Mickey Z
Cool Observer
Wednesday, September 28, 2005
Dubya's suggestion, Vonnegut's retort, IndyMedia party, & what will Cindy Sheehan do in 2008?
the gov’t, and the majority of US citizens only understand violence and shows of immense power...the peace movement has to get a new name, a new face, new leaders and discipline...it sounds sick, but nothing makes me sicker than impotence in the face of mass murder.
Yesterday on Fox, I heard the following on the protest, “They’re all the same hippies from the Viet Nam war,” Moron1 said. Moron2 “Same hippies, different headbands.”
Then they went into how surprised they were that the White House had allowed the protests to get so close this time. “One Guy even jumped the fence onto the white house lawn,” said M1. “The secret service took him out real quick,” said M2.
I know it’s Fox, but man, I am angry.
Posted by JOS on from The Island of Enchantment 09/28 at 06:55 AMI bet Sheehan will reluctantly, yet enthusiastically, endorse the Dem nominee. I further bet that this bet and your poll will be called cynical. And I bet that when she endorses the Dem nominee, the noise machine will go into overdrive to drown out the mutters of “I told you so”.
Posted by Harry on from 09/28 at 07:36 AMI’ll go so far as to say she will back Hillary. This Cindy comment is telling from when she stood outside her office (or was it home?) recently (paraphrase) “She knows the war is wrong, she just has yet to say it.”
And here’s a exact quote from the Village Voice:
“I asked them, ‘Are you going to be willing to lead us out of Iraq? Because if you do, the rest of the nation will follow you,’ ” Sheehan said.
Neither Clinton or Reid, who both voted for the war, were willing to reverse tracks and push for a U.S. withdrawal now. Nevertheless, Sheehan reported feeling “fabulous coming out of the meeting.”
If you can come out of a meeting with Hillary and feel fabulous, you’ve lost me.
Posted by JOS on from Puerto Rico 09/28 at 07:47 AMHere is something that looks like it should be required viewing:
“Winter Soldier might’ve been the most important film of the Johnson-Nixon era, and yet it was effectively censored. Its release, 33 years too late, is also a few years overdue this decade. If only Milestone had dropped this payload on us in 2002, as the war machine was oiling up. Now, it’s a film for the future—in an ideal and informed democracy, a Winter Soldier screening would be a voter registration requirement.”
http://www.inthesetimes.com/site/main/article/2326/
Posted by JOS on from Puerto Rico 09/28 at 08:02 AMThe honing in on Bush by the anti-war movement has been a tragic mistake and has not addressed the real issue. Too many signs at the protests give the false message that Bush is the problem. Ward Churchill got it right...the problem is not Bush, the problem is us. 99% of the Peace Activists that I know, support Democrats. The only exception is the group of Veterans for Peace that I associate with. 99% of those do NOT support Democrats. The time is right NOW to pick a third party candidate...for any who still believe that the voting process is of any value. I think that it might be too late for that option. Like they say, if voting had any effect, they wouldn’t let us do it. In the meantime it would be fun to see a CHURCHILL FOR PRESIDENT movement. He wouldn’t win, but it would certainly be a great way to get the message out.
Posted by RMJ on from in the Mobius band 09/28 at 08:44 AMHere is a link to more photos. I like the one that says EVICT CONGRESS.
http://www.traprockpeace.org/march_dc_092405/index_5.html
Posted by RMJ on from in the Mobius band 09/28 at 09:03 AMMe? Cynical? Why, Harry, I’ve never heard such a thing…
Good morning, all.
JOS, thanks for the movie suggestion and yeah, I just saw that same Cindy quote in the Voice. Inch by inch, day by day, she’ll get closer to sitting next to Michael Moore at the 2008 Democratic Convention.
RMJ: I’ll vote for Churchill if he picks you as his VP.
Posted by Mickey Z. on from Astoria 09/28 at 09:10 AMplenty of stuff on the london one here
http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2005/09/324256.htmlPosted by michael on from scotland 09/28 at 09:15 AMThanks, Michael. Love the Jean Charles de Menezes soccer (football?) jersey.
Posted by Mickey Z. on from Astoria 09/28 at 09:18 AMjust discovered this… http://www.iwtnews.com
backed by amy goodman, naomi klein etc etc they ar e trying to set up a completely independent television news station. have a look
Posted by michael on from scotland 09/28 at 09:19 AMmickey, that is actually his 2 sisters and i think the other guy is their interpreter. they were making a speech
Posted by michael on from scotland 09/28 at 09:30 AMWe’ve really got nowhere to go.
To a great extent, those FOX guys are right, we ARE the same hippies from the 60’s.I was thinking, as I got up this morning, about a scene from “2001, Space Odyssey,” which shows a (lame-costumed) group of apes, searching for food during prehistoric times. They grunt and screech and run about trying to scavenge this and that, while trying not to get eaten. When they finally find some food, they are attacked by a second ape group, and get driven off.
In the following scene, the original ape group encounters “The Monolith.” One of the apes has the courage to touch it. Sometime later, we (presumably) see the courageous ape, squatting, staring at a big pile of bones. He picks up a big, club-like bone and taps it against some of the bones in the pile. As he does so, there is an almost imperceptible pause, after which, his tappings seem to become more deliberate, more “understood.” He begin to whack his “club” against the pile of bones. He stands, whacking harder and harder, and we realize we’ve just witnessed an immense shift in “planetary” consciousness. ( And, alas, also the first use of weapons, by humanoids. )We require some such sort of leap in consciousness if we’re to move forward. Truly, it isn’t the Ruling Class which keeps us in this condition, it’s the unconsciousness of the majority of the people of the world. If suddenly, right now, 100 million Americans began to see the world as we, here, do, it would be the first moment of a brand new world…
Posted by joe on from Oregon 09/28 at 09:47 AM“To a great extent, those FOX guys are right, we ARE the same hippies from the 60’s. “
My point exactly, brother Joe.
Michael, I checked out the IWT News site and it looks like it could be a great thing...I noticed that Howard Zinn is one of the founders. They seem to have done a lot of planning.
Posted by JOS on from Puerto Rico 09/28 at 10:10 AM“..but nothing makes me sicker than impotence in the face of mass murder.”
Yes, it seems like violence, and its appropriateness in the face of such evil is the real question. In my opinion, one might better follow the Gandhian approach. The dripping water will work, just maybe not in the time frame one wants. At any moment it appears weak and insignificant, but in the long run, very powerful. So often the left starts wanting it “now” and ends up with a reactionary mess. I love that moment of violent awareness in 2001 too! Thanks for the iwtnews link.
Posted by Peter (the other) on from California 09/28 at 10:13 AMIWT does seem like a great idea. However, it will be on Satellite, which reaches only a VERY limited number of people.
Satellite already has FSTV, which IS independent world television… FSTV has no corporate funding, seems completely independent, and carries Democracy Now and a variety of VERY radical programs and documentaries.
Are these two networks going to compete for the limited funds available? I suppose so. Meanwhile, the two networks will also compete for the viewers of satellite TV, while most of the world can’t afford to subscribe.If only we could get our own “Monolith.”
Posted by joe on from Oregon 09/28 at 10:42 AMI’m angry too, JOS, really, really angry.
Like the guy with the sign on the front page:
I can’t believe we still have to protest this crap…Posted by joe on from Oregon 09/28 at 10:46 AMi suppose it depends how much of it they can put onto the net. democracy now is very popular in the UK, primarily because there is nothing like it over here so loads of people tune into it on the net so if they can put all or even most of their programmes on the net they would get a big audience as well too. one thing about it tho is that i have difficulty seeing many corporate cable companies putting the channel in one of their packages
Posted by michael on from scotland 09/28 at 10:49 AM“Imagine if instead of hundreds of thousands of hippies, there were hundreds of thousands of teeming masses, all wearing the same thing, or at least the same color. Imagine if the march was military style, not parade. The rallies should be less about fun, more about showing a sense of militant power.”
This is a great example of becoming what you set yourself up against. Also, the photo of the London march of the socialists in their red uniform with a banner ‘fight for a socialist future.’ If you’re going to a peace march, leave the language of war behind. You know that saying ‘Fighting for peace is like fucking for virginity,’ so you peace for peace. And this:
“Anybody who talks about the future is a bastard.”
- Louis-Ferdinand CelineI saw a photo of Berlin in the early 30s of a march with a Nazi officer marching - though with a paunch, easily slumped shoulders and a bumpkin grin - behind a gaily decorated wooden train that said Krieg Gegen Hunger und Kalte (war against hunger and cold), this seems to be an old tactic: get people using the language of war about things genuinely worth getting rid of then when you want to bring the real agenda to the fore you just replace the abstract nouns. There was a War on Poverty in the US in the 60s too I read.
Posted by Owen on from Barcelona 09/28 at 11:23 AMThanks for the quotation....to expand on the point...think of how much scarier it would be to “the man” if demonstrations weren’t festivals of fun and groovy music.
Posted by Jordy Cummigns on from Toronto 09/28 at 11:36 AMtrue but think how much more of an excuse it would give them to beat us up
Posted by michael on from scotland 09/28 at 11:46 AMUniformity is what an elite craves, deeply wishing for everyone on the planet to be wearing the same thing and walking in formation so I can’t think of anything scarier to one than fun, grooviness or most of all, spontanaeity.
Posted by Owen on from Barcelona 09/28 at 11:46 AMI can see both sides. The spontanaeity represents a different paradigm...but makes it SO easy for outsiders to dismiss it as a joke. The uniforms (think Black Panthers) would freak out the status quo...but make it SO easy to justify a violent response.
Posted by Mickey Z. on from Astoria 09/28 at 11:50 AMHi again, guys -
It seems to me, though, that it’s not about speaking the truth to power. It’s not about how they perceive us, it’s not about whether or not they listen to us. It’s about US.
I don’t care if they ever listen to us. I don’t care if they ever care about us. It’s not about them.
We’re 6 billion people. What are their numbers?
We need to get off of our knees and stop begging them for anything. We need to realize that we posess much more power than they do. If six billion people just stepped outside and stood quietly on the sidewalks and streets for a few minutes, together, it would be over. Period.
They could never defeat us. Most of the military would desert. Most of the police would stand down. Everything would change, just like that.We need US.
We need more of US to wake up.
Let the Elites do what they do - we need US… Just US.Posted by joe on from Oregon 09/28 at 12:00 PMjoe has it right.
this is an excerpt from a thing a newspaper was doing in the run up to the g8 over here called ‘if i had 5 minutes with the g8 leaders.’
i think its a good point
“I wouldn’t want 5 minutes to talk to the G8 leaders. What would be the point? Even a month, politely offering the latest statistics and best analysis of how their policies are destroying humanity and the planet, would be no good.The experience on Iraq, on Africa and on climate change is that the G8 leaders do not listen to wise words. Instead they pursue the interests of big business in its drive to subject everything to the market. Talking is not going to change their minds.
If one of them did listen and started to seriously tackle the pressing issues faced by humanity, they would immediately run into conflict with entrenched power. Most obviously with the US, but also with the power of organised big business. If Tony Blair or Gordon Brown were serious about Africa they would directly take on the vested interests of Western corporations.
But there is no chance of this unless we find an effective way to change things - a way to make our voices heard. The reason that Africa is on the agenda is because campaigners have put it there. Mobilised public opinion is the only power that is capable of saving the world from the destructive power of the corporations. When opinion is mobilised and the G8 see the futility of their position, then we can talk. Or rather, we can negotiate, to end their undemocratic rule.
So if you have five minutes, and you want to change the world, the most effective thing to do is join the great movements of our time, against war and for global justice. As July approaches, the best way to use your voice is to join with others and demonstrate against the G8 in Edinburgh on the 2nd of July and in Gleneagles on the 6th.
David Miller is Professor of Sociology at Strathclyde University and Co-Editor of Arguments Against G8 (Pluto Press).”
Posted by michael on from scotland 09/28 at 12:10 PMJoe I believe you’ve summed up our predicament:
Truly, it isn’t the Ruling Class which keeps us in this condition, it’s the unconsciousness of the majority of the people of the world. If suddenly, right now, 100 million Americans began to see the world as we, here, do, it would be the first moment of a brand new world…
Anyone have a thought about what, if anything, would raise the consciousness of the majority to a point of peaceful, persistent, action?
Posted by Amelopsis on from Canada 09/28 at 12:14 PMGo on the Joe! (Irish expression of support) Like Chomsky sez, power knows truth. Where we’re at with this rule by underhanded means is the only way an elite can go about it - physical restraint being impossible, control works by having the people police each other, teachers, doctors, judges, scientists, parents, children too sometimes, you set the structure up, establish the norms in a society and it runs itself pretty much. That’s wise of you Joe, to solve things instead of looking outside ourselves the change happens within - don’t sweat world peace, just concentrate on being peaceful. The power exerted over us is only the power we give away every day.
Posted by Owen on from Barcelona 09/28 at 12:16 PMThe power exerted over us is only the power we give away every day. - thats fantastic!
the irony of it all is that to some extent it took george bush to revive the progressive movement. him and all his cronies have been so bad that people have begun to get active again
Posted by michael on from scotland 09/28 at 12:24 PMRight on…
Propaganda is tyranny of the most successful and dangerous form. It is tyranny that insinuates itself so deeply into the fabric of our lives, it is not perceived as tyranny. Without the corporate media there would be very little effective propaganda…with the corporate media there is very little else. Propaganda has so successfully infiltrated Everyday Life that an attack upon propaganda appears to be an attack upon society.
But...allow to play devil’s advocate, in a way. I agree. The mere act of protest automatically assigns a certain legitimacy to the Elite in that we are asking them to change. I also agree that if enough humans “woke up,” it would be like Morrison sang: They got the guns but we got the numbers.
But...and there’s always a but...we can’t wait for the numbers to kick in. Most in the Third World are either trapped trying to be like Americans or too busy struggling to survive. Most in the First World are trained, literally trained, to distrust anything but the party line. Those who have woken up and trying to wake up others...but that’s a tough trick to pull off. I remember how much I resisted and clung to the myths I was raised on.
As the point of no return fades in the rear view mirror, how much time do we have to get the numbers to work together for peace and justice?
Posted by Mickey Z. on from Astoria 09/28 at 12:33 PMthe age of oil is coming to a close. we are right now in the oil wars. once global warming speeds up we are going to see something even worse. the fresh water wars. it seems so far fetched in develpoed countries but thats what is going to happen unless a new society based on cooperation rather than competition comes in soon.
in short i don’t think we have much time at all. get moving!
till tomorrow
Posted by michael on from scotland 09/28 at 12:57 PM“As the point of no return fades in the rear view mirror, how much time do we have to get the numbers to work together for peace and justice?”
Very little, and environmentally, the point of no return may already be long gone from our rearview mirror (in another state).
I am against violence. I think it actually works against a cause, but that does not mean we do not need warriors. I do want to fight, not with bombs or fists, but we must have force. Before the march in Washington organizers called police and negotiated there arrests for the next day...that’s ineffective bullshit. Imagine if Rosemarie had called up her friend on the police force to arrange her arrest the next day on March 20th?
Posted by JOS on from Puerto Rico 09/28 at 01:14 PMPerhaps we will have evidence of the effects of DU?:
Posted by JOS on from Puerto Rico 09/28 at 01:22 PMYou’ve hit the bulls-eye, Mickey. We’ve got the numbers but the numbers are asleep. Meanwhile, we’ve got real problems which need to be addressed, whether or not the population wakes up.
One thing is certain, if we try to solve our problems the way “we” have been trying for the last 200 years, we’ll create no lasting, meaningful change. Just getting rid of Bush would make everything better - but only a little. Meanwhile, some of the people who are now waking up would drift back to sleep, secure in the knowledge that things are finally “back on track.”
Even if we were to add a meaningful, powerful, third party to the mix, that party would soon become thoroughly corrupted. The system, like highly radioactive waste, destroys whatever it touches, sooner or later. We could do some good, “short” term, but we’d eventually be right back where we are now.
What do we do? I don’t know.Posted by joe on from Oregon 09/28 at 01:29 PMHi JOS -
Yes, environmentally and politically and economically, we may be hanging by a thread - above the “great void.”
I feel like my head is spinning. Every time I find a YES, it trips over a NO…Posted by joe on from Oregon 09/28 at 01:38 PMI second that: What do we do? I don’t know.
I know what we shouldn’t do. I know what we have done. I know what we can’t do unless we want to get shot or join Mumia and Peltier for a few dozen years.
So, that leaves me with: What do we do? I don’t know.
For now, I’ll keep doing what I’ve been doing, e.g. sounding the wake-up call from my little corner of the universe while keeping a close eye on myself to make sure I don’t nod back off myself.
Posted by Mickey Z. on from Astoria 09/28 at 01:38 PMWhat do you all think of the news story about the US Military trading photos of the dead bodies of the Iraqis for porn? If this story is correct, it could present a real problem for the US. Take a look at the photos of the slaughtered Iraqis. Hummmmm, and they told us that we were there to bring them freedom and democracy. These photos dispel that argument.
http://www.cnn.com/2005/US/09/28/web.photos/index.htmlPosted by RMJ on from Churchill 4 Prez Hdqts 09/28 at 01:54 PMRosemarie, I suspect there will be an investigation and they’ll find a Lynndie England to be a scapegoat and we’ll all be told this is an aberration.
I just wish those who look at those gruesome images of dead Iraqis could, for a moment, see them as humans...parents, friends, lovers, children. It’s quite an illustration of much our humanity has been beaten out of us that this is not so.
Posted by Mickey Z. on from Astoria 09/28 at 02:30 PMMickey, I agree. It is usually a person’s rank in the pecking order that determines who will be prosecuted but an issue such as this could open a national discussion on personal responsibility. To too many, the idea that the military is a jobs program, is used to justify going around the world and supporting US policy. Also, this issue should make us all examine our culture, its inherent violence, the way we educate children, etc. I guess that once the taboo against killing has been removed from a person’s psyche, taking photos of the victim is not a big deal. Did anyone see the news story a couple of days ago, showing the soldiers being taken into an autopsy room to witness an autopsy. I think that they said that the purpose was to get the troops used to seeing the blood and guts. Think of all of the people out there who still believe that we are in Iraq to give candy to the children, and build schools and hospitals. The PR value of photos of victims is important and should be used to save lives in the future. I know that this is a sensitive issue. I cannot tell you how many people become offended when I show the photos that I have. Sometimes people get mad at me, instead of those who do the killing.
Posted by RMJ on from Churchill 4 Prez Hdqts 09/28 at 02:52 PMThey get mad at you, RMJ, because you are making it impossible for them to develop their denial. It’s so easy to slap a “support the troops” sticker on our SUV, sing “God Bless America” at the Yankee game, and sleep in our nice warm beds every night. Then along comes someone saying it’s all a fraud, a cruel hoax.
Keep doing what you do…
Posted by Mickey Z. on from Astoria 09/28 at 02:57 PMMickey, you are reading my mind. I was just going to post a PS saying that the photos deprive them the comfort of deniability.
Posted by RMJ on from Churchill 4 Prez Hdqts 09/28 at 03:08 PMHi Rosemarie & Mickey -
I guess that’s all we can do, Mickey - write and talk and hope, and keep ourselves awake. I read somewhere, recently, that maybe 10%+ of the population believes that the sun moves around the earth… We seem to be a significant distance, yet, from “critical mass,” where something shifts in “our” direction. Some of the population still lives in the epicenter of the Middle Ages.Rosemarie, you’re doing a very great deal, already. You and Mickey, both. When I consider you guys, I always feel like a straggler…
My wife told me, a bit ago, that Tom Delay was indicted. For a few seconds, I was pleased, until I realized that Hillary or Kerry or some such Hawk in Dove’s clothing, will be the beneficiary. Just some Elites, jostling for power.
Posted by joe on from Oregon 09/28 at 03:25 PMSuch an indictment will not “delay” the inevitable.
Posted by Mickey Z. on from Astoria 09/28 at 03:32 PMSpeaking of Lolita Lebron, she could use some help after losing her house in a fire:
La Foundacion Andres Figueroa Cordero is collecting money to send to Lolita. Please send a check or money order, made out to Lolita Lebron, to the following address:
FUNDACION ANDRES
FIGUEROA CORDERO
P.O. BOX 157O
BRONX, N.Y.10459Posted by JOS on from Puerto Rico 09/28 at 03:55 PMThanks, JOS. Do you have a link for that news? I can post something tomorrow or Friday.
Posted by Mickey Z. on from Astoria 09/28 at 04:02 PMThanks, JOS. It would be nice to give her a hand.
Odd coincidence, eh, that her house should burn down during this time of trouble and assasination in PR?Posted by joe on from Oregon 09/28 at 04:05 PMYou wouldn’t be suggesting a conspiracy, would you, Joe?
Here’s a link I found:
http://www.prolibertadweb.com/page23.htmlPosted by Mickey Z. on from Astoria 09/28 at 04:07 PMWho Me?
I’m sure the FBI is above board…
And that nice Mr. Hoover looked so good in that dress and those pumps. I’d hate to besmirch his beloved organization.Posted by joe on from right next door 09/28 at 05:08 PMWashington Post reports that Karen Hughes says....., “to preserve the peace sometimes my country believes war is necessary.” Everybody remember when we said that we had to burn the village in order to save it...war is peace...life is death...good is bad...the government is here to help you....
Posted by RMJ on from Churchill 4 Prez Hdqts 09/28 at 05:38 PMsomeone was looking for a zirin interview of the nba player at the protest:
Posted by JOS on from The Island of Enchantment 09/28 at 05:43 PMNot that we should take Karen Hughes more seriously than, say, Donald Duck, but she uses the word “country,” rather than the word “government.” They’ve always done so, I imagine. Just as they say “we” have to burn the villiage in order to save it, rather than “the military” had to burn it.
More word play, you know, Rosemarie? When they speak, they are “inclusive,” and when they act they are divisive; they are racist, sexist, elitist and anti-human… and they are NOT “we,” and they are NOT “my” country.Posted by joe on from Oregon 09/28 at 06:37 PMI’m with you, Joe....and he’s not MY president. Tonight my president is Churchill. Karen made that statement in Turkey in front of a group of Turkish women who were smart enough to see through the lies....which is more than I can say about a lot of brain-washed, sleeping, apathetic US citizens.
Posted by RMJ on from Churchill 4 Prez Hdqts 09/28 at 06:54 PMSomething everybody can do is stop watching TV. You have no idea how much it affects you until you stop. Gotta go cold turkey, though! It’s hard, I know, but give it a couple of weeks and you will start to see what I mean. After a couple of months, you’ll never look back. You’ll have your mind back.
It seems to me that the elite control us best by having us compete with each other all the time. How about we brainstorm ideas that people can do co-operatively that results in a pretty quick beneficial result and so help break down the competitive paradigm which is so destructive to our wellbeing. (I suggeast the co-operation needs to be personal but can be multipied ad infinitum) Once that paradigm goes, so will the control.
Mickey, Brian is getting back to me next week with some info for the Buy-cott.
Posted by Jim on from 09/28 at 08:41 PMI’ll post something tomorrow, Jim, re: your brainstorming suggestion. Thanks.
Posted by Mickey Z. on from Astoria 09/28 at 08:59 PMYou’re quite right about TV, Jim. Other than FSTV or LINK, we rarely watch. When we do, we’re consistently appalled. There’s always some FBI drama or Police drama tucked into an endless barfing of automobile and drug advertising… Us peasants are constantly depicted as helpless, hapless, victims, desperate for government and “professional” attention of one sort or another.
Generally I dislike competitions of any sort, so I’m with you. I’m not sure what, exactly, you mean, however. Can you give us an example or two?
Posted by joe on from someone's bad dream 09/28 at 09:10 PMSure, Joe. We are taught to compete against each other from the git go. In school classrooms we are taught to compete. Any ranking of results is teaching competition. In the higher grades, a pass mark is set at a certain percentage of the class or year numbers, if it is a statewide exam. Entrance to Uni is competitive as is almost all employment. Our “entertainment” is largely competitive be it sports or celeb gossip - “Who’s won Brad this week?”! Through all this, the paradigm of “competition is good for you” is promoted.
So called “primitive” societies limited competition to games that enhanced the ability to survive i.e. horsemanship, archery etc. But when it came to “putting a chop on the table”, they co-operated and everyone is involved one way or another. There is no such thing as unemployment in a tribal society.
It’s not for no reason that the elite go berserk over any co-operative effort by people.
Competition creates one temporary winner and an awful lot of losers. Ironic isn’t it? Propaganda that apparently promotes the idea of winning actually creates a population of disconnected losers and losers think they can’t do anything to improve their lot. Me included, which I have to fight against mentally. Which leads onto:-Regarding TV, if nothing else, it takes up mental space and time which is what is needed to change our consciousness. But it’s worse than this. As a survivor of mind control, I know what i am looking at. Watching TV sends you into a mild dissociative state - perfect for brainwashing. Have a look at people watching TV and see for yourself. I don’t mean glance at them while you are watching also. I mean sit where you can watch them and not see the TV.
I hope that answers it, Joe. (I’ve enjoyed reading your comments BTW). It’s a bit longwinded and perhaps off topic but worth it, I hope.
Posted by Jim on from 09/28 at 09:58 PMThanks for another great post Mickey! LOVE the Vonnegut quote but all the other items as well.
And .. I am angry, too, JOS!Posted by Helga Fremlin on from Daylesford, Australia 09/28 at 10:29 PM“Propaganda that apparently promotes the idea of winning actually creates a population of disconnected losers...”
Very insightful, Jim.
I think you’re exactly right about cooperation. In fact, it’s gradually being illegal-ized. Imagine New Orleans in a sane, reasonable world. No one would have rushed out of town, indifferent to the fates of those left behind. Every vehicle would have been full to overflowing with friends, neighbors, complete strangers. Extra vehicles would be rented or purchased or borrowed by the community, so that no one was left behind. (Actually, in a sane world, there would be very inexpensive mass-transportation available to everyone, everywhere, all the time - but that’s a whole new topic.)
At the first hint of such a storm, people would come together to reinforce their friendships, their community. Every neighborhood would be involved in seeing to it that evacuations were complete, and that those with special needs would receive all necessary care. The animals, too, would be looked after, and to the greatest extent possible, removed to safe, secure locations. Afterwards, people would help each other rebuild, and help each other survive comfortably, and with dignity, as the rebuilding took place.
Nowhere, in all of this, is some vast governmental machine required. Nowhere is there a need to “discipline” people. Nowhere is there a need to supervise or control. Nowhere is there a need for adult human beings to be treated like foolish, desperate children.
We do not need them, and they are terrified that we might come to realize this fact.Wow, Jim, I just re-realized how long winded I am. Sorry. I was going to blab about “real” work, in a “real” world. And then, more about TV. I really enjoyed reading and thinking about your post. Thanks very much. I hope you’ll keep writing, here - it’s good stuff.
Now, what sorts of things do you think we might do, to come together?
Talk with you soon, I hope.
- joePosted by joe on from Oregon 09/28 at 11:33 PMIf she was still friendly towards President Bush before the revelations of the Downing Street memo and the 9/11 commissions and it was those things that made her oppose Bush, it’s obvious that she dosen’t have much of an anti-imperialist conscience. I know she’s said a few things about stopping terrorism by getting out of the ME and israel out of Palestine and she’s accepted support from these radical groups but she probably will support any Democratic politician who pretends to support her cause.
Posted by Chris on from Washington State 10/01 at 01:19 AMEverything you say makes sense, Chris...I just hope, somehow, you’re wrong.
Posted by Mickey Z. on from Astoria 10/01 at 06:45 AM
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