| Rant of the Day Award 2003-03-21 00:26:28 ET |
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Something of interest from the PIGList:
Long rant follows, so settle in if you feel up to it:
There is obviously no idealistic reason for this war. (One could make
this
statement about all wars, of course, but let's not open that
particularly
broad and endless subject right now...and no, I'm not a
starry-eyed-and-rainbow-cheeked peacenik.) To promote the current
military
action as based upon such vague, flexible, metaphorical notions as
"freedom"
and "evil" is simply ridiculous and, frankly, naive. I see the war as a
continuation of the USA's Primary Policy -- both foreign and domestic
--
since Reagan first took office: Fear. Fear may be THE most flexible
notion a
country can use to manipulate public opinion. Although I hesitate to
make
off-the-cuff Hitler comparisons, the Nazis were well aware of this.
America
learned much from them -- Operation Paperclip wasn't the only
intelligence
the US stole from the Nazis.
Here's how the American use of Fear has played out over the years:
By promoting often baseless fear among the nation's (and world's)
populace,
the US government has rationalized (a) its huge military-industrial
buildup
following WWII; (b) its implementation of increasingly oppressive
national
laws regarding free speech, right to a fair trial, personal privacy,
etc.;
(c) its widening of police and military presence in all parts of the
globe;
(d) its nullifying of previously implemented national laws, up to and
including the Constitution of the US; (e) its flouting (not flaunting!)
of
International laws governing the use of pre-meditated (ALLEGEDLY
pre-emptive) force against sovereign nations; (f) its entry into armed
conflicts without UN approval or Congressional declarations of war; and
so
on.
The events of 9/11 were astonishing and reprehensible. But the "shock &
awe"
Americans experienced that day have provided a sickeningly convenient
excuse
-- a bloody trump card, if you will -- for the US government to
implement
whatever mechanisms of control they wished. The USA Patriot Act guts
many of
the "freedoms" you cherish and may wish to install in other countries,
including the Bill of Rights upon which this country was founded.
People in
the US have accepted this reprehensible new development because they
have
been instilled with two (and one could easily say five or more) decades
of
paranoia -- about Communism, about rampant violent crime (even though
it
has actually decreased), about drugs, about terrorism, about Saddam
Hussein
(or whoever the Evil Dictator of the Week is...heard much about
Quaddafi
lately?), and on and on. The general policy: find something you want
eliminated, demonize it, then destroy it once you have a trembling
public's
approval. In 1938 it was the Jews for Hitler. In the early '90s it was
Manuel Noriega. Today it's Saddam Hussein. Tomorrow it could be Kurds
or
queers or cougars...who knows? I won't even try to guess. That would be
just
an example of ME trying to make YOU fearful about shadowy possibilities
--
the old "Slippery Slope fallacy," since we have a fallacy buff among
us.
Obviously, the US is being hypocritical here when talking about the
vileness
of secrecy. Think Saddam Hussein has been hiding things? Try to
petition the
US government for much information -- under the (now almost useless)
Freedom
of Information Act -- and see how far you get. Not that Saddam Hussein
ISN'T
being secretive. But to drive spikes of fear into Americans' hearts by
saying he COULD have nukes (but no delivery systems that could reach
the
USA) is fear-mongering at its highest. It's the same concept that now
allows
police and government to invade your homes, cars, computers, bank
accounts,
credit cards, library cards, Safeway Club cards, etc. By simply crying
"wolf...MAYBE!", the US has leap-frogged over the most basic principle
of
American law -- you are innocent until proven guilty -- to force the
burden
of proof upon the defendant. Hell, they can now arrest and detain you
and
NOT EVEN TELL YOU what you are being charged with, if anything. Hard to
prove yourself innocent of a ghost crime...such as having Weapons of
Mass
Destruction which no one can find. You can't file a murder until you
have a
corpse. We don't even have the infamous smoking gun. But it MIGHT be
there!
MAYBE! Ridiculous.
Frankly, killing Saddam Hussein is a swell idea. No one likes the
fucker.
But don't think we're lobbing missiles into Baghdad to "free" the
population, any more than we entered WWII to "liberate" the Jews
(especially
since we ourselves were a highly segregated and racist society at the
time).
ANY accusation the US has made against Saddam Hussein is inflated at
best,
completely false at worst, and hypocritical across the board. I
personally
doubt the US will scorch the entire city of Baghdad with its promised
"shock
& awe" attack -- that would be too bloodthirsty even for that pale
poverty-vampire Bush. But IF we do it, blanketing the city in flame and
death, it would be for one purpose: to show the whole world that the
USA has
the will and power to annihilate anything it fucking wants to, so step
back,
bitch, unless you want a goddamn taste. SHOCK & AWE = GLOBAL FEAR.
Oh, and I hope everyone who endorses this war today votes to dismantle
the
National Rifle Association and ban all personal weapons in the US
tomorrow.
You never know...someone with a gun MIGHT shoot you. Hey, what's in
that
swarthy guy's suitcase? Did that faggot get AIDS on my shirt? That
black
dude's probably a crack addict. The Jews are ripping me off. And let's
not
even talk about all the Mexicans and Feminists who want to steal my
job....
Duck, motherfucker.
Fortifying the bunker and bolting 3-inch iron sheets across the windows
and
doors,
JOHN G
Why does he make me smile?
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| ... 2003-03-18 17:38:31 ET |
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I just found out that my grandmother on my mother's side passed away two weeks ago. I wish someone had called me then. But I guess no one had my mother's new number even call her, so she didn't find out until last week.
I've missed my grandmother since I moved out west and have wanted to go back and visit her at least once before it was too late. Now it is.
She helped raise me. She got me interested in traveling and nature. She gave me a subscription to National Geographic while I was growing up to help give me broader knowledge of the world. I love her and will miss her very much.
I'm happy she is being laid to rest beside my grandfather who died five years before I was born.
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| A lot of walking all over PDX 2003-03-15 12:06:14 ET |
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I had a busy day yesterday. It was payday so I had to trek up to work and to the bank. Then it was off to Ozone UK to pick up a couple of special order cds. Janelle’s urgent need to talk to me surprised me when I walked through the door. I might have a second part-time accessory buying job at Ozone! Maybe I can get them to pay me in music...hmmm...
I left Ozone UK and hopped a bus back to the east side. Made a quick browse through the other Ozone Records and found Ammo Age of Terminal Irony for $7.99. It was shaping up my luck day. I had to leave the store quickly in case I should do myself lots of harm in the pocketbook.
After that I walked down Grand Ave. to Andy and Bax. I needed an ammo can for carrying cds in. $4.00 later I had one. Stopped in Rejuvenation Hardware just to browse their beautiful old style house fixtures. I wound up leaving with a book on landscaping in the Pacific Northwest. But true excitement was at the mega Goodwill store. Not only did I buy a jar to keep my cotton balls in, but also I got to see some guy get busted for dashing from the store with a cart full of stuff. Fun, fun...
From there I was to go over to my friend Jme 's but she wasn't home yet. So I walked back to my favorite dive bar on Grand, My Father's Place, and had a hefeweizen pit stop. I left a message on Jme's voicemail about where I was. She returned the call and I was off to her place to play with dj equipment, in preparation for me becoming a live dj for Flux at the end of April. I'm extremely anxious and excited about it. But anyway, I had fun playing with her Newmark and getting the basic mechanics down while serenading Jme and her roommate Drew with lovely thumpy beats.
After a good game of Scattergories and tasty Papa John's pizza I went home and promptly passed out.
Eh, I should do something around the house before I'm pulled away for the rest of the night. Comedy at Harvey's (courtesy of the Hinamon) and Flux are in the plans for tonight.
*Edit: I left out the part when I was called a "poseur" to my back by some stupid punk kid (yes kid, he couldn't have been more than 16) sparechanging outside of Walgreens. I graced him with nothing more than my middle finger and kept walking. Not worth my time.
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| Cross-postin' Mayhem 2003-03-11 18:46:22 ET |
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Went to my doctor appointment today. That odd rash that was on my shoulder turned out to be a tiny spot of eczema. Yay eczema! Yay for free samples of topical cream to clear it up! Came away from the visit with two prescriptions, one for a possible ear-infection and the second to help clear my complexion. I also found out that I had lost 10 pounds since the last time I saw the doctor a year and a half ago. I have the sneaking suspicion that most of that was lost over these past two months.
Bleh...I have to remember to do the following things while taking my meds:
-avoid sunlight
-do not eat dairy products and most multivitamins for two hours before and after dose
-take pill on an empty stomach
-take pill with food
-avoid sick people for the next 12 months (looooong after finishing that particular prescription)
-do not suddenly stop taking above prescription (it could severely hurt me O.O)
-do not lay down for 30 minutes after taking medicine
-medicine might reduce effectiveness of birth control pills
-do not get pregnant
-do not nurse
Thank god that the last three don't apply to me. :smirks:
And lastly...
-call doctor immediately if stool is black and tarry; vomiting material looks like coffee grounds...
Eep!
Errr...I still feel better after finally visiting the doctor. I'm glad I got it out of the way.
Tonight, dinner with Micah follow by a repeat viewing of Resident Evil. I fell asleep the first viewing.
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| Woe is the Mac 2003-03-08 17:12:53 ET |
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This thing is refusing to open a second browser. WTF! It just displays an error message that there is not enough memory to open a second window. I think I am going to have to make good on my offer to bribe one of my Mac using friends with a six pack to get Erin's machine some needed attention.
I want my own computer!
Oh yeah...in recent events:
My F/A/V disc decided to take a walk along with Erin's car stereo. Luckly the thieves didn't break any of her windows to get at it. I hope they rot. That is all.
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