Mickey Z
Cool Observer
Monday, March 19, 2007
"Russian girls are easy" (and other things I learned on my long trip home)
That’s sad about the russian girls, Mickey. I hope your eye is feeling better today. And yes, I always travel with some emergency clif bars.
I have a couple of disjointed travel stories, the only things I could come up with. First is being in scotland during the 2000 election. I had moved across country that year, and had forgotten to register to vote in my new “home”, had felt so disconnected from the election that I didn’t even realize that I made my travel plans for Scotland over the big election date, and so would have needed to get an absentee ballot as well. That was the first Scrub election. I was on a bus heading to culloden (perhaps appropriate) and ended up talking to the bus driver a bit. This was the day after the election, and he was bringing me up to date, about how they still didn’t know who won. He was adamant that he hoped Bush wouldn’t win, because he thought Bush looked like a rat. I think that’s rather insulting to rats, but I could see his point. I think that scotish bus driver probably knew more about the candidates than I did.
Then there is the Spanish guy I met in Argentina last year. My spanish is horrible, but luckily his english was quite good. I didn’t know much about the Spanish Revolution at that time, but I knew just enough to ask about it. “The only real freedom, isn’t it? The only true revolution is an anarchist one. Of course it was doomed.”
Thinking about the war protests yesterday (which I skipped) and a political concert I went to at the infoshop, I find myself with mixed feelings about what was often expressed. One of the singers talked about his old friend, who used to be a “militant anarchist” and who just recently signed up to go fight in Iraq. Another singer was clearly against the war, but many of his songs seemed to glorify violence. There was an ‘iraq veteran against the war’ there, and he sang a song he wrote. It was disturbing, and it is clear that he is one of the many being neglected by the government, a former troop who is not being supported now that he’s dealing with the PTSS. Yet, never once was there a hint that the killing of Iraqis itself was wrong.
I found myself a little confused, and not sure I was happy with the line up overall. Then again, I’m not sure there’s much to choose from when it comes to musicians singing against the war. Utah Phillips would, I bet. His stuff about his experiences in Korea are really powerful.
Our weather wasn’t so bad this weekend as what you guys had further north. I was even able to enjoy the sunshine on my patio for a while yesterday, getting some stuff done to make it safe (escape proof) for my cat. That being said, I’m jealous of the 90 degree weather my parents have in Arizona right now.
Morning all. I hope you get some help getting shoveled out RMJ. I heard somewhere that this has been the mildest winter on record, ever. Doesn’t sound like it where you are.
Posted by Deb on from NoVa 03/19 at 06:46 AMDeb...Thanks for your kind thoughts. Actually, I just got back inside from shoveling. I am now about 10% done. I hate snow and I hate winter. About now, my patience is growing thin with the weather.
About Russian girls being easy...not only Russians but many poor ones in the usa. It’s all about money. I believe that it was reported a while ago that in Vermont the leading cause of unnatural death of women is murder by the spouse or partner.
About the protests...I was happy to see today a protest of Wall Street, finally. That is where the protests should have been all along. There, and at GE, Lockheed Martin, Raytheon, etc. War should not be thought of as a jobs program. About one comment yesterday, I agree that those who work can’t just take time off until there is peace. I know what that’s like. Students though seem to have more options and could make a big difference, if they really wanted to.
The Democrats want to keep the war going until September 2008 and Hillary wants the usa military to have a “permanent” presence in Iraq. Who said there’s not a dimes worth of difference?
More snow is predicted for tonight.
Posted by RMJ on from Churchill 4 Prez Hdqts 03/19 at 11:16 AMre the russian thing…
in the country i just got home from there are a lot of russian hookers. a friend of mine was told by a local man to change her appearance because he said she looked like a russian hooker and if she didnt change her appearance there was a good chance someone would just run her over when she was on her moped because there is not a lot of respect for them there.
deb, where else did you get to in scotland??
Posted by michael on from scotland 03/19 at 12:04 PMand i agree with RMJ - it is a poverty thing. many immigrant women are being sold into sexual slavery all around the world - and in all the developed countries too.
Posted by michael on from scotland 03/19 at 12:05 PMHello Expendables. It was dangerously icy when I first went out at 5:45 this morning. Now it’s sunny and “messy” is a more apt description. My eye, btw, is much, much better.
Obviously, I was struck by the Russian girl story enough to make it a post here. It seems vulnerability is to humans what the scent of blood is to a shark.
Posted by Mickey Z. on from Astoria 03/19 at 12:27 PMmichael, I had only 2 weeks in scotland, and went through glasgow, ft. william, isle of skye, inverness, thurso, stirling, aberdeen, edinburg. I think I have that all correct. It was a few years ago! I loved scotland, but I was freezing cold the entire time, which I have a hard time with. (85F is a really comfortable temperature for me. i should have stayed in the arizona desert!)
I was just reading about AIDS/HIV in afganistan, and a really high percentage of the sex workers interviewed in kabul were married. When I hear things like that, I always wonder if the husbands know, or if they’d shoot the wives if they found out. Probably some of both.
Posted by Deb on from NoVa 03/19 at 12:33 PMI nominate “It seems vulnerability is to humans what the scent of blood is to a shark.” for quote of the day. Well said, Mickey.
Posted by Deb on from NoVa 03/19 at 12:34 PMoh, and off topic… its not just radicals they dont let have control of the airwaves these days… even christian aid couldnt get this advert on the tv…
Posted by michael on from scotland 03/19 at 02:39 PMoh and i picked this up off another blog in case you had any lingering doubts…
Price of a share of Halliburton stock:March 19, 2003: $20.50
March 18, 2007: $64.12 (adjusted for a split in 2006)Posted by michael on from scotland 03/19 at 02:46 PMThanks, Deb.
Michael, I think that last fact calls for a rousing call of: Bingo.
Btw, Culture Ghost has some cool images throughout this blog these days:
http://cultureghost.blogspot.comPosted by Mickey Z. on from Astoria 03/19 at 02:51 PM“...Vulnerability is to humans what the smell of blood is to a shark...”. I am living proof of that truth. Much of what the government has done to me in the last 7 years never would have been done to someone with money. Money is power. Money is the cure for vulnerability. Article 4 of the VT Constitution states that no one should be deprived of Justice because they lack money. The State Supreme Court says that the State Constitution doesn’t count.
Nations that don’t have nuclear weapons are vulnerable.
michael #9...Just follow the money. This and the other wars have been waged as the largest money laundering campaigns in history. Everyone on the planet is vulnerable until Monsanto, Halliburton and the rest are gone forever. Capitalism = Vulnerability for most of us.
Posted by RMJ on from Churchill 4 Prez Hdqts 03/19 at 03:41 PMmy first job after I left home was working in a restaurant in the mezzanine of an office tower in downtown Toronto. At times I had to circulate coupons and flyers to advertise our existence and drum up business. One day I traveled back down from the belly of the beast with one other passenger. A tall burly middle-aged guy dressed in a well cut suit and heavily mirrored sunglasses. So I put on the spiel, a free bowl of soup with a sandwich and hand him a flyer. “You serve niggers?” The hair stood up on the back of my neck and a chill ran through ran right to my core. Looking into his mirrors I replied that ‘we serve everyone’. I am not good at masking my emotions and the startled look of fear gave him a chuckle. He didn’t want an answer. He wanted to feed on my reaction. Feed on my fear, or if it had been anger to tango with that. There was no doubt in my mind that had we been in more a more secluded place I would have been sexually assaulted to feed his appetite.
This was back in the early eighties and kkk recruitment was all over the city in spray paint and posters. Not long after that we went to a punk rock art party where the shouting chatter eventually turned to the klans local activity. This one young kid just started a venomous rage about having to fight them on their terms, fighting fire with fire. It was ugly. It was what just what the haters would want. More hate. its that cliche of the two sides of the same coin. Whether it comes up head or tails is irrelevant, its how the coin is spent.
What Cynthia Mckinney has to say about resistance versus protest makes good sense. Resistance is an internal stance that requires strength and courage and will power but is non-aggressive by nature.
And that’s my little traveling tale. Thanks for listening.
Posted by frances on from british columbia 03/20 at 03:08 AMThanks, Frances. I’m truly glad you’ve decided to become a regular around here.
Posted by Mickey Z. on from Astoria 03/20 at 04:39 AMBOT CyKA, ECJIu 6bI TbI MHE nOBCTPE4AJIC9I, 9I 6bI TE6E BCE E6AJIO PA36uJI, nuDOPOK XPEHOB
Posted by Orshabaal on from Your Ass, BITCH 04/07 at 10:11 AM
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