they call me anti-American.

–Casimir

There are a couple of anime series on which I will be keeping my discerning eye, and I would like to preview and discuss the premier episodes for you today.

First up is Michiko to Hatchin, an anime facing incredibly high expectations, given that it is from the studio that brought us Samurai Champloo and Ergo Proxy (just naming those two in the same sentence gives me chills). Michiko is thus far a fairly cliché badass warrior woman who is more comfortable with bullets than conversation. In the first episode we see the parallel between her life of breaking out of prison and robbing banks and her daughter Hatchin’s own prison of her foster family. The juxtaposition is that Michiko has already thoroughly established a take-no-shit personality, whereas Hatchin must break away from her submissive, doormat self.

I have no problem with the introductory episode being primarily character development, since characters are all-important for me, but others may see this as a bit of a hindrance. There certainly is action, particularly in the sequences featuring Michiko, yet it is a far cry from the marathon fights in Samurai Champloo. However, fans of Ergo Proxy will remember that there was very little action in its initial foray as well. I would hope that any viewer could appreciate the efforts on the part of the artists to authenticate the South American setting; the anime’s website features photos from locations used as inspiration. While I’m not as hooked as I have been with some other first episodes, Michiko is definitely a series that I will anticipate weekly.

The second series I would like to discuss is Kurozuka. From the outset I felt a strong Ninja Scroll vibe from this series, by which I mean a very dark and claustrophobic setting. The violence is positively visceral, and the world presented seems to be shrouded in an eternal night. The plot is nothing that hasn’t been done a thousand times over: boy meets girl, girl is a vampire, sexualized violence abounds. Unfortunately, I am going to have to abstain from making any judgments about this series yet, since I am to understand that it will be jumping ahead in time.

If the story manages to give us something new in the next couple of episodes, I think it could end up being a very intriguing series, but it also has the potential to be nothing more than a sadistic jerk off fest. We shall see.

Oh, and don’t forget about the continuation of Soul Eater.

–Casimir

It seems my obligation to this ethereal realm has been a little lax as of late.  This negligence stems mostly from my opinion that no one really gives a shit about what I have or might have to say, so why should I invest time to reach out to those who couldn’t give a shit.  If I know anything about the Internet (and I don’t), I am almost one hundred percent assured in my verdict.  But, as a member of the Internet community, I have an inherent right to thrust forth my opinion in places it should never belong.  Out here, everyone’s a super star.

One thing on most people’s minds – presuming those minds reside inside skulls inside America – is the upcoming, never-ending election.  I would spend time talking about it here, but there’s really nothing to be said.  If you’ve watched any television show (or at this point even half the commercials), you’ve seen all the asinine viewpoints out there for consumption all more ridiculous and absurd than the next.  Mine would be no different.  I may be able to contend with some of the lower rung fighters, but ultimately would get technically knocked out in round number two.

Moving on.

A new season of anime is beginning shortly here.  As I speak, fansubbers are desperately trying to release the next great series for my enjoyment.  This Fall’s line-up is really going to consume the entirety of my life.  I say this because I haven’t really recovered from last season yet.  The shere amount of shows debuting within the next week or so is truly staggering.  Some look extremely promising, stepping up to replace some of my favorites from this last season.  While others will probably be complete and total shit but like a child who doesn’t know better I will keep shoving these things into my gullet only to spit them out later covered in saliva.

Other than politics and anime, life has been sputtering on at its typical pace.  The possibility of my falling ill seems most likely imminent.  My place of employment is such that when one person contracts some type of deadly infection it spreads to all other living organisms within the building eventually making its way to me.  I’ve been taking precautions to almost a psychotic level to try and at minimum dull my impending doom.  So far it has worked (as I eat some Healthy Request Vegetable Soup), but if I know my body and I assure you that I do, I’ll wake up tomorrow totally fucked over and shut down.

In the world of music, I’ve actually been listening to quite a few new artists across some new genres.  If I can make a conscience effort, I would like to update the Auscultator with some of the new tracks I am enjoying the most right now, but conscience efforts are some times are to come by.  I’ll do my best.  That’s about all I’ve got.  I have some plans for later this weekend that I hope will not be ruined by any rhinos or other animal-named infections.  Tonight is already a bust.  I’ll try to make posting here a more frequent occurrence for the six of you reading.  Peace.