Mickey Z
Cool Observer
Sunday, June 04, 2006
A Sunday Triple Feature
Good day to all...Mickey, thanks for the link to “our way of life”. It got me thinking about all of the ongoing, continuing, ever-present, never-ending massacres in Iraq and the Trials of the accused. Where is the world’s outcry about the fact that the USA is the judge and jury? Isn’t that like having a mass murderer be the presiding judge at his own trial? It’s just not right (or left). The rest of the world thinks that we in the US will fix these injustices. They don’t get it. The reforms will have to come from outside of the US where there is a little more access to accurate information.
My captcha word is a good one, “anti”...suits me.Posted by RMJ on from Churchill 4 Prez Hdqts 06/04 at 07:57 AMHappy Sunday to all who float in today. I wish I was able to enjoy the video links, like the one to Thumping the Tub, but sadly it is not to be.
RMJ, I can think of no faster way to rile up the Sixpacks and their neighbors the Kegbellies than to impose a solution from without. Want to lose any hope of changing the hearts and minds of the majority of the Murrican populace? Bring in the international community making a judgement on our judgments. No matter how wrong they are, those judgments will become the stuff of legend as the Solomonic pronouncements of our Repulsivecan and Democrock solons and thus worth fighting for.
Posted by Mudge on from Austin, Texas 06/04 at 08:09 AMOh, I meant to put this at the bottom of my post #2:
“Belief like any other moving body follows the path of least resistance.”
--Samuel Butler, poet (1612-1680)captcha="summer" as in “the long, hot”
Posted by Mudge on from Austin, Texas 06/04 at 08:18 AMGood morning, Rosemarie and Mudge.
I can’t imagine reforms from within or without...unless we’re talking about mindsets. The world’s an insane asylum and we need “new eyes” to visualize solutions.
Posted by Mickey Z. on from Astoria 06/04 at 08:21 AMWas that Yngwie Malmsteen doing I’ll See The Light Tonight or Spinal Tap doing Stonehenge?
These massacres are happening all the time in Iraq and Afghanistan. It sickens me when the media finally reports one of them the main question is, “is this going to hurt the morale of our troops and damage the war effort?” When I hear that I have the sadistic urge to throw 2 ounces of cesium into their bathwater.
Posted by JOS on from Oak Park, birthplace of the Ernest "The Masochist" 06/04 at 08:26 AMHello RMJ, Mudge and Mick. I am heading to Miller Beach, Indiana for the day. A great place on the shores of Lake Michigan. Too bad we have to enjoy it within plain sight of gigantic iron mill smokestacks to our left and right. I wonder what heavy metals I will be swimming in today? Of course I’ve already got a small vial’s worth of mercury swimming around inside me from all of the Tuna I’ve eaten...so what the hell?
Posted by JOS on from the birthplace of Ernest "The Masochist" Hemingway 06/04 at 08:31 AMEnjoy your day, JOS. Your talk of polluted water made me think of this from 10,000 Maniacs:
O, they tell us there’s poison in the well,
that someone’s been a bit untidy and there’s been a small spill.
Not a lot, no, just a drop.
But there you are mistaken, you know you are.
I wonder just how long they knew our well was poisoned but they let us just drink on.Posted by Mickey Z. on from Astoria 06/04 at 08:55 AMHi Mickey, Mudge, and JOS.
Chomsky is on C-span2 right now.
I also could not do the video links.
Mudge, do you mean that we will have to give up hope from the Bolivarian Revolution to the south? NEVER!Posted by RMJ on from Churchill 4 Prez Hdqts 06/04 at 10:14 AMIs there something wrong with the video links?
Posted by Mickey Z. on from Astoria 06/04 at 12:03 PMNo, I think the links are OK but I am on slow dial-up, Mickey.
“...We must make clear to the Germans that the wrong for which their fallen leaders are on trial is not that they lost the war, but that they started it. And we must not allow ourselves to be drawn into a trial of the causes of the war, for our position is that no grievances or policies will justify resort to aggressive war. It is utterly renounced and condemned as an instrument of policy....” Judge Jackson, 1945
This is one of the things I mean when I say that outside intervention is needed. Think how history might be different if Judge Jackson was replaced by a member of the Third Reich. All I am saying is that those accused of the massacres should be judged by those outside of the USA.
Posted by RMJ on from Churchill 4 Prez Hdqts 06/04 at 12:33 PMFrom the iccnow.org web site.............
“...USA and the ICC
United States President Bill Clinton signed the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (‘Rome Statute’) on December 31 December 2000, the last day that the Rome Statute was open for signature. Shortly after the Bush Administration entered office and just before the 1 July 2002 entry into force of the Rome Statute, US President George W. Bush “nullified” the Clinton signature on 6 May 2002. Since 2002, the United States has launched a full-scale multi-pronged campaign against the International Criminal Court, claiming that the ICC may initiate politically-motivated prosecutions against US nationals....”Posted by RMJ on from Churchill 4 Prez Hdqts 06/04 at 12:52 PMRMJ: Here’s some I worte years ago about the ICC:
http://tinyurl.com/kuab7Posted by Mickey Z. on from Astoria 06/04 at 12:56 PMMickey, that is a wonderful article. How did I miss it? You said it all....hit all of the important points - education, No Gun Ri, etc. Now there’s nothing for the rest of us to write about. Oh well, I’ll always have Diego Garcia. I better not speak too quickly. You’ll probably pull one of those out of your magic hat. Maybe I’ll take up crocheting.
Posted by RMJ on from Churchill 4 Prez Hdqts 06/04 at 01:13 PMHey hey hang fire on the Iraq massacres. That hairdo in the Yngwie video is a lot more frightening than some of “our boys” who protect “our way of life” by mowing people down willy nilly. Who doesn’t expect soldiers to do that? Can anyone name a war in which that hasn’t happened?
Most important of all, of course, is the the message of today’s links: we all need a wizard with a silly hat waving a sword about at times. My life wouldn’t be the same without. Kudos, MZ, for pointing that out.
Posted by Chris Wood on from Manchester, odd wet lovely Manchester 06/04 at 01:43 PMHellos & how-lows to all Expendables.
@ JOS (#6): Been there myself as a child; have a good time. P.S. maybe wear an oxygen mask?
(Now stepping onto the soap box for a sec)...
@ Mudge (re: your remarks for the past 2 days): It’s 2006. Everything is tainted; everything is contaminated, just as the basic necessities of life have all been privatized. Wars overwhelmingly serve economic interests, which are the product of the savage side of human nature. Most all institutions of society are irrational and immoral, bringing out the worst in us. From feudalism to representative democracy, from serfdom to wage slavery, humankind kind has yet to transcend these illegitimate forms of power, and create institutions which elevate the other side of human nature: compassion, mutual aid, and solidarity.
But with overpopulation, the scarcity of resources, mass starvation, nuclear weapons, the militarization of space, and the corporate globalization of practically everything, it’s practically inevitable that meaningful social change occurs, else the planet is doomed. So the “why” is clear enough. But “how” is of primary concern, which will determine exactly “what” we replace these illegitimate forms with. That being said, “who” will take the power: the marginalized majority of the world population—as a whole—that are oppressed by these illegitimate systems, or another ruling elite minority? And if inevitable, then “when” will it finally happen?
Never before in history have people realized and connected their own struggles with that of other people halfway around the world to such a degree. The World Social Forum is a prime example, the People’s Global Action another, which are Internationalist in nature, and built from the bottom-up. Many other anti-authoritarian, “bottom-up” examples can be cited, here and elsewhere. Thus, largely gone are the ideas from the past century, where it was believed that a political party (consisting of a new ruling class) could solve the problem, in light of the failures of the former Soviet Union et al… But the struggle for power will no doubt continue, and it’s in our hands (and our responsibility, I might add) to participate in establishing a world order that could achieve the ideals that we hold dear.
Posted by RT on from The Buyou City 06/04 at 02:27 PMYo ho ho, me hearties...it’s 101F as I type. All I can bear to wear is a bandanna and underwear, now ain’t that a sight?
MZ #4: “The world’s an insane asylum and we need “new eyes” to visualize solutions.” Well, that’s that. No solutions, then. Unless the Farazoid andros and femins skleeth us at the behest of Almighty S’kronk.
#9: “Is there something wrong with the video links?” Yes. They take forever on ol’ Bessy here, with her 1.1gHz processor and 115K modem.
RMJ #10: “All I am saying is that those accused of the massacres should be judged by those outside of the USA.” On the SHOULD I am with you...these asswipes are war criminals and deserve to be tried, convicted, drawn and quartered. As to the results of this desirable outcome here at home, I say again that it will be very, very ugly around these parts were this to happen.
#13: “Maybe I’ll take up crocheting.” Might I remind you that the pen is mightier than the crochet hook, and there are stories to be told that only you can tell?
Big Country #6: “Of course I’ve already got a small vial’s worth of mercury swimming around inside me from all of the Tuna I’ve eaten...so what the hell?” What the Living Hell, I think was the Expendables’ consensus....
Chris #14: “we all need a wizard with a silly hat waving a sword about at times.” Does a male witch in a bandanna count?
RT #15: “But the struggle for power will no doubt continue, and it’s in our hands (and our responsibility, I might add) to participate in establishing a world order that could achieve the ideals that we hold dear.” I shall cheer like mad from my pizza-order-taking desk. I have a cynical unbelief in the ability of humankind to change on any other than a personal level, and not any too often at that.
Posted by Mudge on from Austin, Texas 06/04 at 05:28 PMMudge, a male witch in a bandana is fine, even preferable - after all, that sword wielding can be a little unpleasant!
Posted by Chris Wood on from Manchester, odd wet lovely Manchester 06/04 at 05:32 PMPS Bandana and underwear? Which particular god are you trying to impress? Big tease!
Posted by Chris Wood on from Manchester, odd wet lovely Manchester 06/04 at 05:34 PMHI Chris and RT
Mudge, you paint quite a mental picture for all of us. All of us are now sitting around thinking about your striking image.
JOS...about mercury. Most newborns in the USA have it injected into their veins. Thimerosal gives the vaccines a longer shelf life and helps the bottom line of the pharmaceutical companies. Shows you where our values are. NBC is talking about thimerosal right now on Dateline.
Posted by RMJ on from Churchill 4 Prez Hdqts 06/04 at 06:50 PMHi there RMJ! Great image in post 1, btw, about the mass murderer being judge & jury at his own trial. Ah, but that’s what we have to expect. It’s a giant shit storm of corruption. Every stage of grooming for positions of power or influence that I’ve ever encountered includes a long hazing process of dependency in which the poor bloody subject loses most of their own self, & what emerges is a horrific mutated mess, rather like processed foods a la spam. That isn’t meat, & no more are our appointed leaders, judges etc anywhere near you or I.
It would be nice, at least, if they were honest about our situation & stopped calling it “democracy.”
We can only cling to what we know as right in forums like this. Captcha says “stand,” which I guess it’s a toast to you all, so here’s to ya!Posted by Chris Wood on from Manchester, odd wet lovely Manchester 06/04 at 06:56 PMHello again Expendables. I just came back from a rousing game of stickball...in the street. Sewer to sewer. I was voted MVP: 2 for 4...with a double, 2 runs scored, and a 3-run HR.
RMJ: I haveyet to write an article on Diego Garcia...but now that oyu mention it.
Chris: It’s always great to see you here. How are things?
RT: I never fail to mile when you let loose. Great stuff. I wish you’d put your thoughts together into an article every now and then and share ‘em with the world.
Mudge: Did you say you had a banana in your underwear...or are oyu just glad to see me?
Posted by Mickey Z. on from Astoria 06/04 at 07:03 PMChris...I agree but I keep thinking about a statement made here by someone a while back. it went something like this, “300 people sitting down accomplish more that 300,000 marching.”
I don’t understand why Mudge doesn’t want to offend the Sixpackers. Every time I see a photo of a child with his head blown apart I am more than offended. Maybe we have to get the Sixpackers to see the photos. As much as I love everyone here at Mickey’s, we really have to admit that we are not accomplishing what needs to be done by talking to each other. Isn’t this what Churchill refers to as the politics of convenience. We have to find a way to make the Sixpackers feel the same pain that we feel when we see the photos. In my mind I envision a photo of an Iraqi child that morphs into the photo of every Sixpackers child. People need to be shocked into reality.Posted by RMJ on from Churchill 4 Prez Hdqts 06/04 at 07:26 PMMickey, while you were out playing stick-ball, we were here working. Besides that, you were late for supper so now you are grounded for the rest of the week.
Posted by RMJ on from Churchill 4 Prez Hdqts 06/04 at 07:33 PMThanks for another enlightening post and .. as always, for the great graphics! You ROCK.
And ‘hi’ to Rosemarie, Mudge, JOS, Chris Wood and RT - it is a cold but sunny winter day in Daylesford, so I’ll walk into town later.
Ciao expendables ..
Posted by Helga Fremlin on from Daylesford, Australia 06/04 at 07:37 PMHi Helga.
RMJ: I am never late for dinner. As for your other post, I agree but I mist admit that I don’t know how to make that happen. I’m working on an article at this moment about what we choose to ignore in order to just get through the day. We live in the land of denial.
If you have ideas, please share.
Posted by Mickey Z. on from Astoria 06/04 at 07:45 PMMZ #21: Shhhhhh, Michele might hear!
#25: Why does not one soul I have ever asked this question ever have any response, or show the smallest sign of having ever THOUGHT about it: “Why does gasoline cost less per gallon than milk or orange juice?”
Why is not one citizen of this reasonably well-educated country asking him/erself, “What ever happened to the failed S&L loan portfolios that dragged the places down to begin with? Who’s paying for all that crap? How much did it cost?”
Why in God’s sweet name is there not mass rioting on a daily basis over the disappearance of decent-paying jobs? I might take pizza orders for a living, but I don’t want to live in Snow Crash thanks all the same.
Hi everyone, I’m all tuckered out so I will just send one and all a smooch and a pinch.
Posted by Mudge on from Austin, Texas 06/04 at 09:22 PMI had a great day among the sand dunes of the national park near Miller Beach, Indiana. That’s cool that you have been there before, RT
I missed a wonderful expendalishish conversation here...reminded me of old times reading through all of the humor and well thought out opinions.
Hey Mick...thanks for having a place for us to gather! Gutter to gutter stickball? Now that’s NYC, baby.
Posted by JOS on from the birthplace of Ernest "The Masochist" Hemingway 06/04 at 09:29 PMI’ve missed some good stuff here todaym including a pinch from Mudge, which I won’t really deserve until I get more writing done anyway, at a job again and out with some other things… did I miss it, or did anyone figure out who the mystery celebrities were?
Posted by James on from Hell's Kitchen 06/04 at 11:16 PMAs far as can tell, no one guessed the celebrities: Robert DeNiro and Demi Moore.
Posted by Mickey Z. on from Astoria 06/05 at 04:16 AM
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