Mickey Z

Cool Observer

Wednesday, August 30, 2006

"Far from damaging the system, activists actually legitimize it"

Posted by Mickey Z on 08/30 at 04:55 AM

A link (Against the Grain-- always recommended):

Where is the Anti-War Movement?

While the American public is increasingly opposed to the occupation of Iraq, the anti-war movement seems to be faltering. Vijay Prashad, Iain Boal, and Chuck Munson make the connections between US empire and capital. They discuss where the anti-war movement is and where it should be headed.

http://www.againstthegrain.org/audio8.23.06.mp3

Posted by Robert B. Livingston on from San Francisco, California 08/30 at 07:56 AM

To Canadian Observer from last night. Thanks for taking the time to look at the photos. It is always a treat when someone looks at family photos. You probably noticed some of my political doodles there. Some are not so good but I am using Flikr as my back up system for photos. They also have some political groups there that are sometimes interesting. I don’t know why the site would not accept your comment. I’ll have to look into that. My address is all over the Internet at the end of most of my articles.

Good morning Robert and Mickey. I like today’s topic. Actually I was thinking along the same lines while doing the laundry before I got to the computer. The anti-war movement has shot itself in the foot and empowered the government. I do not agree with everything that the writer suggested. For example, here the WALK signal is on a timer, so pressing the button would not accomplish much. I like some of her other ideas but don’t think that she goes far enough. As I was at the washing machine I was thinking again about the call for Impeachment. I disagree with it, as I keep saying, because it trivializes the war crimes. We need to have arrests of the war criminals. The best way to make that happen would be to have a group within the military do it....the White House Guards. Now wouldn’t that be a dream come true.

Posted by RMJ on from Churchill 4 Prez Hdqts 08/30 at 08:32 AM

This is almost funny:

http://www.cnn.com/2006/POLITICS/08/30/gop.fascism.ap/index.html

RMJ, you are right, your grandchild is extremely cute.

I am not sure I could agree or participate with Faith’s plan, but perhaps that means it is something meaningful.

In my mind the only way to defeat this thing is extract large portions of the population from having to participate in it. To become completely independent from the whole suicidal game we are currently playing and hope that our new way of life draws enough people, quickly enough to change our current course.

Posted by JOS on from Chicago 08/30 at 09:31 AM

Hi JOS...Thanks for the “cute” comment.
Also along with your link. We are “...morally and intellectually confused...” because we don’t agree with the killing. They are really masters of deception. They control the media. They have the weapons. They have the power. We stand on street corners (I do) with signs. We are dumb (I am) and totally without any hope of success. The ship has sunk. That train has already left the station. We need citizens arrests followed by War Crimes trials. We need to close ALL usa military bases on foreign soil, and then close all of them here. We need to call baby killers, “baby killers”. We need to chant, “How many kids have you killed today, and did you rape them first.” OH sorry, that might hurt someone’s feelings. I can’t tell how many times I have heard that statement.
We need a president like Ward Churchill. We need to show our support of Chavez, Castro, Ahmadnedajab (sp), and all of the other, less than perfect, but a hell-of-a- lot-better-than-we’ve-got,leaders.
One of the news reports today was about all of the usa money going to destabilize Venezuela through USAID.
http://www.capitalnews.org/

Posted by RMJ on from Churchill 4 Prez Hdqts 08/30 at 10:04 AM

Good morning, RBL, RMJ, JOS and everyone else.

I long for the peace-movement of my younger days and cannot fathom why there is still any support for the policies of this administration. Perhaps the events of 9-11 so traumatized the nation, it has yet to recover from the blow. Being fed a constant diet of fear doesn’t help either.

Rosemarie, thanks for the heads-up on your articles. Being relatively new to this site, I had no idea of your background. Please excuse my ignorance. I’ve come late to the internet family and really have a lot to learn. By the way, your fantasy of having the White House guards arrest the war criminals made my day.

Mickey, as usual, great post today.

Posted by Canadian Observer on from 08/30 at 10:09 AM

PS...excuse my rant, but it is the usa people who are responsible NOT just the government. If the people did not support the wars there would be no wars. The enemy is not only in the White House. The enemy is everyone who supports the war machine in any way and that is why WC was right when he used the “E” word.

Posted by RMJ on from Churchill 4 Prez Hdqts 08/30 at 10:13 AM

Hi again Canadian Observer....we were symultyping. Yep, I like my fantasy about having the guards make the arrests. Even if it never happens, talking about it can do a bit of good by unnerving the enemy… a little bit of our own psych-ops.

Posted by RMJ on from Churchill 4 Prez Hdqts 08/30 at 10:19 AM

It is “fellow” citizens who are doing the silencing.............

“...Raed Jarrar wrote on his Internet blog (http://raedinthemiddle.blogspot.com) that he was required to change out of the shirt prior to boarding a JetBlue flight from New York’s John F. Kennedy Airport to California this month because officials told him people were offended by the shirt....”

His shirt said, “WE WILL NOT BE SILENT”.

Posted by RMJ on from Churchill 4 Prez Hdqts 08/30 at 10:33 AM

HI Everyone!
This topic brings high level of frustration, irritation and confusion for me this morning. It’s like the conundrum: By praying for peace, are we actually manifesting war? :(

>Rant On

This is what kills me. We know as a group what is right and what needs to be done. Every one around us is the brain power with the ability to solve all of our social political problems. We have the ability to enjoy a utopia on this planet more now then ever before. (well less and less everyday..) Instead we continue to suffer under a yolk of mind controlled oppressive ignorance!

Are we as a culture needing to go through successive shocks to our collective system, ala Katrina, 911..etc etc, until we snap out of our collective haze? Is it like a heart being revived? Or a brain being “treated”? Are we as a whole so collectively dumbed down that we can’t act? Or are we just afraid? Afraid of the responsibility it would take as a whole to truly fix our society? F*** if I know..

Whatever it is that we need to motivate ourselves, we’re either not bloody well getting it or we’re being deliberately kept from grasping it. It feels like it’s right there in front of all of us, if we can only take it. Where’s the Damn Disconnect?

>Rant Off

Feel little better. Still not sure what to do. Maybe a series of shorts where a “right” and a “left” guy get into a social political argument and hash out real issues ferociously until they realise that they both want the same thing and come to an agreement. Then they start to figure out that it’s that dude behind the camera who’s baiting them into fighting in the first place, so they both kick his ass. Basically whenever I get into a serious deep talk with these people it always seems to turn into that. We both want to have lives and raise our families without causing harm to anyone else or keeping them from enjoying the same thing. Our misunderstandings usually come down to the level of BS we believe from the bastards in power.

Arrgh if it wasn’t for the bloody money makers and there bloody need to maintain there pathetic need for superiority and power over the “useless feeders” we wouldn’t be in this bloody mess in the first place!

>I said Rant OFF!
(pant pant pant)

Sorry needed to vent. I just wish I could some how make it better. They make a damn tricky chain. Take care everyone, Lots of love!

“always” Luna

Posted by Luna_C on from The Delta 08/30 at 10:57 AM

Hello Expendables. Lots to chew on here. It’s tough to swallow that the tactics we know and love are not only obsolete but may even contribute to making things worse.

Posted by Mickey Z. on from Astoria 08/30 at 01:31 PM

I just got this e-mail in response to today’s post: And activists will be the first bastards looking for help when the Muslims attack...

Posted by Mickey Z. on from Astoria 08/30 at 02:05 PM

Don DeLillio said something similar in his book Cosmopolis during a scene where a tycoon is being shaken about in his limo by globalisation protestors, he said they were the ones who gave the system its definition. I spose there´s a lot to be said for simply ignoring those disposed to controlling behaviour and creating your own healthy dynamics between you and those around you instead of treating these fearful goons as powerful as they wish to be seen.

Posted by owen on from no flies on barcelona 08/30 at 03:29 PM

Mickey...the e-mail came from a typical usa’er. That is a common view and that’s why we can’t put all of the blame on the government. The problem is the people who have not had enough intelligence to become informed. They listen to msm and think that there is a Muslim under every bed. They don’t know or care that that is a racist view...........I received a good e-mail today from a vet that suggested that everytime someone says that the troops are fighting for us or for freedom or for the Iraqi people, we correct them and remind them that they are fighting for corporations. Your e-mailer actually believes that we a fighting for freedom and safety. Poor, misinformed guy ! I wish he’d come here and discuss things in the open. I’m ready to take him on. I’d like to tell him that the troops are endangering all of us by increasing the hatred that the rest of the world feels for the usa. When the next Blowback comes, we can thank the troops. Anyone who truly cared about the usa would not be supporting the CIA and military actions around the world that make us all look like ugly, predatory capitalistic amerikans. Also, the troops are sworn to support and defend the US Constitution, instead they are fighting for Halliburton, Lockheed Martin, Monsanto, Raytheon.....Does that make them all war criminals?

Hi Luna...I seem to be having a need to “vent” today too.

Posted by RMJ on from Churchill 4 Prez Hdqts 08/30 at 03:43 PM

Very well said RMJ, sometimes you just have to clean out the head space.

Peace and Love,
Luna

Posted by Luna_C on from workies 08/30 at 04:25 PM

I have downloaded the individual pages from Bigger Cages, Longer Chains and put them into a single pdf (about 2Mb)

http://indymedia.org.nz/usermedia/application/10/Bigger_Cages.pdf

Posted by Chris Cheer on from New Zealand 08/30 at 09:01 PM

Thanks, Chris. How did you find my blog?

Posted by Mickey Z. on from Astoria 08/30 at 09:05 PM

From your home page http://www.mickeyz.net
I look at it from time to time. Originally I was referred to it from http://www.dissidentvoice.org

Posted by Chris Cheer on from New Zealand 08/30 at 09:09 PM

Well, good to “meet” you, Chris. Hope to see you here again soon.

Posted by Mickey Z. on from Astoria 08/30 at 09:14 PM

I have assembled 3 more Spectacular Times pamphlets.

Animals (2Mb)

http://indymedia.org.nz/usermedia/application/4/Animals.pdf

Pyrate Misson & Libertatia (360Kb)

http://indymedia.org.nz/usermedia/application/2/Pyrate.pdf

Women and the Spectacle (330Kb)

http://indymedia.org.nz/usermedia/application/8/Women.pdf

Posted by Chris Cheer on from New Zealand 08/30 at 09:56 PM

Faith’s got an interesting idea there. I liked it enough to make mention of it on my blog. I might not be in DC any time too soon - but her idea of “passive aggressive” actions seems like one that could be used in a variety of settings and practically at any point in time.

As always, some very awesome stuff both on the blog and in the comments.

Posted by James on from Oklahoma 08/31 at 02:11 AM

Thanks again, Chris. I’ll eventually post all your links at once here. And good to see you, James. Hope both of you will join the discussions again soon.

Posted by Mickey Z. on from Astoria 08/31 at 04:49 AM

Good of you to bring back the SI...we need more action and thought along the lines of the SI.

I’ve been considering trying to start up an online reading group of “The Society of The Spectacle”; you’re motivating me to get it going.

Posted by The CultureGhost on from Concord, CA 08/31 at 11:56 PM

Good idea, Culture Ghost. I hope you can do it and it translates into some open minds and new ideas.

Posted by Mickey Z. on from Astoria 09/01 at 05:50 AM

Last of the Spectacular Times situationist pamphlets from http://www.cornersoul.com

More of the Shame
http://indymedia.org.nz/usermedia/application/10/Shame.pdf

The Spectacle, A Skeleton Key
http://indymedia.org.nz/usermedia/application/3/Spectacle.pdf

Revolutionary Self-Theory
http://indymedia.org.nz/usermedia/application/4/Revolutionary.pdf

The Media
http://indymedia.org.nz/usermedia/application/9/Media.pdf

The Angry Bridage, 1967-84, Documents and Chronology
http://indymedia.org.nz/usermedia/application/13/AngryBrigade.pdf

Images and Everyday Life
http://indymedia.org.nz/usermedia/application/10/Images.pdf

Thr Bad Days Will End
http://indymedia.org.nz/usermedia/application/9/BadDaysWillEnd.pdf

I hope someone finds them interesting - I am slowly reading them while commuting to and from work.
Chris.

Posted by Chris Cheer on from New Zealand 09/03 at 08:54 PM