Remember my rant about "They're in Pakistan so why are we in Iraq?"
Here's a super cheery article on the U.S.'s assault on Pakistan.
"Concerned about Al-Qaeda regrouping in Pakistan's northwest, the United States began relying more on the drones after covert operations by US special forces triggered an angry reaction among Pakistanis, analysts said.
And ever since the former Bush administration reportedly stopped notifying Pakistani officials before each attack, a process that could take hours, the strikes can be carried out quickly."
700 civilians are already dead, killed by bombs and missiles from unmanned aircraft...what's even better news is that our country knows that these strikes are not the best way to get what we want.
"Even if the strikes are as accurate as the CIA chief claims, experts question the practical effect of the raids without ground troops, aid and other measures to back them up.
'Breaking the power of extremists means removing their power to intimidate -- something strikes cannot do,' said David Kilcullen, former adviser to the US commander overseeing the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, General David Petraeus."
I'd love it if the United States' assault on Pakistan got more news attention...I rarely see articles about it, let alone useful articles.
http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2009/07/21-6
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Monday, July 20, 2009
An Eye for an Eye
Let me preface what I’m about to write with this: I am a pacifist, but I am also a realist. I know not everyone can share my convictions. I wish that war and murder, justified or not, didn’t have to exist. I wish we could solve our problems and disagreements and differences without the use of violence. I believe violence and hatred will only breed more violence and hatred, and nothing will ever really be resolved. However, I also believe that everyone needs to be held accountable for their actions.
Fact: Since the U.S. first invaded Iraq in 2003, there have been over 90,000 civilian deaths. It’s estimated to be in the 92,000-100,000 range. The number grows nearly every day.
Fact: The official number, as of September 2, 2002, of people lost by the U.S. on 9/11 is 2,819. As 9/11 seemed to be, at the very least, the *catalyst for the invasion of Iraq/Afghanistan, such a high difference in the number of civilian deaths is a little unsettling to me.
Fact: The Taliban has recently taken a 23 year old American soldier, Bowe Bergdahl, prisoner. They’re claiming they found him wandering around the desert drunk. Bergdahl claims he was merely “lagging behind a patrol”. Whatever the case, the Taliban has threatened to kill him if foreign troops continue to target civilians in the name of search operations.
The Taliban is getting exactly what they want right now – they are bringing attention to all of the unnecessary, unprovoked civilian deaths. Oh, wait. No they’re not. Most of the news stories I’ve seen completely gloss over the Taliban's reason for holding Bergdahl captive. Even if they didn’t, I doubt Americans would sympathize with them. Our country would rather see thousands of Middle Eastern civilians die than one of our soldiers.
This reminds me of a thought-provoking question I was once asked—would you give up your life to save the life of one stranger? Ten strangers? One hundred strangers? How many strangers would it take? This leads to questioning how much value we put on our own lives—the lives of our family and civilians and soldiers—versus THEIR lives and the lives of THEIR family and civilians and soldiers. I’m not too fond of this mindset—whatever happened to solidarity?
So, although I’m not trying to justify anyone’s actions in this situation, and I’m certainly not saying the Taliban should kill Bergdahl, I AM saying that I understand and sympathize with the Taliban’s point of view in this case…much more so than the United States’.
*A catalyst for the U.S. invasion of Iraq/Afghanistan, even though bin Laden fled from Afghanistan to Pakistan weeks after the U.S. first invaded in October 2001 and is still believed to be there…not to mention the fact that these countries are merely the place of residence for bin Laden and Al Qaida, the forces believed to be responsible for 9/11. It seems to be the equivalent of attacking the U.S. because you are personally attacked by the Westboro Baptist Church…then when the Westboro Baptist Church moves to Canada and you keep attacking the United States.
http://www.iraqbodycount.org
http://www.nymag.com/news/articles/wtc/1year/numbers.htm
http://www.news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090720/ap_on_re_as/as_clinton_al_qaida
http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/asiapcf/07/19/afghanistan.soldier.hostage/index.html?iref=mpstoryview
The Red Scare
“The chairman of the Republican Party on Monday called President Barack Obama's plan to overhaul health care ‘socialism,’ accusing the president of conducting a risky experiment that will hurt the economy and force millions to drop their current coverage.”
It really bothers me that the headline of this article, “RNC chairman: Obama's health care is socialism” focuses on the label of socialism, rather than what one might find to actually be wrong with Obama’s approach to health care. The Republicans in this article seem to be ignoring health care for the poor and unemployed, but that’s a whole different rant. This is like the Red Scare all over again…people are focusing mainly on labels and pointing fingers, rather than the real issues at hand.
No government can be purely republican or democrat or socialist or whatever. The political spectrum is not a spectrum, but a graph with many dimensions. Politicians need to remember this.
http://www.news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090720/ap_on_go_ot/us_health_care_overhaul
It really bothers me that the headline of this article, “RNC chairman: Obama's health care is socialism” focuses on the label of socialism, rather than what one might find to actually be wrong with Obama’s approach to health care. The Republicans in this article seem to be ignoring health care for the poor and unemployed, but that’s a whole different rant. This is like the Red Scare all over again…people are focusing mainly on labels and pointing fingers, rather than the real issues at hand.
No government can be purely republican or democrat or socialist or whatever. The political spectrum is not a spectrum, but a graph with many dimensions. Politicians need to remember this.
http://www.news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090720/ap_on_go_ot/us_health_care_overhaul
Thursday, July 16, 2009
Arizona's Next State Motto
In relation to yesterday’s blog, I’ve decided on what I believe should be Arizona’s next official state motto—“More guns, less abortion!”
Just picture it on license plates, t-shirts, shot glasses, lampshades…glorious!
License plates and other state paraphernalia could picture the silhouette of a verypregnant woman aiming a handgun at an illegal immigrant!
I MUST start drafting the design so that it can be ready to be on the next ballot!
Oh...and maybe we should add "...and no more sparklers!" on the end of that, since those have been outlawed. Yes, we can have guns in bars...but NO MORE sparklers on the 4th of July! God bless America.
Just picture it on license plates, t-shirts, shot glasses, lampshades…glorious!
License plates and other state paraphernalia could picture the silhouette of a verypregnant woman aiming a handgun at an illegal immigrant!
I MUST start drafting the design so that it can be ready to be on the next ballot!
Oh...and maybe we should add "...and no more sparklers!" on the end of that, since those have been outlawed. Yes, we can have guns in bars...but NO MORE sparklers on the 4th of July! God bless America.
Anarchists vs. Neo-Nazis
Check out http://blogs.phoenixnewtimes.com/bastard/2009/07/david_irving_book_tour_hits_ph.php for fun times and fun comments...
Here's the text of the article, though the comments really are worth a read.
David Irving's Book Tour Hits Phoenix Diner, Anarchists Protest Gathering of Neo-Nazis
By Stephen Lemons in Feathered Bastard
Monday, Jul. 13 2009 @ 2:58AM
You know your career as a historian has hit a new low when you're hawking books out the back of a Phoenix diner better known for its hash browns than its literary events.
This is the best the infamous British Holocaust denier David Irving can do these days, reserving the back room at Jerry's Restaurant at 2323 E. Thomas Road in Phoenix. Irving was there Friday to speak to a collection of neo-Nazis, skinheads, right-wingers and the curious, most of whom had to sign up ahead of time and be vetted by Irving and his 24-year-old assistant Jaenelle.
The location of the event was a secret up till the last moment, but a group of local anarchists led by a brash urban warrior named "Ghost" had figured out that Jerry's was the place. They assembled about 15 souls to protest Irving's appearance at this eatery, which looks like it's right out of that long-dead TV show Alice, minus Vic Tayback as its chili-stained owner.
A friend of the anarchists tipped me off, and I arrived at the greasy spoon right around 7 p.m., just as the first phalanx of anarchists -- some wearing bandannas over their faces and carrying anti-fascist signs -- were barging into Jerry's, shouting slogans such as, "No Nazis!" They were immediately blocked by manager Bob Lowry, a patron, and Jerry's do-rag wearing cook. After a short scuffle with some pushing, the manager shut the door, and the anarchists moseyed over to the sidewalk to wait out the evening.
I asked Lowry, who seemed befuddled by the turn of events, if he knew what kind of meeting was transpiring on his premises.
Irving asking me to leave, nativist Laine Lawless is between us
"It's just a booksigning," he said, later adding, "They've never been here before."
Contrary to Lowry's statement, Irving's assistant Jaenelle told me Irving had been at Jerry's on previous book tours. As I sat outside the closed doors of the meeting, I overheard Jerry's employees discussing how many of the same people attending Irving's event were scheduled to meet there in the future, as they had done in the past. They mentioned Jesse Curnow's name. Curnow is the Arizona organizer for the neo-Nazi Nationalist Coalition.
Present at Irving's wing-ding were many of the usual suspects, among them, Curnow, J.T. Ready, Harry Hughes, and erstwhile Mexican flag burner Laine Lawless, whom I profiled in a 2007 cover story "Burn Baby Burn!" She was surprised to see me there, and later called to ask me that I not use her name in whatever I write. I thought about it, but I know others spotted her there and will likely make mention of it. Sorry, Laine.
Before finding out about the Irving event being at Jerry's, I knew Irving was going to be in town, as someone had sent me a posting by Anti-Racist Action Network announcing a campaign to oppose Irving's sub rosa American tour, calling it "The Show That Must Not Go On." They posted Irving's itinerary, showing he would be in Phoenix July 10, though not where. So I e-mailed Irving via his Web site, asking for an interview.
"I will be happy to see you, Stephen," Irving e-mailed in a reply I received July 9. "And we will arrange a time to meet by phone later today."
The neo-Nazis flip the anarchists a sieg heil outside of Jerry's
Alas, I never got that follow-up call, despite the polite tone of the e-mail. When I approached Irving in Jerry's back room, a small space crammed with about 30 bodies and two tables of books, DVDs and posters of Hitler that Irving was offering for sale, the septuagenarian anti-Semite was greatly annoyed by the anarchists outside, as well as by my presence.
"How did you find out where it was?" Irving wondered, his bushy eyebrows leaping about like huge, hairy caterpillars.
"The anarchists told me," I admitted.
"Well, you're on the wrong side then," he harrumphed
While sipping my coffee, I sat next to his 24-year-old, assistant Jaenelle, a blonde, long-limbed vision whom the anarchists dubbed "Eva Braun." She confided that she met Irving when he was speaking to a similar crowd in Louisville, Kentucky last summer. Jaenelle has traveled with Irving in Europe, and she's been staying in London recently, where Irving has a home in Windsor.
She told me about the trials of the road trip, how she was sharing the driving with Irving in a car packed with books Irving aimed to sell. They had just come from Albuquerque, New Mexico, which she deemed an unsuccessful event, with few showing up. Next stop was Las Vegas, then they were on to the Left Coast.
"We always get a good crowd in Phoenix," she told me, with 30 or so people evidently being a "good crowd."
I asked why all the secrecy, and she indicated that they could not afford security for Irving's appearances, and that lefties everywhere seemed intent on shutting them down. In fact, Irving has been banned from entering various countries, such as Canada, Australia, Germany, and Austria, where he was imprisoned for thirteen months after being convicted of minimizing Nazi crimes during speeches he gave in Austria in 1989.
Irving has always been perceived as being soft on the Nazis in his books, and he's made numerous anti-Semitic statements over the years. But when scholar Deborah Lipstadt called him on his shoah-shirking ways in her 1994 book Denying the Holocaust, Irving sued her in England, where the libel laws place the burden of proof on the defendant. Despite this, Lipstadt emerged triumphant. The judge found in her favor, concluding that Irving was both an anti-Semite and a Holocaust-denier. To pay for the defense's legal bills, as is required under British libel law, Irving was fined a whopping two million pounds.
I don't agree with censorship of Irving, or of imprisoning him for his writings, no matter how odious. (This scoundrel even labeled Anne Frank's diary a fake, though that is a pernicious prevarication.) Yet, I might have had an ounce of respect for him if he'd let me sit in on his event. The cowardly way in which he operates -- going so far as to try and hide his face while I was taking a snapshot of him, indicates he recognizes on some level that what he's doing is shameful.
After Irving's initial remarks, there was a break where Irving's fans milled about, went to the restroom and got coffee before going back in for a Q & A session. I had a civilized chat with National Socialist Harry Hughes, who later in the evening discovered that one of his tires had been deflated on his truck. He was rightfully pissed about this, but fortunately for him, the tire wasn't slashed as he first thought. He later noted on his blog that if it had been his meeting, he would've let me stay. Too bad Irving chickened out on this point.
I asked Jaenelle if I could sit in on the Q & A part of it, but she told me no.
"He's very upset with me right now for speaking with you," she admitted, flustered.
After the Q & A session, Irving boxed up his books and carried them out the back door so as to avoid the anarchists out front. I snapped a couple of pics, though Irving tried to block me. Later Hughes sent me a shot of Irving and I speaking, with Laine Lawless right between us, as Irving was asking me to leave.
Activist Dennis Gilman was outside with the anarchists, and he snapped a photo of J.T., Harry and some heavily tattooed skinhead flipping the sieg heil. He's also put together a video of the event, which I'll post as soon as it's up.
Outside, I spoke with Chris Wingo and his pal Stan, a gay couple Jaenelle had allowed into the Q & A half of things when Wingo, who was there as a patron of the restaurant, expressed curiosity about hearing Irving.
Wingo said Irving had stated that "only a few thousand" perished at Auschwitz (according to the Nizkor Project, anywhere from 1.1 to 1.5 million died at Auschwitz from 1940 to 1945). Irving also spoke of Hitler's desire to relocate Jews to the island of Madagascar, and that it was really Heinrich Himmler who was responsible for the Jews killed during WWII. Irving has long attempted to whitewash Hitler's involvement in the Holocaust, claiming Hitler didn't know about the mass killings until late in the game.
Wingo was not in total agreement with the anarchists protesting Jerry's outside. (Wingo told me that Jerry's is known for catering to the gay community.) However, he said of some of the older attendees inside that, "If you're 60 years old and listening to this shit, get a life." Both Wingo and Stan noted that when they approached Irving to shake his hand, Irving was not eager to touch Stan, who is a Native American, and has copper-colored skin.
"You would've thought Irving was reaching for the hand of a leper," said Wingo.
Urban warrior "Ghost" was the principle organizer of the anti-racist demonstration
As you might expect, the anarchists were not exactly torn up after hearing of Harry's deflated tire, or of the fact that Jerry's received so many calls complaining about the neo-Nazis and Irving that they had to take the phone off the hook.
"I think that's fucking great, personally," said Ghost about the deflated tire. "Honestly, I'm all about any kind of destruction of anything neo-Nazis own. I'm not gonna lie, I fucking hate 'em. I would not shed a tear if they were all to die right now."
"We don't all agree with that," said a protester named Haley.
"I'm speaking for myself," responded Ghost.
I asked Ghost about freedom of speech, and whether he believed in denying it to neo-Nazis.
"No one should give Nazis or any racists any sort of platform," he told me. "I believe in free speech. I know a lot of anarchists don't take that stance, but when it comes to an organized group that is built around genocide and oppression on the kind of large scale that they're trying to deny here tonight, when it's something that's built around those kinds of practices, not just words, that's when I think they should be shut down at the root."
The anarchists were at least correct to shine a light on this event, and to protest it. Otherwise, Irving and his admirers would have been able to congregate as if under a colossal rock. Considering the lies being peddled, they do not deserve the cloak of anonymity, even if they do retain the right of assembly.
Here's the text of the article, though the comments really are worth a read.
David Irving's Book Tour Hits Phoenix Diner, Anarchists Protest Gathering of Neo-Nazis
By Stephen Lemons in Feathered Bastard
Monday, Jul. 13 2009 @ 2:58AM
You know your career as a historian has hit a new low when you're hawking books out the back of a Phoenix diner better known for its hash browns than its literary events.
This is the best the infamous British Holocaust denier David Irving can do these days, reserving the back room at Jerry's Restaurant at 2323 E. Thomas Road in Phoenix. Irving was there Friday to speak to a collection of neo-Nazis, skinheads, right-wingers and the curious, most of whom had to sign up ahead of time and be vetted by Irving and his 24-year-old assistant Jaenelle.
The location of the event was a secret up till the last moment, but a group of local anarchists led by a brash urban warrior named "Ghost" had figured out that Jerry's was the place. They assembled about 15 souls to protest Irving's appearance at this eatery, which looks like it's right out of that long-dead TV show Alice, minus Vic Tayback as its chili-stained owner.
A friend of the anarchists tipped me off, and I arrived at the greasy spoon right around 7 p.m., just as the first phalanx of anarchists -- some wearing bandannas over their faces and carrying anti-fascist signs -- were barging into Jerry's, shouting slogans such as, "No Nazis!" They were immediately blocked by manager Bob Lowry, a patron, and Jerry's do-rag wearing cook. After a short scuffle with some pushing, the manager shut the door, and the anarchists moseyed over to the sidewalk to wait out the evening.
I asked Lowry, who seemed befuddled by the turn of events, if he knew what kind of meeting was transpiring on his premises.
Irving asking me to leave, nativist Laine Lawless is between us
"It's just a booksigning," he said, later adding, "They've never been here before."
Contrary to Lowry's statement, Irving's assistant Jaenelle told me Irving had been at Jerry's on previous book tours. As I sat outside the closed doors of the meeting, I overheard Jerry's employees discussing how many of the same people attending Irving's event were scheduled to meet there in the future, as they had done in the past. They mentioned Jesse Curnow's name. Curnow is the Arizona organizer for the neo-Nazi Nationalist Coalition.
Present at Irving's wing-ding were many of the usual suspects, among them, Curnow, J.T. Ready, Harry Hughes, and erstwhile Mexican flag burner Laine Lawless, whom I profiled in a 2007 cover story "Burn Baby Burn!" She was surprised to see me there, and later called to ask me that I not use her name in whatever I write. I thought about it, but I know others spotted her there and will likely make mention of it. Sorry, Laine.
Before finding out about the Irving event being at Jerry's, I knew Irving was going to be in town, as someone had sent me a posting by Anti-Racist Action Network announcing a campaign to oppose Irving's sub rosa American tour, calling it "The Show That Must Not Go On." They posted Irving's itinerary, showing he would be in Phoenix July 10, though not where. So I e-mailed Irving via his Web site, asking for an interview.
"I will be happy to see you, Stephen," Irving e-mailed in a reply I received July 9. "And we will arrange a time to meet by phone later today."
The neo-Nazis flip the anarchists a sieg heil outside of Jerry's
Alas, I never got that follow-up call, despite the polite tone of the e-mail. When I approached Irving in Jerry's back room, a small space crammed with about 30 bodies and two tables of books, DVDs and posters of Hitler that Irving was offering for sale, the septuagenarian anti-Semite was greatly annoyed by the anarchists outside, as well as by my presence.
"How did you find out where it was?" Irving wondered, his bushy eyebrows leaping about like huge, hairy caterpillars.
"The anarchists told me," I admitted.
"Well, you're on the wrong side then," he harrumphed
.
I asked if I could stay and watch his address. I even offered to pay the $20 entrance fee, but Irving was adamant that I had to go. I complied, and went over to Jerry's counter, where I could drink coffee and observe those coming and going.
I later learned from an informant in the group that Irving lectured them on decoded German documents that he claimed proved only 1.74 million Jews died by Nazi hands during WWII, instead of the 6 million most scholars agree on. (As I left the back room, he had told me, by way of consolation, "You won't find this very interesting, it's about decoded documents.")
Seems Irving was up to his regular shtick of focusing on one tiny piece of evidence, while ignoring mountains of proof to the contrary. It's the sort of historical sleight of hand that convinces only true believers. No wonder he doesn't want anyone with a lick of sense eavesdropping on his pathetic farce.
I asked if I could stay and watch his address. I even offered to pay the $20 entrance fee, but Irving was adamant that I had to go. I complied, and went over to Jerry's counter, where I could drink coffee and observe those coming and going.
I later learned from an informant in the group that Irving lectured them on decoded German documents that he claimed proved only 1.74 million Jews died by Nazi hands during WWII, instead of the 6 million most scholars agree on. (As I left the back room, he had told me, by way of consolation, "You won't find this very interesting, it's about decoded documents.")
Seems Irving was up to his regular shtick of focusing on one tiny piece of evidence, while ignoring mountains of proof to the contrary. It's the sort of historical sleight of hand that convinces only true believers. No wonder he doesn't want anyone with a lick of sense eavesdropping on his pathetic farce.
While sipping my coffee, I sat next to his 24-year-old, assistant Jaenelle, a blonde, long-limbed vision whom the anarchists dubbed "Eva Braun." She confided that she met Irving when he was speaking to a similar crowd in Louisville, Kentucky last summer. Jaenelle has traveled with Irving in Europe, and she's been staying in London recently, where Irving has a home in Windsor.
She told me about the trials of the road trip, how she was sharing the driving with Irving in a car packed with books Irving aimed to sell. They had just come from Albuquerque, New Mexico, which she deemed an unsuccessful event, with few showing up. Next stop was Las Vegas, then they were on to the Left Coast.
"We always get a good crowd in Phoenix," she told me, with 30 or so people evidently being a "good crowd."
I asked why all the secrecy, and she indicated that they could not afford security for Irving's appearances, and that lefties everywhere seemed intent on shutting them down. In fact, Irving has been banned from entering various countries, such as Canada, Australia, Germany, and Austria, where he was imprisoned for thirteen months after being convicted of minimizing Nazi crimes during speeches he gave in Austria in 1989.
Irving has always been perceived as being soft on the Nazis in his books, and he's made numerous anti-Semitic statements over the years. But when scholar Deborah Lipstadt called him on his shoah-shirking ways in her 1994 book Denying the Holocaust, Irving sued her in England, where the libel laws place the burden of proof on the defendant. Despite this, Lipstadt emerged triumphant. The judge found in her favor, concluding that Irving was both an anti-Semite and a Holocaust-denier. To pay for the defense's legal bills, as is required under British libel law, Irving was fined a whopping two million pounds.
I don't agree with censorship of Irving, or of imprisoning him for his writings, no matter how odious. (This scoundrel even labeled Anne Frank's diary a fake, though that is a pernicious prevarication.) Yet, I might have had an ounce of respect for him if he'd let me sit in on his event. The cowardly way in which he operates -- going so far as to try and hide his face while I was taking a snapshot of him, indicates he recognizes on some level that what he's doing is shameful.
After Irving's initial remarks, there was a break where Irving's fans milled about, went to the restroom and got coffee before going back in for a Q & A session. I had a civilized chat with National Socialist Harry Hughes, who later in the evening discovered that one of his tires had been deflated on his truck. He was rightfully pissed about this, but fortunately for him, the tire wasn't slashed as he first thought. He later noted on his blog that if it had been his meeting, he would've let me stay. Too bad Irving chickened out on this point.
I asked Jaenelle if I could sit in on the Q & A part of it, but she told me no.
"He's very upset with me right now for speaking with you," she admitted, flustered.
After the Q & A session, Irving boxed up his books and carried them out the back door so as to avoid the anarchists out front. I snapped a couple of pics, though Irving tried to block me. Later Hughes sent me a shot of Irving and I speaking, with Laine Lawless right between us, as Irving was asking me to leave.
Activist Dennis Gilman was outside with the anarchists, and he snapped a photo of J.T., Harry and some heavily tattooed skinhead flipping the sieg heil. He's also put together a video of the event, which I'll post as soon as it's up.
Outside, I spoke with Chris Wingo and his pal Stan, a gay couple Jaenelle had allowed into the Q & A half of things when Wingo, who was there as a patron of the restaurant, expressed curiosity about hearing Irving.
Wingo said Irving had stated that "only a few thousand" perished at Auschwitz (according to the Nizkor Project, anywhere from 1.1 to 1.5 million died at Auschwitz from 1940 to 1945). Irving also spoke of Hitler's desire to relocate Jews to the island of Madagascar, and that it was really Heinrich Himmler who was responsible for the Jews killed during WWII. Irving has long attempted to whitewash Hitler's involvement in the Holocaust, claiming Hitler didn't know about the mass killings until late in the game.
Wingo was not in total agreement with the anarchists protesting Jerry's outside. (Wingo told me that Jerry's is known for catering to the gay community.) However, he said of some of the older attendees inside that, "If you're 60 years old and listening to this shit, get a life." Both Wingo and Stan noted that when they approached Irving to shake his hand, Irving was not eager to touch Stan, who is a Native American, and has copper-colored skin.
"You would've thought Irving was reaching for the hand of a leper," said Wingo.
Urban warrior "Ghost" was the principle organizer of the anti-racist demonstration
As you might expect, the anarchists were not exactly torn up after hearing of Harry's deflated tire, or of the fact that Jerry's received so many calls complaining about the neo-Nazis and Irving that they had to take the phone off the hook.
"I think that's fucking great, personally," said Ghost about the deflated tire. "Honestly, I'm all about any kind of destruction of anything neo-Nazis own. I'm not gonna lie, I fucking hate 'em. I would not shed a tear if they were all to die right now."
"We don't all agree with that," said a protester named Haley.
"I'm speaking for myself," responded Ghost.
I asked Ghost about freedom of speech, and whether he believed in denying it to neo-Nazis.
"No one should give Nazis or any racists any sort of platform," he told me. "I believe in free speech. I know a lot of anarchists don't take that stance, but when it comes to an organized group that is built around genocide and oppression on the kind of large scale that they're trying to deny here tonight, when it's something that's built around those kinds of practices, not just words, that's when I think they should be shut down at the root."
The anarchists were at least correct to shine a light on this event, and to protest it. Otherwise, Irving and his admirers would have been able to congregate as if under a colossal rock. Considering the lies being peddled, they do not deserve the cloak of anonymity, even if they do retain the right of assembly.
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Guns and Abortions in the State of Arizona
Fact: There is no waiting period to buy a handgun, shotgun, or rifle, nor does one need a state permit... You can even conceal carry a handgun (with a permit) in a bar now, or leave it in your car while you're at work or school or somewhere else where they aren't allowed.
Fact: There is now a 24 hour waiting period for an adult woman seeking abortion. No, not from the point in time she discovers she is pregnant or first considers an abortion or is first raped or the condom first breaks or after she comes to the conclusions that an abortion would be right for her (after what is, the majority of the time, a lengthy, difficult, painful decision making process). From the point in time when she goes to a clinic and asks for one. If she goes to a pharmacy to get the morning after pill, the pharmacy may choose not to give it to her...to restate that, a pharmacist can legally refuse to fill a prescription.
Hypothesis: If women with unwanted pregnancies started purchasing handguns and walking into bars to shoot themselves in the stomach (all done before they would have been able obtain a safe abortion) people will start really paying attention to what's going on in this state.
In areas where abortions are illegal, women and their unborn babies are DYING from having unsafe, illegal abortions performed, both by doctors and non-doctors. Every day, approximately 186 women die around the world due to complications from unsafe abortions. Worldwide, in 2000 one in 10 pregnancies ended in an unsafe abortion. In developing countries, 100-1000 women died for every 100,000 cases of illegal abortion. About 50 women a year die in America from illegal/unsafe abortions.
The figures in Ethiopa? More Ethiopian women die in hospital from illegal abortion complications than for almost any other medical reason. 70% who get one of these abortions die. The majority of deaths occur in women aged between 16 and 20. Illegal abortions account for thousands of deaths a year. (World Health Organization)
In Romania? Following the 1966 tightening of a previously liberal abortion law, abortion-related deaths rose dramatically. The number of deaths from unsafe abortions jumped from 20 per 100,000 live births in 1965 to almost 100 in 1974 and 150 in 1983. Then, in December 1989 abortion was legalized and by the end of 1990 deaths from abortion dropped to around 60 per 100,000 live births. (World Health Organization)
In Guyana? Six months after abortion was legalized in Guyana in 1995, admissions for septic and incomplete abortion dropped by 41 percent. Previously, septic abortion had been the third largest, and incomplete abortion the eighth largest, cause of admissions to the country's public hospitals. (Abortion Access Project)
http://www.azleg.gov/legtext/49leg/1r/summary/h.hb2564_07-03-09_astransmittedtogovernor.doc.htm
http://crime.about.com/od/gunlawsbystate/p/gunlaws_az.htm
http://chora.virtualave.net/illegal-abortions.htm
http://www.plannedparenthoodaction.org/campaigns/589.htm
Sidenote: Pharmacists can also refuse to fill prescriptions for insulin if they are vegan or Orthodox Jew (some of it comes from pig things) or prescriptions for heart and cholesterol medicine if they don't think people should have unhealthy diets, smoke, and not exercise.
Fact: There is now a 24 hour waiting period for an adult woman seeking abortion. No, not from the point in time she discovers she is pregnant or first considers an abortion or is first raped or the condom first breaks or after she comes to the conclusions that an abortion would be right for her (after what is, the majority of the time, a lengthy, difficult, painful decision making process). From the point in time when she goes to a clinic and asks for one. If she goes to a pharmacy to get the morning after pill, the pharmacy may choose not to give it to her...to restate that, a pharmacist can legally refuse to fill a prescription.
Hypothesis: If women with unwanted pregnancies started purchasing handguns and walking into bars to shoot themselves in the stomach (all done before they would have been able obtain a safe abortion) people will start really paying attention to what's going on in this state.
In areas where abortions are illegal, women and their unborn babies are DYING from having unsafe, illegal abortions performed, both by doctors and non-doctors. Every day, approximately 186 women die around the world due to complications from unsafe abortions. Worldwide, in 2000 one in 10 pregnancies ended in an unsafe abortion. In developing countries, 100-1000 women died for every 100,000 cases of illegal abortion. About 50 women a year die in America from illegal/unsafe abortions.
The figures in Ethiopa? More Ethiopian women die in hospital from illegal abortion complications than for almost any other medical reason. 70% who get one of these abortions die. The majority of deaths occur in women aged between 16 and 20. Illegal abortions account for thousands of deaths a year. (World Health Organization)
In Romania? Following the 1966 tightening of a previously liberal abortion law, abortion-related deaths rose dramatically. The number of deaths from unsafe abortions jumped from 20 per 100,000 live births in 1965 to almost 100 in 1974 and 150 in 1983. Then, in December 1989 abortion was legalized and by the end of 1990 deaths from abortion dropped to around 60 per 100,000 live births. (World Health Organization)
In Guyana? Six months after abortion was legalized in Guyana in 1995, admissions for septic and incomplete abortion dropped by 41 percent. Previously, septic abortion had been the third largest, and incomplete abortion the eighth largest, cause of admissions to the country's public hospitals. (Abortion Access Project)
http://www.azleg.gov/legtext/49leg/1r/summary/h.hb2564_07-03-09_astransmittedtogovernor.doc.htm
http://crime.about.com/od/gunlawsbystate/p/gunlaws_az.htm
http://chora.virtualave.net/illegal-abortions.htm
http://www.plannedparenthoodaction.org/campaigns/589.htm
Sidenote: Pharmacists can also refuse to fill prescriptions for insulin if they are vegan or Orthodox Jew (some of it comes from pig things) or prescriptions for heart and cholesterol medicine if they don't think people should have unhealthy diets, smoke, and not exercise.
Saturday, July 11, 2009
The Search is On
After moving early last month I have finally been able to get my weaving area semi organized. I'm glad to be on tile now, rather than carpet, and I also have nifty cabinets right next to where Reggie (my loom) sits! The new house we're renting offers much more space than the last area, so I'm hoping this will be conducive to my weaving. Pictured is about half of my yarn sitting snuggle in its new home.
Reggie is a ~26" Macomber, and I'm madly infatuated with her. She's absolutely lovely. As a college student living off of not-very-much money, she is the perfect size while still offering me the many options that come with 8 harnesses and TWO back beams.
When I bought her last year, she came with a 24 (I believe) dent reed...somehow during the moving rustle and bustle, her reed has disappeared. I'm checking with my friend who helped move Reggie (putting her in the back of a UHaul frightened me, so he was kind enough lend his van), but I'm still frustrated. I had started winding back a warp before I noticed the reed was MIA!
Anyway, hopefully this issue will resolve itself soon - I just need to find an affordable 20-30 dent reed online ... there are plenty on EBay and stuff that are 42", the trouble is finding one small enough for Reggie.
On the up-side, this will give me more time to ponder my next project. It's been a few months since I've woven, so I want to use it to get reacquainted with the weaving process.
The warp I'm using is a lovely Cobalt and Persian Red 20/2 tencel (thanks, Marg Coe! You can find it online at coeproduced.com) and I think I'll be weaving it at 24epi. I'm trying to incorporate brighter colors into my work, as it's been pointed out that I mostly use nudes and naturals - not that there's anything wrong with that, I'm just trying to expand my horizons and play with dramatic color mixing. The ends are just alternate colors every other one, so I'm going to have a lot of fun sampling weave structures at the beginning of the warp. I'm considering threading a small portion of it twill, and then the rest just a straight draw. It won't be very wide - only about 8 inches.
I try not to worry too much about money - I know from experience that money troubles always work themselves out. However, I AM frustrated by having to decide whether to buy more books on weaving / Fiber things or loom accessories. Right now I have one shuttle, three bobbins, and NO bobbin winder. My love of books is ever consuming, though - there are so many good books I want to snatch up while they are still available! So many weave structures and influences left to be discovered! My Amazon.com wishlist has grown to 105 items, and I'm guessing about half of those are fiber related books.
I know for certain, though, that my next two purchases will be a reed (if it's not in the back of my friend's van) and "A Weaver's Book of 8 Shaft Patterns" by Strickler. I was lucky enough to find a copy of "the Primary Structures of Fabrics" by Emery when a local bookstore had a huge closing sale, or I'd be hunting around for a copy of that, instead. I've been known to spend my last few dollars on a book rather than groceries, but am making an effort to avoid that. You can't eat paper, unfortunately.
Though my library of fiber related books is pretty small compared to all the other non-fiction and fiction I own, I still already own some really amazing books. I'll have to do a post just on them later!
Reggie is a ~26" Macomber, and I'm madly infatuated with her. She's absolutely lovely. As a college student living off of not-very-much money, she is the perfect size while still offering me the many options that come with 8 harnesses and TWO back beams.
When I bought her last year, she came with a 24 (I believe) dent reed...somehow during the moving rustle and bustle, her reed has disappeared. I'm checking with my friend who helped move Reggie (putting her in the back of a UHaul frightened me, so he was kind enough lend his van), but I'm still frustrated. I had started winding back a warp before I noticed the reed was MIA!
Anyway, hopefully this issue will resolve itself soon - I just need to find an affordable 20-30 dent reed online ... there are plenty on EBay and stuff that are 42", the trouble is finding one small enough for Reggie.
On the up-side, this will give me more time to ponder my next project. It's been a few months since I've woven, so I want to use it to get reacquainted with the weaving process.
The warp I'm using is a lovely Cobalt and Persian Red 20/2 tencel (thanks, Marg Coe! You can find it online at coeproduced.com) and I think I'll be weaving it at 24epi. I'm trying to incorporate brighter colors into my work, as it's been pointed out that I mostly use nudes and naturals - not that there's anything wrong with that, I'm just trying to expand my horizons and play with dramatic color mixing. The ends are just alternate colors every other one, so I'm going to have a lot of fun sampling weave structures at the beginning of the warp. I'm considering threading a small portion of it twill, and then the rest just a straight draw. It won't be very wide - only about 8 inches.
I try not to worry too much about money - I know from experience that money troubles always work themselves out. However, I AM frustrated by having to decide whether to buy more books on weaving / Fiber things or loom accessories. Right now I have one shuttle, three bobbins, and NO bobbin winder. My love of books is ever consuming, though - there are so many good books I want to snatch up while they are still available! So many weave structures and influences left to be discovered! My Amazon.com wishlist has grown to 105 items, and I'm guessing about half of those are fiber related books.
I know for certain, though, that my next two purchases will be a reed (if it's not in the back of my friend's van) and "A Weaver's Book of 8 Shaft Patterns" by Strickler. I was lucky enough to find a copy of "the Primary Structures of Fabrics" by Emery when a local bookstore had a huge closing sale, or I'd be hunting around for a copy of that, instead. I've been known to spend my last few dollars on a book rather than groceries, but am making an effort to avoid that. You can't eat paper, unfortunately.
Monday, July 6, 2009
A Recap of the Summer So Far
Because I'm horrible at posting regularly...
A) my father and brother moved to town, we now live together in a townhouse near Extreme Bean.
B) had a huge fallout with one of the most important people in my life, because they did something very, very stupid and hurtful which i may or may not have forgive them for yet.
C) fell back in with the above mentioned person, not everything is repaired (yet), but we're both working on it.
D) decided not to take German 101 this summer, so as to not lose my mind. 30 hours of work and an hour and a half of class every day + commuting, all between the hours of 7am-5pm + homework, seemed a bit much...oh, and i'd be moving during all of that, too. yeah, i'm glad i opted out.
E) if you are on campus you are probably too hot and have cockroaches. thanks for telling us time and time again...the first three times just didn't quite get the message through.
F) haven't lost my job yet, but we'll see what happens with the state budget. cross your fingers, as i really, really need this job.
G) as a direct result of B) and kind of C), I decided to take a break from [serious] dating this summer. this endeavor is pretty hilarious. so far i don't have a significant other, as defined by facebook/myspace, but i do have an other or two (three?) that i would consider significant, just not in the exlusive, title-having way. everyone is significant, really.
H) a) i've been incredibly poor.
H) b) as a direct result of A) i will soon have money for things like tea, tattoos, and tcredit tcard tpayments.
I) i started the summer with five piercings, then went to six, and am now at four. i started the summer with two tattoos, and now have three. got a compass rose on my right arm (my friend's second tattoo on a human)
J) i started the summer with three cats, and now have two. [sademoticon]
K) as a direct result of A), i now do not know if my hallucinations at night are hallucinations or just my brother or father walking around or really people coming to rape and kill me. isn't that fun? no, it's really not.
L) yes, we know you are too hot and have roaches. the roaches are probably too hot, too.
M) as an indirect result of B) and a direct result of H)a), and some other things, i've stopped performing as a drag king.
N) i'm in great need of bookcases and NES games.
O) in conjunction with G), have decided to stop dating jerkfaces, or those who might be jerkfaces in the future. have decided to get to know someone for no less than three months before getting involved in a facebook/myspace defined, exclusive, and/or serious relationship with said person.
P) yes...we know that you are too hot. stop calling.
Q) have noticed hair growing suspiciously longer, and am unsure what to do about the situation.
R) Coffee Plantation on Mill Ave closed. let's not talk about it. there is now absolutely no reason to go to Mill Ave.
S) at work we are losing a full time person (but will be allowed to hire someone to fill their spot), AND are being allowed to get a student worker. heck yes.
T) have made it a goal to start buying lots of the books that are on my amazon.com wishlist. i'm not sure it's realistic to try to buy "all" of them, because i keep adding more. this is related to N)
U) have realized that i will put up with you having herpes, and i will put up with you being a jerface sometimes, but if you are ALWAYS a jerkface AND have herpes, i will probably break up with you and not want to be your friend. thanks for getting so butthurt about it. grow up.
V) i am still addicted to Grey's Anatomy. damnit.
W) have noticed an increase in femininity, possibly related to M)
X) have rediscovered my love of making lists and flowcharts and outlines.
Y) i really, really want to weave, but my father's guitars are currently in front of Reggie, my loom.
Z) still am not sure how many degrees i am going to try to earn before leaving school. addiction? fear of life? love of learning? yes. need for money-earning degrees? hah! no...i want degrees in fibers, english, women's studies, queer studies, philosophy, german, sociology, social work, education, psychology, and possibly mathematics.
A) my father and brother moved to town, we now live together in a townhouse near Extreme Bean.
B) had a huge fallout with one of the most important people in my life, because they did something very, very stupid and hurtful which i may or may not have forgive them for yet.
C) fell back in with the above mentioned person, not everything is repaired (yet), but we're both working on it.
D) decided not to take German 101 this summer, so as to not lose my mind. 30 hours of work and an hour and a half of class every day + commuting, all between the hours of 7am-5pm + homework, seemed a bit much...oh, and i'd be moving during all of that, too. yeah, i'm glad i opted out.
E) if you are on campus you are probably too hot and have cockroaches. thanks for telling us time and time again...the first three times just didn't quite get the message through.
F) haven't lost my job yet, but we'll see what happens with the state budget. cross your fingers, as i really, really need this job.
G) as a direct result of B) and kind of C), I decided to take a break from [serious] dating this summer. this endeavor is pretty hilarious. so far i don't have a significant other, as defined by facebook/myspace, but i do have an other or two (three?) that i would consider significant, just not in the exlusive, title-having way. everyone is significant, really.
H) a) i've been incredibly poor.
H) b) as a direct result of A) i will soon have money for things like tea, tattoos, and tcredit tcard tpayments.
I) i started the summer with five piercings, then went to six, and am now at four. i started the summer with two tattoos, and now have three. got a compass rose on my right arm (my friend's second tattoo on a human)
J) i started the summer with three cats, and now have two. [sademoticon]
K) as a direct result of A), i now do not know if my hallucinations at night are hallucinations or just my brother or father walking around or really people coming to rape and kill me. isn't that fun? no, it's really not.
L) yes, we know you are too hot and have roaches. the roaches are probably too hot, too.
M) as an indirect result of B) and a direct result of H)a), and some other things, i've stopped performing as a drag king.
N) i'm in great need of bookcases and NES games.
O) in conjunction with G), have decided to stop dating jerkfaces, or those who might be jerkfaces in the future. have decided to get to know someone for no less than three months before getting involved in a facebook/myspace defined, exclusive, and/or serious relationship with said person.
P) yes...we know that you are too hot. stop calling.
Q) have noticed hair growing suspiciously longer, and am unsure what to do about the situation.
R) Coffee Plantation on Mill Ave closed. let's not talk about it. there is now absolutely no reason to go to Mill Ave.
S) at work we are losing a full time person (but will be allowed to hire someone to fill their spot), AND are being allowed to get a student worker. heck yes.
T) have made it a goal to start buying lots of the books that are on my amazon.com wishlist. i'm not sure it's realistic to try to buy "all" of them, because i keep adding more. this is related to N)
U) have realized that i will put up with you having herpes, and i will put up with you being a jerface sometimes, but if you are ALWAYS a jerkface AND have herpes, i will probably break up with you and not want to be your friend. thanks for getting so butthurt about it. grow up.
V) i am still addicted to Grey's Anatomy. damnit.
W) have noticed an increase in femininity, possibly related to M)
X) have rediscovered my love of making lists and flowcharts and outlines.
Y) i really, really want to weave, but my father's guitars are currently in front of Reggie, my loom.
Z) still am not sure how many degrees i am going to try to earn before leaving school. addiction? fear of life? love of learning? yes. need for money-earning degrees? hah! no...i want degrees in fibers, english, women's studies, queer studies, philosophy, german, sociology, social work, education, psychology, and possibly mathematics.
An Open Letter to ChaCha
Dear ChaCha,
You are normally pretty great. I mean, you tell me when my favorite restaurants close and where to find the nearest fabric store and that cats are better than dogs and that yes, Jesus is a zombie...and I really appreciate that. However, recently you failed miserably at making yourself helpful.
It was July 4th, and my date and I were staring up into the night sky in anticipation of fire works. Then, we noticed something unusual. In the northeast there was what appeared to be a planet--round and white and unmoving. It was larger than any planet we'd ever seen in the sky before. Our curiousity got the best of us, and we decided to send you a quick text message with an inquiry as to what planet this might be.
After answering a quick survey, you informed me that my answer was on its way! The excitment within us was building.
Your answer? "You are probably looking at the moon."ChaCha, really. If you knew ANYTHING about the night sky, you would know that at that time of night the moon is in the south. Also, how dare you insult our intelligence like that?! We are hurt and offended. Hurt and offended.
Please accept this letter as a notice of my unsatisfactory feelings towards you.
Thank you,
Veronica
P.S. The mysterious planet was actually a sky bouy attached to some power lines so that planes would not fly into them, as our friend Christian was so kind to point out. Perhaps we should start texting HIM for answers to all of our important spur-of-the-moment questions.
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