politicrit

2003-04-21T16:06:00.000-05:00

i threw away my tv. the clouds came in and it was sprinkling. i smashed it in a giant puddle that was left over from a late april snow i think i saw some smoke so i lit one up. it felt so good to see the tv guts in the parking lot, all strewn about as if the tv tself decided it was unsafe to exist any longer and took its own life. i wish that were so, then i wouldn't have to explain to my dad why i did the act. think of it, its much easier to say, "well it just started smoking so i brought it outside and all of a sudden it combusted from the inside out, I was lucky to have survived!"

2003-04-14T19:36:00.000-05:00

fair is on it.

2003-04-12T14:07:00.000-05:00

"This is a scene from hell here. All the vehicles on fire. There are bodies burning around me, there are bodies lying around, there are bits of bodies."

John Simpson
Independent UK

(Monday 7 April 2003)

I never knew that freedom smelled so good. Actually I've never smelled burning flesh before. I'll be sure to ask someone who comes home from Iraq if they experienced it. Oh, but that might be insensitive. It would be like asking a Gulf War vet about the worms that got into his brain while he was in the desert, or like asking a family in Iraq what it's like to be exposed to depleted uranium, everyone gets cancer. I should be careful what I say, what I ask, who I talk to, better not ask too many questions. Freedom smells too good to ruin for everyone.

2003-04-09T19:05:00.000-05:00

new link on left bar: truthout

nothing wrong with a little truth in the darkest days of war and deception. we are just stupid enough to sacrifice it.

2003-04-09T19:03:00.000-05:00

new link on left bar:

2003-04-09T18:48:00.000-05:00

simple science, and a guide.

interesting to think about how we sell ouselves in general. i mean in a university we are required to sell our ideas to our professors. not a money deal but like in this article selling by "word and deed"-not easy. especially when you are not sure what you need, want or can afford to sell in the first place.

2003-04-09T18:43:00.000-05:00

short announcement:
the campus greens will once again be sponsoring michael moore's oscar winning documentary, "Bowling for Columbine".
you too can join the hillarious horror ride on this friday at 7:30 sharp.
join us in the education arts lecture hall 115 (bottom floor)

and in the mean time check out moore's bush/hussein brawl page.

2003-04-09T18:38:00.000-05:00

civilian body count database

the one thing aobut the war that you will not hear or see in the mainstrem news media is the above information.

franks: we don't do body counts

gravedigger: we count every one, well, 'cept when they're bombed to bits, its hard to count each piece and figger out how many bodys per pound of guts.

franks: we don't do nukes

ghost of iraqi: well eexceept for thee one that burrowed its leetle teep into my office beeldeeng. it blew, then blew again once deep into thee rubble.

franks: we don't do beans

iraqi mother: oh but what about the cans of beans you've been feeding the american public. you get them to enjoy the idea of destruction so much that when it comes time to rebuild they actually think it will boost their own economy. i've got news for you blastin' boy genius, the only economy you'll enhance is that of the top 1% that live in your stinkin' states.

2003-04-03T11:50:00.000-06:00

Taking journalistic neutrality seriously doesn't mean a simplistic he said/she said balancing of claims. It means subjecting the claims of all sides to the same critical scrutiny.

neutruthity

i don't know much about the history of arnett, but it seems as though what ever his mistakes were, they were done in order to correct some much bigger ones in the past. perhaps allowing the war mongers to report the way they see the war is just not enough anymore. and like the writer mentioned, when reporters "criticize" the war tactics, they are not criticizing the reasons for war itself. they are agreeing to an unjust attack, trying to stick their finger in the pie and wiggle out a few cherries for themselves.

2003-04-03T11:38:00.000-06:00

yikes i've been gone for a while. humblest apologies to myself and my grade.

announcement: louise mengelkoch and i will be showing "Bowling for Columbine"
room 115 of the Education Arts building, right here at BSU! The movie will begin at 5:30 pm and all are welcome to stay for a discussion afterward.

2003-03-26T16:57:00.000-06:00

Machelle's full Nelson

setting up a scenario for world war III
America the beautiful is all about ME
Lady liberty, polishing her rocks
the hounds around her dress
they say she needs new frocks
nothing will come without a mess
hide your tears Lady liberty

2003-03-25T15:45:00.000-06:00

moore's oscar!

as you can see i really like michael moore. dog bless him for speaking the truth. fictious, i love it!

2003-03-25T15:27:00.000-06:00

"Anyone who has the power to make you believe absurdities has the power to make you commit injustices," Voltaire wrote in 1767

how far can we follow blindly? when our blindness turns to a deafening scream of innocent deaths worldwide will we open our eyes? or will we continue on squeezing them tighter and listening harder to an unelected president, following in goosestep behind an arogant war machine so that we might not be trampled underneath it? but what about the trampled? could every iraqi civilian be evil? does the evil reside in the heart of the black moustached man-our demon? could we at least ask why? and get an answer besides war=peace?

casualties of war-first truth, then conscience
"In the domestic media siege being maintained by top-notch spinners and shrewd political advisers at the White House, conscience is in the cross hairs. They aim to intimidate, stampede and suppress the many millions of Americans who recognize the deranged and murderous character of the war makers in Washington." -Norman Solomon

2003-03-21T10:53:00.000-06:00

here is the link. it is right on "target".

2003-03-21T10:29:00.000-06:00

charlie hartwell opposes war. he is 18 and the son of a good friend of mine. the pioneer went to the high school to find out what students are saying about the "war".
charlie's father, william hartwell is also in the pioneer for standing up against the terror campaign.

2003-03-21T10:25:00.000-06:00

For this reason [pilger], journalists and broadcasters now have a special duty to rebel. Wherever they are, they should follow their conscience, not the demands of a propaganda machine, however subtle and seductive, and materially rewarding.

w: sounds like those brits's got some problems. their protesters are even louder than ours.
rummy: what??? i can't hear you over the bombs!!!
w: hey! turn down that tv, rums!
rummy: hey, look-there goes my favorite tank! them boys even painted an apache warrior headress on the side of it! whooooowheeee, baby we at war!
w: do ya think the boys liked the steak and lobster dinner we gave em last night?
rummy: hey man, can't fight on an empty stomach.

2003-03-18T14:44:00.000-06:00

michael moore can't be stopped.
and i'm sure the man actually sent it.

2003-03-18T14:26:00.000-06:00

picasso to powell

i am not a poetry girl, like i've mentioned before. i am an art girl though.

no, i've never the seen the painting Guernica, done in 1937 by Pablo Picasso, but i feel like its image is coming ghostily into my consciousness. it is an enormous work for one thing. millions have seen it.

think about it in terms of the 'shock and awe' strategy that the pentagon has been raving about.

2003-03-18T14:00:00.000-06:00

moment of truth(?)

2003-03-18T13:32:00.000-06:00

How to Tell Your Kids About War

Keep discussions on their level.
Children have trouble with abstract thoughts like "it protects our freedom," but they may understand "we have to do something bad to prevent something worse in the future," she tells WebMD. "We can also help our children understand democracy, that it's OK for people to express different opinions. It's not that we don't like our leaders, or are being disrespectful. In a democracy, people are expected to think for themselves."

Reassure children.
Tell them: "We will still eat the same things we've been eating, at the same times. You'll still have to go to school, you'll wear the same clothes." Let children know what's changing, what isn't.

politicrit is surprised to hear someone mention the words democracy and "think for themselves" in an article dealing with the "war". of course politicrit's buddy chomsky wouldn't call it a "war". i know boys and girls, let's come up with a new name for the upcoming events. because war has been going on for ever and ages it is not a term that suffices in our current situation.

here's how it will work: i'll make a list of terms, you vote on which one is most applicable. you can do this by using the comment option at the bottom of this entry.

massacre
aggressive injury to innocents
unilateral attack
destruction campaign
shock and all those people will die
illegal killing campaign
empire building exercise
white guys play with their guns
military glut and punish
neo-fascist attack
iraqocaust
orwell's battleground
wwIII

like any of these?

2003-03-17T11:29:00.000-06:00

the following links are provided for you information. consider them educational links rather than opinion, please. there is a lot of spending going on in this nation, USA, the richest ever at any time in history. we need to reconsider what we are buying and if our purchases are speeding up the destruction of our earth and people. no joke.

2003-03-17T11:26:00.000-06:00

how to resist paying for war (how many bombs can a taxpayer buy?)

military spending

our own spending

H.R.1186-an option
Title: To affirm the religious freedom of taxpayers who are conscientiously opposed to participation in war, to provide that the income, estate, or gift tax payments of such taxpayers be used for nonmilitary purposes, to create the Religious Freedom Peace Tax Fund to receive such tax payments, to improve revenue collection, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Rep Lewis, John [GA-5] (introduced 3/22/2001)
Latest Major Action: 3/22/2001 Referred to House committee. Status: Referred to the House Committee on Ways and Means.

2003-03-13T13:19:00.000-06:00

freedom fries

scene: an 8 year old girl, her baby brother, and her manicured mother are riding up Paul Bunyan Drive in the "family freedom" model Ford SUV. they are munching away on McDonalds chicken nuggets and 'french fries'.

girl: mommy, my fries are getting cold.

mom: eat faster honey. we're almost home and mommy has lots to do when we get there.

baby: waa waa waa

girl: mommy, my fries just whispered to me. they said "freedom".

mom: quit making up stories, honey.

girl: it's true, they just did it again. why would they say that?

mom: well, honey, our country is going to war to fight for freedom.

girl: don't we already have it?

mom: well, yes, i guess so. but if we don't go to war we might lose it.

girl: how, mommy?

baby: waahhh waahhh

girl: will someone take it and make us go into jail or tie us up?

mom: well, not exactly. but we can never be too sure and we're not really qualified to think in depth about what freedom really means on our own. we have to trust our government.

baby: wwwwaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhh wwwaaaaaaahhhhhh

mom: shhhhhh, baby.

girl: i want freedom, mommy. can i fight in the war too? i'll protect you and daddy.

baby: stop it! wahhhhaaahhhh. think. whhhhhaaaaaaaaahh

the SUV passes by the enormous Perkins restaurant flag and heads for home. mom feeds her kids at least one meal from mcDonalds every week.

what girl does not know is that it will be her legacy, her environment, her devastation to clean up if this nation goes to war. world war III is on the rise and it will be our children's war. no pacifist is a cowrd. every peacemaker is to be applauded.

2003-03-11T14:39:00.000-06:00

People included Rumsfeld in its most recent list of the sexiest men alive.

according to richard goldstein, our nation is undergoing a scary synthesis of politics and pop culture. the results can be seen not only in the way we view gender differences between men and women, but the gendered similarities between george bush and eminem.

the neo-macho man is our firefighter. his hose is strong and always full.

2003-03-09T17:02:00.000-06:00

just war inspired me to alter my typical style of swearing into one that incorporates our divine leader.

"bush it"
"oh george"
"holy w"

But, the president said, America had to see that it is “encountering evil” in the form of Saddam Hussein. The country had no choice but to confront it, by war if necessary. “If anyone can be at peace,” Bush said, “I am at peace about this.”

"yessireeebob! i'm at peace with killin'"
-w.

war=peace
ignorance=strength
freedom=slavery

read it

2003-03-06T15:14:00.000-06:00

The American way of life is not negotiable.

sing us the song of a bloodied bully in a made-in-china shop
the American way is way too much.

hungry always, fattening usually, empty caloric minds
finding all the news on time, all the time.

without an enemy we are the weakest
without a fight we are not free

snuggling up to oilguzzling, moviemachine, backbreakers
oppose and do so with a tiretrack back.

2003-03-03T20:19:00.000-06:00

technical difficulties. blogger cannot find my template, but i wish to copy the following information into it. i'll save it here for now, blogger will get with it later i hope.

Project Blogs

tallchief: the language instinct in action

m lindahl: politicrit

benedix: cold comfort

gibbins: rants, ramblings...

jing tong: spectacle

brown: children's voices

althiser: rowanstaff's realm

kuehn: PoeAZ

steinkopf: planning, acting, reflecting

loud: walkawayrenee

murray: joggua

delos reyes: ataloss4words

Project Wikis

a lindahl:timeline wiki

novacek: hypertext adventure

eudeikis: tribute to j rosenberg

bradley: poetry and response

page: open door

cunningham: personal progress

prehn: healthcare wiki

hunt: wikicircles

klint: life's writing

2003-03-03T19:30:00.000-06:00

like i said about the protest story...

so there was a story. it was a near replica of the story that was printed before the protest-a list of speakers. the person who wrote the story failed to stay at the event long enough to hear the headline speaker, winona laduke.

2003-03-03T18:15:00.000-06:00

nation writer revisits poverty

poor people in this country? that's a joke.
we are at the top. everyone has a chance to succeed.
the opportunities are there.
if those girls would just stop having babies.
fucking homeless. get a job. new shoes. brush your teeth.

other half? we're in this together, remeber what bush said, sacrifice.

you sacrifice, i don't have to. i have the means not to.

2003-02-25T12:34:00.000-06:00

does everyone know that winona laduke will be speaking on campus this saturday? area peace organizers have put together a march (begins at 11:45) from paul bunyan to the bsu crying wolf room. at the crying wolf there may be music, speakers-dean zimmerman, green city councilperson, will be one of them. can't remember all the rest, but don't expect to see a story on it in the pioneer.

some of the organizers in this group have been protesting war and violence every thursday downtown since AUGUST! and there have been two small stories on it-generally when connected to a global peace movement (ex.feb 15) rather than as an issue that is meaningful to our community.

the second half of this invite is to let you all know that the headwaters green party (local affiliate of the green party of minnesota) will be having a fundraiser out at jammers that very night. it begins at 7, bands include: jim miller, drew's cruisers, "aaron tank and friends open mic drum circle". jammers is 7 miles north of town on old 71.

2003-02-24T18:48:00.000-06:00

why is everyone so mean to me?

w: hey dickie-doo, can you read this for me pardner? laura said it ain't good.

the chain: well, sir, i can't advise yer hearin' this an all.

w: please?

chain: say please daddy.

w: please puppetmaster, big daddio-cardio master flex!

chain: well, cowboy, it seems as though this hear jernalist thinks that yer an invention. he also says that people are crazy for believin' in your and your everlovin' fightin' spirit. people just don't know what a real man is these days, sir george.

w: he he he i love when you call me that chenmeister.

2003-02-19T12:16:00.000-06:00

can the rallies make a difference?

the following dialouge is taken excerptly from bbc's talking point

England Paul: Majority public opinion seems opposed to war with Iraq regardless of the circumstances, much as it was in 1930's Europe in the face of Nazi Germany's aggression. Had public opinion prevailed then, people today would not have the right to protest about anything.

Boulder Allen: But public protest is necessary in order to uphold the values of democracy!

politicrit: yes, we have ourselves a democracy in the U.S. but a failing one. the only thing keeping it alive it the willingness of citizens to participate. if this creative and ever strengthening voice goes unheard into the spongy caverns of w's earplugs it will grow fingers and learn to pick those earplugs out!

England Paul: Of course the public should have the right and means to air their views....

politicrit: that's better, paul. but have you even considered that the means to air our views is next to nonexsistant. granted you guys have the bbc. we've got fox. we report, you decide, i'm sure you've heard of it.

Arlington Aftab Siddiqui: I was on the streets because the mainstream media is ignoring the voice of millions of Americans who are for peace. Previous peace demonstrations have been given scant coverage.

Alexandria Meerkat: Anti-war protestors would have much more credibility if they also protested against Saddam's war crimes, crimes against humanity and massive human rights violations in Iraq. Let's forget anything bad that ever happens here and focus completely on a foreign nation with values we don't understand, terroristic threats, tons'o'oil, and a James Bond style arch nemesis!

Chicago Tom: yiipppeeee, that's right pretty lady! remember little dogies, you are either with us or against us.

politicrit: simmer down you cracked out cowboy! with who? against what? are you so devotionally trained to repeat every little hypnopeadic utterance of our king that you've forgottten that old popular adage...you know that one about "divided we fall"?

Phillipines Abigail: Divided we are! The world is acting like a circus. Government leaders are hurling insults at each other like school children. I am sure that Bin Laden and Saddam Hussein are laughing their heads off. Their "war" has already begun. It is being waged within the hearts and minds of the citizens of the world, tearing nations apart. Military might is no longer the gauge of strength because the battlefield is abstract. We must unite in protest so that Bush and Blair will see with their eyes what their hearts cannot feel.

Osaka Seiji Kshikawa: For the future, I think we all need to share an idea that we are the citizens of the world.

politicrit: novel idea. i think that was one of the most important messages that was missed or purposely avoided in the coverage of saturday's events. Prasad, you had said something about who the U.S. has been supporting with money, weapons, dirty dealings...an idea that has also been passed by in common coverage.

India Prasad Metta: I repeat, the anti-war protestors are not supporting Saddam. They are opposing the double standards of the Western governments in propping up evil dictators when it suits them and deposing them when it doesn't, killing thousands of innocents in the process. All the nations that the US has bases in, in the Middle East are despotic regimes. Let the U.S. overthrow them first to prove its sacred intentions.

Italy Katherine: Surely no-one protesting today wants to show support for the tyrannical regime in Iraq. But the US and UK have supported it themselves whenever it suited them, as indeed they shore up despotic regimes around the world. I simply cannot support the hypocrisy.

Canada Nick: Iraq's regime has an absolutely appalling human rights record. Those who march are supporting this record as they are opposing the only possible method available to remove him from power.

politicrit: you are missing the point, dolt! military action means bombs. bombs are not effective in removing dictators. they remove innocent human life from the face of the earth-the same human life whose human rights you are soooooooooo concerned about! i think one human right is the right to live don't you?

Chinchester Clive: The issue should be to remove the dictator and his government-not destroy the families of Iraq!

Birmingham Steven: There must be a way at the beginning of the 21st century for all the nations of the world to address the problem of tyranny that does not depend on blowing up innocent men, women and children.

politicrit next topic, this one is exhausted/ing me, what will that "way" be? can we possibly come up with some alternatives? and a last opinionated note on the protests, the protesters are not stupid and would not waste their precious time saving the world if it was going to be a flop. the fact that it happened was success enough. it was a unifying force for our planet. people all over the world attended over 600 peace rallies, including one right here in bemidji. eight million people is an impact. on what? and how will the movement grow?

2003-02-14T10:47:00.000-06:00

stone fish spine gave me the below excerpt. this guy has a well established blog; been doing it for a while. politipinky may be finding some sources for comment there in the future. just a warning.

2003-02-14T10:44:00.000-06:00

Senator Robert Byrd:

In only the space of two short years this reckless and arrogant Administration has initiated policies which may reap disastrous consequences for years.

One can understand the anger and shock of any President after the savage attacks of September 11. One can appreciate the frustration of having only a shadow to chase and an amorphous, fleeting enemy on which it is nearly impossible to exact retribution.

But to turn one’s frustration and anger into the kind of extremely destabilizing and dangerous foreign policy debacle that the world is currently witnessing is inexcusable from any Administration charged with the awesome power and responsibility of guiding the destiny of the greatest superpower on the planet. Frankly many of the pronouncements made by this Administration are outrageous. There is no other word.

who is senator byrd? never knew there were any spine-ed senators out there anymore.

2003-02-13T15:44:00.000-06:00

the real state of the union

dear readers,
somebody hacked the state of the union address to bits, reified, dehydrolyzed, then gummed it back up into truth speaking rhetoric. please check out this audio file. i have only been a fan of mr. orwell since july, the first i'd read of him was 1984. he was all i needed at the time.

and remember folks, sacrifice is what this nation was built on. the sacrifice of truth for profit, the sacrifice of dignity for dollars, and the sacrifice of peace for war.

May all your spending days be joyful and all of your joy spent for the days of our nation.

signed,
pinko-crat

2003-02-10T20:58:00.000-06:00

Myrick, in a recent talk on domestic terrorism, referred to Arab Americans and said, "Look who runs all the convenience stores across the country."

The Washington-based Council on Islamic-American Relations urged the Republican Party to condemn both lawmakers' remarks about Arab Americans. Myrick and Coble later said they had not intended to insult any ethnic group.

Myrick said she simply wanted to remind communities of the threat of terrorism, including "the illegal trafficking of food stamps through convenience stores for the purpose of laundering money to countries known to harbor terrorists."

these quotes from a post article, 9 february 2003

have we entered another ring of paranoia here, ladies and germs! cover your mouth, its flu season for sure. do these guys and gals for that matter even listen to or evaluate any of the uneducated HickSpeak that rolls of their martini-olive-salted tounges? (yes, i saw the dogs drinking them at the Capitol Grill, under dead buffalo heads and bronzed eagles)

i'm just asking for a wee bit of criticality here. the 'them and us' argument is too played out in out postmodern society, don't you think, dahling?

read the following in the voice of W; its much funny:
I mean it just doesn't make sense, folks, and common sense is about common sense, in america that is, people, freedom and cents, i mean sense.

look who runs the country, folks! "they" are doing enough trafficking of monies from media moguls, the salvation army (w's faith-based bed-mate) and agri-boozeness to keep courts so congested they would have to quit prosecuting the dope-fiends!

again, W voice:
Americans, what we gotta focus on is security, the security that our fine leaders have accountibilty. accountibility for what we believe. belief in our beliefs will secure our nation and free the righteous........

it goes on and on.........folks.

2003-02-10T11:40:00.000-06:00

politicrit is on, yeah baby!