Mickey Z

Cool Observer

Monday, August 29, 2005

It's time to help Rosemarie...plus: Pat being Pat, Mickey Z. on your dial, hurricanes, and much more

Posted by Mickey Z on 08/29 at 05:05 AM

It took a jury 8 minutes to decide Rosemarie was guilty? It takes my wife longer than that to decide which belt looks best with each outfit she puts together.

I’ll be passing the info on letters of support to as many people as possible.

Rosemarie, if you’re out there, I am with you and think that you are an amazing human being.

I’ll be listening tonight, Mickey. Glad to hear that the process is moving along well for your mom.

Posted by James on from Puerto Rico 08/29 at 08:09 AM

Kinda quiet here today…

If anyone wants to read about the most f’ed up story of the day, go here:

http://wdthu.blogspot.com/2005/08/laughing-murderers.html

Posted by James on from Puerto Rico 08/29 at 10:08 AM

Hey James, thanks for the link. I see they pulled out this old classic: “Military operations unfortunately are not a perfect science… Sometimes mistakes happen, and when they are made we investigate,” he added.

Mistakes happen. You gotta love that passive voice. Mistakes happen...like they are a force of nature.

I hope the reason it’s quiet is because everyone is writing letters for Rosemarie.

Posted by Mickey Z. on from Astoria 08/29 at 11:04 AM

I sent an email and made a post to another forum, I would have liked to send a letter but it wouldn’t reach in half enough time. All the good fortune in the world to you and thank you, Rosemary.

Posted by Owen on from Barcelona 08/29 at 12:03 PM

I hope so too, Mickey. It shouldn’t surprise me at all, but still, the thought that Rosemarie could end up in jail is just horrible.

The dog vs. duck story lightened me up some though...wouldn’t it be nice if we all could be like Mr. “Falun Gong,” but then NYC wouldn’t be NYC, would it?

Posted by James on from Puerto Rico 08/29 at 12:50 PM

Hi Everyone -
I wrote the Bennington Banner and asked Noah Hoffenberg for their specific requirements, as the definition of “very brief” kept eluding me as I tried to write. Here’s his answer:

HI,

The letter sgould be 450 words max, and it sghould be cut and pasted into the body of an email.

NH

So, for those who send an e-mail, I’d certainly offer this advice: You sghould use your spell-checking tool…

Posted by joe on from Oregon 08/29 at 02:05 PM

Sghoulda, cghoulda, wghoulda...what I wanna know is why he called you “max.”

But seriously, folks. I also heard from Noah. He requested my full name. So, for Rosemarie’s sake, mind your P’s and Q’s when you write your letter.

Posted by Mickey Z. on from Astoria 08/29 at 02:13 PM

I did spell it Rosemarie in the letter tho.

Posted by Owen on from Barcelona 08/29 at 02:29 PM

I sent my letter to the editor. I cc’d you, MZ. What a crock this whole thing is.

BTW, say hi to Sander from me if you see him t the Canuckistani radio thang.

Posted by Ricahrd on from Tgexas 08/29 at 03:39 PM

Your letter was perfect, Richard. Thanks so much. I’ll forward it to Rosemarie.

As for Sander, it turns out he got re-scheduled and won’t be on tonight. I’m still set for 8-8:30 (EST).

Posted by Mickey Z. on from Astoria 08/29 at 03:49 PM

Here is Richard’s letter:

Dear Editor:

It has reached my attention all the way down in Texas that the Vermont Supreme Court is, on September 8, considering an appeal filed in the matter of Rosemarie Jackowski’s conviction on charges of disorderly conduct with intent to harass and annoy.

I am not acquainted with Ms. Jackowski. I was made aware of her case through mutual friends who share Ms. Jackowski’s opposition to the war in Iraq, protesting which was the cause of her arrest, subsequent trial, and ultimate conviction. While I too share her opposition to the war conducted by our present Administration, I wonder if Ms. Jackowski fully understood the gravity, the seriousness, the long-term damage her intent to harass and annoy caused the citizens of Bennington as she stood in the middle of the town’s main intersection, head bowed, holding a First Amendment-protected sign expressing her First-Amendment protected opinion of her Government’s war-making in her name.

A jury of her peers convicted her of disorderly conduct with intent to harass and annoy in under a quarter hour. They never heard from Ms. Jackowski why she felt moved to harass them with her opinions, nor why she felt justified in annoying them with her impediment of the free flow of traffic. In fact, I understand from public comments reported in your newspaper that at least one juror felt the prosecution of the case was a put-up so Ms. Jackowski could make a point.

What was that point? How would any juror know, as Ms. Jackowski was never allowed to speak to this very important fact? Lawyers say what they think will serve them in a given situation...protesters say what they believe so passionately that they will burst if they do not speak. How can a reasonable verdict be reached without all the evidence, including the defendant’s reasons for committing the crime, available to the peers charged with deciding the case? I urge the residents of Bennington to demand that the Vermont Supreme Court strike down this conviction in order that a fair trial be mounted, with all parties to the case finally head from.

And by the way...that’s the silliest law I ever heard of, anyway. Sounds more like it came from Texas’s extensive and repressive legal repertoire than Vermont’s libertarian and independent tradition.

Posted by Mickey Z. on from Astoria 08/29 at 04:11 PM

Wonderful Letter, Richard.
Thanks for doing all of this, MickeyZ. (I’ll be tuning in this afternoon. Looking forward to it.)

Oh, by the way, I didn’t post my first note from Noah, replying to my question about how short my letter could be. In that note, he called me “Min,” which I found offensive. This second letter, obviously, was much more respectful.

I much enjoyed your piece on MG Robertson, Mickey. If Mr. Robertson’s God is real, then God is a psychopath, and almost everything makes sense - though, of course, only in a weird, twisted, American sort of way.
Well, I’m off to lie and cheat and steal…
( Gotta work hard, if yer gonna git ta Heaven! )

Posted by joe on from Oregon 08/29 at 05:57 PM

I’ll write in for Rosemarie with all the relevant Ps and Qs minded. Thank you for the interesting radio. Good work bringing the history of former soldiers to the situation today. Congratulations on another fine piece of communication and activism.

Posted by Lee Hall on from 08/29 at 07:36 PM

Thanks, Lee (I mailed your prize today, btw). I love doing that show. Chris is so cool, informed, and well-prepared. He’s a longtime supporter of yours truly and I really appreciate it.

Here’s hoping all this adds up to good news for Rosemarie.

Posted by Mickey Z. on from Astoria 08/29 at 07:44 PM

I could not get the radio program with my equipment but have asked hi tech friends to tape it for me. I’ll see how that works out.......I am very grateful to you Mickey, James, Joe, Owen, Richard, Lee, and everyone else. The letters are incredible… I love them all. Now your next assignment, if you should choose to accept it, is to find file-in-cake recipes...just kidding. I promise to not bother any of you for a long time...well, maybe a short time.
A couple of important things here today. The blog site from James. I have been sort of keeping track of things like that. Wouldn’t it be great if we could get billboards or some way of bringing attention to things like that. Remember the Marine sniper who said, “The chick was in the way,” after he killed her. And remember the Officer who said that killing is a lot of fun, “a real hoot”. And remember the cock pit video that showed them enjoying the kill and saying, “Take ‘em out dude.” Really sick stuff.
Just one more thing...about Pat Robertson, I have a little article here http://world.mediamonitors.net/content/view/full/18577 It is a good reference one because I include Bill Blum’s list of assassination plots. I am sure that most of you have that information but just in case there is anyone out there who doesn’t ........thanks to all of you, tonight I will sleep well.

Posted by rosemarie jackowski on from crossing the line 08/29 at 08:40 PM

You’re most welcome, Rosemarie.
I’ve read a great many - too many - examples of “our” barbarism in Iraq. It illistrates, I suppose, how, in war, even the “victors,” lose, always. War is hate and fear, conjured into a life of its own. It is also, perhaps, the most universally “glorified” of all human activities.

Mickey, I sat down early and downloaded “Winamp,” then, still trying to get it to function, I looked up and noticed it was 40 minutes after the hour. It’s now 10:15 pm, New York time, and there’s one option still left to try, with my shiny new “Winamp” program. It’s called “uninstall,” and I’m going to work on it, right now…

Posted by joe on from Oregon 08/29 at 09:24 PM

Good luck, Joe. I wish I could help, but “winamp” just as easily could be a contest for stage equipment for all I know.

Can anyone out there explain it?

Posted by Mickey Z. on from Astoria 08/30 at 05:01 AM

That photo of you and Sander Hicks could inspire a new contest.... What on earth does Mickey’s shirt say?

Posted by Lee Hall on from 08/31 at 11:48 PM

It’s sort of a faux-ironic, ultra-hip design, Lee...but one I could not resist: “Employee of the Month.”

Posted by Mickey Z. on from Astoria 09/01 at 05:09 AM