I generally make some variation of this comment every year

The reason we have a Martin Luther King Jr. Day is because he saved the country.

The fact that he did so by working for justice and bringing fairness to many of our citizens -- that's gravy. But the reason why the country as a whole needs to honor him is because, without him, we wouldn't have a country.

Sunis, Shiites, Kurds. Serbs, Croats.

Negroes, Whites.

Why wasn't there a real armed insurrection in the United States? The Watts Riots are just considered the Watts Riots, not one of the earlier battles in the Second United States Civil War.

The LA riots are considered riots -- not battles. Why didn't the LA riots consist of rival militias?

Why are gangs in our urban areas gangs, and NOT militias?

Societally, all the ingredients were there. And they still are. We were right where you need to be to turn into a country torn by civil war, and massive internal urban combat.

Why haven't we?

Martin Luther King, Junior.

We still could go that route.

And that's why we need to honor him, his message, and his memory every year. To put a band-aid over the wounds for one more year. There's nothing wrong with band-aids -- if we can buy just one more year by honoring Dr. King, that gives us one more year to try to fix the problems.

So, we honor Dr. King this year. Because, with luck, by honoring him and remembering his message, we can hold off the chaos which is just beneath the surface of the United States for long enough to actually solve the problems.

My own standards may require me to be even MORE prudish at Arisia in the future

I've been thinking about how I do stuff at Arisia.

And I'm thinking that, well, I may well have to be a real prude.

Okay. I believe that, as a bartender, I have a responsibility to follow all alcohol-related laws and regulations, even though I don't have any responsibility to make other people do that if I'm not working.

All drinking at parties is apparently done in contravention of stated rules and negotiated agreements -- it's just tacitly accepted.

So, by my rules, I have no responsibility to prevent anyone else from drinking -- but I think I may not be able to drink myself.

I also realized that I don't flirt at Arisia. At all. I flirt other places, but because of what I do as a staff member, I don't think I can do anything flirty. I work in Massage Den, or, as it is officially known, Staff Support Services. I give massages to staff members to make them be able to, y'know, stand up and stuff.

Obviously, for therapeutic massage, there is no sexual energy. And rather than turn that part of me on and off depending on whether I'm working, it just stays off all weekend.

So -- apparently, my ethics require me to, well, be straight edge for the weekend. No drugs, tobacco, alcohol, sex -- not even flirting. I don't do coffee, either, although I do drink colas and tea, so I'm not COMPLETELY no-caffeine.