Friday, February 28, 2003
And to the Republic, for Richard Strand
My Friend Mo, rattling her brains off at me from the lower, ninth ward, said there was a guy in the neighborhoord going around telling various versions of this story for a long time. Anyway, here it is. This guy remembers this kid in his class. One day, the teacher asked this kid who his favorite American hero was. The kid said, "Richard Strand". The teacher said, "Richard Strand! Who is Richard Strand?" The kid said, "You know, 'I pledge allegiance, to the flag, to the United States of America, and to the Republic, for Richard Strand, one nation, under God..."
Then my friend Mo went on to say that she used to "sit this one out" when it was time to pledge allegiance. "This caused a lot of controversy," she said. My beautiful friend Mo, artist and raconteur, was a rebel at an early age. She went on say, "I think its okay to say it in class."
"Concurrently, you must believe it is okay to not say it", I said.
"Of course," she said. "You know, so many kids are forced to say and recite things, of which they really don't know the meaning".
It's so true, I thought to myself. It is up to us to teach them the meanings. But are we force feeding meanings to children, without encouraging them to think for themselves? Wouldn't it be more advantageous to encourage the growth of planet citizen, who has learned to take commonly accepted symbols , and create their own very personal meanings with these symbols, respectful that others will have their's?
And perhaps the time that it is most important to question the meanings of commonly shared symbols is when we would wish harm on another for not sharing the same meanings of symbols.
My friend Mo also said, "The doves are not flapping their wings loud enough". "The hawks are circling," she said. "Maybe they'll get tired from flying so much, but maybe not," she said.
She's right. We doves have to flap our wings louder and harder. Peace loving peoples of the world, flap loudly, and long. Couldn't a large flock of doves overwhelm and confuse a hawk? Hawks travel and hunt alone; I always remember seeing them alone on the wing. Doves tend to flock. They like the company of other doves.
Mo said she went to Vaughns around the corner to have a brew and listen to the president's State of the Union speech. She said she got frustrated.
"The President would say a sentence, and people would clap for 12 seconds", she said. " The President would say another sentence, and people would clap for 12 more seconds. I didn't come to listen to this speech to hear people clapping." She said she stormed out of there. "It's not that he didn't say anthing."
She just didn't want to hear the clapture.
Is all this storming about the Pledge of Allegiance a lot of clapture? Trumped up patriotism?
Sound and Fury signifying nothing?
Because if you do believe in the basic values that are the foundation of this country, life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, then you are it, i.e: freedom. A pledge will not make you become it. But you can recite it if you like. Or obstain. That's the whole point.
We do need to look at the way we teach our children. Are they mouthing words because we give them those words, the all-powerful parent or teacher, or do they really understand, the point?
The point is, pledge it, don't pledge it. And let's leave it alone. Horrendous acts of cruelty have been done in the name of patriotism. Let's not create another one by trying to victimize those that don't want to pledge. It doesn't make them bad citizens. Let us all celebrate " the republic for Richard Strand", by respecting the privacy of feelings about very important symbols.
Then my friend Mo went on to say that she used to "sit this one out" when it was time to pledge allegiance. "This caused a lot of controversy," she said. My beautiful friend Mo, artist and raconteur, was a rebel at an early age. She went on say, "I think its okay to say it in class."
"Concurrently, you must believe it is okay to not say it", I said.
"Of course," she said. "You know, so many kids are forced to say and recite things, of which they really don't know the meaning".
It's so true, I thought to myself. It is up to us to teach them the meanings. But are we force feeding meanings to children, without encouraging them to think for themselves? Wouldn't it be more advantageous to encourage the growth of planet citizen, who has learned to take commonly accepted symbols , and create their own very personal meanings with these symbols, respectful that others will have their's?
And perhaps the time that it is most important to question the meanings of commonly shared symbols is when we would wish harm on another for not sharing the same meanings of symbols.
My friend Mo also said, "The doves are not flapping their wings loud enough". "The hawks are circling," she said. "Maybe they'll get tired from flying so much, but maybe not," she said.
She's right. We doves have to flap our wings louder and harder. Peace loving peoples of the world, flap loudly, and long. Couldn't a large flock of doves overwhelm and confuse a hawk? Hawks travel and hunt alone; I always remember seeing them alone on the wing. Doves tend to flock. They like the company of other doves.
Mo said she went to Vaughns around the corner to have a brew and listen to the president's State of the Union speech. She said she got frustrated.
"The President would say a sentence, and people would clap for 12 seconds", she said. " The President would say another sentence, and people would clap for 12 more seconds. I didn't come to listen to this speech to hear people clapping." She said she stormed out of there. "It's not that he didn't say anthing."
She just didn't want to hear the clapture.
Is all this storming about the Pledge of Allegiance a lot of clapture? Trumped up patriotism?
Sound and Fury signifying nothing?
Because if you do believe in the basic values that are the foundation of this country, life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, then you are it, i.e: freedom. A pledge will not make you become it. But you can recite it if you like. Or obstain. That's the whole point.
We do need to look at the way we teach our children. Are they mouthing words because we give them those words, the all-powerful parent or teacher, or do they really understand, the point?
The point is, pledge it, don't pledge it. And let's leave it alone. Horrendous acts of cruelty have been done in the name of patriotism. Let's not create another one by trying to victimize those that don't want to pledge. It doesn't make them bad citizens. Let us all celebrate " the republic for Richard Strand", by respecting the privacy of feelings about very important symbols.
# posted by scorpiorising : 6:24 PM |
Thursday, February 27, 2003
O'reilly Really, Really does Suck
Check out MediaWhoresOnLine for Fox The Oreilly Factor's latest threats couched in patriotism, to noble dissenters all across this country. He keeps crossing a new line in the sand. I guess we just have to keep stepping over it to keep this country open for democracy.
# posted by scorpiorising : 9:39 AM |
Goodby Donahue
All Your TV has the scoop on the ousting of Donahue, though his ratings recently were better than Hardball. I think Donahue will be better off away from the corporate media. Oil and water don't mix, right? Now he can plug-in full-time to his pet causes, unless Fox stages a coup of some sort and convinces him to be the token liberal. Hey, stranger things have happened.
# posted by scorpiorising : 8:15 AM |
Wednesday, February 26, 2003
Kucinich the Man to Watch
After seeing Congressman Kucinich of Ohio on Sunday, February 23's Meet The Press, and CNN's Crossfire, I was much impressed with his candor and enthusiasm. He courageously took on conservative mighties Robert Novak on Crossfire and Richard Perle on
Meet the Press.
Read this article from the Cleveland Magazine in 1972, of his start in politics. This is an article that was commented on by Josh Marshall in Talking Points Memo. Judge for yourselves. I think we need to give Kucinich a chance. Check out the Meet the Press transcript. I'm not sure that CNN has a Crossfire transcript. He is anti-war, pro-working class, from what I've heard so far. He at least is not afraid to recognize the elephant under the rug, which is the economy, and the ruse to go to war for economic and political gain.
Meet the Press.
Read this article from the Cleveland Magazine in 1972, of his start in politics. This is an article that was commented on by Josh Marshall in Talking Points Memo. Judge for yourselves. I think we need to give Kucinich a chance. Check out the Meet the Press transcript. I'm not sure that CNN has a Crossfire transcript. He is anti-war, pro-working class, from what I've heard so far. He at least is not afraid to recognize the elephant under the rug, which is the economy, and the ruse to go to war for economic and political gain.
# posted by scorpiorising : 11:55 AM |
The Economic Rape of America
In the economic rape of America, the bogus issue is the war against Iraq. This is a strategy, consciously chosen by certain members of his administration (Karl Rove among them) to deflect attention away from the real issue, which continues to be the economy. Unfortunately, because of this "deflection" and focus on Iraq, the administration feels empowered to continue to try to push through social security privatization, and the huge tax cuts that we don't need and most, I believe, don't want.
The war is scripted and manufactured by the Republican Party ideologues and economic, trickle-down theory fanatics. The bribes being paid to other countries to participate in this bogus war is coming directly out of your pocket via the tax system.
It is rare, on cable news, to see an in-depth discussion on anything, except a lot of rudeness and interrupting of each other. It is still rarer to see anything on the economy. This is where the beliefs of the journalists and news writers really begin to kick in full force, because they are members of the elite money makers. Essentially, they are paid, and paid well to put forth the beliefs of the monied class, and I 'm not afraid to kick around class warfare a little bit, because it does exist. It is exists in the form of brutality of competition, with its philosophical foundation rooted in the belief in Social Darwinis. It is endless competition, and will become more divisive as more join the lower ranks.
Folks, the monied class is trying to gain as much of the material resources of this, and other countries. That is the other secret issue of the government, that of its desire to control Iraq economically, therefore in a pivotal position to possibly exert more influence and control over other Middle Eastern States.
The huge oil reserves are a huge reason we are going to war with Iraq. It's not the only reason. Frontline explored the coalition that formed years ago to oust Sadam. Although I found several of the "experts" on the show to be pro-war, there is some useful insight explored, particularly the importance of the philosophy of Deputy Secretary Paul Wolfowitz. The fanatical idealogues are entrenched and in control now. And I say fanatical, because they are willing to take out a few thousand Iraqi civilians, and possibly some American and British soldiers, in the name of their ideology. They need to be called on their game.
The endless debates on cable news over the war also serves to shift focus from the real issues, the ones closer to home.
Perhaps we should boycott the debates, and publicize the boycott, with the demand that we immediately withdraw from the Middle Eastern Region, and begin to debate the issues that we ought to be talking about, namely, the economy.
Why aren't they answering to our demands? They are our representatives, we elected them, our taxes pay for their salaries, and we have the right to answers, and an open dialogue. Right now we are dancing their tune, by this continuous focus on the bogus issue of war, this created war, this economic recreational war.
The bogus issue that we need to turn America into a police state is also a deflection from the bad economic tidings. If we're busy spying on each other, we won't be united for sound economic policy.
The war is scripted and manufactured by the Republican Party ideologues and economic, trickle-down theory fanatics. The bribes being paid to other countries to participate in this bogus war is coming directly out of your pocket via the tax system.
It is rare, on cable news, to see an in-depth discussion on anything, except a lot of rudeness and interrupting of each other. It is still rarer to see anything on the economy. This is where the beliefs of the journalists and news writers really begin to kick in full force, because they are members of the elite money makers. Essentially, they are paid, and paid well to put forth the beliefs of the monied class, and I 'm not afraid to kick around class warfare a little bit, because it does exist. It is exists in the form of brutality of competition, with its philosophical foundation rooted in the belief in Social Darwinis. It is endless competition, and will become more divisive as more join the lower ranks.
Folks, the monied class is trying to gain as much of the material resources of this, and other countries. That is the other secret issue of the government, that of its desire to control Iraq economically, therefore in a pivotal position to possibly exert more influence and control over other Middle Eastern States.
The huge oil reserves are a huge reason we are going to war with Iraq. It's not the only reason. Frontline explored the coalition that formed years ago to oust Sadam. Although I found several of the "experts" on the show to be pro-war, there is some useful insight explored, particularly the importance of the philosophy of Deputy Secretary Paul Wolfowitz. The fanatical idealogues are entrenched and in control now. And I say fanatical, because they are willing to take out a few thousand Iraqi civilians, and possibly some American and British soldiers, in the name of their ideology. They need to be called on their game.
The endless debates on cable news over the war also serves to shift focus from the real issues, the ones closer to home.
Perhaps we should boycott the debates, and publicize the boycott, with the demand that we immediately withdraw from the Middle Eastern Region, and begin to debate the issues that we ought to be talking about, namely, the economy.
Why aren't they answering to our demands? They are our representatives, we elected them, our taxes pay for their salaries, and we have the right to answers, and an open dialogue. Right now we are dancing their tune, by this continuous focus on the bogus issue of war, this created war, this economic recreational war.
The bogus issue that we need to turn America into a police state is also a deflection from the bad economic tidings. If we're busy spying on each other, we won't be united for sound economic policy.
# posted by scorpiorising : 8:48 AM |
Tuesday, February 25, 2003
Yikes!!!
Apparently, according to Talk Left, the web sites of internet drug paraphernalia sellers, Operation Pipe Dreams, has been seized by the Department of Justice. The web sites have been re-directed to the Drug Enforcement Administration. Talk Left indicates: "State and Federal authorities recently conducted raids of various companies and individuals that sell 'drug paraphernalia', such as pipes and other materials.Pipes, etc were seized along with their web sites. According to a Voice of America article, Mr. Ashcroft says they plan to redirect the seized websites to to the DEA website.
Mr. Ashcroft says customers who want to visit some of their favorite drug paraphernalia websites are in for a big surprise in the days ahead. They will be automatically redirected to the website for the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration.
In essence the DEA is going to usurp the freedom of speech and expression of the people who run those seized websites. This would be akin to the U.S. Dept of Justice redirecting the "aclu.org" website to the "usdoj.gov" website."
Everyone, take heed, and spread the word.
Mr. Ashcroft says customers who want to visit some of their favorite drug paraphernalia websites are in for a big surprise in the days ahead. They will be automatically redirected to the website for the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration.
In essence the DEA is going to usurp the freedom of speech and expression of the people who run those seized websites. This would be akin to the U.S. Dept of Justice redirecting the "aclu.org" website to the "usdoj.gov" website."
Everyone, take heed, and spread the word.
# posted by scorpiorising : 1:16 PM |
Monday, February 24, 2003
Further thoughts on War and Aggression
I'm guessing that some took offense at my pointing out the missteps and horrible calculations of Clinton in his decision to bomb Belgrade and Baghdad, and the French involvement in Rawanda. So many countries, including our own, by the way, knew what was coming down in Rawanda. Like I said, throw a rock in the air and hit someone guilty. My pointing out the mistakes of the French and Clinton, is by no means meant to deflect from what is happening now. The proposed war against Iraq should be opposed vigorously, by all earth loving peoples. I am merely trying to point out consistencies in actions. Imperialism has been around, well, since the beginning of our country? Since the beginning of the exploration of this land, when it was parcelled out and claimed and sold off? It was a great crap shoot, this new land. The losers were the Indians who didn't play well, and, possibly weren't willing to commit genocide against the settlers, to keep them away. I know there were massacres and attacks, but there was also restraint (by the Indians), little restraint by the settlers, who eventually wiped out almost an entire race of people.
So we had a bloody and violent beginning, with the belief that certain races did not possess souls. Surely there is an ancient mirror there, and our own view now of the Muslims as something less than human, so therefore much easier to kill.
The more things change, the more they stay the same. aaaggghhh...How I always hated that saying.
History, when it is not understood, is oft repeated....aaaggghhh...another one, cliched and used up.
Oh well, it is true, as true can be. There is nothing new about pre-emptive war in this country. Deputy Secretary Wolfowitz did not invent this policy. (Check out this link to Frontline and explore the formation of the push to war with Iraq, from Bush 1 to Bush 2.) We certainly weren't invited into Vietnam, nor were we attacked in the Gulf of Tonkin, as was stated by President Johnson. We were trying to provoke, engaging in CIA directed exercises that involved skimishes onto Vietnam soil. Check out the Pentagon Papers.
Certainly, we were not attacked before we entered the Korean War. Nor were we attacked by Granada or Panama, or Nicauragua, or El Salvador, or Chile, or Colombia, or the Philippines, or whereever else we have had our dirty little dealings. "Preemptive" War"? Why, we're experts!
And...
Not much is being said in the press, or blog pundits, about the expansion of this seemingly endless war on terrorism into the Philippines. I bet you are going to see a severe drop-off in military recruits, and the justifications for the draft. The draft is proposed in Patriot Act 2. Is the Philippines the first sign of increased direct threat of terrorism on our allies, with our threatening Iraq? Doesn't it make fucking sense, excuse my language, that our increased presence militarily right now, anywhere, would lead to an increase in threats of terrorism??? As my 5-yr. old neice would say...Duuhh? (Sorry, that's pretty obnoxious, but hard to resist). Pity poor President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo of the Philippines, asking for our increased assistance with their terrorist problem. Might as well throw gasoline on the problem. Like our increased presence anywhere wouldn't draw increased terrorist attention, what with our constant beating of the war drum.
And...How about the money we are spending in the Phillippines now, with a recent grant of $78 million, $20 million for U.S. weapons and services, and $21 million worth of secondhand arms, as per Ms. Frida Berrigan in the above link. Add this to the estimates of what we may spend in Iraq, upwards of $60 billion plus, when all is said and done. It's no wonder the American pie is experiencing acute shrinkage. (Be my guest to add in costs of this war on terrorism , as my statistics, I'm sure, reflect just a fraction of the piece of pie).
So we had a bloody and violent beginning, with the belief that certain races did not possess souls. Surely there is an ancient mirror there, and our own view now of the Muslims as something less than human, so therefore much easier to kill.
The more things change, the more they stay the same. aaaggghhh...How I always hated that saying.
History, when it is not understood, is oft repeated....aaaggghhh...another one, cliched and used up.
Oh well, it is true, as true can be. There is nothing new about pre-emptive war in this country. Deputy Secretary Wolfowitz did not invent this policy. (Check out this link to Frontline and explore the formation of the push to war with Iraq, from Bush 1 to Bush 2.) We certainly weren't invited into Vietnam, nor were we attacked in the Gulf of Tonkin, as was stated by President Johnson. We were trying to provoke, engaging in CIA directed exercises that involved skimishes onto Vietnam soil. Check out the Pentagon Papers.
Certainly, we were not attacked before we entered the Korean War. Nor were we attacked by Granada or Panama, or Nicauragua, or El Salvador, or Chile, or Colombia, or the Philippines, or whereever else we have had our dirty little dealings. "Preemptive" War"? Why, we're experts!
And...
Not much is being said in the press, or blog pundits, about the expansion of this seemingly endless war on terrorism into the Philippines. I bet you are going to see a severe drop-off in military recruits, and the justifications for the draft. The draft is proposed in Patriot Act 2. Is the Philippines the first sign of increased direct threat of terrorism on our allies, with our threatening Iraq? Doesn't it make fucking sense, excuse my language, that our increased presence militarily right now, anywhere, would lead to an increase in threats of terrorism??? As my 5-yr. old neice would say...Duuhh? (Sorry, that's pretty obnoxious, but hard to resist). Pity poor President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo of the Philippines, asking for our increased assistance with their terrorist problem. Might as well throw gasoline on the problem. Like our increased presence anywhere wouldn't draw increased terrorist attention, what with our constant beating of the war drum.
And...How about the money we are spending in the Phillippines now, with a recent grant of $78 million, $20 million for U.S. weapons and services, and $21 million worth of secondhand arms, as per Ms. Frida Berrigan in the above link. Add this to the estimates of what we may spend in Iraq, upwards of $60 billion plus, when all is said and done. It's no wonder the American pie is experiencing acute shrinkage. (Be my guest to add in costs of this war on terrorism , as my statistics, I'm sure, reflect just a fraction of the piece of pie).
# posted by scorpiorising : 2:44 PM |
Thursday, February 20, 2003
Red Flags
I am also disheartened by the trashing of the French right now, for their dissension of the war. Are we as individual citizens next?
I must say though, that signs of empire building and imperialism out of control have been around for some time, practiced in varying degrees by nations all over the world. The Bush administration is Frankenstein, but his creator is, well, all of us, and the French, and the Germans, and NATO, etc., etc. It was complacency of the average citizen that allowed the machine to get out of control. We stopped questioning. We were satisfied with the news that was handed to us. Our leaders were relatively sane, or so we thought. Clinton's presidency and economic success added to the atmosphere of all is right with the world.
The Clinton and Nato bombing of Belgrade and Clinton and British bombing of Baghdad, in "peaceful" times, were red flags of warning.
It was on June 27, 1993 that Clinton decided to bomb Baghdad. Check out the aforementioned link and enjoy the de ja view .Note the types of neighborhoods destroyed. On March 23, 1999, Nato and the U.S. began bombing Belgrade. NATO was accused of war crimes during that campaign. Not to mention all of the stray bombs that fell here and there.
Wouldn't it be honorable and courageous of Clinton to admit he was wrong in the bombing of Baghdad, of Belgrade? Wouldn't this help the cause of peace?
The atrocity in Rowanda, with French complicity, another red flag. The Belgians are complicit, and the U.N., the U.S. knew of the planned exterminations. The Hutu massacre of Tutsi peoples happened under Clinton's watch.
Heck, throw a rock in the air and you'll hit someone guilty.
NATO aided the U.S. in the bombing of Belgrad. NATO, to their credit, opposed the bombing of Baghdad, while the American media was complicit in their approval.
The reasons for bombing or not bombing any given country, by any other country, at any given time, shift with the political wind. And it is an ill-wind, folks, that blows.
Where was I when all of this was happening during the "peaceful" Clinton presidency? Sitting with my thumb up my ass, like so many of us...eh?
I must say though, that signs of empire building and imperialism out of control have been around for some time, practiced in varying degrees by nations all over the world. The Bush administration is Frankenstein, but his creator is, well, all of us, and the French, and the Germans, and NATO, etc., etc. It was complacency of the average citizen that allowed the machine to get out of control. We stopped questioning. We were satisfied with the news that was handed to us. Our leaders were relatively sane, or so we thought. Clinton's presidency and economic success added to the atmosphere of all is right with the world.
The Clinton and Nato bombing of Belgrade and Clinton and British bombing of Baghdad, in "peaceful" times, were red flags of warning.
It was on June 27, 1993 that Clinton decided to bomb Baghdad. Check out the aforementioned link and enjoy the de ja view .Note the types of neighborhoods destroyed. On March 23, 1999, Nato and the U.S. began bombing Belgrade. NATO was accused of war crimes during that campaign. Not to mention all of the stray bombs that fell here and there.
Wouldn't it be honorable and courageous of Clinton to admit he was wrong in the bombing of Baghdad, of Belgrade? Wouldn't this help the cause of peace?
The atrocity in Rowanda, with French complicity, another red flag. The Belgians are complicit, and the U.N., the U.S. knew of the planned exterminations. The Hutu massacre of Tutsi peoples happened under Clinton's watch.
Heck, throw a rock in the air and you'll hit someone guilty.
NATO aided the U.S. in the bombing of Belgrad. NATO, to their credit, opposed the bombing of Baghdad, while the American media was complicit in their approval.
The reasons for bombing or not bombing any given country, by any other country, at any given time, shift with the political wind. And it is an ill-wind, folks, that blows.
Where was I when all of this was happening during the "peaceful" Clinton presidency? Sitting with my thumb up my ass, like so many of us...eh?
# posted by scorpiorising : 6:58 AM |
Wednesday, February 19, 2003
????
Some of my writing sounds a wee bit pompous, with a touch of bombasity thrown in??? Oh well, its all for a good cause. And its fun.
# posted by scorpiorising : 7:45 PM |
Rant
I sure did rant about fascism earlier. I think all in all it was a fairly thoughtful rant. Of course, you the reader must come to your own conclusions. Don't take my rant for it.
Yesterday, Rosebud and I rented the Jean Genet film: Querelle . Rosebud had treated me with so much kindness, that I soared for a good part of the evening. My mind had already felt speedy, though I was physically tired.
I had a kind of encounter with Grace. I felt suddenly that everything in the room possessed consciousness. Every cell of human and "inanimate" object glowed with awareness. Of course, the states and conditions of awareness varied. Won't they always vary, yet possess similarity? I felt a mild detachment from concern for the state of the world, for myself as a sentient being. I even felt a kind of it doesn't really matter what happens to us because we will all continue. I don't believe the detachment was a value judgement on the worth of existing, but as a distancing from the "if" of existing.
"If" this or that happens, then this might happen, which might trigger that, and on and on and on.
Rosebud and I discussed the mental traps that become habitual. Paranoia was one that was discussed. I told him that someone shared with me recently this thought: that it is not my business what someone else thinks of me.
I suppose that statement is helpful, up to a point. To extend it, it is my business if someone wants to do harm to me.
Rosebud seemed to like the statement. We also talked about how we hypnotize ourselves with beliefs. When we state a point of view, it is a belief, and therefore is entirely created by the person stating it, and is entirely subjective.
My rant on fascism was a collection of beliefs. Those beliefs will be filtered through the beliefs of others, and they will come to their own views.
We decided it is possible to hypnotize ourselves into believing we have certain physical maladies, so that we hang onto them much longer than is necessary. We believe we are powerless in the face of physical pain. Rosebud's hand hurt and ached. He is convincing himself that he has arthritis. I am afraid he may convince himself that he will always have it. He did seem to suddenly question that assumption as we talked.
Rosebud's artist friend, Sergie from downstairs paid us a visit. He comes from the far east and he likes Wadka. He stated a belief that it is possible to learn to be reasonable when drinking. "The old people,"he said. "When you talk to them, they tell you that they only drink this much", and he held his index finger and thumb apart about 2-3 inches. "I think if you can hold it down to that much, you will be okay."
Rosebud has two paintings of Sergie's on his wall. One painting is of what looks like an alien/human hybrid. The other painting is a bushy, green landscape. Rosebud had told me that Sergie doesn't like his own paintings, and often paints over them. The landscape had been painted on a canvas that was washed with a kind of lavender color. Sergie said the painting is meant to depict summer. The washed out lavender color lends of feeling of twilight in the summer. I have seen violet and lavender colored twilights here. The painting is very pretty. It does have a feeling about it, "Am I done or not?"
Sergie said, " I don't know if I am an artist or not".
Sergie and I wanted to smoke, so we raised Rosebud's livingroom window. He offered me a cigarette. At first I declined, saying "Oh, I have some". I immediately realized I had committed a mild faux pas . I hurt his feelings a little. I explained to him that I can only smoke filterless cigarettes. I offered him an American Spirit. He took it and gave me one of his, Marlborough, I think. I tore the filter off and smoked it. It was okay. He smoked the Spirit and really enjoyed it. I will try to never turn a cigarette down again when it is offered in a social setting.
Sergie dove into our subject of self-hypnosis. He agreed with us that we convince ourselves, through our beliefs, that something is true. We mostly stayed away from the subject of the war. He said he would not march in protest. He seemed to be a little embarrassed by the effusiveness of the beliefs. He said his friends back home believe that he is stupid because he considers himself an American now. He seemed very fond of this country.
He wanted to know if I am published yet, and I told him I am publishing myself in my blog. Blog is such an ugly and clumsy word, I almost don't want to say it. Perhaps I should say online journal and essays. I told him I didn't know where the writing would go, that it is evolving. I know that I have a vision of words exploding out of me onto this journal. I want to be free and playful with language.
I have been lazy about trying to publish my poems. I think it was something to do with depression also.
Sergie was very gentle and drew both Rosebud and I out of our shells. I was slightly resentful when he first arrived, but I quickly questioned that belief, that assumption, and the night became very beautiful with the enthusiastic sharing of thoughts and beliefs.
After Sergie left, Rosebud and I watched Querelle. I thought it was a very honest portrayal of one man's view of what it is to be male and gay in the modern world. I fell asleep towards the end, and I wonder if I didn't get so sleepy as a kind of defense against the subject matter. There was sadness and exploitation and violence, and the allowing of oneself to be exploited for, what, for sexual pleasure? To be wanted? To feel alive?
Casual sex is a puzzle to me because personally, I have never enjoyed it.
I didn't finish the movie, but I hope to. Rosebud kept saying he liked the film and could relate to some of the attitudes expressed, particularly the one of self-denial and self-repression. This is a very complex and sensitive subject.
It is my belief that the repression of homosexual tendencies leads to a worship of war and the military in some. Particularly if you block out all awareness of your own tendencies. I know that might sound God-awful strange, but I can't help but believe that Rumsfeld is a closet case, and would love to be the man on top.
Yesterday, Rosebud and I rented the Jean Genet film: Querelle . Rosebud had treated me with so much kindness, that I soared for a good part of the evening. My mind had already felt speedy, though I was physically tired.
I had a kind of encounter with Grace. I felt suddenly that everything in the room possessed consciousness. Every cell of human and "inanimate" object glowed with awareness. Of course, the states and conditions of awareness varied. Won't they always vary, yet possess similarity? I felt a mild detachment from concern for the state of the world, for myself as a sentient being. I even felt a kind of it doesn't really matter what happens to us because we will all continue. I don't believe the detachment was a value judgement on the worth of existing, but as a distancing from the "if" of existing.
"If" this or that happens, then this might happen, which might trigger that, and on and on and on.
Rosebud and I discussed the mental traps that become habitual. Paranoia was one that was discussed. I told him that someone shared with me recently this thought: that it is not my business what someone else thinks of me.
I suppose that statement is helpful, up to a point. To extend it, it is my business if someone wants to do harm to me.
Rosebud seemed to like the statement. We also talked about how we hypnotize ourselves with beliefs. When we state a point of view, it is a belief, and therefore is entirely created by the person stating it, and is entirely subjective.
My rant on fascism was a collection of beliefs. Those beliefs will be filtered through the beliefs of others, and they will come to their own views.
We decided it is possible to hypnotize ourselves into believing we have certain physical maladies, so that we hang onto them much longer than is necessary. We believe we are powerless in the face of physical pain. Rosebud's hand hurt and ached. He is convincing himself that he has arthritis. I am afraid he may convince himself that he will always have it. He did seem to suddenly question that assumption as we talked.
Rosebud's artist friend, Sergie from downstairs paid us a visit. He comes from the far east and he likes Wadka. He stated a belief that it is possible to learn to be reasonable when drinking. "The old people,"he said. "When you talk to them, they tell you that they only drink this much", and he held his index finger and thumb apart about 2-3 inches. "I think if you can hold it down to that much, you will be okay."
Rosebud has two paintings of Sergie's on his wall. One painting is of what looks like an alien/human hybrid. The other painting is a bushy, green landscape. Rosebud had told me that Sergie doesn't like his own paintings, and often paints over them. The landscape had been painted on a canvas that was washed with a kind of lavender color. Sergie said the painting is meant to depict summer. The washed out lavender color lends of feeling of twilight in the summer. I have seen violet and lavender colored twilights here. The painting is very pretty. It does have a feeling about it, "Am I done or not?"
Sergie said, " I don't know if I am an artist or not".
Sergie and I wanted to smoke, so we raised Rosebud's livingroom window. He offered me a cigarette. At first I declined, saying "Oh, I have some". I immediately realized I had committed a mild faux pas . I hurt his feelings a little. I explained to him that I can only smoke filterless cigarettes. I offered him an American Spirit. He took it and gave me one of his, Marlborough, I think. I tore the filter off and smoked it. It was okay. He smoked the Spirit and really enjoyed it. I will try to never turn a cigarette down again when it is offered in a social setting.
Sergie dove into our subject of self-hypnosis. He agreed with us that we convince ourselves, through our beliefs, that something is true. We mostly stayed away from the subject of the war. He said he would not march in protest. He seemed to be a little embarrassed by the effusiveness of the beliefs. He said his friends back home believe that he is stupid because he considers himself an American now. He seemed very fond of this country.
He wanted to know if I am published yet, and I told him I am publishing myself in my blog. Blog is such an ugly and clumsy word, I almost don't want to say it. Perhaps I should say online journal and essays. I told him I didn't know where the writing would go, that it is evolving. I know that I have a vision of words exploding out of me onto this journal. I want to be free and playful with language.
I have been lazy about trying to publish my poems. I think it was something to do with depression also.
Sergie was very gentle and drew both Rosebud and I out of our shells. I was slightly resentful when he first arrived, but I quickly questioned that belief, that assumption, and the night became very beautiful with the enthusiastic sharing of thoughts and beliefs.
After Sergie left, Rosebud and I watched Querelle. I thought it was a very honest portrayal of one man's view of what it is to be male and gay in the modern world. I fell asleep towards the end, and I wonder if I didn't get so sleepy as a kind of defense against the subject matter. There was sadness and exploitation and violence, and the allowing of oneself to be exploited for, what, for sexual pleasure? To be wanted? To feel alive?
Casual sex is a puzzle to me because personally, I have never enjoyed it.
I didn't finish the movie, but I hope to. Rosebud kept saying he liked the film and could relate to some of the attitudes expressed, particularly the one of self-denial and self-repression. This is a very complex and sensitive subject.
It is my belief that the repression of homosexual tendencies leads to a worship of war and the military in some. Particularly if you block out all awareness of your own tendencies. I know that might sound God-awful strange, but I can't help but believe that Rumsfeld is a closet case, and would love to be the man on top.
# posted by scorpiorising : 5:11 PM |
Under Construction
I am still learning the art of building templates, so I haven't yet figured out how to include an email and comment section in my blog. Thank you for your viewership, and bare with me as I hope to email contact up and running shortly. Thanks again.
# posted by scorpiorising : 2:01 PM |
Fascism:
A system of government marked by centralization of authority under a dictator, stringent socioeconomic controls, suppression of the opposition through terror and censorship, and typically a policy of belligerent nationalism and racism.
A political philosophy or movement based on or advocating such a system of government.
Oppressive, dictatorial control.
Your Dictionary.com
I have used the word fascism as a descriptive adverb recently in my writings, and I don't think it is fair to use it without explaining myself. It is my belief there is a fascist movement in these United of States. I don't believe that the participants would be able to admit that what they advocate is fascism. I do believe that these same participants are using the framework of our constitution and Declaration of Independence to further their fascist views, particularly the use of one of our basic rights: freedom of speech.
There have been willing victims of this rise of fascism.
"Liberals" have been targeted by the proponents of greater, central control in all phases of our life. The word liberal itself is a dirty word, and there has been an orchestrated attack on liberal views in the national media, so that it is harder for liberal views to be heard. Many liberals have changed their tone and message so as to be assimilated and escape further confrontation and attack. These are the willing victims, the ones who by their complicity in compromising their principals, have furthered the fascist state.
The labeling of the national media as "liberal" is a further attempt to censor the views of liberal. The truth is, the media could never be liberal enough for the advocates of fascism, and they will never be silent until every "liberal" voice in the media is silenced.
We took a giant leap forward towards fascism after the trauma of 9/11, when a huge majority of the nation believed the adequate and right response was to attack Afghanistan. Fascism is the use of military force and might "to surpress the opposition through terror...".
Many "liberals" I am sure would disagree with me when I say we did not need to attack Afghanistan to "win" this war on terror. If anything, attacking that backwards country furthered the cause of Al-Queda. Sadly, we Americans have not had the willingness to back-up our war there with adequate reconstruction efforts, again, furthering the cause of our "enemies".
If we truly believed in our form of government, if we truly thought the practice of American democracy to be decent and just, we would have no qualms that in a war of ideology, our's would win. Otherwise, we would simply leave that country alone if they were'nt willing to accept our way of thinking. Yet, it seems the amount of military might we are willing to throw at a country is proportional to the doubts hidden behind that might. We really don't believe we can win over the Arabs with ideology, with the "goodness" of our beliefs. Not that we have tried that hard, either.
How would one respond to a 9/11 without the use of violence to supress the opposition? Thoughtfully. Very thoughtfully. There would need to be much open discussion and soul searching. Our immediate, again, "fascist" response to 9/11 was to quell open discussion and soul searching, to label it un-patriotic.
"Fascism" is born of the [hidden] belief in helplessness. "Fascism" is a child of violent trauma. Germany became a fascist nation after the violence and trauma of their defeat and humiliation after World War 1, and the Great Depression. There were elements of fascism in all of the Free World before World War 2, including in America. Germany represented the extreme of those views. Institutional racism, an element of fascism, was apparent in the U.S. before WW2. We looked the other way before we joined that war, when reports of the concentration camps were leaking to the general public.
It is my belief that fascism is born of the need to control, of fanaticism. Its bottom emotion is unrecognized fear.
Its tone is schizophrenic. It is unrecognizing of the most important of its true feelings and motives. Its practice is exclusionary and divisive. In the coming months, fascism will become more apparent. If the Patriot Act 2 is passed, we will have become more fascist than democratic.
It is my belief that religious doctrine, as practiced by the Conservative Right in this country, is the philosophical background to this rise of fascism, much as Nietzsche's Superman was to the Germans before WW2. It is the exclusionary tone and rhetoric of the religious right that is the philosophical formula for fascism.
There will be in the coming years more and more "fascist" candidates for office, who attempt to disguise their exclusionary beliefs behind the label of sound economic policy. We must fight these candidates, parish by parish, county by county, state by state.
A political philosophy or movement based on or advocating such a system of government.
Oppressive, dictatorial control.
Your Dictionary.com
I have used the word fascism as a descriptive adverb recently in my writings, and I don't think it is fair to use it without explaining myself. It is my belief there is a fascist movement in these United of States. I don't believe that the participants would be able to admit that what they advocate is fascism. I do believe that these same participants are using the framework of our constitution and Declaration of Independence to further their fascist views, particularly the use of one of our basic rights: freedom of speech.
There have been willing victims of this rise of fascism.
"Liberals" have been targeted by the proponents of greater, central control in all phases of our life. The word liberal itself is a dirty word, and there has been an orchestrated attack on liberal views in the national media, so that it is harder for liberal views to be heard. Many liberals have changed their tone and message so as to be assimilated and escape further confrontation and attack. These are the willing victims, the ones who by their complicity in compromising their principals, have furthered the fascist state.
The labeling of the national media as "liberal" is a further attempt to censor the views of liberal. The truth is, the media could never be liberal enough for the advocates of fascism, and they will never be silent until every "liberal" voice in the media is silenced.
We took a giant leap forward towards fascism after the trauma of 9/11, when a huge majority of the nation believed the adequate and right response was to attack Afghanistan. Fascism is the use of military force and might "to surpress the opposition through terror...".
Many "liberals" I am sure would disagree with me when I say we did not need to attack Afghanistan to "win" this war on terror. If anything, attacking that backwards country furthered the cause of Al-Queda. Sadly, we Americans have not had the willingness to back-up our war there with adequate reconstruction efforts, again, furthering the cause of our "enemies".
If we truly believed in our form of government, if we truly thought the practice of American democracy to be decent and just, we would have no qualms that in a war of ideology, our's would win. Otherwise, we would simply leave that country alone if they were'nt willing to accept our way of thinking. Yet, it seems the amount of military might we are willing to throw at a country is proportional to the doubts hidden behind that might. We really don't believe we can win over the Arabs with ideology, with the "goodness" of our beliefs. Not that we have tried that hard, either.
How would one respond to a 9/11 without the use of violence to supress the opposition? Thoughtfully. Very thoughtfully. There would need to be much open discussion and soul searching. Our immediate, again, "fascist" response to 9/11 was to quell open discussion and soul searching, to label it un-patriotic.
"Fascism" is born of the [hidden] belief in helplessness. "Fascism" is a child of violent trauma. Germany became a fascist nation after the violence and trauma of their defeat and humiliation after World War 1, and the Great Depression. There were elements of fascism in all of the Free World before World War 2, including in America. Germany represented the extreme of those views. Institutional racism, an element of fascism, was apparent in the U.S. before WW2. We looked the other way before we joined that war, when reports of the concentration camps were leaking to the general public.
It is my belief that fascism is born of the need to control, of fanaticism. Its bottom emotion is unrecognized fear.
Its tone is schizophrenic. It is unrecognizing of the most important of its true feelings and motives. Its practice is exclusionary and divisive. In the coming months, fascism will become more apparent. If the Patriot Act 2 is passed, we will have become more fascist than democratic.
It is my belief that religious doctrine, as practiced by the Conservative Right in this country, is the philosophical background to this rise of fascism, much as Nietzsche's Superman was to the Germans before WW2. It is the exclusionary tone and rhetoric of the religious right that is the philosophical formula for fascism.
There will be in the coming years more and more "fascist" candidates for office, who attempt to disguise their exclusionary beliefs behind the label of sound economic policy. We must fight these candidates, parish by parish, county by county, state by state.
# posted by scorpiorising : 8:21 AM |
Tuesday, February 18, 2003
What is Real?
The guy who delivered the pastries this morning said, "We're not going to do anything in Iraq."
"Oh yea, right," I said. Lately, I've been in no mood to beat around the bush (no pun intended). "We're only going to go in there and kill thousands of innocent civilians", I said.
He continued to insist, "We're not going to do anything there. We're just going to go in and...", I think he said something about we are going to stir them up against their own leader, or some such nonsense. At that point, without my first cup of coffee, I had had enough.
"Look, I don't know what planet you're living on, but please just, go away; just go away," and I shooed him off.
Yesterday, my boss, the owner, said the Iraqi civilians are all going to come out to greet us when we invade, waving American flags. I told him I thought we would kill thousands of their civilians.
"Maybe one thousand", my boss said.
"It's going to de-stabalize that area", I said.
"No, its going to stabalize it," he said.
"Well, a lot of people are frightened of triggering World War 3 out of all of this," I said.
"Who is saying that?", he wanted to know. "Nobody I know is saying that," he said.
"Everyone I know is saying it", I said.
"Yea, all you left-leaning, liberal types," and he laughed, but he did seem a little stunned that we were considering this could be the beginning of the end. These two encounters leads me to believe that the Americans justifying the war have become adept at rationalizing. Perhaps there is also the naive belief that America has the best of intentions for the rest of the world. I am afraid most are in for a very "real" education.
"Oh yea, right," I said. Lately, I've been in no mood to beat around the bush (no pun intended). "We're only going to go in there and kill thousands of innocent civilians", I said.
He continued to insist, "We're not going to do anything there. We're just going to go in and...", I think he said something about we are going to stir them up against their own leader, or some such nonsense. At that point, without my first cup of coffee, I had had enough.
"Look, I don't know what planet you're living on, but please just, go away; just go away," and I shooed him off.
Yesterday, my boss, the owner, said the Iraqi civilians are all going to come out to greet us when we invade, waving American flags. I told him I thought we would kill thousands of their civilians.
"Maybe one thousand", my boss said.
"It's going to de-stabalize that area", I said.
"No, its going to stabalize it," he said.
"Well, a lot of people are frightened of triggering World War 3 out of all of this," I said.
"Who is saying that?", he wanted to know. "Nobody I know is saying that," he said.
"Everyone I know is saying it", I said.
"Yea, all you left-leaning, liberal types," and he laughed, but he did seem a little stunned that we were considering this could be the beginning of the end. These two encounters leads me to believe that the Americans justifying the war have become adept at rationalizing. Perhaps there is also the naive belief that America has the best of intentions for the rest of the world. I am afraid most are in for a very "real" education.
# posted by scorpiorising : 1:28 PM |
Monday, February 17, 2003
Damn the Corporate Media
I just saw a Human Shield fellow interviewed on MSNBC. The corporate fascist reporter asked the fellow if he wanted Saddam Hussein to remain in power. The human shield responded in a very thoughtful manner. He said we as a nation don't have the right to dictate who the leader of another country should be, and we don't know enough about the Iraqi people to make that assumption. He also said it is the arrogance of the American people to think that they know best what the rest of the world ought to be doing. He said he thought President Bush is promoting the war in the economic interests of the United States and certain American Companies--and the reporter cut him off.
"That's all we have time for" period. Very telling.
Watch Frontline on Thursday, February 20, and see true journalistic courage in action, as they will deal with the corporate reasons that we are going to war with Iraq, the reasons not reported by the CNNs and the Foxes.
"That's all we have time for" period. Very telling.
Watch Frontline on Thursday, February 20, and see true journalistic courage in action, as they will deal with the corporate reasons that we are going to war with Iraq, the reasons not reported by the CNNs and the Foxes.
# posted by scorpiorising : 5:25 PM |
Sunday, February 16, 2003
Sedition: Conduct or Language Inciting rebellion against the authority of a state, Your Dictionary.com
I heard Howard Zinn on NPR recently, debating a fascist educator. I say fascist, because the educator, whose name I can't remember, seemed to believe that one of the primary purposes of education is to glorify our country in the eyes of our children. He accused Zinn of "trashing" our country's history. Zinn defended the right of any citizen to a critical examination of our country's history. He seemed to favor teaching children the power of critical reasoning. Zinn is the author of The Declaration of Independence: Cross-Examining American Ideology. I'm just getting into the book, so I can't claim to know all there is to know about Zinn's thoughts, except to say that he favors critical analysis of American decision making, particularly in the realm of foreign policy. He says this about our foundation as a nation:
The American Declaration of Independence, however, clearly
understood that difference of interest between government
and citizen. It says that the purpose of government is to secure
certain rights for its citizens--life, liberty, equality, and the
pursuit of happiness. But government may not fullfill these
purposes, and so "whenever any form of government
becomes destructive of these ends, it is the
right of the people to alter or abolish it, and to institute
new government".
I am not suggesting the use of violence to overthrow our government. But what I am suggesting is that we all find ways to behave in a most non-violent, seditious manner, to challenge the current powers that be. There is no more time to be complacent. We must find a way to convince our brothers and sisters in this, our country, that they are wrong. It is seditious to value life. It is seditious to value the animals. It is seditious to value flowers. It is seditious to value clean air, clean water, pesticide-free food.
It is seditious to value creativity above profit. It is seditious to value the lives of our brothers and sisters in other countries. It is seditious to want to eliminate homelessness. It is seditious to place the priority of our children's needs above all else. It is seditious to place the safety of our children above all else. It is seditious...
The American Declaration of Independence, however, clearly
understood that difference of interest between government
and citizen. It says that the purpose of government is to secure
certain rights for its citizens--life, liberty, equality, and the
pursuit of happiness. But government may not fullfill these
purposes, and so "whenever any form of government
becomes destructive of these ends, it is the
right of the people to alter or abolish it, and to institute
new government".
I am not suggesting the use of violence to overthrow our government. But what I am suggesting is that we all find ways to behave in a most non-violent, seditious manner, to challenge the current powers that be. There is no more time to be complacent. We must find a way to convince our brothers and sisters in this, our country, that they are wrong. It is seditious to value life. It is seditious to value the animals. It is seditious to value flowers. It is seditious to value clean air, clean water, pesticide-free food.
It is seditious to value creativity above profit. It is seditious to value the lives of our brothers and sisters in other countries. It is seditious to want to eliminate homelessness. It is seditious to place the priority of our children's needs above all else. It is seditious to place the safety of our children above all else. It is seditious...
# posted by scorpiorising : 5:11 PM |
Saturday, February 15, 2003
The Eye of the Storm
I worked for a woman today so she could attend the anti-war protest in New Orleans at Louis Armstrong Park. She called me at work breathless and excited because they "took over the street" and marched to Jackson Square in the heart of the French Quarter. She said about a thousand people attended, which is a very good turnout for New Orleans. I just looked at online pictures of protesters all over the globe, and I cry out to my brothers and sisters in unison against war.
At work today several of the age 20-something people I work with were nervously joking about the government's advice to buy duck tape and plastic. One young man who is pursuing an education in nueroscience burst out laughing at the thought that the governement wants us to believe duck tape and plastic will save us from poison gas. One said he has actually thought of buying a gas mask. I've been having fantasies similar to the Survival series, seeing myself and my family and closest friends living in a rural area, surviving off of the land again, away from the awesome cities whose social structures will be the first to go if things go to hell in a handbasket. I felt sad today for the young people, who haven't had a chance to live out their lives yet, and are faced with such a massive crises.
Rosebud and I got together and watched an old movie, one of the old GoldDigger movies with Joan Blondell and James Cagney. To watch Cagney dance is a monumental joy. Many layers to the film as it demonstrated the cut-throat competition of Hollywood and theater, and the "battle of the sexes". Yesterday we watched Chelsea Halls , a film of the current inhabitants of the old hotel. It was directed by Ethan Hawke and filmed in digital, with a grainy, raw quality that I appreciated. The movie had incredibly beautiful shots, a simple and very human story line that placed characterization above plot, and fine acting. I highly recommend this movie as an antidote to current events.
I find myself examining my life acutely right when I am with Rosebud. Watching Chelsea Halls, and its brutally and beautiful honesty added fire to this "exercise". The signs of selfishness standout all too well at the moment.
At work today several of the age 20-something people I work with were nervously joking about the government's advice to buy duck tape and plastic. One young man who is pursuing an education in nueroscience burst out laughing at the thought that the governement wants us to believe duck tape and plastic will save us from poison gas. One said he has actually thought of buying a gas mask. I've been having fantasies similar to the Survival series, seeing myself and my family and closest friends living in a rural area, surviving off of the land again, away from the awesome cities whose social structures will be the first to go if things go to hell in a handbasket. I felt sad today for the young people, who haven't had a chance to live out their lives yet, and are faced with such a massive crises.
Rosebud and I got together and watched an old movie, one of the old GoldDigger movies with Joan Blondell and James Cagney. To watch Cagney dance is a monumental joy. Many layers to the film as it demonstrated the cut-throat competition of Hollywood and theater, and the "battle of the sexes". Yesterday we watched Chelsea Halls , a film of the current inhabitants of the old hotel. It was directed by Ethan Hawke and filmed in digital, with a grainy, raw quality that I appreciated. The movie had incredibly beautiful shots, a simple and very human story line that placed characterization above plot, and fine acting. I highly recommend this movie as an antidote to current events.
I find myself examining my life acutely right when I am with Rosebud. Watching Chelsea Halls, and its brutally and beautiful honesty added fire to this "exercise". The signs of selfishness standout all too well at the moment.
# posted by scorpiorising : 6:17 PM |
Wednesday, February 12, 2003
The Poet's Protest
I logged onto poets against the war and submitted this poem for their February 12 Day of Poetry Against the War:
Anyway
Anyway, I'm going to try and live the best way that I can, even
though the end of the world might be near, even though I might
soon smile upon the last bird cry I will ever hear, even though
your laugh may ring for the last time in my ears, even though I
I realized, under the threat of sudden death, everything comes
alive, sometimes for the first time.
Anyway
Anyway, I'm going to try and live the best way that I can, even
though the end of the world might be near, even though I might
soon smile upon the last bird cry I will ever hear, even though
your laugh may ring for the last time in my ears, even though I
I realized, under the threat of sudden death, everything comes
alive, sometimes for the first time.
# posted by scorpiorising : 5:54 PM |
Bad News
I logged onto Atrios's blog a few minutes ago, Eschaton, and suddenly felt overwhelmed with the amount of bad news coming down. It feels like so much is spiraling out of control so fast; the concept of normalcy is being turned on its head. I'm reading Vita Sackville West's biography right now, and right before the outbreak of World War 2, everybody started drinking pretty heavily. I'm not sure I want to drink heavily, but I sure am feeling like a beer tonight. I'm having visions of popping open a few of those dusty bottles of Guinness black brew I've been storing away for a rainy day. What a soothing, dark liquid. It's raining.
# posted by scorpiorising : 4:17 PM |
"Nobody cares if the people live or die", Leonard Cohen, My Secret Life
Yesterday at Rosebud's, I felt a whoosh, a feeling like "Ohhhh, this is all there is". I was back in my body suddenly in a way that I haven't been in quite some time. Maybe it was the first time. I felt the totality of my life, as though I had died right there, on Rosebud's living room floor. Everything in my life that I feel I had fucked up, I wanted to correct. I appreciated, much more, when I had loved. The Pink Floyd song was right, all that you touch, taste, feel, see destroy, hate, love, is all that your life will ever be. Maybe it was like the feeling Jack Nicholson had in As Good As it Gets, when he was walking through the group therapy session, and he turned to them and said, "What if this is as good as it get?" In that case, everything matters. Every single word spoken, gesture made, act committed is the quality, the fabric of this life experienced.
I am on a mission. For the rest of my time of this planet, I will drink and crave and relish every last drop that is here for me. I will appreciate what is spoken and unspoken. I will respect the fabric of the lives of others as it intersects with my own, and I will cherish it.
I am on a mission. For the rest of my time of this planet, I will drink and crave and relish every last drop that is here for me. I will appreciate what is spoken and unspoken. I will respect the fabric of the lives of others as it intersects with my own, and I will cherish it.
# posted by scorpiorising : 12:04 PM |
Valentine's Day Massacre
My co-worker's son who is stationed in Kuwait told her on the phone yesterday that something is going down on the 14th of February. This didn't surprise me, as it is quite obvious that the Bushites equate war with love. So do many, I am guessing, right now, because of the numbers that support this war. I don't support it, even with U.N. approval. Even the U.N. can't put a clean stamp on what is a very Orwellian business, that of making war, to bring peace.
When the flames are high over Baghdad, I wonder what the Iraqi people will be thinking of our valentine. I feel for them. They are caught between a rock and a hard place, between Saddam Hussein and George Bush, two of the craziest people in the world right now. It would be the noble thing, the honorable thing for Hussein to leave his country before we launch our apacolyptic attack. But he won't, because he has been having an undercurrent of suicidal impulses in his belief system for some time now. I'm guessing to some extent, the Iraqi people have nothing to lose either. Our sanctions for the past decade have robbed them of food and medicine necessary for their reasonable quality of life. We have punished the children for the sins of the father.
In fact, the suicidal impulses of the people's of the world are beginning to manifest right now. It is very sad, because a simple change in our belief system would eliminate war. You laugh at me and dismiss me as a lunatic simpleton. Yet, how easily we go to war, with very little thought to the eventual suffering of our enemy. What if we all believed that violence was not the way to solve difficulties, even when violence is committed against our own person? What if our main response to 9/11 had been to examine how our belief in the use of violence helped to actually attract violence? 9/11 wasn't the only event of violence that year. Just look at the police reports. Somehow though, we are able to neatly slice our own belief in the use of violence, from the violent events that occur to us. We are schizophrenic, in that our beliefs simply don't connect with events in our lives, at least the way we perceive them to connect. We hoard guns, we believe in war, we arm our military. We go to other countries and daly in violent, war-like activities. Our CIA plots and carries out violent mischief in other countries.
When the flames are high over Baghdad, I wonder what the Iraqi people will be thinking of our valentine. I feel for them. They are caught between a rock and a hard place, between Saddam Hussein and George Bush, two of the craziest people in the world right now. It would be the noble thing, the honorable thing for Hussein to leave his country before we launch our apacolyptic attack. But he won't, because he has been having an undercurrent of suicidal impulses in his belief system for some time now. I'm guessing to some extent, the Iraqi people have nothing to lose either. Our sanctions for the past decade have robbed them of food and medicine necessary for their reasonable quality of life. We have punished the children for the sins of the father.
In fact, the suicidal impulses of the people's of the world are beginning to manifest right now. It is very sad, because a simple change in our belief system would eliminate war. You laugh at me and dismiss me as a lunatic simpleton. Yet, how easily we go to war, with very little thought to the eventual suffering of our enemy. What if we all believed that violence was not the way to solve difficulties, even when violence is committed against our own person? What if our main response to 9/11 had been to examine how our belief in the use of violence helped to actually attract violence? 9/11 wasn't the only event of violence that year. Just look at the police reports. Somehow though, we are able to neatly slice our own belief in the use of violence, from the violent events that occur to us. We are schizophrenic, in that our beliefs simply don't connect with events in our lives, at least the way we perceive them to connect. We hoard guns, we believe in war, we arm our military. We go to other countries and daly in violent, war-like activities. Our CIA plots and carries out violent mischief in other countries.
# posted by scorpiorising : 6:28 AM |
Tuesday, February 11, 2003
I Need to Calm Down
I mean, I know it might be the end of the world and everything, but I really need to calm down. I usually park right across the street from the coffeehouse. I happened to glance up from my happy work serving the brown brew, and there, through our big glass window, I saw the meter maid reading my car's license plate and writing in her ticket book. I grabbed my keys and dashed out and across the street. A Sewrage and Water Board workman was talking and flirting with the meter maid, and he said to me, "You're too late. She's already through with the ticket." The meter maid was a pretty, young black woman, and the workman was a thick, good-looking black man, who seemed to be taking advantage of his unexpected luck in running into a pretty meter maid. "I don't want the ticket," I said, as I drove off.
I found a parking spot around the corner, and seething, I parked and strode off to find that meter maid, dammit. In the back of my mind, I thought: "This is what crazy people do, don't do this. Leave the meter maid alone." But I couldn't stop myself. I felt righteous. I found her strolling innocently enough down the street, scanning the cars and looking for more tickets to write. I had parked in a two-hour parking zone, but I arrive at work at 6a.m. every morning to get the coffeeshop ready to open at 7a.m., and I can't very well park around the block, because it isn't safe that early, when it is still dark, and I might get shot or mugged. Sometimes I forget to move my car, later in the morning. Sometimes I don't need to move it, because the meter maids disappear for weeks at a time, and I am not punished for parking next to where I work. But then a worm hole must open up or something because all of a sudden they are back.
When I caught up with the meter maid, I asked her if the ticket she wrote for me was going to go through, and she said yes. I said it wasn't fair, because I work where I park, and she seems to be targeting the area, because this was the third ticket in a week and a half that I've gotten, and they are thieves, I told her, writing tickets on the backs of the working poor in this city. Truth is, I doubt that they discriminate between economic divisions, but it felt good saying it. I said, "I moved my car, isn't that what you want." That's what really got me. Even though I moved my car, I'm still ticketed. Wouldn't it be the decent thing for her to do, to say, "Hey, she moved her car; that's what we wanted." But no, the reality is she has a quota to meet, and I'm sure that once she starts a ticket, tough shit for that person, because she has been instructed to complete the paperwork, wether the person accepts the ticket or not. I was now looking at three $15 tickets, a total of $45. Once you receive three tickets, and they aren't paid, they can boot your car, and your fines go up.
The meter maid was not sympathetic to my plight, and she looked at me stalking her down the street with a mixture of fear and stubborn resistance. But I was stubborn too, and I asked to speak to her supervisor. She placed a call to her on her portable phone, and if I wanted to talk to the supervisor, I had to continue to follow her and wait for the supervisor to call back, which I did. I watched her write another ticket for a car parked facing the wrong way, and then the owner came out of this really cool comic book shop, and cursed and grabbed the ticket off of his windshield, and looked at me standing there with my arms folded while the meter maid jotted something in her ticket book. He and I exchanged glances and commiserated silently together in bemused misery, if there is such a thing, for a few brief seconds there. I recognized him as a good-looking bald guy, youngish, who occasionally comes for coffee. I continued to follow the meter maid, and she looked at me and said, "You have any paper, 'cause she didn't call back. I'll write the number down for you." I didn't have any paper, so I borrowed her pen, and wrote the number on the inside of my hand. "I'm not mad at you," I said, glancing at her face, looking for signs of traumatization by me. I was already feeling guilty. "I'm mad at the system", I told her.
Then a little later, my friend Rosebud and I went for a walk, after he showed me some more kindness in his apartment. First we walked back up to the coffeeshop, because I had forgotten my coat. I saw some people I knew who were clients of mine when I worked in a psycho-social center in the 1980's. One guy was acitvely hallucinating. I knew this because he said strange things to me about still working the magic in his brain, and that's how he made a living. I told him I believe in magic also. I felt reasonably happy all of a sudden. I told my afternoon crew that they were a beautiful crew, but they just looked at me like "Huh?" I guess they weren't used to my being so effusive with my feelings. I wanted to embrace all three of them suddenly, but luckily I stopped myself. After chatting for a while with one of my ex-clients, I said good-by to them and left. As I walked out, I noticed the guy who makes a living from magic in his brain was talking into his cell phone like it was a walkie- talkie. I said, "Bye, bye , see you." He smiled and waved sweetly, interrupting the conversation he was having with his cell phone. I remember his face from the p/s center.
Rosebud and I walked to the levee, once again enjoying the architecturally rich heritage of our crescent city. At the river, we marvelled at the beautiful winter landscape of bare trees with intricate tangles of branches. We encountered a small flock of green parrots on a power wire. They were jockying for space on that wire as though they were most annoyed with each other. We wondered at the symbolic significanse of seeing a flock of parrots. I suggester the jester. I found a tiny, delicate feather, that I picked up and kept. "I think I sprouted a small wing", I said. My friend found a large, rusty nut. "Oh, oh", he said, "Does this mean I'm screwed, that I'm a nut?" I asked him how many sides to the nut, and there were six sides. He's been noticing that when he buys two certain items at the coffeeshop, and he pays with a $10, the change is always 666. Then we briefly discussed that 666 equals 9 when added together, and I said that 9 represented a kind of spiritual perfection, though there is no such thing as perfection, really. I suggested that in the midst of all of this chaos right now, we could still achieve the spiritual "perfection" of a nine. He's fascinated with the number 9 right now.
I found a parking spot around the corner, and seething, I parked and strode off to find that meter maid, dammit. In the back of my mind, I thought: "This is what crazy people do, don't do this. Leave the meter maid alone." But I couldn't stop myself. I felt righteous. I found her strolling innocently enough down the street, scanning the cars and looking for more tickets to write. I had parked in a two-hour parking zone, but I arrive at work at 6a.m. every morning to get the coffeeshop ready to open at 7a.m., and I can't very well park around the block, because it isn't safe that early, when it is still dark, and I might get shot or mugged. Sometimes I forget to move my car, later in the morning. Sometimes I don't need to move it, because the meter maids disappear for weeks at a time, and I am not punished for parking next to where I work. But then a worm hole must open up or something because all of a sudden they are back.
When I caught up with the meter maid, I asked her if the ticket she wrote for me was going to go through, and she said yes. I said it wasn't fair, because I work where I park, and she seems to be targeting the area, because this was the third ticket in a week and a half that I've gotten, and they are thieves, I told her, writing tickets on the backs of the working poor in this city. Truth is, I doubt that they discriminate between economic divisions, but it felt good saying it. I said, "I moved my car, isn't that what you want." That's what really got me. Even though I moved my car, I'm still ticketed. Wouldn't it be the decent thing for her to do, to say, "Hey, she moved her car; that's what we wanted." But no, the reality is she has a quota to meet, and I'm sure that once she starts a ticket, tough shit for that person, because she has been instructed to complete the paperwork, wether the person accepts the ticket or not. I was now looking at three $15 tickets, a total of $45. Once you receive three tickets, and they aren't paid, they can boot your car, and your fines go up.
The meter maid was not sympathetic to my plight, and she looked at me stalking her down the street with a mixture of fear and stubborn resistance. But I was stubborn too, and I asked to speak to her supervisor. She placed a call to her on her portable phone, and if I wanted to talk to the supervisor, I had to continue to follow her and wait for the supervisor to call back, which I did. I watched her write another ticket for a car parked facing the wrong way, and then the owner came out of this really cool comic book shop, and cursed and grabbed the ticket off of his windshield, and looked at me standing there with my arms folded while the meter maid jotted something in her ticket book. He and I exchanged glances and commiserated silently together in bemused misery, if there is such a thing, for a few brief seconds there. I recognized him as a good-looking bald guy, youngish, who occasionally comes for coffee. I continued to follow the meter maid, and she looked at me and said, "You have any paper, 'cause she didn't call back. I'll write the number down for you." I didn't have any paper, so I borrowed her pen, and wrote the number on the inside of my hand. "I'm not mad at you," I said, glancing at her face, looking for signs of traumatization by me. I was already feeling guilty. "I'm mad at the system", I told her.
Then a little later, my friend Rosebud and I went for a walk, after he showed me some more kindness in his apartment. First we walked back up to the coffeeshop, because I had forgotten my coat. I saw some people I knew who were clients of mine when I worked in a psycho-social center in the 1980's. One guy was acitvely hallucinating. I knew this because he said strange things to me about still working the magic in his brain, and that's how he made a living. I told him I believe in magic also. I felt reasonably happy all of a sudden. I told my afternoon crew that they were a beautiful crew, but they just looked at me like "Huh?" I guess they weren't used to my being so effusive with my feelings. I wanted to embrace all three of them suddenly, but luckily I stopped myself. After chatting for a while with one of my ex-clients, I said good-by to them and left. As I walked out, I noticed the guy who makes a living from magic in his brain was talking into his cell phone like it was a walkie- talkie. I said, "Bye, bye , see you." He smiled and waved sweetly, interrupting the conversation he was having with his cell phone. I remember his face from the p/s center.
Rosebud and I walked to the levee, once again enjoying the architecturally rich heritage of our crescent city. At the river, we marvelled at the beautiful winter landscape of bare trees with intricate tangles of branches. We encountered a small flock of green parrots on a power wire. They were jockying for space on that wire as though they were most annoyed with each other. We wondered at the symbolic significanse of seeing a flock of parrots. I suggester the jester. I found a tiny, delicate feather, that I picked up and kept. "I think I sprouted a small wing", I said. My friend found a large, rusty nut. "Oh, oh", he said, "Does this mean I'm screwed, that I'm a nut?" I asked him how many sides to the nut, and there were six sides. He's been noticing that when he buys two certain items at the coffeeshop, and he pays with a $10, the change is always 666. Then we briefly discussed that 666 equals 9 when added together, and I said that 9 represented a kind of spiritual perfection, though there is no such thing as perfection, really. I suggested that in the midst of all of this chaos right now, we could still achieve the spiritual "perfection" of a nine. He's fascinated with the number 9 right now.
# posted by scorpiorising : 6:06 PM |
Monday, February 10, 2003
Freak-Out
I nearly freaked-out on a customer today. At first, I really liked the guy, because he said he didn't mind that there were fruit flies on our croissants; he had an iron-stomach, he said. He ordered a blueberry croissant, and I was impressed. He had nice, pretty eyes to look into. Then, he bagan talking to one of my co-workers, whose son is stationed in Kuwait. She opened up to him about her fears. Basically, he began lecturing her about the need to not appease Sadam Hussein, comparing him to Hitler. I couldn't help myself and I dove in. I said I felt there were many countries appeasing Bush. I asked him how he felt about the many thousands of innocent people who will be killed in a war over there. He said what about the thousands who were killed here during 9/11? I said to my knowledge, the Iraqis were not involved in that attack. He said, "I think they were". I didn't ask, "What is your proof?" because it seemed our conversation was drawing to a close. I said, "What we are doing will de-stabilize the entire region. Are you ready for World War III?" He laughed and said, "Bring it on". I said, "That isn't funny". I think his attitude was more bravado than anything, because after he sat for a while, eating his blueberry croissant, he brought us his dirty dish and said, "I will pray for your son", to my co-worker. He looked very serious and that war-spark in his eye was gone. I was a little depressed the rest of the shift, what with that encounter, my dream last night about the end of the world, and the general state of things. But then my friend, Rosebud, treated me kindly later, and we ate split-pea soup at Lebanon Cafe, and walked around the block to look at the New Orleans winter flowers in bloom, camelias and Japanese magnolias. The light was bright, but soft in many places, because it was late in the afternoon, and there were already long shadows. We marvelled at the old mansions and shot-gun houses of the Crescent City, and watched the birds drinking water from puddles left from the rain yesterday. I felt restored, and renewed in my faith and belief that to believe in peace is also to act peaceably, yet to also be strong and not back down when a pro-war viewpoint is being expressed. I hope that the customer learned something from me besides I'm never going in that bitches' coffeehouse again. I learned that I will be more careful in how I disagree with others, to try to not get carried away with the high emotions of this time, and be calm and explain and listen. I mean, I feel a little like being a stark, raving loonatic, and standing on a street corner, preaching against the war to any who will listen. But I don't think that will get me anywhere except possibly the ICU at Charity Hospital, and 24-hours observation under the watchful eye of a psych- tech.
# posted by scorpiorising : 5:21 PM |
Sunday, February 09, 2003
A New, Iron (the Deceptively Pretty Color of Blue) Curtain?
Under pressure from the U.S. government, for Colin Powell's speech before the United Nations on Wednesday, Feb. 5, the Picasso masterpiece Guernica was covered by a blue curtain. Buzzflash tells you all about it. Guernica has company. She joins our lady statue Justice, draped by a blue curtain at the behest of the not your average prude U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft. I suppose the Bushites would love to drape a blue curtain over the entire country, and hoodwink us all.
# posted by scorpiorising : 6:39 PM |
Saturday, February 08, 2003
Sir Real and the British Un-Intelligence
Slactivist provides links, explanations and information on the dissolving case for war as presented by Colin Powell Wednesday, and the impressive display of Un-intelligence by the British government in plagarizing the document that may help to launch a war.
Don't blame me if an extreme feeling of unreality sets in while reading this.
Don't blame me if an extreme feeling of unreality sets in while reading this.
# posted by scorpiorising : 6:16 PM |
Roll Over, George Orwell, Roll Over
Here is the PBS breaking news site that published links to the draft of the Domestic Security Enhancement Act of 2003.The "closely guarded" draft was leaked to the Center for Public Integrity, a non-partisan group. George Orwell can't get a decent night's rest these days.
According to the 20th century glossary, appeasement is the act of giving in to our enemies in order to avoid war. Our country drips with appeasement. It is oozing through every nook and crany of sidewalk gulches. It is our democratic representatives and senators appeasing Bush and Bush doctrine, for the lack of spine to fight it, for the few crumbs he throws their way, to look good to the voters, for fear of looking soft on terrorism, for fear of being lumped on the "losing" side. France and Germany's lack of support of Bush doctrine is appeasement of Iraq. Courageously, they are refusing to appease Bush and refusing to endorse an ill-thought possible war that could result in disaster for the Middle East and this old world. Middle Eastern countries are engaging in the appeasement of Bush, to what will be their own detriment. Do they really think Bush will give them all of the aid they will need to deal with the millions of refugees that will result from this war? He's going to leave them hanging and let the U.N. deal with it. To appease is to admit defeat without even staging a fight. Senator Edward Kennedy has never appeased the Bush doctrine. Many senators have. Shame, shame shame on the policy of appeasement.
According to the 20th century glossary, appeasement is the act of giving in to our enemies in order to avoid war. Our country drips with appeasement. It is oozing through every nook and crany of sidewalk gulches. It is our democratic representatives and senators appeasing Bush and Bush doctrine, for the lack of spine to fight it, for the few crumbs he throws their way, to look good to the voters, for fear of looking soft on terrorism, for fear of being lumped on the "losing" side. France and Germany's lack of support of Bush doctrine is appeasement of Iraq. Courageously, they are refusing to appease Bush and refusing to endorse an ill-thought possible war that could result in disaster for the Middle East and this old world. Middle Eastern countries are engaging in the appeasement of Bush, to what will be their own detriment. Do they really think Bush will give them all of the aid they will need to deal with the millions of refugees that will result from this war? He's going to leave them hanging and let the U.N. deal with it. To appease is to admit defeat without even staging a fight. Senator Edward Kennedy has never appeased the Bush doctrine. Many senators have. Shame, shame shame on the policy of appeasement.
# posted by scorpiorising : 7:42 AM |
Friday, February 07, 2003
Is this the Year, 1984?
I feel real fear today for what the government is trying to do. A secret draft legislation to expand the powers of the government in fighting terrorism, including a possible military draft, was obtained by the non-partisan Center for Public Integrity, according to Bill Moyer's PBS Now site. Bill Moyers will address the issue at 9pm on PBS tonight. He will talk to Chuck Lewis, who is with the Center for Public Integrity. The draft legislation is called The Domestic Security Enhancement Act of 2003. Keep a watchful eye on this one.
# posted by scorpiorising : 5:24 PM |
Thursday, February 06, 2003
Corporate "Carpet-Bagger" Media
I would like to expound on my belief that the corporate media "stole" away our right to dissenting views. When we as citizens did little to protest the auctioning off of our media to huge, multi-national corporations, perhaps it is more fair to say we abdicated our right to dissension. Essentially, for a very low price I might add, compared to the relative worth of what was purchased, the corporate world gained a monopoly in views expressed. Not many talk about objectivity in journalism anymore. Perhaps it never existed. It is my belief that what we choose to report on, and how we report it, is always filtered through not only the belief systems of the reporters, but of the various managerial positions who control editing content, as well as the beliefs of the masses the media is reporting to. We hear what we want to hear, based on our belief systems. With the control of the media in the hands of corporate America, including radio and newspaper, an ascendant of beliefs took place, relative to those who now own the media, and those that are chosen to report the media. The people who eventually became reporters and talking heads for these
corporate owned giants, must by the very nature of reality, share the beliefs, to a great extent, of the owners. Already, MSNBC is talking of canning Phil Donahue. Try as he might, and did, he doesn't fit in well with the corporate view of the world. He is not as willing as, well as the "media whores", to quash dissenting views and feelings within himself, in order to fit the mold and keep his job. He ought to be glad they are talking of canning him; it is a tribute to his integrity.
But a media reports only what the masses truly want to hear. I'm not going to let Joe-citizen off the hook. We are perhaps one of the most poorly informed democratic citizenry on the planet. We have, again, abdicated the running of our "democracy" to the very rich who can afford to run for office. Most don't participate at all in any kind of democratic process, including the right to vote.
American largely have descended into a collective amnesia in terms of how this country was formed, and what gave it life. It wasn't the power of the gun that gave it life, it was the power of the pen. If it weren't for Thomas Paine's"Common Sense", the presence of guns in the colonies would have been irrelevant.
corporate owned giants, must by the very nature of reality, share the beliefs, to a great extent, of the owners. Already, MSNBC is talking of canning Phil Donahue. Try as he might, and did, he doesn't fit in well with the corporate view of the world. He is not as willing as, well as the "media whores", to quash dissenting views and feelings within himself, in order to fit the mold and keep his job. He ought to be glad they are talking of canning him; it is a tribute to his integrity.
But a media reports only what the masses truly want to hear. I'm not going to let Joe-citizen off the hook. We are perhaps one of the most poorly informed democratic citizenry on the planet. We have, again, abdicated the running of our "democracy" to the very rich who can afford to run for office. Most don't participate at all in any kind of democratic process, including the right to vote.
American largely have descended into a collective amnesia in terms of how this country was formed, and what gave it life. It wasn't the power of the gun that gave it life, it was the power of the pen. If it weren't for Thomas Paine's"Common Sense", the presence of guns in the colonies would have been irrelevant.
# posted by scorpiorising : 6:10 AM |
Wednesday, February 05, 2003
Why This Blog
I have been inspired to begin this blog to participate in perhaps what is possibly a rebirth of true democracy. It doesn't cost very much to post this blog, a few dollars a year. But is is like having my own news channel. I'm not a millionaire, or a well-heeled (and well-paid) reporter for one of the corporate owned media outlets. Yet my blog is accessible to thousands, to anyone with some sort of internet access who cares to read it.
The blogs are a foil to corporate media. And if we aren't carefull, we might actually create a true democracy here. Democracy in my view, must have a way to communicate dissenting views. The corporate media stole this away from us, and we took it back with the help of the internet.
I am reminded of our own revolutionaries, in the beginning of our country, the likes of Thomas Paine, who published dissenting pamphlets such as "Common Sense". "Common Sense", with its call for independence, was instrumental in fueling the birth of this nation. According to www.striketheroot.com, "Common Sense" became the best-selling pamphlet ever published in the Engish language. We already know the power of the blogs to challenge hypocricy in the case of the two Lotts, Trent and John. I find the blogs extremely useful in touching upon issues that are over-looked or ignored by our corporate media. They are a dissenting, alternative voice to the views of the wealthy elite who own almost all of the media in this country.
Plutocrats beware! There is a scent of democracy in the country again.
Today Colin Powell gave his speech to the U.N. producing "evidence" to back a war against Iraq. On the blog "Eschaton" today, Atrios posted a picture of Colin Powell holding what might be a vial of anthrax, during the speech. Some very funny posts in the comments, if it all weren't so tragic. As far as the corporate media is concerned, it is not "if", but "when" we invade Iraq.
It is twilight; the light is soft green-blue. I suppose I should watch the evening news. All of the same. All of this. It is amazing how we glide and slide over our rationalizations and justifications, yet few mention the over-kill that is going to happen. "Shock and Awe"? How about "Maim and Kill"?
The blogs are a foil to corporate media. And if we aren't carefull, we might actually create a true democracy here. Democracy in my view, must have a way to communicate dissenting views. The corporate media stole this away from us, and we took it back with the help of the internet.
I am reminded of our own revolutionaries, in the beginning of our country, the likes of Thomas Paine, who published dissenting pamphlets such as "Common Sense". "Common Sense", with its call for independence, was instrumental in fueling the birth of this nation. According to www.striketheroot.com, "Common Sense" became the best-selling pamphlet ever published in the Engish language. We already know the power of the blogs to challenge hypocricy in the case of the two Lotts, Trent and John. I find the blogs extremely useful in touching upon issues that are over-looked or ignored by our corporate media. They are a dissenting, alternative voice to the views of the wealthy elite who own almost all of the media in this country.
Plutocrats beware! There is a scent of democracy in the country again.
Today Colin Powell gave his speech to the U.N. producing "evidence" to back a war against Iraq. On the blog "Eschaton" today, Atrios posted a picture of Colin Powell holding what might be a vial of anthrax, during the speech. Some very funny posts in the comments, if it all weren't so tragic. As far as the corporate media is concerned, it is not "if", but "when" we invade Iraq.
It is twilight; the light is soft green-blue. I suppose I should watch the evening news. All of the same. All of this. It is amazing how we glide and slide over our rationalizations and justifications, yet few mention the over-kill that is going to happen. "Shock and Awe"? How about "Maim and Kill"?
# posted by scorpiorising : 6:19 PM |
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- 11/02/2003 - 11/09/2003
- 11/09/2003 - 11/16/2003
- 11/16/2003 - 11/23/2003
- 11/23/2003 - 11/30/2003
- 11/30/2003 - 12/07/2003
- 12/14/2003 - 12/21/2003
- 01/11/2004 - 01/18/2004
- 01/18/2004 - 01/25/2004
- 01/25/2004 - 02/01/2004
- 02/01/2004 - 02/08/2004
- 02/08/2004 - 02/15/2004
- 02/22/2004 - 02/29/2004
- 05/23/2004 - 05/30/2004
- 09/26/2004 - 10/03/2004
- 10/03/2004 - 10/10/2004
- 10/10/2004 - 10/17/2004
- 10/17/2004 - 10/24/2004
- 10/24/2004 - 10/31/2004
- 10/31/2004 - 11/07/2004
- 11/07/2004 - 11/14/2004
- 11/14/2004 - 11/21/2004
- 11/21/2004 - 11/28/2004
- 11/28/2004 - 12/05/2004
- 12/05/2004 - 12/12/2004
- 12/19/2004 - 12/26/2004
- 12/26/2004 - 01/02/2005
- 01/02/2005 - 01/09/2005
- 01/09/2005 - 01/16/2005
- 01/23/2005 - 01/30/2005
- 01/30/2005 - 02/06/2005
- 02/06/2005 - 02/13/2005
- 02/13/2005 - 02/20/2005
- 02/20/2005 - 02/27/2005
- 02/27/2005 - 03/06/2005
- 03/06/2005 - 03/13/2005
- 03/13/2005 - 03/20/2005
- 03/20/2005 - 03/27/2005
- 03/27/2005 - 04/03/2005
- 04/03/2005 - 04/10/2005
- 04/24/2005 - 05/01/2005
- 06/05/2005 - 06/12/2005
- 06/26/2005 - 07/03/2005
- 07/31/2005 - 08/07/2005
- 08/07/2005 - 08/14/2005
