Edshugeo The GodMoor

Good article by Richard Kim. I'm swiping the ending though. The whole thing can be read here.

I only read the first bunch out of 200+ comments. It's like those people have no idea what they're responding to.

Are white working-class voters really racist? How many and where? If a significant number of them are, should Democrats really court them on the terms of their racism? These are questions worth asking since, apparently, a lot of Democrats think they're valid. But as long as the Clinton campaign continues to code the fact that it is counting on a base of white racist support, we'll never have this conversation. And as long as the mainstream media indulges the euphemism of "electability"--one that makes white racism seem like a personal deficiency of Barack Obama's--we'll be stuck mucking around in diffuse fears and anxieties that nobody, least of all Hillary Clinton, wants to name.

So here's my final suggestion: as long as Barack Obama is called upon to explain, denounce and reject black racism, let's have it both ways. Let's have George Stephanopoulos ask Hillary Clinton how she feels about the white racist vote?

Hat tip: SubRealism

May 14th, 2008 - plus an SNL clip as found on Assault On Black Folk's Sanity;

Labels: politics, society, Truth, youtube and other video

Labels: funny-ass shit, hypocrisy, music, politics, Songza

Just Be A Woman.

Not to be confused with "Iron my shirt" or anything like that. But if you can't show your human side, you might as well be content to do your thing behind the scenes.

Kinda like Dick Cheney.

Labels: music, politics, solutions?, Songza, Truth

February 26th, 2008 - Added another video from YouTube...



I bet she didn't see that comin'.

Labels: Awesome, funny-ass shit, politics, tv, youtube

Spoilers below.





This is one of my favorite television moments. Mandela is questioned (in 1990) about his controversial alliances with the likes of Castro, Arafat, and Qadafi and the possible negative consequences of proclaiming these men to be his comrades. Mandela's answer literally silences Kopell to the point that he has to break the ice to move things forward. Kopell's Adam West like response is a noble, yet ineffective effort to save face, but kinda adds to the hilarity.

Labels: Awesome, funny-ass shit, Heroes, nostalgia, politics, South Africa, Truth, tv, World Affairs

Maybe she can, but I doubt it. The anger and apathy towards McCain from some segments of the Republican base, could be enough to do him in (though it makes him an attractive option for a moderate like me). The possibility of a Hillary presidency would squash all that animosity. I'm sure a lot of those folks don't want a Barack Husain Obama presidency either, but it seems pretty obvious to me that rank and file GOPers do not harbor that kind of hostility towards him.

The war in Iraq could also be a problem for McCain. Though I've somehow become an Obamaholic, I disagree with him and the other Democrats (and Ron Paul - whom I also kinda like) on Iraq. But this is yet another issue that could make the election easier for either Democrat candidate.

Clinton Says She Can Beat McCain: Associated Press

Labels: music video, politics, youtube

There are some reasonable explanations as to why Newscorp's Rupert Murdoch and his clan had been throwing financial support to the Clinton campaign.

"Of all the presidential candidates on either side of the aisle, Clinton is the only hopeful who got Murdoch to reach into his ample wallet."

No Republicans? Hmmmm. That's odd.

My own uneducated guess would be that nothing would serve the Fox News network (which I watch) and some of his crappy papers better than to have their nemeses back in charge and back in the crosshairs.

I would prefer to have none of that. I'm voting for the O* tomorrow. If Clinton wins this Super Tuesday contest, I'm hoping John McCain locks up the Republican nomination so I can have a suitable backup. I've said before I won't vote for her even if she taps Obama to be VP and I won't vote for the O, if he taps her to be his.

*"The O" sounds cooler to me than "The O Man", which is kinda dorky. Though maybe "The O" is already reserved for Oprah. I dunno.

Speaking of The O, and cool, The Undercover Blackman highlighted this most awesome Super Obama Girl video last week. For the moment, it occupies the top right corner. Hah! Legion Of Doom.

Labels: Awesome, funny-ass shit, politics, youtube

The Democrats have no business boycotting two states, given how the last two presidential elections turned out. She might be desperate to get delegates from Florida (voting Tuesday) and Michigan (already voted - for Hillary) because she's got what seems like a tough fight ahead. The two states apparently violated rules of the Democratic National Committee by scheduling their primaries waaay earlier than they were supposed to. The DNC then decided the delegates won in those states wouldn't count and the candidates agreed. Till Hillary kinda got her ass handed to her yesterday (I think the defeat was worse than expected). The DNC needs to reverse it's decision if it knows what's good for it.

There's no guarantee that I'll vote Democrat this year, but it's absolutely certain that I won't if Hillary is on the ticket, Prez or Vice President. Giving Obama the VP role won't win me over either, though it may win her a lot of other Black votes.

Labels: Fucking Idiots, politics

I'm a little concerned about the way the media is playing the Obama/Clinton primary campaign story. Especially the polling by race stuff. To me that seems way more polarizing than anything coming out of the campaigns.

Are they just reporting what's there? Maybe, but I remember that nobody I knew gave a rats ass about OJ Simpson until polls revealed a racial split among those who thought he was guilty or innocent.

Labels: bullshit, politics, society

Kerry endorses Obama.

The O wasn't my first choice for President (Giuliani), but I was rooting for him to win the nomination. Now he's doomed. If Clinton wins, I'll likely vote Republican (even if it's not Rudy), unless it's Romney, in which case I'd go third party as usual (Ron Paul? Bloomberg?).

The last Presidential election was unusual for me as I did vote for a major party candidate; for John Kerry/against George Bush. It wasn't the war, which I wasn't against, but Bush's promise to abuse the constitution to deny marriage rights to homosexuals.

Hillary's attempt at a flag burning amendment, and her pledge to use the government to regulate video games put her on a similar footing with George the second.

When Bush won the last election I was rooting for Hil, because I knew that was the perfect revenge against those who voted for him.

Labels: politics, video games

Ms. Malik has avoided prison, which is good. Not so good is that she is still a convicted criminal, if not for writing poetry, then "of collecting information, without reasonable excuse, of a kind likely to be useful to a person committing or preparing an act of terrorism."

Right.

I didn't make any time to write any terror poems or songs, but I did record myself reading Samina Malik's "How To Behead" five times. Four before work, and once after. None of them turned out particularly well (flubbed lines and other stuff), but I uploaded the last two to YouTube, anyhow.





The poem can be read here.
Wanna download the Al Qaeda Manual? Here, but if you live in the U.K., you can be arrested for it.

Labels: civil rights, Fascism, fun, media, politics, society, terrorism, These pictures will come back to haunt me one day, World Affairs, youtube

This is a bit disturbing. The BBC has posted a story about a woman who has been convicted (in the UK) of possessing terrorist manuals and writing Jihadist poetry.

She had posted her poems on websites under the screen name the Lyrical Terrorist, prosecutors said.

Malik said the poems were "meaningless", but prosecutor Jonathan Sharp said: "These communications strongly indicate Samina Malik was deeply involved with terrorist related groups."

Police said they had found a "library" of Islamist literature in her bedroom including The Al-Qaeda Manual and The Mujahideen Poisons Handbook.

Sounds like guilt by association or consorting with witches. Not that I'm a big fan of Islamist groups, but I don't like this at all.

However... buried deep in the story was this little tidbit;

She also tried to donate money to a terrorist group.

That does seem like a serious charge and one worthy of jail time. The other stuff at best, should have inspired the authorities to keep a watch on her activities and those of her friends.

I just wonder if the other stuff was over played to generate more sympathy.

"She had the ideology, ability and determination to access and download material, which could have been useful to terrorists. Merely possessing this material is a serious criminal offence."

Hmmm. Or not.

Labels: bullshit, civil rights, Fascism, Islam, media, politics

From an email sent by freepress.net:

What if I told you we could use empty TV channels to connect millions of Americans to the Internet?

New technology would do just that. But the powerful TV broadcast lobby is standing in the way with a multimillion-dollar misinformation campaign designed to deny us one of our last, best chances to connect the nation.

The Federal Communications Commission is about to make a critical choice: support a better Internet for everyone or side with the broadcasters and let the United State slide further behind the rest of the world in Web access.

Tell the FCC: Open the Internet for Everyone

The fight for universal Internet access is now being waged over "white spaces" -- empty frequencies between television channels on the public airwaves. New devices can use these vacant airwaves to connect millions to the information superhighway, including many people still stuck on dial-up -- or without any service at all.

Here's the problem. The National Association of Broadcasters wants to keep white spaces for themselves. This week, they're blitzing Washington with television ads and lobbyists. They're making outright false claims that any new devices will interfere with over-the-air TV broadcasts.

Their scare tactics are aimed at convincing the FCC and Congress to stifle new technologies that can revolutionize our airwaves. Unless we act now, the FCC could side with the broadcasters and deny us one of our last opportunities to deliver a better Internet to more people.

Take Action: Open White Spaces for Everyone

It's a familiar story. Big media companies will use any means to squash new ideas that threaten their control. For too long, our policymakers put the narrow interests of a few conglomerates before innovation, competition and the public good.

Last year we sent 1.5 million letters to Congress and halted the phone and cable industry efforts to kill Net Neutrality. This year, we're fighting to make the Internet available and affordable to everyone. Opening up white spaces is key to creating the healthy competition, consumer choices and technological innovation we need to provide an open Internet to all.

We can win this fight. Take action to open white spaces today.

Timothy Karr
Campaign Director
Free Press
www.freepress.net
www.savetheinternet.com

1. Learn more: Visit our "Save Our Spectrum" initiative to learn more about white spaces.

2. Report back: Did you take action on this issue? Join a conversation with other activists at the Free Press Action Network.

3. Become a Free Press Action Fund member: Our team in Washington needs your help to counter Big Media's lobbyists. Your donation of $50 or more will make sure public interest advocates represent our views before the FCC and on Capitol Hill.

Labels: media, politics, solutions?, technology

The reaction to the Knighthood awarded to Salman Rushdie.

...Comment by Pakistani Religious Affairs Minister Mohammad Ejaz ul-Haq;

"If someone commits suicide bombing to protect the honour of the Prophet Muhammad, his act is justified," the minister said, according to Reuters news agency.

The minister later clarified his statement, saying extremists could use it to justify attacks.

Here we go again with this bullshit.

Bitches.

By the way, shouldn't the term "Islamophobia" only apply to the pussies who roll over for these asshats?

Labels: bullshit, Fascism, Islam, politics, terrorism, World Affairs

Swiped from SaveTheInternet.com:

On Thursday, some members of the SavetheInternet.com Coalition came forward with a plan to make the Internet more neutral, open and affordable for everyone.

A centerpiece of the plan is the use of newly available public “spectrum,” which can deliver high-speed Internet signals almost everywhere in the country.

Take Action: The Public Airwaves for the Public Good

Most people haven’t heard about this issue, or know that such valuable airwaves are up for grabs.

This is important stuff. What’s at stake is the future of communications in our country.

Here’s where things stand:

This broad slice of spectrum once beamed the Brady Bunch, The Cosby’s, Charlie’s Angels and the A-Team into tens of millions of homes. The inevitable switch from analog to digital TV means that this precious air is now available for other uses.

The government hopes that revenues from its sale (anticipated to be as high as $30 billion) will help pay down the national deficit, especially high since we went to war in Iraq

The Federal Communications Commission is now deciding how to structure its sale. The federal agency has the power to attach conditions to the use of our air; As it’s public domain, we have the right to demand that it serve the public interest.

If used right, this new spectrum could revolutionize the ways we connect to one another — and to laptops, cell phones, PDAs, music players and other mobile Internet devices. It can deliver a wireless Internet into your house without the need for a telephone wire or cable modem.

Its signal passes through concrete buildings and over mountains; and can connect tens of million of Americans that are now ignored by wire-line Internet “incumbents” such as AT&T, Verizon and Comcast.

Here’s the rub. Phone and cable lobbyists are pressuring the FCC to hand over our airwaves to their bosses. They plan to horde spectrum and stifle competitive and cheaper alternatives to their legacy networks.

This would be a disaster. After years of phone and cable company control over our Internet marketplace, the United States has fallen to 15th in the world in high-speed Internet rankings, with few choices and some of the highest prices for the slowest speeds in the world. We will continue to fall as long as we let phone and cable execs dictate Internet access for more than 96 percent of American users.

It’s really important that we spread the word and get more people involved in telling the FCC how our spectrum should be used.

We don’t want more of the same. These airwaves should be employed for the public good. They should be used to develop a wireless alternative to the telephone-cable market duopoly.

Yesterday, member groups — including Consumer Federation of America, Free Press, Media Access Project, Public Knowledge and US PIRG — urged the FCC “to ensure that new spectrum is offered on an open and nondiscriminatory basis.” (You can read their full filing by clicking here.)

With open networks, the rest of the world has rapidly adopted high-speed, Internet platforms for education, economic innovation, creativity and civic participation. Countries like South Korea, Japan, France, Canada have leapfrogged the United States and now offer faster Internet connections at far lower prices.

It’s time we caught up.

>> You can help clear the path for a technology that will deliver faster, more open and affordable Internet for everyone by taking action here.

>> To learn more about the upcoming auction, read these recent articles in Wired Magazine, the Los Angeles Times, Forbes Magazine and MyDD.

>> To learn more about the public interest and the public airwaves, visit Save Our Spectrum at Free Press.

Labels: media, politics, solutions?

Swiped from Cobb who I guess read it on The Wall Street Journal:

Bob Kerrey on Iraq -

Suppose we had not invaded Iraq and Hussein had been overthrown by Shiite and Kurdish insurgents. Suppose al Qaeda then undermined their new democracy and inflamed sectarian tensions to the same level of violence we are seeing today. Wouldn't you expect the same people who are urging a unilateral and immediate withdrawal to be urging military intervention to end this carnage? I would.

American liberals need to face these truths: The demand for self-government was and remains strong in Iraq despite all our mistakes and the violent efforts of al Qaeda, Sunni insurgents and Shiite militias to disrupt it. Al Qaeda in particular has targeted for abduction and murder those who are essential to a functioning democracy: school teachers, aid workers, private contractors working to rebuild Iraq's infrastructure, police officers and anyone who cooperates with the Iraqi government. Much of Iraq's middle class has fled the country in fear.

With these facts on the scales, what does your conscience tell you to do? If the answer is nothing, that it is not our responsibility or that this is all about oil, then no wonder today we Democrats are not trusted with the reins of power. American lawmakers who are watching public opinion tell them to move away from Iraq as quickly as possible should remember this: Concessions will not work with either al Qaeda or other foreign fighters who will not rest until they have killed or driven into exile the last remaining Iraqi who favors democracy.

It's sad, but the success of any of the Democrat hopefuls in 2008 depends on nothing less than failure in Iraq by the country they wish to lead. (edited this sentence - June 4th 2007)

I know where public opinion is on this issue right now, but the actual election is more than a year away. If things don't change, and I suppose they may not, then betting against our own country's success will prove to be a smart move. However, if we happen to find ourselves in a different place this time next year, what will this treachery cost the Dems? And what will it cost those of us who share other agendas that can't be trusted to the Republicans?

The two front runners have probably thought about this possibility, which is why they've been muttering under their breaths that they intend to keep some troops in the area, specifically for terrorist hunting. Not good enough. Not enough for me to want to vote for either Hillary nor Obama.

Let's see what happens...

Labels: politics, terrorism, World Affairs

(Washington correspondent Justin Webb) argues anti-Americanism is often a cover for hatreds with little justification in fact. His three part series takes him to Cairo, Caracas and Washington but it begins where anti-Americanism began - in Paris.

Read more at the BBC...

Labels: politics, World Affairs

I kinda don't care one way or another. Not a fan. I defend his right to free speech, of course, and see no difference in how he's been exercising it between now and the last three decades. So, why now?

For me, the issue's the FCC and it's need to regulate speech on the public airwaves. I would prefer to do away with it, but that probably isn't happening anytime soon. Haven't listened to the radio in ages anyway.

I was looking for an old TV ad I remembered from the early eighties that featured Imus and station-mate Howard Stern apologizing to all of the various groups they've insulted, a long list that of course included blacks, gays, catholics, jews, etc., etc.

Couldn't find it, but I did find this one which delivered a similar sentiment.

For the hell of it, an eighties profile of Howard Stern, with a guest appearance from Don Imus on local TV station WOR (channel 9) and another channel 9 broadcast made in the aftermath of Stern being fired from WNBC.

For a recap on the recent controversy (including video), I direct you to Bol.

April 14th, 07 - Oops. FCC's got nothin' to do with this. I've mixed feelings about his being fired;
On the one hand, fuck him. On the other, where does this culture of outrage over bullshit end?

Labels: bullshit, civil rights, hypocrisy, media, nostalgia, politics, tv, youtube

That's the first and last time I'll be caught using that word.

Here's a video (up as of this writing) of Sean Hannity trying to ignite some kind of firestorm by pitting an outspoken NYC Councilman Charles Barron, naturally upset about the whole Sean Bell issue against infamous O.J. Simpson witness, Mark Fuhrman. The results aren't what one might normally expect.



Strange. I thought conservatives normally supported the rights of citizens to protect themselves, not only against crime, but against oppressive police actions as well. This would've been a good opportunity to bring up issues with both New York City and New York State gun laws. Hmmm.

Three of the officers have apparently been indicted. I don't know the details yet, but this simply means a case will actually go to trial.

But Michael Palladino of the Detectives' Endowment Association said the indictments sent a "chilling message to all New York City police officers".

"You can act in good faith and there is no margin for error," he said.

There's a margin, it isn't fifty bullets long, though.

Labels: bullshit, civil rights, funny-ass shit, hypocrisy, politics, right to bear arms, tv, youtube

Went to the movies today to check out 300, the digital movie adaptation of Frank Miller's comic book. I caught an Imax showing in NYC, not expecting that a Tuesday afternoon screening could be so crowded. Getting a bad seat at any movie theatre sucks. Getting a bad seat at an Imax theatre really sucks, and as I sat there trying to watch the Spiderman 3 trailer, with every body's faces stretched thin at the top, because I'm sitting way too close to the screen, looking up, it occurs to me, "this was a really bad idea." And what's the fucking point anyway? Do I need to see the images that big? No. Though, once I caught an interesting editing glitch at the end of Matrix Revolutions, that I might not have seen on a normal but decent sized movie screen.

I thought the movie was great. Screen issues didn't hurt at all, though I'd noticed some distorted big heads or figures every now and then. Though it's making more than enough money at the box office, I'm thinking of seeing it again (getting to the theatre earlier, this time).

Much is being made of the parallels between events in the film and current events, and why not? I think it works well as pro-war propaganda, and we've needed a good pro-war film (as opposed to just a good war film) for a long time.
It also works as a critique of our weaknesses. The politics and perceived self interests that hold us from doing what must be done (mentioned by numerous others), on the side of the Spartans (or maybe not so much on their side), as well as the overconfidence and arrogance that ultimately hinders our ability to truly be victorious, represented by the antagonists. Despite Xerxes origin in a familiar eastern locale and the fight against "mysticism and tyranny", our enemy is ourselves, as Pogo may've been quoted.

None of this was likely intended by the film-makers or by Miller himself, as far as I know. Like most critics, sometimes I like to bring my own baggage to the table.

Did I mention it was a good movie? It is. Go see it.

I also watched The Host and Curse Of The Golden Flower on DVD.

The Host is an amusing black comedy about a dis-functional family (of course they're dis-functional) who hunts a monster that took their daughter/niece/grand-daughter from them. The special effects in this movie from Korea are surprisingly good, and for the most part would've impressed me in much larger budgeted Hollywood flicks. There's a subplot I didn't quite get, that appears to be suggesting that America sorta pulled the whole bird flu scare out of it's ass, and for no reason. Despite that, I enjoyed it a whole lot.

I didn't like Curse Of The Golden Flower. I thought it was a depressing and pointless piece of shit. Kinda like The Banquet (which also sucked), but more colorful. The kung fu wasn't bad, but more of it wouldn't have helped.

Labels: comics, DVD, kung fu, movies, politics

New Mexico Governer Bill Richardson has thrown his hat into the 2008 Presidential race, following Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton.

I vaguely remember Richardson from the Clinton years (ambassador to the UN), thinking he might have been this guy, Yan, on the TV series Let's Learn Japanese. I watched and taped it quite a bit, back in the early nineties (I think). So far I've not come across any information that indicates he's had a past life in acting, nor a proficiency in Japanese. We'll learn more about him as time moves on.

I don't have any favorites among the Democrats right now. My opinion that we have to win in Iraq, has me favoring Giuliani or McCain. There's still some doubt that they can make it through the primaries, being somewhat liberal as Republicans go. Should the Dems find themselves against the typical right-wing douche-bag, then I may cast my lot with them.

I think Obama's stronger anti-war position, while an advantage right now, could work against him, in the long run. Hillary is doing the strong critic thing, but seems to be giving herself some breathing room. She's smart enough to know that it's a year away from the primaries, and public opinion can change.

A reader at James Hudnall's blog remarks that after Hillary is finished attacking Obama, she'll recruit him for the Vice-Presidential position, which would probably help heal the damage to her standing in the Black "community" (done by her campaigning). However, should Barack get the nomination, it wouldn't help him to have her as his running mate, would it?

John Edward's association with John Kerry makes it difficult for me to take him seriously. I would like him to go away for a while.

Labels: japanese, politics, youtube

Swiped from the BBC (as usual)...

The Nazis hijacked the symbol from its Hindu origins

Hindus in Europe have joined forces against a German proposal to ban the display of the swastika across the European Union, a Hindu leader said.

Ramesh Kallidai of the Hindu Forum of Britain said the swastika had been a symbol of peace for thousands of years before the Nazis adopted it.

He said a ban on the symbol would discriminate against Hindus.

Germany, holder of the EU presidency, wants to make Holocaust denial and the display of Nazi symbols a crime.

Mr Kallidai said his organisation was writing to European lawmakers to highlight the issue.

The swastika has been around for 5,000 years as a symbol of peace, Ramesh Kallidai Origins of the swastika

Hindu groups in Holland, Belgium and Italy were also involved in the campaign, he said.

"The swastika has been around for 5,000 years as a symbol of peace," he said. "This is exactly the opposite of how it was used by Hitler."

He said that while the Nazi implications of the symbol should be condemned, people should respect the Hindu use of the swastika.

"Just because Hitler misused the symbol, abused it and used it to propagate a reign of terror and racism and discrimination, it does not mean that its peaceful use should be banned."

The group said banning the swastika was equivalent to banning the cross simply because the Ku Klux Klan had used burning crosses.

The swastika is already banned in Germany. A previous attempt to ban it across the EU in early 2005 failed after objections from several governments, including the British.

Germany took over the six-month EU presidency on 1 January.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I remember watching an old Shaw Bros. Kung Fu movie back in the seventies and seeing a Manji (what most would call a swatstika, but turned the other way, I think) in stone, on a wall at Shaolin Temple, and thinking, "Oh! I didn't know the Nazis got to China, too." Didn't know then what I know now. I've also seen the symbol on Chinese comicbook art and on the foreheads of characters who were supposed to be monks (Kinda like Charlie Manson during one of his probation hearings).

The point here is that this symbol doesn't belong to the Nazis and those who sympathize with them. Personally, I'd like to see this image and what it really stands for embraced by the mainstream. This isn't like the "N" word (profanity), nor like the confederate flag, which I believe symbolizes treason. It isn't about taking something negative and making it positive, but recognizing that it was positive to begin with. The Germans (as well as others in Europe) believe they can fight fascism with fascism, and they are wrong.

Doesn't mean it should be scrawled on peoples grave markers, on Synagogues, or anything like that, though. Just to make myself clear.

Labels: bullshit, civil rights, Fascism, hypocrisy, politics, World Affairs

Prime Minister Abe (probably pronounced Ah-Beh, not Abe like Lincoln) defends his plans for Japan to develop a more assertive foreign policy while discussing some issues with North Korea:

It comes as he presses ahead at home with plans to re-write the country's pacifist constitution, a move that is causing some concern.

Mr Abe sought to reassure his critics, pointing out that Japan had upheld freedom and democracy for six decades, and saying he plans to discuss with Nato officials what the country can do to promote global peace and stability.

... Mr Abe insists that other nations have nothing to fear from a more assertive Japan.

"I believe we will be able to gain the understanding as well as the confidence of the world regarding Japan's assertiveness" he said.

I think this is good news and long overdue.

Labels: politics, World Affairs

Interesting idea. I know crap about economics, but I like the way it sounds. And I think it's accessible enough to the average person, that it may spark a good deal of debate among people who normally don't talk or think about these things. Charles Murray has a book out called In Our Hands which presents an idea that proposes to replace the welfare state.

I first found out about this via Cobb who had some interesting comments and then read Murray's article here. There's also an interview with The National Review that sheds a little more light.

The most interesting opposing views, I've seen so far come from the Amazon.com reviews. I'm looking forward to more debate on this in the weeks ahead.

Labels: politics, society, solutions?

In no particular order...

Not liking what I'm hearin' about handing over commercial operations at U.S. ports to a UAE company.

Never trusted Haliburton.

I don't like that Osama Bin Laden is being allowed to die at his own leisure. Also, when people (on the right) try to rationalize that getting him isn't really that important, I see a visual of Michael Dukakis trying to explain why he wouldn't seek the death penalty even if his wife were raped and killed.

Dick Cheney. I trust him as much as I trust Haliburton.

Then again, it seems none of the above has anything to do with GW. He's just a ventriloquist monkey. Then again, again, The Manchurian Candidate wasn't much more than that himself, was he?

Labels: bullshit, politics, terrorism, World Affairs

I didn't see anything about this online, but a friend who listens to Lionel's show (more) regularly (than I), tells me he'll be on Joe Scarborough's show tonight. Should be interesting. I'll be recording it, just in case.

In the meantime, I came across this transcript of an earlier appearance on that show with Ted Nugent.

Labels: politics, tv

I went to see this film the other night at the Angelika Theatre in NYC. What better way to enjoy the mild weather than to spend a couple of hours in a dark room watching a documentary? Anyway, Why We Fight is a film by Eugene Jarecki that looks at the Military Industrial Complex, and why we should be concerned about it. No conspiracy theories about Freemasons or other such nonsense here. It's not that kind of movie. While it's not likely to make the Bush cheer-leaders happy, I found it to be reasonable and thought provoking. I think there's good reason why folks on both the right and left should be concerned about the likes of Haliburton.

If the title sounds familiar, that's because it's also the name of a series of propaganda films directed by Frank Capra. Those movies can be viewed or downloaded in a number of formats at the internet archive.

Labels: downloads, movies, politics, right to bear arms, terrorism

A few words (or more) to go with this weeks song.

Give War A Chance is a silly little pop song about a serious issue. The song is
not meant as a joke, but in the the larger scheme of things, it remains, just a
song. There are some who might say it trivializes the issue, regardless of
whether or not they agree with the sentiment. Maybe. Maybe not. I just wanted to
express something not normally expressed by musicians. At least not the ones
I've been exposed to (I don't listen to a lot of Country).

Many who do support the war in Iraq or any of the military actions of the last
ten years or so, tend to shroud their approval in patriotic imagery or in terms
of "supporting the troops". Nothing wrong with supporting the troops, but it
seems that some use them as human shields to protect themselves from criticism,
likewise some of those who hide behind the flag. This song briefly addresses
honoring the troops in light of what may be a hypocrisy on my part; supporting
war, but not becoming a warrior. Perhaps I will address this at a later time,
but I think Cobb said it best.

So anyway, yeah, I think there are plenty of good reasons to be in Iraq,
despite some issues that people are rightfully concerned about. I also believe
that war, in general, while not always desirable, is a useful tool in governing on the
world stage. Some disagree with this totally, and that's fine, sorta.

Yes, I rhymed "freedom" with "be dumb". Just a song, like I said.

This is just a rough demo with voice and acoustic guitar. A proper recording will follow at some point in time.

Lyrics...

Give war a chance
to work it's
dirty little magic
yeah, I know it's tragic, baby
we all want peace
that's automatic
but not all situations
will allow the diplomatic

Give War a chance
to make this
world a better place
so that we can face the future
I may not make that sacrifice
but honor any citizen
who's willing to give up his life

Give War a chance
Give War a chance
Give War a chance
Give War a chance

Give War a chance
to sort the
chaos from the order
tighten up our borders baby
let's not lose site
of our freedom
there will be no trade off
for security cuz that would be dumb

Give war a chance
to prove that
fighting can be righteous
when atrocities rises upon us
it's not desirable
but circumstances dictate
that no other choice is viable

Give War a chance
Give War a chance
Give War a chance
Give War a chance

The world is changing
right before our eyes
at a quicker pace than
anybody realizes

Labels: downloads, lyrics, my music, politics, PsychoVoyager, song of the week, World Affairs

But this is some funny shit right here. Via Cobb, though I first came across Zombietime's Anatomy of a Photograph via James Hudnall's site. That article has since been updated with a rebuttal to an article (itself a rebuttal) by the news organization in question (no pun intended).

Also worth looking at; The Tookie vigil from about a month ago. Hell, there's lots a' good stuff on there.

Labels: Fucking Idiots, funny-ass shit, politics, society, Truth, World Affairs

Here's an article about her new anti flag burning law.

I doubt it'll survive a constitutional challenge, even in a more conservative Supreme Court.
This part strikes me as funny;

"In her public statements, she has compared the act of flag-burning to burning a cross, which can be considered a violation of federal civil rights law."

Sure, if you do it on somebody's lawn (other than your own). On the other hand I can see a law against simply burning stuff in public, outside certain controlled situations (barbeques, bonfires, etc.). It's against the law to just throw shit on the ground, though one doesn't get arrested for littering. Who cleans up after a flag burning?

I wonder if she understands that the type of folk who think this type of law is a good idea, would probably never vote for her. Me, I'm not sure I can support her in her Senate race, now, much less want to see her as President.

Labels: bullshit, civil rights, dead links, politics

I have links to the latest articles on Blogging Of The President near the top of this page. The code was provided on the site and I used it just to see if I can. While I generally like the site, it's not one I visit daily. Sometimes when I check this page to make sure a blog entry came out okay, a post title from BOP will catch my eye and I click on it. So while this article is accessible from my site (as of this writing), I thought I'd highlight it here, as I enjoyed it and feel it should be read by as many people as possible.

From the first paragraph;

I tend not to write on Israel. There is almost no topic that it is so unproductive to be sensible about, because it is dominated by "sides" that want to be right. For the right wing, Israel is a proxy for "those fucking towelheads deserve what they get". For many others the Palestinians are proxies for "the evil corporate capitalists destroying the world". Neither position wants sense, but instead chumming their own internal spleens. The reality of the situation does not conform to the often racist and hateful desire to enshrine might makes rightism, and therefore there is little point in writing for an audience that almost does not exist.

And then he does.

or did... dead link.

Labels: blogs, dead links, politics

If you're anything like me, then you probably have no idea what these local politicians actually do. Some might see this as a good reason to stay home, but me, I think that would just be letting these guys off the hook. You'd become a vote they wouldn't have to fight (or lie) for. So I'm voting. The Long Island Press has put together a guide to help us make our choices. (if you live around here) It's no substitute for actual research, but for now, it'll have to do.
Tuesday's Election day. Go vote.

Labels: politics

I am: 29% Republican.

"You're probably one of those people who still thinks that getting a blowjob is not an impeachable offense."

Are You A Republican?


That quote actually nails it. Not sure about the percentage. A few discussions/arguements over the last few weeks over Kanye West, John Roberts, Bill Bennett, etc., had people mistaking me for conservative. Some conservative ideas and opinions do appeal to me, while there are aspects of liberal politics that do not, but I consider myself more liberal than not. And Black liberals are often more conservative than they realize.

Labels: fun, politics