Martha Stout is Absolutely Brilliant-From the Paranoia Switch

...."In the same interview, Peters succinctly summarized his and our belief that envy is the prime motivating factor in terrorism: "You've heard it before, and its all too true. They hate us for our success."

This is an appealing hypothesis. Somehow, it simultaneously addresses our vanity concerning our relative wealth and progress, and the uneasy guilt we sometimes feel over the same blessings when we reflect on the plight of many of our fellow human beings. In addition, the notion that terrorists "hate us for our success" allows us to view the enemy as completely irrational, and conforms to experiences some of us have had with envious acquaintances who became hostile and unreasonable when we acquired or achieved something positive in our personal lives.

But this viewpoint is oversimplified and misleading. it soothes us somewhat, with an extra boost to our well-known sentiments of being biggest and best, but it also abandons us in a dangerous position of ignorance regarding the actual roots and possible futures of terrorism. Seen through lenses that color terrorists uniformly green, all terrorist events are utterly straightforward, and their goal is acheived immediately and almost by definition. Terrorists hate and envy us, and therefore they desire to hurt us and to destroy our accomplishments. Thus motivated, they carry out terrorist acts, which are, by their nature, extremely destructive and hurtful.

And there you have it:the terrorists' vengeful objective is achieved instantly, every time. Terrorism always works, and, after the fact, there is nothing we can do about it.
.....

The playing field is not the one we think it is. Terrorism's most important aim is not to damage bodies or our material accomplishments or our governments, although these are certainly its most conspicuous effects. Rather, its most cherished ambition is to affect us psychologically, to instill a sense of helplessness....

God bless the people of Iran.

I saw Rendition last night. Powerful film! It really portrayed the realities of torture and terror.

People in the US better start asking for their salaries in Euros because the dollar isn't going to be worth shit(isn't worth shit). The U.S. is headed for a Depression.

God Bless Vladimir Putin

Genarlow Wilson Released!

God Bless Genarlow Wilson! Many congratulations for his release!

POWER TO THE PEOPLE

John Lennon


Power to the people
Power to the people
Power to the people
Power to the people
Power to the people
Power to the people
Power to the people
Power to the people, right on

Say you want a revolution
We better get on right away
Well you get on your feet
And out on the street

Singing power to the people
Power to the people
Power to the people
Power to the people, right on

A million workers working for nothing
You better give 'em what they really own
We got to put you down
When we come into town

Singing power to the people
Power to the people
Power to the people
Power to the people, right on

I gotta ask you comrades and brothers
How do you treat you own woman back home
She got to be herself
So she can free herself

Singing power to the people
Power to the people
Power to the people
Power to the people, right on
Now, now, now, now

Oh well, power to the people
Power to the people
Power to the people
Power to the people, right on

Yeah, power to the people
Power to the people
Power to the people
Power to the people, right on

Power to the people
Power to the people
Power to the people
Power to the people, right on

Someone should kick Condoleeza in her ass. They can sanction whatever they want to, but there will be no war with Iran, from the U.S., Israel, or anybody else.

I saw Maher Arar's testimony before Congress. I have never heard anything more damning of the U.S. system. Maher Arar is a Syrian and Canadian citizen who was detained by the United States at an airport in 2002. He was denied access to a lawyer and was then transferred to Syria by U.S. agents where he was subsequently tortured. You can read his story here.

George Bush and Sanctions on Iran

George Bush can go to hell.

Jena 6

We must have justice in this case. There should be a movement to get rid of the judge that put Mychael Bell in jail.

I saw Dirty Sexy Money tonight. Great show. Candy Kane is fabo!

George Bush on Cuba

George Bush is pretending he owns Cuba. God bless Fidel and the Cubal people. Bush should be relieved of his penis and no more white males should ever feel they have the authority to speak over Cuba(or any part of the world) ever again.

George Bush on Iran/Missiles in Eastern Europe

George Bush is a dumbfuck and no one should ever listen to him. He should definitely not be given any money to put missiles in eastern Europe. He should be relieved of his penis.

Cheers to the sixty who were arrested in DC on No War/No Warming Day!

U.S. Base Closes in Ecuador!

Hooray to President Correa of Ecuador for closing the U.S. base in Ecuador! Now we should close Guantanamo!

Oprah's show on great was powerful. Great show. Dr. Oz is so hot!

Benazir Bhutto

When I was a little boy, I used to love Benazir Bhutto because she was a pretty lady and because she was the same age as my mother. I hope she can be a progressive figure in Pakistan.

The Don Siegelman Case

I have, of course, been hearing bits and pieces about the Don Siegelman case. I knew it was political when I first heard aboutg it--and Im sure Riley had his hand in it. I am glad the progressive media and congress are investigating. I hope they can do something to Karl Rove.

Call your congresspeople and tell them to get rid of Blackwater. Castrate that bastard that owns the company.

Again?

The most wonderful leaders of the United States just lost $1.2 billion dollars allocated for the war in Iraq. Oh, this country.

FCC Wants to End RulesThat Uphold Democratic Principles in Media

Kevin Martin of the FCC should lose his penis. Above is a link to the Democracy Now article about his attempt to allow greater media consolidation.

Simple,Beautiful, Just

Simplicity in Justice. There is nothing more beautiful, simple, just than a nun taking a hammer to a nuclear weapon. Justice, love,integrity, peace, simple concepts...not complicated.

This is a beautiful post from meandering trevor about his experiences as a gay man at the beginning ofthe aids epidemic.

Naomi Wolf and The End of America

I watched Naomi Wolf on CSPAN last night and she said some very interesting things that caught my attention. Talking about the perpetuation of war, she spoke of the industries that perpetuate war and it simply clicked in my head like never before.

In WWII--and they boast about it--it was the manufacturers--looking for profits other than automobile sales who pushed the U.S. to get involved.

During the Cold War/Vietnam era it was the Military industries--those that made chemical and other sorts of weapons.

In this post 9/11 era it is the security industries who are pushing the war in iraq and trying to keep people scared of terror alerts, orange alerts, whatever. Buy an alarm system to put in your house. You know, this makes me think of something else. The selling of fear and its real effects. A few weeks ago a gun was fired in broad daylight, just as a group of small children were getting on a school bus and a little boy stated that he thought "the Iraqis were coming." The selling of fear, the propagation of war.

Dick Cheney is a piece of shit and no one should ever listen to him. He should loose his penis.

John Edwards is hot and I certainly wouldnt mind having him for president.

Gravedigger

Dave Matthews Band

Gravedigger
when you dig my grave
could you make it shallow
so that I can feel the rain
Gravedigger

Muriel Stonewall 1903 to 1954,
she lost both of her babies in the second great war
now you should never have to watch your only children lowered in the ground
I mean you should
never have to bury your own babies

Gravedigger
when you dig my grave
could you make it shallow
so that I can feel the rain
Gravedigger

Ring around the Rosy
Pocket full of posies
ashes to ashes
we all fall down

Gravedigger
when you dig my grave
could you make it shallow
so that I can feel the rain
oh Gravedigger

Little Mikey Parsons, 67 to 75
He rode his bike like the devil until the day he died
when he grows up he wants to be Mr. Vertigo on the flying trapeze
oh, 1940 to 1992

Gravedigger
when you dig my grave
could you make it shallow
so that I can feel the rain
Gravedigger

when you dig my grave
could you make it shallow
so that I can feel the rain
I can feel the rain
I can feel the rain
Gravedigger

Gravedigger
when you dig my grave
could you make it shallow
so that I can feel the rain
Gravedigger

Me, Out Of The Loop A Bit

I had no clue that Phil Donahue was back on the air until recently. I used to watch him all the time when I was a little boy though.

Jindal and the Jena 6

Here is a link to an article concerning Jendal and the Jena 6. I hate to mess with our Indian brothers, but if he fucks with these children, someone should cut his penis off.

I am not terribly enthusiastic about Louisiana's new governor Bobby Jindal. He is, however,the first nonwhite governor of Louisiana since Reconstruction. The first nonwhite governor was P.B.S. Pinchback, an octoroon. His grandson was the noted poet and writer Jean Toomer.

Thank God For Sheila Jackson Lee

Sheila Jacskon Lee on Real Time With Bill Maher: We Will Have No War With Iran!

Stokely Carmichael in Prattville, Alabama

I have always been told that Stokely Carmichael came and burned down part of Prattville, Alabama at some point in the sixties, however I had never read anything to confirm it(although anecdotally this story has been confirmed. However, tonight, while googling on the internet, I did run upon a document about Stokely Carmichael's visit to Prattville. The webpage, which is titled "Veterans of the Civil Rights Movement: Don Jelinek" is an interview in which Mr. Jelinek, an attorney who was affiliated with SNCC and civil rights workers and who was present in Selma and the deep south during that era reports that:

"Prattville: Your Wife and Children will Be Killed if Stokley or Any of Our People Die Tonight."
In late May of 1967, Stokely decided not to run again for chairman of SNCC, and was succeeded by Rap Brown. A few weeks later, on June 11, 1967, Kathy and I were visiting a professor couple at Tuskegee, who had worked on our survey, when a call came for me. It was Lowndes County SNCC leader Johnny Jackson.

"Don, we're trapped in Dan Houser's home in Prattville, a whole army's outside shooting at us," he yelled into the phone. I could hear gunshots in the background. "We're all going to be killed, Atlanta says you're the nearest. Don, try . . . "

The phone went dead. I quickly turned on the radio and heard a bulletin that martial law had been declared in Prattville, near Lowndes County, and that Stokely Carmichael had triggered off a riot. The phone rang again. Johnny told me that he could call out, but no calls could come in and his phone has been cutting off suddenly. He repeated that the house was surrounded and that I should do something. I said I would try."