Great for a laugh, check out this site which sells origami boulders. For the best stuff, read letters from dumb dumbs, folks who actually don't get it.
Saturday, March 15, 2003
A thoughtful story about Bishop George E. Packard, a Vietnam vet wrestling with the fact that he killed people over there. In the accompanying photo he looks strikingly like former-president Bill Clinton. It'd be interesting to here his thoughts on the likely imminent war with (or "against" more precisely) Iraq. He says he lost count of the men and women he killed. And, at 58, those events haven't stopped affecting his life. How many men will come home from Iraq pregnant with guilt? Of course, this war may well be much more clinical. Pilots dropping bombs on Baghdad won't see the innocent lives they destroy. And, in the future, as a recent Village Voice article describes, soldiers may just pops pills to help the overcome their fear and guilt. I hope we don't go down that road. How grotesquely immoral.
I wonder how many in the military feel conflicted about this unprovoked, neo-imperialistic war?
Loads more protesting going on today around the world. One poster I saw in a CNN photo read:
Why do we Kill
people who Kill
people to show
people that Killing
people is wrong?
Amen. No protesting going on downtown in the big banking city, though. Wouldn't be proper.
I wonder how many in the military feel conflicted about this unprovoked, neo-imperialistic war?
Loads more protesting going on today around the world. One poster I saw in a CNN photo read:
Why do we Kill
people who Kill
people to show
people that Killing
people is wrong?
Amen. No protesting going on downtown in the big banking city, though. Wouldn't be proper.
Thursday, March 13, 2003
Wednesday, March 12, 2003
"It's a symbolic gesture."
Representative Bob Ney, on his order striking "French" from menus in the House cafeterias. I'd call it an incredibly arrogant and childish gesture myself. This Ohio Republican thus banished french fries from the House of Representative without consulting any of his colleagues on either side of the house. So folks who might happen to disagree with him now have to ask for "Freedom Fries." Maybe they could ask for "Fascist Fries" instead. I'm sure the cafeteria staff would know what they meant.
Representative Bob Ney, on his order striking "French" from menus in the House cafeterias. I'd call it an incredibly arrogant and childish gesture myself. This Ohio Republican thus banished french fries from the House of Representative without consulting any of his colleagues on either side of the house. So folks who might happen to disagree with him now have to ask for "Freedom Fries." Maybe they could ask for "Fascist Fries" instead. I'm sure the cafeteria staff would know what they meant.
Sunday, March 09, 2003
Letter to the New York Times:
Charles Siebert's article on facial transplants was fascinating, though I felt he did stumble in the end: "We are on the cusp of being able to see even our faces -- the most easily abstracted aspect of our existence -- as one more part of our biology." If that were true, then wouldn't such an enlightened understanding negate any need for facial transplants? If we truly understood the face to be one more part of our biology, surely we wouldn't concern ourselves nearly so much with its appearance. (Its health is different subject.) Nor would we have such narrow and intolerant standards for beauty. Instead, it seems more likely that society will continue to value the superficial and for most of us to resist perceiving of our faces as complex masses of cells, as organs. Instead, it seems likely that people will continue to seek more plastic surgery—even when they don’t need it—to preserve the superficial and to align themselves with certain norms. So it’s our society or species’ stigmatization of the abnormal that would cultivate the desire for such a transplant in the first place. For the sake of those suffer such stigma, I hope facial transplants are a success because I can’t imagine society becoming so enlightened any time soon.
Charles Siebert's article on facial transplants was fascinating, though I felt he did stumble in the end: "We are on the cusp of being able to see even our faces -- the most easily abstracted aspect of our existence -- as one more part of our biology." If that were true, then wouldn't such an enlightened understanding negate any need for facial transplants? If we truly understood the face to be one more part of our biology, surely we wouldn't concern ourselves nearly so much with its appearance. (Its health is different subject.) Nor would we have such narrow and intolerant standards for beauty. Instead, it seems more likely that society will continue to value the superficial and for most of us to resist perceiving of our faces as complex masses of cells, as organs. Instead, it seems likely that people will continue to seek more plastic surgery—even when they don’t need it—to preserve the superficial and to align themselves with certain norms. So it’s our society or species’ stigmatization of the abnormal that would cultivate the desire for such a transplant in the first place. For the sake of those suffer such stigma, I hope facial transplants are a success because I can’t imagine society becoming so enlightened any time soon.
Saturday, March 08, 2003
"It's confusing, what's canceled and what's not. Some shows are going on, but I don't even know where Off Broadway is." - Julia Brady, a tourist from Ottawa, on the Broadway musicians' strike. (NYT)
Those wacky Canadians!
Those wacky Canadians!
Thursday, March 06, 2003
This Happened in America?
Two men, a father and son, were arrested for wearing t-shirts which read "Give Peace a Chance" and "Peace on Earth" to a mall in Guilderland, New York. At first I thought maybe they were working at a store had been asked to remove the t-shirts while on the job, but, no they were simply shopping in th emall. Not protesting, no yelling, not screaming, simply walking around wearing the t-shirts. The mall management had security tell the men to remove their t-shirts and when the older gentleman (61!) did not, security called the police and the man and his son were arrested for trespassing. Arrested!
Certainly, this mall was private property, but to argue that these men were distrubing the peace or loitering or trespassing - whatever - is ludicrous. Nonethelees, since it's private property, the mall does have the right to make such ludicrous requests. The fact that the police actually arrested them, though, I find most bizarre and unjustified. The police should have told the men to go on their way and dismissed the mall management's request as frivilous. Hell, they should have fined the mall management for waste public funds on calling the police in on something like this.
Eventually, the mall did ask that the charges be dropped - after a 100 protesters marched on the mall in defense of the men.
And apparently, these were the first people to be asked to leave that mall for wearing peace-related t-shirts in the last few months either.
Two men, a father and son, were arrested for wearing t-shirts which read "Give Peace a Chance" and "Peace on Earth" to a mall in Guilderland, New York. At first I thought maybe they were working at a store had been asked to remove the t-shirts while on the job, but, no they were simply shopping in th emall. Not protesting, no yelling, not screaming, simply walking around wearing the t-shirts. The mall management had security tell the men to remove their t-shirts and when the older gentleman (61!) did not, security called the police and the man and his son were arrested for trespassing. Arrested!
Certainly, this mall was private property, but to argue that these men were distrubing the peace or loitering or trespassing - whatever - is ludicrous. Nonethelees, since it's private property, the mall does have the right to make such ludicrous requests. The fact that the police actually arrested them, though, I find most bizarre and unjustified. The police should have told the men to go on their way and dismissed the mall management's request as frivilous. Hell, they should have fined the mall management for waste public funds on calling the police in on something like this.
Eventually, the mall did ask that the charges be dropped - after a 100 protesters marched on the mall in defense of the men.
And apparently, these were the first people to be asked to leave that mall for wearing peace-related t-shirts in the last few months either.
And under the heading of "Nothing New Under the Sun":
"Why of course the people don't want war. Why should some poor slob on a farm want to risk his life in a war when the best he can get out of it is to come back to his farm in one piece? Naturally the common people don't want war: neither in Russia, nor in England, nor for that matter in Germany. That is understood. But, after all, it is the leaders of the country who determine the policy and it is always a simple matter to drag the people along, whether it is a democracy, or a fascist dictatorship, or a parliament, or a communist dictatorship. Voice or no voice, the people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. That is easy. All you have to do is tell them they are being attacked, and denounce the peacemakers for lack of patriotism and exposing the country to danger. It works the same in any country." - Hermann Goerring
"Beware the leader who bangs the drums of war in order to whip the citizenry into a patriotic fervor, for patriotism is indeed a double-edged sword. It both emboldens the blood, just as it narrows the mind. And when the drums of war have reached a fever pitch and the blood boils with hate and the mind has closed, the leader will have no need in seizing the rights of the citizenry. Rather, the citizenry, infused with fear and blinded by patriotism, will offer up all of their rights unto the leader and gladly so. How do I know? For this is what I have done. And I am Caesar." - Julius Caesar
"The United States is the most powerful among the technically advanced countries in the world today. Its influence on the shaping of international relations is absolutely incalculable. But America is a large country, and its people have so far not shown much interest in great international problems, among which the problem of disarmament occupies first place today.
This must be changed, if only in America's own interest. The last war has shown that there are no longer any barriers between the continents and that the destinies of all countries are closely interwoven. The people of this country must realize that they have a great responsibility in the sphere of international politics. The part of passive spectator is unworthy of this country and is bound in the end to lead to disaster all round." - Albert Einstein, from an interview in the Nieuwe Rotterdamsche Courant, 1921
More quotations along these lines can be found a on the site for the Fire this Time CD mentioned below.
"Why of course the people don't want war. Why should some poor slob on a farm want to risk his life in a war when the best he can get out of it is to come back to his farm in one piece? Naturally the common people don't want war: neither in Russia, nor in England, nor for that matter in Germany. That is understood. But, after all, it is the leaders of the country who determine the policy and it is always a simple matter to drag the people along, whether it is a democracy, or a fascist dictatorship, or a parliament, or a communist dictatorship. Voice or no voice, the people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. That is easy. All you have to do is tell them they are being attacked, and denounce the peacemakers for lack of patriotism and exposing the country to danger. It works the same in any country." - Hermann Goerring
"Beware the leader who bangs the drums of war in order to whip the citizenry into a patriotic fervor, for patriotism is indeed a double-edged sword. It both emboldens the blood, just as it narrows the mind. And when the drums of war have reached a fever pitch and the blood boils with hate and the mind has closed, the leader will have no need in seizing the rights of the citizenry. Rather, the citizenry, infused with fear and blinded by patriotism, will offer up all of their rights unto the leader and gladly so. How do I know? For this is what I have done. And I am Caesar." - Julius Caesar
"The United States is the most powerful among the technically advanced countries in the world today. Its influence on the shaping of international relations is absolutely incalculable. But America is a large country, and its people have so far not shown much interest in great international problems, among which the problem of disarmament occupies first place today.
This must be changed, if only in America's own interest. The last war has shown that there are no longer any barriers between the continents and that the destinies of all countries are closely interwoven. The people of this country must realize that they have a great responsibility in the sphere of international politics. The part of passive spectator is unworthy of this country and is bound in the end to lead to disaster all round." - Albert Einstein, from an interview in the Nieuwe Rotterdamsche Courant, 1921
More quotations along these lines can be found a on the site for the Fire this Time CD mentioned below.
Wednesday, March 05, 2003
Few of us can easily surrender our belief that society must somehow make sense. The thought that the state has lost its mind is intolerable, and so the evidence has to be internally denied. - Arthur Miller
That quote appears on the homepage of a great site, The Fire this Time, detailing the gruesome destruction that lay in the wake of the war in the Gulf and the ideology that is driving a return to that area. The site actually advertises a CD which, in documentary fashion, includes snippets of interviews and narration, providing "a permanent record of the fate of Iraq" against a soundscape of (sometimes disturbing) contemporary electronic music.
That quote appears on the homepage of a great site, The Fire this Time, detailing the gruesome destruction that lay in the wake of the war in the Gulf and the ideology that is driving a return to that area. The site actually advertises a CD which, in documentary fashion, includes snippets of interviews and narration, providing "a permanent record of the fate of Iraq" against a soundscape of (sometimes disturbing) contemporary electronic music.
Tuesday, March 04, 2003
I almost hate to label a poem like this "anti-war" as it seems to oversimplify its themes, which are lovely, sad and tender. It's by one of my favorite poets, Galway Kinnell.
The Olive Wood Fire
When Fergus woke crying at night.
I would carry him from his crib
to the rocking chair and sit holding him
before the fire of thousand-year-old olive wood.
Sometimes, for reasons I never knew
and he has forgotten, even after his bottle the big tears
would keep on rolling down his big cheeks
- the left cheek always more brilliant than the right -
and we would sit, some nights for hours, rocking
in the light eking itself out of the ancient wood,
and hold each other against the darkness,
his close behind and far away in the future,
mine I imagined all around.
One such time, fallen half-asleep myself,
I thought I heard a scream
- a flier crying out in horror
as he dropped fire on he didn't know what or whom,
or else a child thus set aflame -
and sat up alert. The olive wood fire
had burned low. In my arms lay Fergus,
fast asleep, left cheek glowing, God.
-- Galway Kinnell
We seem to be moving closer and closer to war, and the Bush government plans an attack which will undoubtedly result in the deaths of countless innocent women and children. Bush described the initial attack recently with that typical tough-guy lingo the military churns out and that jingoistic Soldier of Fortune readers stain their pants over: it's called a "Shock and Awe" attack. So called because the massive attack would frighten the populace into submission. See Dresden. See also Guernica.
An attack like this on a country which hasn't attacked us, on its innocent civilians is unconscionable. In the context of our current world situation, it's also irreducibly stupid. Today I heard a co-worker comment that it's time for the United States to say "Fuck you to the rest of the world" and go ahead and attack Iraq. It's precisely that sort of cowboy sentiment that's gotten us into this mess in the first place. Certainly, Hussein should go, but this isn't the way to do it. Where's our so-called compassionate conservative now?
The Olive Wood Fire
When Fergus woke crying at night.
I would carry him from his crib
to the rocking chair and sit holding him
before the fire of thousand-year-old olive wood.
Sometimes, for reasons I never knew
and he has forgotten, even after his bottle the big tears
would keep on rolling down his big cheeks
- the left cheek always more brilliant than the right -
and we would sit, some nights for hours, rocking
in the light eking itself out of the ancient wood,
and hold each other against the darkness,
his close behind and far away in the future,
mine I imagined all around.
One such time, fallen half-asleep myself,
I thought I heard a scream
- a flier crying out in horror
as he dropped fire on he didn't know what or whom,
or else a child thus set aflame -
and sat up alert. The olive wood fire
had burned low. In my arms lay Fergus,
fast asleep, left cheek glowing, God.
-- Galway Kinnell
We seem to be moving closer and closer to war, and the Bush government plans an attack which will undoubtedly result in the deaths of countless innocent women and children. Bush described the initial attack recently with that typical tough-guy lingo the military churns out and that jingoistic Soldier of Fortune readers stain their pants over: it's called a "Shock and Awe" attack. So called because the massive attack would frighten the populace into submission. See Dresden. See also Guernica.
An attack like this on a country which hasn't attacked us, on its innocent civilians is unconscionable. In the context of our current world situation, it's also irreducibly stupid. Today I heard a co-worker comment that it's time for the United States to say "Fuck you to the rest of the world" and go ahead and attack Iraq. It's precisely that sort of cowboy sentiment that's gotten us into this mess in the first place. Certainly, Hussein should go, but this isn't the way to do it. Where's our so-called compassionate conservative now?
Tuesday, February 18, 2003
Translating the President
Yep, like many I had hoped that what with all the demonstrations around the world this weekend, the public opinion—here and abroad—might do a little to change the administration's mind about the war effort. How silly of me. Bush seems so deadset on doing what he wants to, regardless of public opinion. That ain't leadership, it's dictatorship.
Yesterday, the eloquent one proclaimed the following to which I’ll add my interpretation gratis.
Text:
"Democracy is a beautiful thing," Mr. Bush said. "People are allowed to
express their opinion, and I welcome people's right to say what they
believe."
Translation:
"Democracy is a beautiful thing. If it were a dog, I would pet it. So
anyways. People are allowed to express themselves, and I welcome people's
right to say what they believe. But then I'm gonna go do what I wanna go do.
Yee-haw."
How dangerous is a small mind when it’s set so sturdily upon its goal.
This is the patent age of new inventions
For killing bodies, and for saving souls,
All propagated with the best intentions.
Byron
Yep, like many I had hoped that what with all the demonstrations around the world this weekend, the public opinion—here and abroad—might do a little to change the administration's mind about the war effort. How silly of me. Bush seems so deadset on doing what he wants to, regardless of public opinion. That ain't leadership, it's dictatorship.
Yesterday, the eloquent one proclaimed the following to which I’ll add my interpretation gratis.
Text:
"Democracy is a beautiful thing," Mr. Bush said. "People are allowed to
express their opinion, and I welcome people's right to say what they
believe."
Translation:
"Democracy is a beautiful thing. If it were a dog, I would pet it. So
anyways. People are allowed to express themselves, and I welcome people's
right to say what they believe. But then I'm gonna go do what I wanna go do.
Yee-haw."
How dangerous is a small mind when it’s set so sturdily upon its goal.
This is the patent age of new inventions
For killing bodies, and for saving souls,
All propagated with the best intentions.
Byron
Friday, February 14, 2003
Wednesday, February 12, 2003
If you've made it to this point in your life thinking Bill O'Reilly is anything other than a belligerant fascist misanthrope, this transcript should remove the scales from your eyes. In it he berates the son of man who died 9/11 for daring to criticize American foreign policy. Apparently, he cursed at the guy off air. What he said on air is unprofessional enough--never mind that--*hateful enough** that his show should've been yanked immediately. Unlikely though, considering this is Fox "News."
This isn't a free speech issue. I'd go to jail for O'Reilly's right to assert his asinine beliefs. If the government jails you for something you said, that may be an infringement on free speech. But if a network shitcans you for being an idiot, that's just appropriate. I should be able to stand on a street corner and espouse whatever hatred I'd like, post it on my web site, crank out flyers, whatever. But, depending on how violently intolerant I am, if I take it into the workplace, I should be canned for expressing my views on the job. O'Reilly's job is to interview people on television. He should owe them *some* level of respect--especially if he's going to label the tripe he serves up "News." The fact that Fox allows this creep a show reveals much about their agenda.
On a lighter (light to the point of fluff) note, I've fallen prey to wondering is my Blog HOT or NOT? I'm figuring, not.
This isn't a free speech issue. I'd go to jail for O'Reilly's right to assert his asinine beliefs. If the government jails you for something you said, that may be an infringement on free speech. But if a network shitcans you for being an idiot, that's just appropriate. I should be able to stand on a street corner and espouse whatever hatred I'd like, post it on my web site, crank out flyers, whatever. But, depending on how violently intolerant I am, if I take it into the workplace, I should be canned for expressing my views on the job. O'Reilly's job is to interview people on television. He should owe them *some* level of respect--especially if he's going to label the tripe he serves up "News." The fact that Fox allows this creep a show reveals much about their agenda.
On a lighter (light to the point of fluff) note, I've fallen prey to wondering is my Blog HOT or NOT? I'm figuring, not.
Tuesday, February 11, 2003
It's a splendid example of self-fulfilling prophecy: the Bush administration warns of non-existent links between Iraq and al Quaida. That same administration threatens to attack Iraq. Bin Laden calls the U.S.-lead attack on Iraq an attack on all Muslims and encourages violence against the U.S. Viola! There's your link between the two camps. Bush and company must be relieved--despite the fact that the link has been forged by their own jingoistic policies.
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