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Friday, March 31, 2006
The smaller wars
Sometimes I am amazed that I stay this hopeful for world peace in spite of all I see not only in the world, but all around me. All I have to do is stay engaged in any group dynamics and I can see the roots of war. A woman wants to change something about our Women in Black vigil. Various members respond in various ways. Do I play dictator and say that what I say goes, since I am the woman with the banner? Do I insist on consensus even though it may take years to reach? Do we seek a majority vote, knowing that we may lose the members that are in the minority? And this is a small group of women that are not doing anything more than standing in "peace"!!! It is hard work to stay engaged and go through process. It is sooo worth it, but it is really hard! I don't think people like "W" have taken any classes in Non-Violent Communication or anything similar. I have and it's still hard to do this work.
Then today, I was out digging weeds out of the garden so that I could plant my peas. It was a beautiful, warm and sunny day. The birds were chirping...until...my next door neighbor shot at one. I don't know if he hit it. If he did, he didn't kill it, because it got the hell out of here. It could be injured somewhere and that thought makes me sick. This has happened many times around here. We have talked with this kid, his mother, God, everyone but the police (We did call the police on the 70-something year old man behind us who used to do the same thing), but today, I was pushed over the edge - afraid, sad, mad - and I yelled obscenities at the top of my lungs, then picked up my cordless phone, which I had outside with me, and called 911. When the woman answered, I felt embarrassed. This probably wouldn't be considered a 911 call. I apologized, but she was nice and said that she would send an officer out. Of course the kid denied doing anything. When I asked him if it wasn't him, then who was it, he told me that these trees are so tall that you can see a bird on one from two blocks away (and...?). Well, I have to work to not feel some pretty HATEFUL feelings toward him, but I won't do a pre-emptive strike even though I KNOW that he has weapons of bird destruction.
Then today, I was out digging weeds out of the garden so that I could plant my peas. It was a beautiful, warm and sunny day. The birds were chirping...until...my next door neighbor shot at one. I don't know if he hit it. If he did, he didn't kill it, because it got the hell out of here. It could be injured somewhere and that thought makes me sick. This has happened many times around here. We have talked with this kid, his mother, God, everyone but the police (We did call the police on the 70-something year old man behind us who used to do the same thing), but today, I was pushed over the edge - afraid, sad, mad - and I yelled obscenities at the top of my lungs, then picked up my cordless phone, which I had outside with me, and called 911. When the woman answered, I felt embarrassed. This probably wouldn't be considered a 911 call. I apologized, but she was nice and said that she would send an officer out. Of course the kid denied doing anything. When I asked him if it wasn't him, then who was it, he told me that these trees are so tall that you can see a bird on one from two blocks away (and...?). Well, I have to work to not feel some pretty HATEFUL feelings toward him, but I won't do a pre-emptive strike even though I KNOW that he has weapons of bird destruction.
posted by Carol at 6:30 PM
0 comments
Wednesday, March 29, 2006
Camp Casey Easter
I am preparing to go to Camp Casey for Easter. I will be going with two friends; one whose son has served in Iraq and is now in Afghanistan, and one who I went to Camp Casey with last summer. We all three did not know each other before Camp Casey last year, and now we are friends and fellow Women in Black vigilers. I feel a deepening in me that comes from getting real together as women, mothers, and people who want compassion in our world.
I am also very excited about the work that I have started to do with a group of people who want to bring attention to oppression in our city, country and world. We are a multi-cultural group with common goals to bring equality to all. I will post more on that later as our work starts gelling.
Individual rights are not subject to a public vote; a majority has no right to vote away the rights of a minority; the political function of rights is precisely to protect minorities from oppression by majorities (and the smallest minority on earth is the individual).
Ayn Rand
I am also very excited about the work that I have started to do with a group of people who want to bring attention to oppression in our city, country and world. We are a multi-cultural group with common goals to bring equality to all. I will post more on that later as our work starts gelling.
Individual rights are not subject to a public vote; a majority has no right to vote away the rights of a minority; the political function of rights is precisely to protect minorities from oppression by majorities (and the smallest minority on earth is the individual).
Ayn Rand
posted by Carol at 10:38 AM
0 comments
Sunday, March 26, 2006
Saturday, March 25, 2006
More on Camp Casey on the Quad
Radical Quaker Activist Grrl of the Rockies posts photos and her experience with Camp Casey on the Quad here in Denver at Regis University. Thank you to Elle and the others for bringing to our attention the casualties of this war - one more time. Guess it has to be done until we reach a critical mass of people who aren't going to take it anymore.
I met Elle working with a group to do counter recruitment education at Auraria Campus. I mostly collected photographs of wounded and dead U.S. soldier and Iraqi civilians for the display. Doing that work put me in a depression for a few days.
I met Elle working with a group to do counter recruitment education at Auraria Campus. I mostly collected photographs of wounded and dead U.S. soldier and Iraqi civilians for the display. Doing that work put me in a depression for a few days.
posted by Carol at 10:56 AM
2 comments
Friday, March 24, 2006
W Needs a Massage
Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi gives French President Jacques Chirac a shoulder massage at the European summit. Just think! If someone would give W, Rumsfeld, Cheney, and Rice massages... Just think of the possibilities! Look at these guys! They're smiling and laughing. No sneers!
posted by Carol at 8:00 AM
1 comments
Wednesday, March 22, 2006
Our Kids
We don't want to see the effects of our wars;the faces of the innocent, the blood and the gore.
OUR dead come home in shiny boxes, covered with flags. They're pretty and sterile; it's too much of a drag
to have to see and touch and smell the aroma
of death. Thank God we live in a coma
and can't see that
they're all our kids.
March 15, 2006 | An Iraqi looks at the bodies of three girls among a total of 11 civilians allegedly killed during a US raid near the city of Balad, north of Baghdad. The US military has ordered a probe into the killings last week, the latest in a series of allegations of abuse and indiscriminate shootings that has mired its three-year occupation of Iraq. The US military said four civilians were killed, two women, a child and a man. Irai police say 11 died including five women and four children.
(Photo: Dia Hamid / AFP)
posted by Carol at 9:50 AM
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Sunday, March 19, 2006
Camp Casey on the Quad
Article Launched: 3/19/2006 01:00 AM
Students' crosses spur war thoughts
By Jennifer Brown
DenverPost.com
Under the glow of moonlight and a few lampposts, three Regis University students and a professor pushed 2,309 craft-stick crosses into the quad until 1:30 a.m. Wednesday.
More than a dozen students joined them after peering out their dorm windows at the makeshift graveyard.
Each cross - two sticks glued together and painted white - represented a U.S. soldier killed in Iraq.
Later, students crossing the Regis quad on their way to class stopped to choose a soldier's name from the Department of Defense's list of dead and scrawl it on a cross with a marker.
Nearby, students were camped in tents in the center of the Denver campus. The number had grown to 20 toward the end of the week. They called it "Camp Casey on the Quad," after Cindy Sheehan's anti-war camp near President Bush's ranch in Crawford, Texas.
The spirit behind the peaceful protest was to force whoever passed by to think about the war, said Jim Walsh, who teaches history and humanities at Regis.
"It's in the back of our minds," he said of the Iraq war. "I don't think it's out of lack of memory; it's out of fear."
Elle Thomas, a 35-year-old peace and justice major, said the camp was meant to re-engage people in the war by asking them to remember the soldier whose name they wrote on a cross.
"We're not trying to look like leftist hippies just trying to camp out," said Thomas, who had her red hair in braids and wore a T-shirt with the university motto, "How ought we to live?"
"If you have a sense of faith, your faith should guide you. We don't want to get in the middle of the left-right debate. We just want to say, all these people have died, and that's important to realize."
Adrian Manriquez, a 21-year- old sociology and psychology major, has been against the war since the start, when he bought black sheets and tore them into armbands in protest. But, he says, classes and homework and the rest of his life sometimes have pushed activism and discussion of the war off his priority list.
"It's so much to talk about constantly all the time," Manriquez said.
Staff writer Jennifer Brown can be reached at 303-820-1593 or jbrown@denverpost.com.
Students' crosses spur war thoughts
By Jennifer Brown
DenverPost.com
Under the glow of moonlight and a few lampposts, three Regis University students and a professor pushed 2,309 craft-stick crosses into the quad until 1:30 a.m. Wednesday.
More than a dozen students joined them after peering out their dorm windows at the makeshift graveyard.
Each cross - two sticks glued together and painted white - represented a U.S. soldier killed in Iraq.
Later, students crossing the Regis quad on their way to class stopped to choose a soldier's name from the Department of Defense's list of dead and scrawl it on a cross with a marker.
Nearby, students were camped in tents in the center of the Denver campus. The number had grown to 20 toward the end of the week. They called it "Camp Casey on the Quad," after Cindy Sheehan's anti-war camp near President Bush's ranch in Crawford, Texas.
The spirit behind the peaceful protest was to force whoever passed by to think about the war, said Jim Walsh, who teaches history and humanities at Regis.
"It's in the back of our minds," he said of the Iraq war. "I don't think it's out of lack of memory; it's out of fear."
Elle Thomas, a 35-year-old peace and justice major, said the camp was meant to re-engage people in the war by asking them to remember the soldier whose name they wrote on a cross.
"We're not trying to look like leftist hippies just trying to camp out," said Thomas, who had her red hair in braids and wore a T-shirt with the university motto, "How ought we to live?"
"If you have a sense of faith, your faith should guide you. We don't want to get in the middle of the left-right debate. We just want to say, all these people have died, and that's important to realize."
Adrian Manriquez, a 21-year- old sociology and psychology major, has been against the war since the start, when he bought black sheets and tore them into armbands in protest. But, he says, classes and homework and the rest of his life sometimes have pushed activism and discussion of the war off his priority list.
"It's so much to talk about constantly all the time," Manriquez said.
Staff writer Jennifer Brown can be reached at 303-820-1593 or jbrown@denverpost.com.
posted by Carol at 10:40 PM
0 comments
Third Anniversary of this War: 2318 U.S. Dead
The temps were in the 30's today, but the precipitation waited until the rally at the capitol had finished. A crowd of 800-1000 people marched the mile and a half from East High School to the capitol. I will be interested to see 1) IF the media reports it, and 2) what numbers they give.
Our Women in Black group joined Denver's and Boulder's to stand in protest of violence - the first time that we have come together as one.
We are expecting a foot of snow here beginning tonight. Whoo hooo!
Tomorrow: 4-6 p.m. at the City and County Building. Peoples Party for Peace.
I hope that we are not standing at the capitol next year at this time for the same reason...
Our Women in Black group joined Denver's and Boulder's to stand in protest of violence - the first time that we have come together as one.
We are expecting a foot of snow here beginning tonight. Whoo hooo!
Tomorrow: 4-6 p.m. at the City and County Building. Peoples Party for Peace.
I hope that we are not standing at the capitol next year at this time for the same reason...
posted by Carol at 5:05 PM
0 comments
Saturday, March 18, 2006
Pledging to Vote for Peace
Published on Saturday, March 18, 2006 by The Nation
Pledging to Vote for Peace
by John Nichols
How many Americans would pledge to cast their votes in November only for candidates who want to end the war in Iraq?
According to a poll conducted for the new group Voters for Peace, 46 percent of likely voters agree with the pledge the group will be promoting in advance of the November, 2006, congressional elections: "I will not vote for or support any candidate for Congress or President who does not make a speedy end to the war in Iraq, and preventing any future war of aggression, a public position in his or her campaign."
One in every five voters surveyed expressed strong agreement, while 26 percent said they were at least somewhat in agreement with the statement.
Among Democrats, agreement with the pledge rises to 67 percent (33 percent strongly). Fifty-nine percent (25 percent strongly) of Independents agree, while and 26 percent (5.5 percent strongly) of Republicans are on board.
"This poll demonstrates that anti-war voters are significant enough in size to effect the outcome of elections -- if they become organized. Just like pro-gun groups have organized, pro-choice and pro-life groups have organized -- now the anti-war constituency has been identified and the peace movement is ready to organize them. This will ensure that the anti-war movement will no longer be one that can be ignored," argues Kevin Zeese, an organizer of the nonpartisan Voters for Peace initiative that launched Friday.
To continue
Pledging to Vote for Peace
by John Nichols
How many Americans would pledge to cast their votes in November only for candidates who want to end the war in Iraq?
According to a poll conducted for the new group Voters for Peace, 46 percent of likely voters agree with the pledge the group will be promoting in advance of the November, 2006, congressional elections: "I will not vote for or support any candidate for Congress or President who does not make a speedy end to the war in Iraq, and preventing any future war of aggression, a public position in his or her campaign."
One in every five voters surveyed expressed strong agreement, while 26 percent said they were at least somewhat in agreement with the statement.
Among Democrats, agreement with the pledge rises to 67 percent (33 percent strongly). Fifty-nine percent (25 percent strongly) of Independents agree, while and 26 percent (5.5 percent strongly) of Republicans are on board.
"This poll demonstrates that anti-war voters are significant enough in size to effect the outcome of elections -- if they become organized. Just like pro-gun groups have organized, pro-choice and pro-life groups have organized -- now the anti-war constituency has been identified and the peace movement is ready to organize them. This will ensure that the anti-war movement will no longer be one that can be ignored," argues Kevin Zeese, an organizer of the nonpartisan Voters for Peace initiative that launched Friday.
To continue
posted by Carol at 2:53 PM
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Friday, March 17, 2006
Gulu
I hadn't heard of Gulu Walk until today. Troy, my blog guru (don't blame him for my lame blog so far. It's my fault. But he is the man who has created this site and is giving me the impetus to look for direction) told me about it. Gulu Walk is a very touching and inspirational story about the Ugandan humanitarian crisis - and also about what some people are doing about it . Check it out. While you are are watching T.V., eating pizza, or sleeping in your comfy bed, there are children in other parts of the world walking for their lives.
From Guluwalk.com:
Who are the ‘night commuters’?
Every night, as many as 40,000 children, some as young as five years old, walk for hours from their rural villages into major urban centres so that they can sleep in relative safety. In the morning, they retrace their steps in hope of returning in time to attend school and do their daily chores. With their blankets and straw mats in tow, endless rows of youngsters walk for hours into Gulu, Kitgum and Pader, seeking refuge from what should be the safety of their own homes. Those who can't find a place in a cramped shelter often end up in bus parks or alleys, or resort to hiding out all night in the bush, waiting for the morning light. This is their daily routine because to stay home in the countryside is to risk abduction by the rebel army and be forced to fight as child soldiers in northern Uganda’s 19-year civil war. The life of a ‘night commuter’ is their best option.
From Guluwalk.com:
Who are the ‘night commuters’?
Every night, as many as 40,000 children, some as young as five years old, walk for hours from their rural villages into major urban centres so that they can sleep in relative safety. In the morning, they retrace their steps in hope of returning in time to attend school and do their daily chores. With their blankets and straw mats in tow, endless rows of youngsters walk for hours into Gulu, Kitgum and Pader, seeking refuge from what should be the safety of their own homes. Those who can't find a place in a cramped shelter often end up in bus parks or alleys, or resort to hiding out all night in the bush, waiting for the morning light. This is their daily routine because to stay home in the countryside is to risk abduction by the rebel army and be forced to fight as child soldiers in northern Uganda’s 19-year civil war. The life of a ‘night commuter’ is their best option.
posted by Carol at 10:51 PM
0 comments
I Wish I Would've Said That
Thank you to WayneBesen.com via OneGoodMove.org
Last week in Annapolis at a hearing on the proposed Constitutional Amendment to prohibit gay marriage, Jamie Raskin , professor of law at American University, was requested to testify.He did so.
At the end of his testimony, a right-wing senator said: “Mr. Raskin, my Bible says marriage is only between a man and a woman. What do you have to say about that?”
Raskin: “Senator, when you took your oath of office, you placed your hand on the Bible and swore to uphold the Constitution. You did not place your hand on the Constitution and swear to uphold the Bible.”
The room erupted into applause.
Last week in Annapolis at a hearing on the proposed Constitutional Amendment to prohibit gay marriage, Jamie Raskin , professor of law at American University, was requested to testify.He did so.
At the end of his testimony, a right-wing senator said: “Mr. Raskin, my Bible says marriage is only between a man and a woman. What do you have to say about that?”
Raskin: “Senator, when you took your oath of office, you placed your hand on the Bible and swore to uphold the Constitution. You did not place your hand on the Constitution and swear to uphold the Bible.”
The room erupted into applause.
posted by Carol at 7:26 AM
0 comments
Thursday, March 16, 2006
Teens Fear Violence
Survey: Teens Fear War, Crave Parental Contact
Anxiety About Education Also Cited
NEW YORK -- American teenagers worry about violence and fear they won't get the education they need, according to a new survey.The 43,000 teenagers who participated in the survey, conducted for the Boys and Girls Clubs of America, said they also crave more contact with their parents.The teens who participated in the study were between 13 and 18 years old.More than half of the teens identified the possibility of going to war as their greatest fear.Nearly half said their parents signficantly influence their decisions, which may come as a surprise to parents who feel their teens pulling away."They want to spend more time with their parents," said Harvard pyschiatrist Alvin Poussaint, a consultant to the organization.
Anxiety About Education Also Cited
NEW YORK -- American teenagers worry about violence and fear they won't get the education they need, according to a new survey.The 43,000 teenagers who participated in the survey, conducted for the Boys and Girls Clubs of America, said they also crave more contact with their parents.The teens who participated in the study were between 13 and 18 years old.More than half of the teens identified the possibility of going to war as their greatest fear.Nearly half said their parents signficantly influence their decisions, which may come as a surprise to parents who feel their teens pulling away."They want to spend more time with their parents," said Harvard pyschiatrist Alvin Poussaint, a consultant to the organization.
posted by Carol at 9:34 AM
0 comments
Tears
Largest Iraq Air Assault Since '03 Begins
By QASSIM ABDUL-ZAHRA, Associated Press Writer 1 minute ago
U.S. forces, joined by Iraqi troops, on Thursday launched the largest airborne assault since the U.S.-led invasion, targeting insurgent strongholds north of the capital, the military said.
The military said the operation was aimed at clearing "a suspected insurgent operating area" northeast of Samarra, 60 miles north of Baghdad, and was expected to continue over several days.
"More than 1,500 Iraqi and Coalition troops, over 200 tactical vehicles, and more than 50 aircraft participated in the operation," the military statement said of the attack designed to "clear a suspected insurgent operating area northeast of Samarra," 60 miles north of Baghdad.
The province is a major part of the so-called Sunni triangle where insurgents have been active since shortly after the U.S.-led invasion three years ago. Saddam Hussein was captured in the province, not far from its capital and his hometown, Tikrit.
Waqas al-Juwanya, a spokesman for Iraq's joint coordination center in nearby Dowr, said "unknown gunmen exist in this area, killing and kidnapping policemen, soldiers and civilians."
Near the end of the first day of the operation, the military said, "a number of enemy weapons caches have been captured, containing artillery shells, explosives, IED-making materials, and military uniforms."
It said the attack began with soldiers from the Iraqi army's 1st Brigade, 4th Division, the U.S. 101st Airborne Division's 3rd Brigade Combat Team and the 101st Combat Aviation Brigade conducting a combined air and ground assault to isolate the objective area.
Air power backed the operation and delivered troops from the Iraq army's 4th Division, the Rakkasans from 1st and 3rd Battalions, 187th Infantry Regiment and the Hunters from 2nd Squadron, 9th Cavalry Regiment to multiple objectives.
The military said forces from the 2nd Commando Brigade then completed a ground infiltration to secure numerous structures in the area.
Copyright © 2006 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. The information contained in the AP News report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press.
By QASSIM ABDUL-ZAHRA, Associated Press Writer 1 minute ago
U.S. forces, joined by Iraqi troops, on Thursday launched the largest airborne assault since the U.S.-led invasion, targeting insurgent strongholds north of the capital, the military said.
The military said the operation was aimed at clearing "a suspected insurgent operating area" northeast of Samarra, 60 miles north of Baghdad, and was expected to continue over several days.
"More than 1,500 Iraqi and Coalition troops, over 200 tactical vehicles, and more than 50 aircraft participated in the operation," the military statement said of the attack designed to "clear a suspected insurgent operating area northeast of Samarra," 60 miles north of Baghdad.
The province is a major part of the so-called Sunni triangle where insurgents have been active since shortly after the U.S.-led invasion three years ago. Saddam Hussein was captured in the province, not far from its capital and his hometown, Tikrit.
Waqas al-Juwanya, a spokesman for Iraq's joint coordination center in nearby Dowr, said "unknown gunmen exist in this area, killing and kidnapping policemen, soldiers and civilians."
Near the end of the first day of the operation, the military said, "a number of enemy weapons caches have been captured, containing artillery shells, explosives, IED-making materials, and military uniforms."
It said the attack began with soldiers from the Iraqi army's 1st Brigade, 4th Division, the U.S. 101st Airborne Division's 3rd Brigade Combat Team and the 101st Combat Aviation Brigade conducting a combined air and ground assault to isolate the objective area.
Air power backed the operation and delivered troops from the Iraq army's 4th Division, the Rakkasans from 1st and 3rd Battalions, 187th Infantry Regiment and the Hunters from 2nd Squadron, 9th Cavalry Regiment to multiple objectives.
The military said forces from the 2nd Commando Brigade then completed a ground infiltration to secure numerous structures in the area.
Copyright © 2006 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. The information contained in the AP News report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press.
posted by Carol at 9:27 AM
0 comments
Wednesday, March 15, 2006
Death Toll: 2314 U.S. & Thousands of Iraqis; Spent: $247 Billion - So Far
We Will Not Be Silenced
Don't forget to attend the march and/or rally in your area this weekend.
We want them to know that we who want an end to war; we want them to know that we are not asleep; we want them to know that we expect them to represent the people, and the people want an end to war, lies, deception, corruption, and cold-hearted cruelty to humanity in our country and all over the world.
In Denver:
Sun. March 19, March Down Colfax starting at 12:30pm, from East High School to State Capitol & Rally at the Capitol
Monday, March 20, Peoples Party for Peace, in front of the Denver City and County building from 4-6 p.m.
Don't forget to attend the march and/or rally in your area this weekend.
We want them to know that we who want an end to war; we want them to know that we are not asleep; we want them to know that we expect them to represent the people, and the people want an end to war, lies, deception, corruption, and cold-hearted cruelty to humanity in our country and all over the world.
In Denver:
Sun. March 19, March Down Colfax starting at 12:30pm, from East High School to State Capitol & Rally at the Capitol
Monday, March 20, Peoples Party for Peace, in front of the Denver City and County building from 4-6 p.m.
posted by Carol at 2:01 PM
0 comments
Done With Violence
If you have never read Mark Morford, well, you've missed out on something.
Thanks to Michael.
I Am Done With Violence
Enough scenes of horrid brutality, bloodied faces, tire irons to the knee. Can you purge?
By Mark Morford
It's happened. I have reached saturation, the threshold, my absolute limit.
I cannot watch another gruesome fight scene, another wanton massacre, another thuggish gangsta beat-down, another head-butt, skull-crush, pickax face-rip, crazed stabbing, fistfight, leg-smash, finger-chop, nose-crack, throat slash or another gruesome scene featuring a grisly one-eyed mutant hacking off a woman's arms and tearing off her face with a chainsaw and laughing maniacally.
I am, I realize, a broken American. Defective. Problematic. I know that ultraviolence is the American way. It makes us feel righteous and strong. Violence is how we stay, ahem, "free." Without violence, says everyone from the NRA to the U.S. military to the president, we would be overrun by, well, violence. It is in our blood and in our cells and deep in our gun-sucking culture and America without its violence is like a South Dakota Republican without his misogyny. I know.
But I do not care. Something has happened. Something has switched over in the past few years of my life, some sort of awareness has been raised and a threshold has been lowered and I now cannot help but see stark displays of brutish violence -- in movies, on TV, in real life -- as exactly what they are: Dark, dank, base energy, cancerous and poisonous, and I do not care where it is or if it's couched in the context of "raw" moviemaking or gritty urban inner-city tale. I am done. ...
(click here to read the rest)
Thanks to Michael.
I Am Done With Violence
Enough scenes of horrid brutality, bloodied faces, tire irons to the knee. Can you purge?
By Mark Morford
It's happened. I have reached saturation, the threshold, my absolute limit.
I cannot watch another gruesome fight scene, another wanton massacre, another thuggish gangsta beat-down, another head-butt, skull-crush, pickax face-rip, crazed stabbing, fistfight, leg-smash, finger-chop, nose-crack, throat slash or another gruesome scene featuring a grisly one-eyed mutant hacking off a woman's arms and tearing off her face with a chainsaw and laughing maniacally.
I am, I realize, a broken American. Defective. Problematic. I know that ultraviolence is the American way. It makes us feel righteous and strong. Violence is how we stay, ahem, "free." Without violence, says everyone from the NRA to the U.S. military to the president, we would be overrun by, well, violence. It is in our blood and in our cells and deep in our gun-sucking culture and America without its violence is like a South Dakota Republican without his misogyny. I know.
But I do not care. Something has happened. Something has switched over in the past few years of my life, some sort of awareness has been raised and a threshold has been lowered and I now cannot help but see stark displays of brutish violence -- in movies, on TV, in real life -- as exactly what they are: Dark, dank, base energy, cancerous and poisonous, and I do not care where it is or if it's couched in the context of "raw" moviemaking or gritty urban inner-city tale. I am done. ...
(click here to read the rest)
posted by Carol at 7:43 AM
0 comments
Tuesday, March 14, 2006
The Myth of War
From War is a Force That Gives Us Meaning by Chris Hedges:
When our own nation is at war with any other, we detest them under the character of cruel, perfidious, unjust and violent: But always esteem ourselves and allies equitable, moderate, and merciful. If the general of our enemies be successful, 'tis with difficulty we allow him the figure and character of a man. He is a sorcerer: He has a communication with daemons; as is reported of Oliver Cromwell, and the Duke of Luxembourg: He is bloody-minded, and takes a pleasure in death and destruction. But if the success be on our side, our commander has all the opposite good qualities, and is a pattern of virtue, as well as of courage and conduct. His treachery we call policy: His cruelty is an evil inseparable from war. In short, every one of his faults we either endeavour to extenuate, or dignify it with the name of that virtue, which approaches it. It is evident the same method of thinking runs thro' common life.
David Hume
A Treatise on Human Nature, 1740
posted by Carol at 9:18 AM
2 comments
Monday, March 13, 2006
Musical Missions
Cameron and Kristina, two peace-makers who have traveled to the middle east and back many times while sharing their gift of music, have their new DVD, Singing in Baghdad, available. If you are interested in understanding that people all around the world want peace and understanding, that we're all the same, and that it is not hard to reach out and build bridges between us and others, I encourage you to read about Cameron and Kristina, then see them whenever you have an opportunity. Not only will you be swept away in the beauty of the middle eastern music they perform, you will be changed from within.
From their website:
Cameron and Kristina:
Two Americans...
--who have learned to perform popular Arabic Music...
Since the Fall of 2002 they have been on the road in the Arab-speaking world and in America ...
...so that Americans can see more clearly who the Arabic-speaking people really are...
...and so that Arabs can see that there are Americans who love their music and culture and who do not believe that war is the answer...
"Musical Missionaries" are "Missionaries in Reverse": They Travel to Learn, not to Teach
Thank you guys for what you do!
From their website:
Cameron and Kristina:
Two Americans...
--who have learned to perform popular Arabic Music...
Since the Fall of 2002 they have been on the road in the Arab-speaking world and in America ...
...so that Americans can see more clearly who the Arabic-speaking people really are...
...and so that Arabs can see that there are Americans who love their music and culture and who do not believe that war is the answer...
"Musical Missionaries" are "Missionaries in Reverse": They Travel to Learn, not to Teach
Thank you guys for what you do!
posted by Carol at 9:04 AM
0 comments
Sunday, March 12, 2006
Everyone counts - no matter who kills you
Do you ever wonder why we have recently - say, in the last three months or so - started to get daily reports of Iraqi citizens killed? I don't remember ever reading the numbers until recently. Of course, their deaths are attributed to suicide bombers. Did no Iraqi citizen die before the past few months when the suicide bombings got going? What is the point of not giving any numbers - and you know we have killed hundreds of thousands so far - up until the point that we can show that, "See, they are killing their own people"???
posted by Carol at 8:19 AM
0 comments
From Cindy to Tom Fox's Family
From Cindy Sheehan to Tom Fox's Family
Cindy Sheehan
March 12, 2006
To the family of Tom Fox and to the Christian Peacemaker Teams:
My heart is breaking for Mr. Fox's family and for the world. This is a dark day for peace and justice. The loss of a man of the stature of Tom Fox and the loss of his voice for peace and reconciliation is a tragedy for our country which operates so often from a paradigm of violence. Every voice for peace is imperative and needed.
I am always told that I am brave, but what I do pales weakly in comparison with the actions of Tom Fox and the Christian Peacemakers who put their actual lives on the line everyday to make the world a better place and to save lives of our brothers and sisters who are in danger.
Jesus said: "To give up one's life for a friend, there is no greater love than this," (John 15:13). This is the same Gospel passage that was read at my son, Casey's, funeral. Jesus went on to say that it is even more sacred to give up your life for people you don't even know.
Tom lived his life out of his moral center and gave freely of his life to save lives of people he would probably never meet.
Now, the world is begging for the safe release of the other three Christian Peacemakers who are still held hostage. The way to peace is not violence. The way to peace is only through peace and a respect for all life. The killing of Tom Fox does nothing to foster peace in the Middle East but can be used for a renewed call for the immediate withdrawal of all coalition troops from Iraq so the people of Iraq can rebuild their lives and their country. So the killing of innocents and our American troops can stop.
I did not want my son's death to be exploited to justify more deaths in Iraq and I am sure Tom and his family would agree. It is past time for the cycle of violence and killing to stop.
It is time for we peacekmakers and peace activists from around the world to join our hands and our voices together to demand an end to the violence and killing.
Tom Fox and his selfless sacrifice for humanity make me proud to be a human being. I just wish such a holy act of sacrifice was not necessary or required of Tom.
Tom is at peace now, I pray for this peace for Tom's family and for our world.
In Peace and Solidarity,
Cindy Sheehan and
Gold Star Families for Peace
Cindy Sheehan
March 12, 2006
To the family of Tom Fox and to the Christian Peacemaker Teams:
My heart is breaking for Mr. Fox's family and for the world. This is a dark day for peace and justice. The loss of a man of the stature of Tom Fox and the loss of his voice for peace and reconciliation is a tragedy for our country which operates so often from a paradigm of violence. Every voice for peace is imperative and needed.
I am always told that I am brave, but what I do pales weakly in comparison with the actions of Tom Fox and the Christian Peacemakers who put their actual lives on the line everyday to make the world a better place and to save lives of our brothers and sisters who are in danger.
Jesus said: "To give up one's life for a friend, there is no greater love than this," (John 15:13). This is the same Gospel passage that was read at my son, Casey's, funeral. Jesus went on to say that it is even more sacred to give up your life for people you don't even know.
Tom lived his life out of his moral center and gave freely of his life to save lives of people he would probably never meet.
Now, the world is begging for the safe release of the other three Christian Peacemakers who are still held hostage. The way to peace is not violence. The way to peace is only through peace and a respect for all life. The killing of Tom Fox does nothing to foster peace in the Middle East but can be used for a renewed call for the immediate withdrawal of all coalition troops from Iraq so the people of Iraq can rebuild their lives and their country. So the killing of innocents and our American troops can stop.
I did not want my son's death to be exploited to justify more deaths in Iraq and I am sure Tom and his family would agree. It is past time for the cycle of violence and killing to stop.
It is time for we peacekmakers and peace activists from around the world to join our hands and our voices together to demand an end to the violence and killing.
Tom Fox and his selfless sacrifice for humanity make me proud to be a human being. I just wish such a holy act of sacrifice was not necessary or required of Tom.
Tom is at peace now, I pray for this peace for Tom's family and for our world.
In Peace and Solidarity,
Cindy Sheehan and
Gold Star Families for Peace
posted by Carol at 7:39 AM
0 comments
Saturday, March 11, 2006
We've Got to Lead to Make Sure We're the Preeminent Economic Power
W uses a question about teacher, Jay Bennish, to get on his soapbox and justify himself. Bolding and italics mine
President Bush's comments on Jay Bennish
By DenverPost.com
The following remarks by President Bush were made in Washington on Friday, March 10, 2006, before the National Newspaper Association's Government Affairs Conference.
Q I'm from Aurora, Colorado. In our town a teacher was suspended for remarks critical of your State of the Union message, made the talk shows, et cetera -- compared you to Hitler and -- actually, I've heard the tape and he didn't, he said, "Hitler-esque," but it's not --
THE PRESIDENT: He's not the only one. (Laughter.)
Q And it's not the content that my question is about. My question is about your sense of the free speech right in the classroom or in public to criticize you without being considered unpatriotic.
THE PRESIDENT: Yes, I think people should be allowed to criticize me all they want, and they do. (Laughter.) Now what are you all laughing at over there? (Laughter.) Don't cheer him on. (Laughter.)
Look, there are some certain basic freedoms that we've got to protect. The freedom of people to express themselves must be protected. The freedom of people to be able to worship freely. That freedom is valuable. I tell people all the time, you're equally American if you're a Christian, Jew, or Muslim. You're equally American if you believe in an Almighty or don't believe in an Almighty. That's a sacred freedom.
The right for people to express themselves in the public square is a freedom. Obviously, there's limitations. If, for example, someone is inciting violence, or the destruction of property, or public -- causing somebody harm (Or named Cindy Sheehan, or a middle easterner, or...). But the idea of being able to express yourself is a sacred part of our society. And that's what distinguishes us from the Taliban. And that's important for Americans to understand.
We're in an ideological struggle. And one way for people to connect the ideological struggle with reality is to think about what life was like for people under the rule of the Taliban. If you didn't agree with their view of religion, you were punished. If you tried to send your little girl to school, you were punished. These people have a backward view. I don't believe -- I believe religion is peaceful. I believe people who have religion in their heart are peaceful people. And I believe these people have subverted a great religion to accomplish a political end.
So thank you for bringing that up; I appreciate it. People say to me, my buddies in Texas, how do you handle all this stuff? After a while, you get used to it. (Laughter.) But you have to believe in what you're doing, see. You have to believe in certain principles and beliefs. And you can't let the public opinion polls and focus groups, one, cause you to abandon what you believe and become the reason for making decisions.
My job is a job where I make a lot of decisions. And I decide big things and little things. And there are certain principles to decision making. You make decisions -- you know, you have to make a lot of decisions. And you don't put your finger in the air to figure out how to make a decision. And neither should the President of the United States. And you have to know what you believe.
Good decision making rests on certain basic principles. I believe in the universality of freedom. I believe democracies lead to peace. I believe people ought to worship freely. I do believe there's an Almighty God that has spread freedom -- making freedom available for everybody. I believe in private enterprise. I believe in free enterprise. I believe in high standards in education. These are basic beliefs that I'm not going to change.
And I know some would like me to change, but you can't be a good decision maker if you're trying to please people. You've got to stand on what you believe. That's what you've got to do, if you're going to make decisions that are solid and sound. And I understand some of the things I've done are unpopular. But that's what comes with the territory.
If you're afraid to make decisions, and you only worry about whether or not people in the classroom are going to say nice things about you, you're not leading. And I think we've got to lead. We've got to lead to spread the peace, we've got to lead to protect this country, and we've got to lead to make sure we're the preeminent economic power, so our people can benefit. (Sorry, this one puts me over the edge)
President Bush's comments on Jay Bennish
By DenverPost.com
The following remarks by President Bush were made in Washington on Friday, March 10, 2006, before the National Newspaper Association's Government Affairs Conference.
Q I'm from Aurora, Colorado. In our town a teacher was suspended for remarks critical of your State of the Union message, made the talk shows, et cetera -- compared you to Hitler and -- actually, I've heard the tape and he didn't, he said, "Hitler-esque," but it's not --
THE PRESIDENT: He's not the only one. (Laughter.)
Q And it's not the content that my question is about. My question is about your sense of the free speech right in the classroom or in public to criticize you without being considered unpatriotic.
THE PRESIDENT: Yes, I think people should be allowed to criticize me all they want, and they do. (Laughter.) Now what are you all laughing at over there? (Laughter.) Don't cheer him on. (Laughter.)
Look, there are some certain basic freedoms that we've got to protect. The freedom of people to express themselves must be protected. The freedom of people to be able to worship freely. That freedom is valuable. I tell people all the time, you're equally American if you're a Christian, Jew, or Muslim. You're equally American if you believe in an Almighty or don't believe in an Almighty. That's a sacred freedom.
The right for people to express themselves in the public square is a freedom. Obviously, there's limitations. If, for example, someone is inciting violence, or the destruction of property, or public -- causing somebody harm (Or named Cindy Sheehan, or a middle easterner, or...). But the idea of being able to express yourself is a sacred part of our society. And that's what distinguishes us from the Taliban. And that's important for Americans to understand.
We're in an ideological struggle. And one way for people to connect the ideological struggle with reality is to think about what life was like for people under the rule of the Taliban. If you didn't agree with their view of religion, you were punished. If you tried to send your little girl to school, you were punished. These people have a backward view. I don't believe -- I believe religion is peaceful. I believe people who have religion in their heart are peaceful people. And I believe these people have subverted a great religion to accomplish a political end.
So thank you for bringing that up; I appreciate it. People say to me, my buddies in Texas, how do you handle all this stuff? After a while, you get used to it. (Laughter.) But you have to believe in what you're doing, see. You have to believe in certain principles and beliefs. And you can't let the public opinion polls and focus groups, one, cause you to abandon what you believe and become the reason for making decisions.
My job is a job where I make a lot of decisions. And I decide big things and little things. And there are certain principles to decision making. You make decisions -- you know, you have to make a lot of decisions. And you don't put your finger in the air to figure out how to make a decision. And neither should the President of the United States. And you have to know what you believe.
Good decision making rests on certain basic principles. I believe in the universality of freedom. I believe democracies lead to peace. I believe people ought to worship freely. I do believe there's an Almighty God that has spread freedom -- making freedom available for everybody. I believe in private enterprise. I believe in free enterprise. I believe in high standards in education. These are basic beliefs that I'm not going to change.
And I know some would like me to change, but you can't be a good decision maker if you're trying to please people. You've got to stand on what you believe. That's what you've got to do, if you're going to make decisions that are solid and sound. And I understand some of the things I've done are unpopular. But that's what comes with the territory.
If you're afraid to make decisions, and you only worry about whether or not people in the classroom are going to say nice things about you, you're not leading. And I think we've got to lead. We've got to lead to spread the peace, we've got to lead to protect this country, and we've got to lead to make sure we're the preeminent economic power, so our people can benefit. (Sorry, this one puts me over the edge)
posted by Carol at 7:12 AM
0 comments
Friday, March 10, 2006
Earth Breathes a Sigh
I don't want to celebrate before I know who the replacement will be, but OH HAPPY DAY!
(Some say "Gale Norton is no James Watt; She's Even Worse")
Sources: Interior Secretary to Resign
By JOHN HEILPRIN, Associated Press Writer Fri Mar 10, 12:53 PM ET
WASHINGTON - Interior Secretary Gale Norton is resigning after five years in
President Bush's Cabinet, The Associated Press has learned.
Norton, a former Colorado attorney general who guided the Bush administration's initiative to open Western government lands to more oil and gas drilling, planned to announce her decision Friday, a senior government official and another source familiar with her decision told the AP.
Both spoke on condition of anonymity, saying they did not want to upstage an announcement from the White House.
(Some say "Gale Norton is no James Watt; She's Even Worse")
Sources: Interior Secretary to Resign
By JOHN HEILPRIN, Associated Press Writer Fri Mar 10, 12:53 PM ET
WASHINGTON - Interior Secretary Gale Norton is resigning after five years in
President Bush's Cabinet, The Associated Press has learned.
Norton, a former Colorado attorney general who guided the Bush administration's initiative to open Western government lands to more oil and gas drilling, planned to announce her decision Friday, a senior government official and another source familiar with her decision told the AP.
Both spoke on condition of anonymity, saying they did not want to upstage an announcement from the White House.
posted by Carol at 4:18 PM
0 comments
Trading Places
I had to miss the International Women's Day vigil, because I got a nasty throat crud that feels like knives are twisting in my lymph nodes every time I swallow. It was a cold and snowy night and I stayed home to mope in my misery. Well, actually, I watched the DVD of Trading Places - hadn't seen it since it came out, and the only thing I remembered about it was Eddie Murphy sitting in the Jacuzzi saying that the only way he got bubbles in his bath back home was if he farted. It was the perfect mindless movie to watch while feeling, well, mindless.
I didn't know that AL FRANKEN is in the movie!!! Small part - and he looks so young!
While sitting around with no energy to do anything, I started snooping around Google to see if I could find any of my old high school classmates and see what they're up to. Men are easier to find, since they don't change their last names. One man I found just wrote his first book (was an oil and gas man until recently) which actually looks like it could be good.
Then I found X. I dated him - once. It was my first concert. At Red Rocks Amphitheater. Three Dog Night. I was young and naive. He was the kind of guy that my parents thought was great - which meant I was not interested in him. At the concert, a woman who was stoned out of her mind fell down next to me and freaked me out. I had never seen anything like that before. X was a nice guy, but you, know, my MOM liked him. Well, I read now that he was in the MARINES and he is into all kinds of war stuff, which I will not go further into in order to protect the identity of all parties.
What is weirdest is that I saw recent photos of both of these men and I wouldn't have recognized them if my life depended on it. They got OLD! What the heck?!?
posted by Carol at 9:10 AM
0 comments
Thursday, March 09, 2006
What is biased???
Does this mean our textbooks would also have to be re-written in order to assist the teachers in giving a less biased view of what the U.S. has done in its history???
Senator Wants To Protect Schools Who Fire Biased Teachers
POSTED: 3:42 pm MST March 9, 2006
DENVER -- The case of the Aurora teacher who made comparisons between President George W. Bush and Adolf Hitler has now hit the state Legislature.
State senators are considering whether to give school districts greater protection to fire teachers who present biased views in the classroom. It wouldn't apply to teacher Jay Bennish, only future cases.
The Cherry Creek School District is investigating Bennish's comments. A recording of 20 minutes of his lecture has been made public but he has said the rest of the 50-minute class balanced out those comments.
State Sen. Doug Lamborn saif school districts may fear lawsuits if they fire teachers for presenting unbalanced views. The Colorado Springs Republican is trying to amend a teacher license bill to add showing a pattern of failing to provide balanced viewpoints is grounds for dismissal.
Under current law, the reasons a teacher can be fired include a physical or mental disability, immorality, unsatisfactory performance, insubordination or conviction of a felony.
A vote on Lamborn's amendment was delayed Thursday to give lawmakers time to think about adding it on to the bill.
Senator Wants To Protect Schools Who Fire Biased Teachers
POSTED: 3:42 pm MST March 9, 2006
DENVER -- The case of the Aurora teacher who made comparisons between President George W. Bush and Adolf Hitler has now hit the state Legislature.
State senators are considering whether to give school districts greater protection to fire teachers who present biased views in the classroom. It wouldn't apply to teacher Jay Bennish, only future cases.
The Cherry Creek School District is investigating Bennish's comments. A recording of 20 minutes of his lecture has been made public but he has said the rest of the 50-minute class balanced out those comments.
State Sen. Doug Lamborn saif school districts may fear lawsuits if they fire teachers for presenting unbalanced views. The Colorado Springs Republican is trying to amend a teacher license bill to add showing a pattern of failing to provide balanced viewpoints is grounds for dismissal.
Under current law, the reasons a teacher can be fired include a physical or mental disability, immorality, unsatisfactory performance, insubordination or conviction of a felony.
A vote on Lamborn's amendment was delayed Thursday to give lawmakers time to think about adding it on to the bill.
posted by Carol at 4:12 PM
0 comments
Tuesday, March 07, 2006
If I harmed another...
...what would be the consequences???
These editor's notes are printed on Truthout's website as intros to articles telling of Cindy Sheehan's arrest yesterday in NY as she was trying to deliver a petition to end the war. These notes tell of the rough handling by the police. While looking at the arrest photos yesterday, I had noticed that the police were carrying Cindy in a positiion that compromised the integrity of her shoulder.
Editor's Note: t r u t h o u t 's Rebecca MacNeice was on the ground in New York filming the events when the arrests took place. Rebecca described the police as very rough. She said that many in the crowd were thrown against a building, including the press. She described the arrestees as being "dragged off" in a rough manner. TO also spoke to Cindy Sheehan's sister, Dee Dee Miller, who spoke to Cindy after the arrest. Dee Dee said that Cindy indicated that the police were very rough with her and the other three arrested. She said that they were requesting an ambulance, but we have not confirmed that anyone was seriously injured. Ann Wright, who was also on the scene, confirmed that the police were very rough and described that the arrestees were carried with their arms behind their backs. She said at times that their arms were raised very high, which could have caused an injury. We will have footage of the arrests very soon.
Steve Kent from Democracy Now! has provided us with the following update:
Here is an update on the arrest of Cindy Sheehan and three other activists at the UN today when they attempted to deliver a petition with 72,000 signatures organized by womensaynotowar.org to the United States mission. The four are being held now at Police Service Area 4, 8th Street and Avenue C, on their way to the DA's office. They are to be charged with resisting arrest. Sheehan is apparently rather injured from the arrest, according to Rev. Patti Ackerman, who just called from custody, with a wrenched arm and bruises on her torso and head from being dropped on the pavement. After initially telling the activists they could deliver the petitions to a receptionist at the US Mission, where they had an appointment to do so, the New York police cited a change of plan from "higher up" and moved in to prevent the delivery and arrest the activists. In addition to rough handling of Ms. Sheehan, one of the Iraqi women with the group was punched in the stomach. This according to Rev. Ackerman on the phone. One broadcast producer with whom I spoke who saw footage of the incident said the police were "particularly nasty" in their handling of the women.
These editor's notes are printed on Truthout's website as intros to articles telling of Cindy Sheehan's arrest yesterday in NY as she was trying to deliver a petition to end the war. These notes tell of the rough handling by the police. While looking at the arrest photos yesterday, I had noticed that the police were carrying Cindy in a positiion that compromised the integrity of her shoulder.
Editor's Note: t r u t h o u t 's Rebecca MacNeice was on the ground in New York filming the events when the arrests took place. Rebecca described the police as very rough. She said that many in the crowd were thrown against a building, including the press. She described the arrestees as being "dragged off" in a rough manner. TO also spoke to Cindy Sheehan's sister, Dee Dee Miller, who spoke to Cindy after the arrest. Dee Dee said that Cindy indicated that the police were very rough with her and the other three arrested. She said that they were requesting an ambulance, but we have not confirmed that anyone was seriously injured. Ann Wright, who was also on the scene, confirmed that the police were very rough and described that the arrestees were carried with their arms behind their backs. She said at times that their arms were raised very high, which could have caused an injury. We will have footage of the arrests very soon.
Steve Kent from Democracy Now! has provided us with the following update:
Here is an update on the arrest of Cindy Sheehan and three other activists at the UN today when they attempted to deliver a petition with 72,000 signatures organized by womensaynotowar.org to the United States mission. The four are being held now at Police Service Area 4, 8th Street and Avenue C, on their way to the DA's office. They are to be charged with resisting arrest. Sheehan is apparently rather injured from the arrest, according to Rev. Patti Ackerman, who just called from custody, with a wrenched arm and bruises on her torso and head from being dropped on the pavement. After initially telling the activists they could deliver the petitions to a receptionist at the US Mission, where they had an appointment to do so, the New York police cited a change of plan from "higher up" and moved in to prevent the delivery and arrest the activists. In addition to rough handling of Ms. Sheehan, one of the Iraqi women with the group was punched in the stomach. This according to Rev. Ackerman on the phone. One broadcast producer with whom I spoke who saw footage of the incident said the police were "particularly nasty" in their handling of the women.
posted by Carol at 8:52 AM
0 comments
Monday, March 06, 2006
Glitzin' While Rome Burns
I can't believe I spent over three hours watching the Academy Awards! That might have been the first time I have ever done that! And it wasn't worth it - for many reasons. One of them being that, JON, YOU LET ME DOWN!!! Eh, what did I expect...
Oh well, three hours of pretending that glitz was important wasn't so much. I am really glad that most of the films that were honored had messages that mattered.
Now, back to the real world with Noam Chomsky:
World in Peril, Chomsky Tells Overflow Crowd
by Brian Liberatore
VESTAL, New York - There are dire consequences to the current direction of the U.S. foreign policy, said Noam Chomsky in a speech Saturday at Binghamton University. Among those consequences, he said, is a nuclear Armageddon.
"Under the current U.S. policies, a nuclear exchange is inevitable," the 77-year-old MIT professor said in his presentation, "Imminent Crises: Paths Toward Solutions." He spoke to an over-capacity crowd in BU's Osterhout Concert Theater.
Chomsky cited nuclear proliferation and environmental collapse as the two greatest crises that "literally threaten survival."
Since the 1960s Chomsky, a widely acclaimed professor of linguistics, has crusaded against political contradiction, nuclear proliferation and Israel's treatment of Palestinians. Regarded by many as the greatest intellectual alive today and dismissed by others as a radical, Chomsky has voiced harsh criticism against the foreign policy of the United States since World War II.
About 1,500 people crammed into the main theater, while a television broadcast the speech to a room of about 500 next door. Ushers were forced to turn hundreds of people away as the building filled beyond its capacity...
..."I think one should be very optimistic for the reasons I just mentioned," Chomsky said. "The large majority of the population already agrees with the things activists are committed to. All we have to do is organize people who are convinced."
Click for rest of article
Oh well, three hours of pretending that glitz was important wasn't so much. I am really glad that most of the films that were honored had messages that mattered.
Now, back to the real world with Noam Chomsky:
World in Peril, Chomsky Tells Overflow Crowd
by Brian Liberatore
VESTAL, New York - There are dire consequences to the current direction of the U.S. foreign policy, said Noam Chomsky in a speech Saturday at Binghamton University. Among those consequences, he said, is a nuclear Armageddon.
"Under the current U.S. policies, a nuclear exchange is inevitable," the 77-year-old MIT professor said in his presentation, "Imminent Crises: Paths Toward Solutions." He spoke to an over-capacity crowd in BU's Osterhout Concert Theater.
Chomsky cited nuclear proliferation and environmental collapse as the two greatest crises that "literally threaten survival."
Since the 1960s Chomsky, a widely acclaimed professor of linguistics, has crusaded against political contradiction, nuclear proliferation and Israel's treatment of Palestinians. Regarded by many as the greatest intellectual alive today and dismissed by others as a radical, Chomsky has voiced harsh criticism against the foreign policy of the United States since World War II.
About 1,500 people crammed into the main theater, while a television broadcast the speech to a room of about 500 next door. Ushers were forced to turn hundreds of people away as the building filled beyond its capacity...
..."I think one should be very optimistic for the reasons I just mentioned," Chomsky said. "The large majority of the population already agrees with the things activists are committed to. All we have to do is organize people who are convinced."
Click for rest of article
posted by Carol at 5:55 PM
0 comments
International Women's Day This Wednesday, 3-8
Women say no to war! – March 8
On March 8, International Women’s Day, people across the country will stand up for peace. In Denver, a Code Pink action is being sponsored by the NW Denver group Community Voices for Peace. The vigil will be at the corner of Speer and Federal from 4 until 6 p.m. Men, women, and kids are welcome to join us with signs saying (for example) “Women say no to war” “Money for books not bombs” “War kills precious people”. For information, email CVPdenver@hotmail.com.
On March 8, International Women’s Day, people across the country will stand up for peace. In Denver, a Code Pink action is being sponsored by the NW Denver group Community Voices for Peace. The vigil will be at the corner of Speer and Federal from 4 until 6 p.m. Men, women, and kids are welcome to join us with signs saying (for example) “Women say no to war” “Money for books not bombs” “War kills precious people”. For information, email CVPdenver@hotmail.com.
posted by Carol at 7:12 AM
0 comments
Sunday, March 05, 2006
If you meet the buddha on the road
He made his stand
And I made mine
I stood for peace
Go do something useful
He yelled
As he entered the mall
posted by Carol at 1:41 PM
0 comments
If this isn't nice, what is?
Harvey Wasserman on Kurt Vonnegut (who is on my top ten list of heroes)
xoxox to Kurt
xoxox to Kurt
posted by Carol at 1:35 PM
0 comments
And It's 1 2 3 What Are We Fightin' For?
Okay, this is how old I am. I was getting ready for my sophomore year of high school when Woodstock happened. I was becoming aware of the world at that time and the I Feel Like I'm Fixin' to Die Rag was one of the songs that defined my world. Country Joe is still speaking out. Check out his Support the Troops song and other assorted stuff.
posted by Carol at 9:15 AM
0 comments
Saturday, March 04, 2006
Searching for Truth
A video on 9-11 worth watching.
Thank you to iamerican who mentioned this video link in the comments section on my last post. I thought it worthy of re-posting here. In case the link doesn't work (which just happened to me), try this site.
Thank you to iamerican who mentioned this video link in the comments section on my last post. I thought it worthy of re-posting here. In case the link doesn't work (which just happened to me), try this site.
posted by Carol at 9:47 AM
0 comments
Thinking or Towing the Right Line
How to support Jay Bennish - the Colorado teacher who tried to teach his students to think:
Vote on-line: http://blogs.rockymountainnews.com/denver/rockytalklive/
Support the Colorado ACLU: http://www.aclu-co.org/
And this is the day that I give links to hateful sites. It is good to read all points of view.
Doing a Google News search on Jay Bennish, I found such titles as: "The Assault on our Students Continues", Case of the Commie Teacher , and The Destruction of an American Generation.
And that was just on the first page!!! Very dramatic. And a nice diversion from the bigger issues such as those we might find if we really debated the actual content of the comments made by Bennish. I also find it interesting that the kid went right away to right-wing media person, Mike Rosen, instead of the principal or school board. Not very appropriate.
Vote on-line: http://blogs.rockymountainnews.com/denver/rockytalklive/
Support the Colorado ACLU: http://www.aclu-co.org/
And this is the day that I give links to hateful sites. It is good to read all points of view.
Doing a Google News search on Jay Bennish, I found such titles as: "The Assault on our Students Continues", Case of the Commie Teacher , and The Destruction of an American Generation.
And that was just on the first page!!! Very dramatic. And a nice diversion from the bigger issues such as those we might find if we really debated the actual content of the comments made by Bennish. I also find it interesting that the kid went right away to right-wing media person, Mike Rosen, instead of the principal or school board. Not very appropriate.
posted by Carol at 7:52 AM
2 comments
A Tale of Two Soldiers
One Good Move is still one of my favorite sites. Found this on it today:
"A Tale of Two Soldiers Two Kansas City grunts who took bullets on the same day struggle with surviving the war. By Ben Paynter. via fp Ben is an excellent writer never getting in the way of the story. Give it a read. A paragraph or two and you'll be hooked. "
"A Tale of Two Soldiers Two Kansas City grunts who took bullets on the same day struggle with surviving the war. By Ben Paynter. via fp Ben is an excellent writer never getting in the way of the story. Give it a read. A paragraph or two and you'll be hooked. "
posted by Carol at 7:43 AM
0 comments
Friday, March 03, 2006
Three Year Anniversary of American Violence and Occupation of Iraq
Another video to remind us of what we must do. If you live in the Denver area, let your voices be heard at the upcoming events. In other states, check out United for Peace and Justice
Stop the Violence! Stop the War at Home and Abroad!
Sun. March 19
March Down Colfax starting at 12:30pm, from East High School to State Capitol; Rally at the Capitol - Denver
Peace Party
Monday, March 20, 4-6 pm, Denver City and County Building (on Bannock between Colfax and 14th Ave.); at 5:30, go with others to support November 3 Movement in asking Denver City Council to pass a resolution to end the war.
Stop the Violence! Stop the War at Home and Abroad!
Sun. March 19
March Down Colfax starting at 12:30pm, from East High School to State Capitol; Rally at the Capitol - Denver
Peace Party
Monday, March 20, 4-6 pm, Denver City and County Building (on Bannock between Colfax and 14th Ave.); at 5:30, go with others to support November 3 Movement in asking Denver City Council to pass a resolution to end the war.