Mickey Z
Cool Observer
Monday, July 03, 2006
Hammer Time
Good morning...today is the anniversary of the shooting down of the Iranian airliner. All 290 civilians were killed. The USA justified it by saying that they thought that maybe it was a military plane. Does that mean that it is OK for any other nation to come here and shoot down USA military planes?
Posted by RMJ on from Churchill 4 Prez Hdqts 07/03 at 06:05 AMGood morning, RMJ. You bring up yet another example of hypocrisy from the home of the brave.
Posted by Mickey Z. on from Astoria 07/03 at 07:18 AMRMJ
You may even be an ally, fighting beside them in Afghanistan, as Canada was, when during night exercises Canadian soldiers were bombed by their friends, the U.S.
Bush found it unworthy of comment until a reporter brought it up as he was leaving a press gathering. He said he was in touch with the Prime Minister to offer his condolences. The indifference this administration shows toward the death & destruction it causes, is beyond belief.
Canadian Observer
Posted by Canadian Observer on from Canada 07/03 at 10:04 AMWelcome, Canadian Observer. It’s typically a lot more lively around here so I hope you’ll return to the comment board soon and join in the fun.
Posted by Mickey Z. on from Astoria 07/03 at 01:19 PMHello Mickey, RMJ, Canadian observer
US-led offensive in southern Afghanistan kills hundreds
http://tinyurl.com/ol6wm100% American:
http://tinyurl.com/evyyqPosted by TM on from 07/03 at 01:23 PMOh, Rosemary, Mickey, visiting Canadians and all the other wonderful expendables, what a subject. What does the concept of justice mean? The history of the world is one long story, with rare exception, of the bad guys getting away with the murder and mayhem. The ideas that we hold dear are a dream we had one night. The courage that you, Rosemary and Mickey, and so many others have, to fight on in the face of the absurdity earns my love. I am sorry that I can no longer stomach being on the front lines, for I have lost my faith in the myth of goodness. I spend my time trying to find a larger myth to have faith in, one that is more powerful then the greed and fear of survival one (so I can wave it in the bad guys faces, “my myth is more powerful then yooooouuuur myth, nyah-nyah”). I may think you Don Quixotes, but admire you all the same.
Oh my, captcha = “church”
Posted by Peter (the other) on from California 07/03 at 01:44 PMThanks for the great links, TM...and Peter, this is sheer, devastating, and painfully accurate poetry: The history of the world is one long story, with rare exception, of the bad guys getting away with the murder and mayhem. The ideas that we hold dear are a dream we had one night.
Posted by Mickey Z. on from Astoria 07/03 at 02:04 PMAfternoon to all…
Something from Zinn on the 4th of July:
http://progressive.org/mag_zj2205
Posted by JOS on from Chicago 07/03 at 02:11 PMHi Mickey and Everybody else....nice group here today.
JOS...That is a great Zinn article. It needs to be passed on to all of our friends.Peter...I like your use of the word “love”. It made my day. We need a lot more of it. I agree with your pessimism. I don’t think that anything that we do will make a difference. One day when I was talking to a friend and I said similar things as you say in your comment, he reminded me that we do not protest to change them. We protest, or do what ever we do, so that they won’t change us. That view sometimes makes sense to me and then again there are times that I am overwhelmed with hopelessness.
TM...I will check out your links as soon as I finish my comment. Thanks.
Canadian Observer...These days Canada is especially close to my heart because my family is in Montreal for the month. I wish that I was with them in that “kinder and gentler” place but I could not break away right now.
Posted by RMJ on from Churchill 4 Prez Hdqts 07/03 at 02:50 PMI’d rather be the nail, too, Mickey.
And thanks for the reminder, Rosemarie - Norman Solomon and Martin A. Lee deal with the press coverage of this event in their 1990 book ‘Unreliable Sources’ in some length and how it compares with the coverage of the shooting down of a South Korean airliner some years earlier.And ‘hi’ to Canadian Observer, Peter (the other), TM and JOS - from a cold but dry Daylesford.
Arrivederci ...
Posted by Helga Fremlin on from Daylesford, Australia 07/03 at 02:55 PMHello Helga and hello again, RMJ. Thanks for the Zinn piece, JSO. It seemed like a montage of his greatest hits...but there was one section that struck a false note for me:
We see in Iraq that our soldiers are not different. They have, perhaps against their better nature, killed thousands of Iraq civilians. And some soldiers have shown themselves capable of brutality, of torture. Yet they are victims, too, of our government’s lies.
I’m not gonna demonize the our (sic) soldiers, but it’s hard to reconcile the fact that we all know American soldiers have committed their share of atrocities yet we’re asked to offer some kind of special dispensation because they were lied to and thus acted against their “better nature”?
I have two articles lined up for this week. The second will deal—somewhat—with this paradox.
Posted by Mickey Z. on from Astoria 07/03 at 03:04 PMThanks for pointing that out, Mickey. You make a very important point. I can’t even count how many times that argument has been made to me, that we must excuse atrocities because of “their” stupidity. That same argument could be used to exonerate, Bush, Hitler, etc… There comes a time in every adult’s life when he must accept the responsibility for his actions. Misinformation and stupidity are not a justification....especially now. Now there is the Internet--- there is much less of an excuse for remining misinformed.
This conversation reminds me of an incident at a large anti-war rally not too long ago. One man there had a sign that said, “#### the troops”. The “peace” people became very aggressive and started to fight with him. I was the only one who defended his right to freedom of speech.Posted by RMJ on from Churchill 4 Prez Hdqts 07/03 at 03:26 PMAgreed, Mick. I have been arguing over email this week with a guy in the army who just can’t wait to get over to Iraq and fight for our freedom. This is several years into a war that has been proven illegal to a point that even the most idiotic american should be able to see the truth. I hold him fully responsible for every Iraqi he murders, rapes and/or injures. As soon as you sign up for service you are acknowledging that you are willing to kill a human being on your government’s orders. A government that has been provenm time and time again to be criminal in its actions.
Posted by JOS on from Chicago 07/03 at 03:31 PMRMJ
I hope your family enjoy a wonderful month in Montreal. Since Montreal is my home, I can say that during the summer months this city is magnificent. There are numerous events scheduled throughout the summer, more than enough to keep them busy, and I hope happy.
Mickey
I must also say that NYC is one of my all-time favorite cities.
Hope your celebrations tomorrow bring you joy.
Posted by Canadian Observer on from Canada 07/03 at 03:50 PMCanadian Observer...One of the reasons that my family went to Montreal is for the abundance of fresh, sometimes even organic, vegetables. Down here the quality of fresh food is sometimes lacking. My daughter is expecting her second baby in August, so healthful food is important. (That’s the reason she gave me because she knew I would approve of the fresh veggie reason for going. I really know that the other reason is that they just love Montreal...even went there on their wedding night.) Today my daughter took photos of that beautiful building that has the big panes of colored glass.
Hi Helga.
JOS...anyone who goes over there now and kills people is a #@*#@*. (Self censored because the VtAG is still printing out what I write.)
Posted by RMJ on from Churchill 4 Prez Hdqts 07/03 at 05:49 PM“The further one grows spiritually, the more and more people one loves and the fewer and fewer people one likes.”
--Gale D. Webbe, clergyman and author (1909-2000)Dipping in to report a successful move and a hope to be here again soon. The mover was a guy who solved a huge problem for me...moved my stuff, yeah sure, but I was having a DEVIL of a time finding a face and voice for William the Bastard/Conqueror, and then up pops this mover dude with the perfect body, face, voice, and ‘tude for the part.
There are no accidents.
I have no idea what-all’s been happenin’ here but am sure it was pithy.
xoxo
Posted by Mudge on from Austin the hot 07/03 at 06:08 PMHmmm...I’m trying to come up with a pithy way to congratulate Mudge on his successful move.
Posted by Mickey Z. on from Astoria 07/03 at 06:45 PMGlad to see Mudge here and that it has indeed been hopping here today. But didnt’ you get it yesterday-- “a Perfect Day for a post like this, reaping what we sow, etc....” Man that was a good line.
Anwyay, I did hear what you were telling me about writing, Mickey-- eventually. I slept for almost a full day after my crazy work schedule this week. But now, not work until Wednesday, and I’m not the fireworks type either, so Writing Month will actually happen now in the first days of July.
Posted by James on from Hell's Kitchen 07/03 at 07:20 PMHey James. Call me dim, but I didn’t get what your line meant yesterday.
Good luck with a Fourth filled with writing. Hope you’ll stop by CO to say hello.
Posted by Mickey Z. on from Astoria 07/03 at 08:52 PMAn illustration of how things work in a culture dominated by money:
http://tinyurl.com/ecjswPosted by Mickey Z. on from Astoria 07/03 at 08:58 PMLou Reed’s song, Perfect Day. Oddly, the easiest place to find the lyrics was this Bowie site:
http://www.teenagewildlife.com/Songs/P/PD.html
Man, you’re dim… of course I’ll stop by tomorrow; internet dating and the onion only serve as procrastination fodder for so long.
Posted by James on from Hell's Kitchen 07/03 at 09:02 PMI’m a Lou Reed fan but not a big enough fan to know all his songs. Now if it was a Van Halen song…
Posted by Mickey Z. on from Astoria 07/03 at 09:06 PMPerfect Day is pretty well-known; it was featured prominently in Trainspotting, if you ever see that.
I’ll trust you mean DLR days Van Halen.
Off to the gym a bit before it closes at 11. In the interest of becoming a better writer, you understand.
Posted by James on from Hell's Kitchen 07/03 at 09:10 PMYes, Van Halen...not Van Hagar.
Posted by Mickey Z. on from Astoria 07/03 at 09:12 PMSo glad to hear it. Try not to put up too interesting a post tomorrow, so I’m not too distracted from my novel writing. If the holiday’s gonna cost me a shift of paying work anyway, it might as well count for something…
Kidding, of course, always inspirational stuff here. Off I go now.
Posted by James on from Hell's Kitchen 07/03 at 09:21 PMAt this point in time if you think you are going over to Iraq in order to fight for our freedom is it such a bad thing? The way I see it we’ve got one less idiot in the world.
Posted by Fiona on from San Diego 07/03 at 10:35 PMHey guys, I have an idea for all of you...next time you see a group of Soldiers at the airport coming home or deploying overseas in uniform, walk up and spit on them for being a bunch of baby killers and murderers. Tell them all the things you say on these messages. The best time to do this is in front of their families whom they haven’t seen in a year. Look at the little kids and tell them their daddy kills other peoples’ kids for fun and profit. Then you can locate a military funeral and protest the soldiers and curse at his family. Because of the comments I am reading, I believe that is all you guys think of the military and everyone who has served. I have never seen such such ignorant bigoted comments against a group.
Posted by jack on from Kuwait 07/04 at 04:17 AMJack (who is not really in Kuwait), should the world ignore stuff like this: http://tinyurl.com/s7kzx
Posted by Mickey Z. on from Astoria 07/04 at 06:42 AM
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