Poodle-infested or not, it's outstanding that the Independent is calling attention to Gaza, which I suspect may be in worse shape than Lebannon casualty wise if not now then soon. How long can they go on without water or electricity?
Although I think the American seige of Iraq under Clinton and the Bushes, which similarly targeted civilian lifesupport (what you call population decreasing programs) probably qualified as the largest concentration camp of all time, I would think that Iraq had a lot more chance of rigging work-arounds than tiny Gaza.
Am I off-base here? Gaza sounds like a humanitarian disaster in the making. Currently my guess is it's worse than the "war" in the north. Let's hope it's not.
I'm curious as to just how close these two bothers are and how much it's just a common enemy. At any rate good to see two democracies coming together against the evil empire no doubt. Especially as we all know democracies never attack each other.....
We're hearing a lot from that particular version of the Bible lately James.
This week I saw dear Ann Coulter, writer of the book about "Godless" liberals, talk about her wish for the bombing of UN headquarters rather than just a few staff in Lebanon. What was even worse was that NO ONE questioned the godlessness of that particular remark.
You gotta remember catnip that exposing the female nipple is a mortal sin, whereas violence is perfectly normal and healthy. Sez so in the copy of the Bible my preacherman keeps screamin' from.
It's like an American saying "New York all the way to Chicago" to describe the US. So I was wondering if it is some sort of common phrase.
DavidByron
Everybody knows there's nothing west of Chicago. 
Geez. CNN is now showing IDF snuff films - probably available at youtube as we speak. They showed the Israeli navy blasting a seadoo rider out of the water, claiming that his little vehicle was laden with explosives. Maybe he was just out for a pleasure ride? Who the hell knows now. Very disturbing. They also showed two other shots - one of two guys in a boat who were blown to bits - apparently they were suicide bombers.
CNN showed these without any warnings whatsoever. I'm sure some children were wondering WFT was going on as well while seriously considering never to venture out in the water anywhere ever again.
Yet, the evangelicals bitch when Janet Jackson's nipple is exposed...
Armageddon days are here again. This latest skirmish in our Glorious Crusade is going just swimmingly. We've turned a corner, leading to another corner, leading to blind alley.
I read today that the UN observers have withdrawn, so that strike must be considered a success! Kofi's doing his job -- see? those lips keep moving.
I hadn't noticed anything about troopa in the Golan Heights, so, umm, thanks. Woolsey told us: one step at a time -- incremental.
Hegemony, water, & oil (did you seee Chossudovky's latest? he points out the BTC pipeline opened the day before the bombs started falling in Lebanon) -- the triumvirate to metamorphise naked aggression into 'self-defense.'
Hi, Nanette! I am delighted to see you here, if "delighted" is a word we can still use, under the circumstances..
Speaking of Syria:
Syrian journalist to Ynet: We notice Israeli deployment in Golan Heights
Seriously, when I heard the "Spain to Iraq" bit I was pretty well convinced US right wingers had written the script for that video (or at least provided creative interpretation of it, lol).
That is one of their bugaboos - that Al Qaeda wants a caliphate or something like that, that reaches from Spain all through the middle east and so on - probably Europe too, who knows. I thought it was very obliging of the person on the video to reinforce that point for them.
This "war" is very tragic, but I don't think it's quite going as planned. Unless the plan is just to flail about killing bunches of people with no real purpose in mind... maybe to pave the way to Iran and Syria. It certainly doesn't seem to have done anything to diminish Hezbollah.
Arcturus, I'm sure you have seen by now that US has blocked condemnation of the rooting out of the 4 Hezbollah UN operatives. We can only imagine what calmatives the psychiatrist of well known Hezbollah leader Kofi Annan must be prescribing for himself, much less for his patient. Why does the fellow not resign? As he should have done years ago. He is either working for the colonialists or he is "not well."
catnip, David, I think that we must all try to be patient with the earnest young folks hoping to impress their bosses in the US Cognitive Dissonance Sector of the propaganda wing of the Washington Warlords. Remember they are still adjusting from the tragic fourth assassination of popular composite character Abu Masad Al Zarqawi, not to mention all the stress of ongoing and lively inter-departmental discussions on the burning question of whether Hezbollah can completely replace Al Qaeda, or be presented as a subsidiary of it, or perhaps a parent company, which invariably gets everybody arguing about whether Emanuel Goldstein should be one, or many, and how often that should change..
So if the last few Al Qaeda videos haven't met the same quality standards Americans have come to expect for their hard-earned tax dollars, cut the kids some slack, why nitpick over Spain or not today, Osama or not tomorrow? They are doing the best they can in difficult times.
Yes, I get the "Spain" bit. I don't get the "Iraq" bit. Why stop half way? Is this something to do with the Arab race? He's basically only mentioning Arab muslim countries. What about the Persians or the Afghans?
The original international brigade fighting in Afghanistan had guys from China, India, Malaysia.... and the Pashtuns are not Arabs either. Neither are the muslims Al-Qaeda has supported in Yugoslavia (Albanians).
It's like an American saying "New York all the way to Chicago" to describe the US. So I was wondering if it is some sort of common phrase.
David wrote:
Based on what he says at his blog, I don't think Greenwald would describe himself as left-wing, and when he did describe his views in the preface to "How Would A Patriot Act?" it was to emphasise being centrist.
Okay, but he's definitely not a right-winger.
Not so much the invisible hand, more like the invisible boot.
And not so invisible after all.
Ductape: is there any significance to the phrase "Spain to Iraq"
Seems to me they're harkening back to ye days of old, as the AP pointed out:
"It is a jihad (holy war) for the sake of God and will last until (our) religion prevails ... from Spain to Iraq," al-Zawahri said. "We will attack everywhere." Spain was controlled by Arab Muslims for more than seven centuries until they were driven from power in 1492."
Ductape: is there any significance to the phrase "Spain to Iraq" per the latest Al-Qaeda video? Seems odd to exclude eg Afghanistan and in general there's probably 4 muslims east of Iraq for every one west of Iran. I'm not talking about the "Spain" bit (which in all honesty seems like a real stretch to me) but why not say "Spain to Indonesia"?
I don't know what you think about the origins of these videos.
I heard they were banning al Manar all over the place. Funny how the free market works. MoveOn had several adverts critical of Republicans banned from the airwaves recently too. It's almost as if the whole free market slogan is just a scam to make people accept as legitimate the ruling authority of monied elites who do what they like and ban what they don't. Not so much the invisible hand, more like the invisible boot.
--------------------------
Here's another web site I visit each day. Nice little puzzle.
Tassini is clearly a Hezbollah operative planted to spread divisiveness among the Democrats
Yeah? He ought to criticise feminism then. That piece I mentioned on Alternet in reply to the article about military rape got me banned. I think that proves my point that criticism of feminism is far more iconoclastic than talking about US soldiers as rapists.
-----------------------
The Hunger Site is one of those places where you can get paid for clicking on a page of adverts only they donate the revenue to the poor instead of you getting it. It's been around a long time and seems succesfull. The advertisers are getting access to a very elite clientele from their perspective since the adverts are all other charities left wing causes or the hunger site's line of third world craft stuff. Figure every person's one click is worth a cup of food a day.
As'ad mentioned today that the UN observers had said that there were around 100 incursions by Hezbollah into Israeli territory sine 2000 -- compared to some 11,000 + by Israel into Lebanon. P'haps they had some records there?
The news reports read something like:
--Caller: bombs are falling near us
--getting closer
--closer yet
still closer, dammit
etc., 10 X
bombs stop once the UN observers stop bothering 'em with the calls . . .
Arcturus, exactly! They were observing the missiles coming closer. Who knows what else they might have observed, or been conspiring to observe? Tassini is clearly a Hezbollah operative planted to spread divisiveness among the Democrats, a well known element of the extensive and detailed Hezbollah agenda for the local elections in the fall.
catnip, Hezbollah is forcing that company to host the website, and Israel remembers how successful US was in freeing all those satellite providers that Hezbollah was forcing to pick up Al-Manar's signal, until US banned it, to show that Americans have Resolve when it comes to free speech.
David, I didn't intend to dismiss your feelings, though I can't really say I would consider them, or mine, or anybody's comparable to the Palestinian Resistance, and I doubt you are a teen of or in any condition, but on the internets one must always consider every possibility.
Thanks for telling us about the Hunger Site. Maybe if we click it enough they will make the ad bigger. Or maybe if we email them and tell them that it is unfair to the vision impaired to have it so small...
Based on what he says at his blog, I don't think Greenwald would describe himself as left-wing, and when he did describe his views in the preface to "How Would A Patriot Act?" it was to emphasise being centrist.
The Hunger Site is currently featuring a small ad for Lebanese families.
David wrote:
It's as if he thinks Kofi Annan is another of his Republican blogers.
Greenwald is a left-wing blogger. I haven't read what he's written on this yet.
As for the topic of Israel causing so much anger, it's simple: you don't criticize Israel. To do so is taboo - at least to many people in the western world who think Israel always ought to be given the benefit of the doubt because of the history of the struggle of its people.
Just look at Howard Dean today: calling Iraq's Maliki an anti-semite. What kind of bullshit is that to spew from a man who claims to be "progressive" or "liberal"? See? You do not criticize Israel. To do so makes you a quasi Nazi sympathizer or, in today's new parlance, a terrorist.
BTW, this is exactly how I've felt all day. I've been trying so hard to get a grip on my anger, but I have to realize that the people in the ME going through this have known anger far stronger for much longer than I have. I just feel helpless. Perhaps there are some Lebanese refugees I can help here at home. I think I'll check into that.
The ADL is trying to get the Treasury department to go after an American company hosting Al Manar's web site.
Where'd you find the suggestion that the UN Observers had, umm, observed soemthing? All I've managed to see in the reports so far is that they were calling to tell the Israelis that the bombs were getting closer & closer to their position.
(btw, thanks for that M Darwish over at Dove's! Is that your tranlsation?
Looks like Mr Tassini has committed political suicide:
“It’s painful to say that, but when you fire missiles from sophisticated aircraft on unarmed civilians in Gaza, those are again, the definition to me of ... ,” he said, pausing to find the right words.
“Terrorism is a very heavily laden word,” he continued. “But to me, what the key thing is, what are you doing? Are your actions in violation of the international norms of the Geneva Convention, and so on? And I think it’s sad to say, but it’s clear, yeah.”
heh!
Glen Greenwald has an interesting take on the UN killings. It's interesting that he slaps down the world's top diplomat and the head of the UN for claiming the attack was deliberate.
It's as if he thinks Kofi Annan is another of his Republican blogers.
He just assumes that the Head of the UN would have no data available to him that Glenn doesn't have and that instead the world's top diplomat must habitually blow it out his ass. He assumes Kofi Annan is anti-American I suppose.
Wasn't he hand picked for the job by the US because the last guy hand picked by the US for the job was getting out of control? In fact isn't that how everyone who's ever got that job gets it -- when the last guy starts being too honest?
First he says the war in Iraq was criminal and now he's saying Israel targeted the UN outpost. Covering up that business in Rwanda only scores you so many point Kofi.
Does this sound like the way you get dismissed when you talk about Palestine for example?
you appear to have some issues with regard to XXX, issues that may not really be addressable via internet discussion venues.
And I'm sure you've had this treatment too which you no doubt found quite funny considering your age,
On the other hand, you could just be a very preccocious, and very heart-broken teen, in case that is the case, I will refrain from tired platitudes
People in glass houses shouldn't throw stones, and people so used to having stones thrown at them... well you'd think they would be a little more reluctant to pick them up and throw them at someone further down the hill. But it is not the case.
As for me I have the sense that if I want to be taken seriously by others I owe it to people to take them seriously instead of repeating the pattern of dismisal and ad-hominem attacks that are used on me.
You certainly know what it feels like to be opposed to an entrenched and prejudiced position that is held by nearly all the liberals. You know how they will attack or patronise the messenger but never engage the message. You know how frustrating it is to see otherwise decent people so completely blind.
So why do you just treat me the way you are treated?
Well, David, I can't say I agree with your comments regarding rape, and I can't tell you whether you are mysogynist or not. I will say that you appear to have some issues with regard to gender issues that may not really be addressable via internet discussion venues.
On the other hand, you could just be a very preccocious, and very heart-broken teen, in case that is the case, I will refrain from tired platitudes that will not make you feel any better in any way, shape or form.
I believe that what makes Israel unique began with oil, and has diversified as one expected, into other high-profit areas of commerce, some overt, others covert, until today what makes Israel unique is its role in the making of lots and lots of money. The Middle East has been something of a cash cow for many rich men, and they all want more money. "Peace in the Middle East" would involve a sharper drop in corporate revenue than a cure for cancer.
Yup. Those anon's were me.
Why is this thing forgetting my name?
Actually.... can anyone explain to me why Israel is such a hot topic? Even if only for them personally? As for me, I couldn't explain it.
It's not the worst case of genocide.
It's not the most asymmetric of wars.
It's been going on 58 years but usually that just makes the issue fade.
You know what? I think I have it. For me anyway it's because I just really fucking hate the slick smarmy self-righteous sanctimonious shit that is used to justify it. Which is pathetic of course because compared to the life of even one person who really cares about a lot of hot air from some lying assholes? People lie, Big deal. Stupid reason to get angry about anything.
Hmm. That's what catnip said earlier today I guess 
Your experience catnip, is longitudinal whereas mine is more a sampling of many places for short times. I've not seen any change but maybe what's going on is that the recent news has brought up the Israeli topic more and that topic is one that leads to arguments on leftwing sites. So, both perspectives may be correct. No change in the quality of argument on any specific topic, but a general increase in tension due to one particular argumentative topic being discussed a lot more than usual?
Mention of Palestine was not off the table at dKos because there would be people willing to argue the three sides. It was never a banned topic like the 2004 election being stolen or how much the government knew about the 9-11 plot before the day it happened. Of course if you didn't want to get flamed and troll rated you had to avoid the Palestine threads.
You know I often wonder exactly why it is that Israel gets people so angry on both sides (including me, and usually I don't ever get angry at anything on or off line). Compared to other US sponsored imperialist aggression for example. Some people get in a tissy if you offer the opinion that Clinton's Yugoslavia war was criminal, but nothing like Israel.
David,
Many of us have been victims of the "topic no one shall talk about here" ridiculousness on lefty blog sites. When I used to post at dkos (until June last year) I was just dumbstruck by the fact that the mere mention of Israel was off the table. And the "rah rah soldiers" thing has been a bone of contention at another site in a big way lately. I raised a little shitstorm at MLW a few months ago about the waste of time spent on meta discussions and was summarily pummeled - not banned though. I 'knew' MSOC via dkos. I think that helped.
Anyway, tempers are indeed raging everywhere. That's what happens when major issues are placed on a back burner to just boil into steam and float away.
So, here we all are again. Strangers, because we/they are now forced to talk about the uncomfortable things with people who have never spoken about them online and are quite confused and worried about offending their 'friends'. That old cry of 'get a spine!' that they hurled at the Dems is now coming back to haunt them.
If people acted like that on every issue they would not be able to function in society. Can you imagine it?
Customer: Can I have a dozen glazed doughnuts please.
Tribalist server: We don't have any donoughts.
Customer: Huh? But I can see them right there, under the counter.
Tribalist: No we don't have any and if we did we wouldn't be selling them today because it's a Monday.
Customer: But I buy some every Monday. Is this some new rule?
Tribalist: No. We've always had it.
Customer: But you just sold one to that other guy.
Tribalist: He paid for the donought yesterday.
Customer: On a Sunday?
Tribalist: Yes.
Customer: Look I just stood here and saw him pay for and buy a donought and cup of coffee.
Tribalist: So you want to buy a coffee?
Customer: No. I'm just say....
Tribalist (interrupting): Well what are you talking about then?
Yes I'd heard water mentioned or some river anyway but wouldn't they have to occupy a very large amount of Lebannon to make that work? Such an occupation is unlikely to work and at the moment they don't appear to be putting much effort into capturing land. It's just a terror campaign it seems to me, or a PR campaign. I suppose terrorism is a kind of PR....
------------------------
Rape within the armed forces is easy to talk about on any left leaning site because it's feminist dogma. Men raping women always goes down well with feminists. There was a piece at Alternet the other week on just this issue. I don't think anyone accused the author of not supporting the troops. I added a comment remarking that many of the recorded rapes were likley fabrications by women who were trying to get out of their overseas service since raped women or pregnant women were often sent home or at least out of theatre. And I mentioned that a large proportion of women had done the same in the first Gulf War and that the reporting by the services on that phenomena had concluded that most of the reported rapes were fabrications.
That remark was not well received at all by comparison and I was called misogynist etc.
To my mind my version was the more pro-female in the sense that I had the women (a majority of them anyway, not all) being the active force in their own narrative and not being helpless victims as feminists typically portray women. I also felt my version had a kinder view of humanity since I assumed only that people would seek to get out of their service to a criminal war (which is to their credit) by lying. The orignal hypothesis had other people (ie men) being rapists. I hope it's more likely a woman will lie than a man will rape. Especially as I was arguing only that some of the cases were of each type not all of one type. But apparently such an assumption is hatred against women in feminist thought.
-------------------
I haven't seen a plumeting. it was always this bad and no worse I think. And it's not all topics by any means. With liberals it's really quite a narrow range. Feminism and patriotism basically. Patriotism is broad and includes criticism of the American Mythological "history", American mythological "values", US foreign policy, US soldiers, Communism, the "free" market, America's number one status at everything, America having the best healthcare in the world etc etc. You know.
With conservatives it's a lot more. But it is still limiteds to political issues. Abortion is actually NOT that bad a topic to discuss with them bizzarely enough. Why I am not sure.
But if you think about it most topics nothing to do with politics, with nothing at stake for their tribalist identities, there's none of the same headbanging dogmatism and arrogance. There's none of the inconsistency, hypocrisy and utter inability to self-analyse. If people acted like that on every issue they would not be able
David, Israel considers any water in the region its property just as much as the land, the trees, the people, just like the orange juice commercial. And yes, there are water resources in Lebanon that are most certainly a factor in the decision to move forward with the natural settlement expansion in that particular location at this time.
Interestingly the subject of taboo subjects came up just now on another blog, it is my contention that on American discussion venues, the absolutely positively most taboo subject would be the subject of rape in the US armed entities. Not rape of "Other" or "Enemy" women in lands where US is engaging in its activities, mind you, but rape of lady gunmen by their brothers in arms. Another topic for the "How they treat their own" department. However, the individual who brings this topic up will be accused of "not supporting the troops," by outraged individuals quite oblivious to the contradiction inherent in such a charge.
Which speaks to your correct observation that the circling of the wagons has, to say the least, caused a dramatic plummeting in the quality of dialogue and discussion of almost any topic. It is a reality of human nature, this wagon-circling, this forfeiture of actual communication, of thought, as the most primitive instincts take hold, you are with us, or you are with the terrorists. And like all our most primordial and primitive needs, one cannot really argue with that.
As catnip points out, the situation is an extreme one, and it is a very basic one. Each one of us either already is, or must at some point move to, either one side or the other. You are with US policies, or you are against them. Not to repeat too much of my piece, but it is not about nomenclature. It is, if you want to put it that way, about tribes.
And yes, there is a character limit, I am sorry I can't change it, I have to divide things up all the time because I am brevity-challenged.
Ok so there's a word limit but no warning. These comments sections were not sdesigned for people to make multi-page comments.
-------------------------
So I have started reading "Conservatives Without Conscience". It seems like yesterday that MoveOn and the so-called liberals were rabidly denouncing the two Nazi themed "Bush in 60 seconds" ads (one of which I was able to vote for by the way!) Now it seems like everyone is talking about authoritarianism, tribalism and hate. Will the people seeing the plank of jingoism, racism and imperialism in the eye of the conservatives also be able to see the speck of misandrony and patriotism in their own eye? Will the so-called liberals now starting to get with it and call a spade a Nazi, be able to turn that same analysis on their own behaviour in terms of the knee-jerk support for US soldiers and the feminist gender warriors regardless of their wrongs?
You know this isn't an answer. It's non-specific.
Israel has the important job of guarding America's oil in the region
About the most likely sounding idea I've heard so far is that Israel wants to destabilise Lebannon and push it towards Hezbollah (which is clearly what this war will achieve) so that they can then more easily characterise Israeli-Lebanese relations as fighting the US "war on terror". But it's hard to see why Israel would be concerned about media presentation at this point. Their control over US media is total and sadly even the usually not utterly crap British media is pro-Israeli.
And then there's this bombing of the UN outpost. Not exactly a PR victory for Israel for all it is being played down.
So that's all I've got. This is quite mystifying to me. I'd like to beleive that Israel's multi-billion dollar armed forces behave rationally and with purpose aforethought. But this really seems to be a 100% screw-up for them. What the hell were they hoping to achieve even if things had gone "well"?
Btw do you happen to know what's going on with the water supply in the Gaza strip these days?
----------------
I have to reply here to the article Ductape posted at MLW because I was banned for my political views. They certainly see me as "the enemy" at MLW I'm afraid. It's pretty tribalist in many ways. Israel isn't the worst issue on liberal sites. The worst at a left leaning site such as MLW would be feminism. Not far behind it and the worst at the more center-rightwing Democratic sites such as dKos would be criticism of US soldiers (ie holding them accountable for their part in US foreign policy). In both places my comments about Israel ranked only third place in getting me banned.
There are some anti-Israel US politicians. How about Cynthia McKinney? Yes it is just about possible to find a US politician who strongly favours Palestine. But one who holds US soldiers accountable for their part in starting a war of aggresion? No chance. At a left leaning site like MLW (last I was there) about half the commenters seemed to be pro-Palestinian of those who supported one side or the other. Of course those who pretend to be neutral effectively endorse the Israeli position militarily but at least they do not do so politically. They don't catapult the propaganda. Nevertheless I doubt that a single one would say that US soldiers ought to be held accountable for their actions, and I'm damn sure, now that Pluto has left (attacked for saying that athlete that signed up with the US marines and got killed in Afghanistan was an asshole), nobody would be pro-male.
----------------
So I have started reading "Conservatives Without Conscience". It seems like yesterday that MoveOn and the so-called liberals were rabidly denouncing the two Nazi themed "Bush in 60 seconds" ads (one of which I was able to vote for by the way!) Now it seems like everyone is talking about authorit
Bring'em on!
I have sufficiently calmed down now and, I'm sure, have angered the Democrats and their pro-Israel supporters even more now with my latest post about their misbehaving Iraqi puppet.
These are certainly extreme(ist) times.
Well, catnip it seems pretty clear that you are actively engaged in trying to push Israel into the sea.
Good thing you're not an American, your Democratic party membership card would be toast.
As it is, you will probably just receive a visit from a US Homeland Security Official as part of the crackdown on Hezbollah sympathizers.
I am so furious about Israeli propaganda that I can barely contain my anger right now, so I'll just read through the comments and move on til I calm down.
I'm waiting for some Talking Head to explain how willy pete is a more humane, smarter weapon than napalm.
If I might share another snippet from the lost tribe of unknown american scribes, this from PA poet John Taggart:
To delight to delight those who are friends to
delight friends by turning by turning
in a space in nape, which is
napalm, which the military
likes as incider
jell after the fires burned down and
there was an old man lying on a cot, burned
to death with his hands in rigor mortis.
Carry torches, carry each other.
To delight friends by turning burning hands in naplam
to run burning in a circle
to be alight running
and burning to death in a circle.
--John Taggart, fr. "Peace on Earth," 1981
NLinStPaul, I am afraid that the goal has never been to heal much of anything, but to create and maintain toxicity for the purposes of benefiting key western business interests.
An internet friend asked me today, why is it that Americans are so reluctant to criticize Israel? I answered as best I could, that it is decades of conditioning, so you get people who do not think, they just go with the way they have been indoctrinated, that the most grisly crimes against humanity, if committed by Israel, cannot be criticized, and to do so is to label oneself an anti-Semite.
Few consider the irony, that to associate such atrocities with Jews or Judaism is about the most virulent anti-Semitism imaginable!
And I have seen people acknowledge that they do not know why Israel must not be criticized, but that is just the way it is, and so people should just send money to the politicians and elect the ones preferred by the speaker and everything will be OK, the agenda of those people is simply not related to human rights.
I actually did a rant on this subject, Irreconcilable Differences, Who Started It, and Israel's Right to Exist
David, to answer one of your questions, Israel has the important job of guarding America's oil in the region.
To the other, I do check comments at least daily, and Advice for the New Poor is an easily accessible and bookmarkable link on its own, and the number of comments will be visible on there just as they are on this thread.
Sarcasm aside, any idea what the point of all this hoopla for this attack is for Israel?
I don't really follow the Palestinian issue much because, well for one thing it's probably quite depressing and for another nothing ever happens. As far as I can see it's been a 58 year long act of 'ethnic cleansing' (spelled with a "G") and the only reason Israel ever pulls it's tanks out of anywhere is because until it does it can't move them back in. So I usually vaguely assume any time I hear of a new offensive it's because Israel wanted that weeks brutalities given scrutiny by the media for some PR reason.
I mean is this war just to knock the last (and especially brutal, even by Israeli standards) one off the front pages? That can't be it because it never was on the front pages.
What does Israel get out of this?
I don't find that an efficient means to communicate. I'd be better off sending you an e-mail. You may get told when a comment is added to a 3 year old thread -- although from what you say that only happens if you go out of your way to check -- and do you? -- but nobody else would see it and I would very likely not see any reply you might make.
In addition almost all the times of seen complaints of comment threads being sidetracked it is, as I beleive it is here, not a genuine concern for the supposed necessity of keeping discussions pure but an attempt to silence someone.
It is a limitation of the software. Some software systems allow you display a list of recent comments in a column. That works pretty well. Others use the "open thread" for miscellaneous comments. Without something like that generally replying to very old threads is simply a waste of time - you're speaking to the void.
For example if I wanted to make a general comment about your site having read a lot of the stuff here - where do I do that? I do it right here of course. There is no other place. But if I were to take your statement above seriously then any general comment would be prohibited out of a deference to the throngs of people commenting specifically on Lebannon here.
Talking of which:
What's the story on the little girl writing on the missile in the picture below? Where did you get the picture and what is it of?
Back to Starhawk (and in response to that last comment): I agree with what she's saying but she's not listening to herself. In practising her prejudice against men she's part of the problem and teaching others the same way. She's adding to the toxic environment of prejudice against other groups of people simply based on how they were born. This sort of inconsistency and blindness to your own hypocrisy is a part of what they call the right-wing authoritarian personality type and Starhawk behaves that way with respect to men. It's a simple enough statement that feminists themselves agree to in the abstract: people shouldn't be discriminated against because of how they were born. But as soon as you mention men are people too all that theory flies out the window and instead we get told that eg., men can't join an anti-war rally because "men are busying themselves making war".
It seems impossible to beleive that such a person is incapable of recognising a simple and clear sexist gender stereotype when her entire career is based on doing so. This pattern of internal contradictions, prejudice, antipathy to equality, a sense of self-righteousness coupled with an inability to see the deficit of your own actions --- these are all qualities of the rightwing authoritarian personality.
Yes Ductape, Starhawk is indeed an excellent word writer. And whenever I try to understand the origins of The Situation, I think of her words about the failure of our current "healing" systems:
To focus exclusively on our individual early childhood experiences is like observing a group of people who live on a toxic waste dump, who are diseased, and saying, "Lets treat their condition by examining how they were fed in infancy." We might very likely find that those who were malnourished as babies were more susceptible to illness than those who were well fed. But we would still be ignoring the fact that none of them were truly healthy, because they were living in a toxic environment.
We are all living in a toxic psychic and emotional environment, because we live embedded in structures of power-over, which constantly attack our sense of self-worth and attempt to isolate and control us.
From the Preface to the New Edition, "Dreaming the Dark" by Starhawk.
Yes. I am able to log in to my haloscan account and see when there are recent comments on older diaries.
There are no comments on Advice for the New Poor.
I think that we both may have some very strong opinions on subjects touched on in Advice, and I would like to invite you to discuss it on its own link, to show our respect for those who might want to use this thread to discuss the Situation which will render both my oinion and yours on the topics addressed in Advice to the New Poor academic.
Do you get told about comments on 3 year old diaries?
David, Advice for the New Poor has a comment link, would you mind reposting your comment there?
Thanks!
I'm certainly disappointed to see you defending prejudice. This rather throws an ugly cast over a lot of what I've been reading on your site about prejudice. I guess only certain prejudices count as bad.
Starhawk for example might write well but that doesn't alter the fact that she's a bigot when it comes to gender.
About 80% of the homeless are single men so I can't see how you can possibly justify 90% of the poor being women -- unless you simply ignore all the poor men, which is quite likely what you do do to get that "statistic". And it no doubt also ignores all men locked away in prison and jail. Sweep the male poor under the rug and then you'll have left only women for that good sounding statistic. Good that is, if you want to justify a sexist view of the poor. I bet they only count people in housing. So first you give only women the housing and then the fact of that advantage is used to statistically manipulate the report as if it were a disadvantage and the result is propaganda to encourage more women-only programs.
David, it is actually childless adults who are "treated worse."
Your own story acurately contradicts that assertion, and my sources do too. Services are avaialble but you better be a woman, and of course who else but the woman would have the children anyway? The man's going to be thrown in the slammer periodically. Who'd let a man have children? They are too busy making war after all.
situations where the father has chosen not to participate
Another statement contradicted by your own story. I wonder if someone else wrote that piece? It's certainly the best thing on your site btw. I'd still like to know where the data for it came from. It seems unlikely that you got the data via any liberal as they would tend to air-brush out the references to men being disadvantaged, before passing the stories on.
I assume you got this stuff from the horses mouth. However if you think a yes or no on this gives away personal data, I certainly respect that.
catnip, here are a couple of links you probably already have on the subject of the new population reduction products the US taxpayers have provided to Israel:
Israel Using Chemical Weapons: doctor in Dubai
Ministry of Health report on toxic Israeli weapons confirmed by Gaza City
(I would have made just one post, but it will only let you put 2 or 3 links in one post)
NLinStPaul, thanks for mentioning Starhawk! Is she a good word writer or what?
David, it is actually childless adults who are "treated worse." While the US cannot be accused of having anything like a "safety net, much less caring for its citizens as many countries with much less money do, eligibility for the token, vestigial excuses for social programs that do exist is almost universally limited to people with children, and in some cases, elders. Some 90 odd percent of Americans living in poverty are mothers in situations where the father has chosen not to participate in the financial aspect of the child's life, therefore women are dramatically disproportionately represented in the "people with children" group. It is for this reason that indigent men tend to be ineligible for what passes for social programs, most of them simply are not the sole caretaking, custodial parent of minor children.
Janet and supersoling, both of you already know, but I will say it for the benefit of those with an interest who don't, I decided to address the issues you all brought up on In Flight. The same rant is crossposted to Human Beams and a couple of other places, but the discussion is taking place on In Flight. It was pretty rousingly ignored everywhere else )
Go ahead catnip. Go ahead and tell us all what you wanted to say about burned babies. Go on.
DavidByron
Check out this CNN story and most particularly the video link in it. Be warned: the images of the burned children are disturbing. CNN showed this clip again today, so at least the story is now getting wider coverage. It's just horrifying.
Ductape: "Advice for the new Poor" is well writen and I notice it has some details (eg the way men are treated worse than women by the government) that you would likely never hear of through liberal channels. Such people would probably laugh and say of course men are treated better.
So anyway how did you research this piece?
Hey you guys, you want a laugh? I have been periferally a supporter of Code Pink, but until David posted his comment a couple ago, I didn't know it was started by Starhawk - a particular hero of mine from several years ago when I lost touch with her work.
So, I went to the website, read up a bit more, found the contact for my local chapter, and am working on getting involved in some of their activities.
So, in a weird way, I'm grateful for his little rant about them.
So when I point out sexism I'm saying society isn't sexist am I? Interesting "reverse thinking" there. Almost as good as saying I am hijaking the thread by talking about gender and then talking about gender yourself. Nice one.
And we see the true colours of some of those who object to the point I raised here. It's not because they care about Lebannon but because they support the sex segregationist position -- but can't defend it. So they attack the messenger as it were.
Prejudice is a prerequisite of war. Without being taught how to hate it's hard to kill people. But let's all pretend that prejudice has nothing to do with war and that war 'just happens'. Let's pretend that talking about the causes of war must mean you like babies being burned to death.
Let's return to talking about babies but let's not talk about why it's happening and how some of those even among the antiwar side are contributing to the prerequisites of war.
Go ahead catnip. Go ahead and tell us all what you wanted to say about burned babies. Go on.
God Bless Isreal!
I have a friend who lives in Beruit. I emailed him and I was very worried about him and for a whole week I didn't here a damn thing until one day he e-mailed me back. The numbers probably have gone up since the email, but this is what he told me: There are 350 dead and 1,250 are gravily injured.
He also went on to tell me that the country is divided over this war and that it will most likely trigger another civil war. Those who probably didn't want anything to do with Hezbollah are now ready to fight with them. "The enemy of my enemy is my friend," so goes an old Arab proverb and Isreal just created another Iraq. As my friend put it "if those assholes think that lebanon is a walk in the park they will be surprised. we're going to give them hell. this thing is not going to be over after this attack ends."
But it seems someone did a bait and switch with a nice touch of a straw man argument in order to hijack this thread into a sexism debate. Very interesting, David's argument requires us to accept the fallacy that we live in a gender-neutral society and this is the same argument one hears in the debate to end all affrimative action programs for women. I wonder if David read Harvey C. Mansfield, the Harvard professor who wrote the book "Manliness" where he talks about how how feminism has destroyed manliness and created a gender-neutral society.
History does show us there is a time or two where a woman has led her nation into war, such as:
1. Britan's Prime Minister Margaret Thacher,
2. India's Prime Minister Indira Gandhi,
3. Israel's Prime Minister Golda Meir,
4. Pakistan's Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto
Sri Lanka's President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga
What a short list.
David, I just wrote out a long comment to you about your attack on Code Pink here, while children are being burned, as Catnip reminds you. I deleted the post because I think that some things are just better off left unsaid, if you know what I mean.
The truth is that men are busy making war. Men have always been busy making war. That doesn't make women saints or bigots. Just the historical truth. Like Janet said, anyone is welcome to march alongside CP'ers. What about the anti war group, the Raging Grannies? Are you going to call them exclusionary too? Or are they just another group of people who found common cause and while you and I sit here at computers argueing over this crap, are actually out doing something against these wars. VFP is the same thing. They don't exclude people to march with them just because thay aren't veterans. I see the coming together of all of these groups as proof of their inclusiveness and shared purpose. You would argue the fine print while the world burns. Get your ass out into the street, from one man to another.
Oh, and btw, I've won custody of my children in court, so I think I have a pretty good perspective of where men and women stand in the scheme of things. People prove their worth by their deeds. Get busy deeding. Time is short.
Catnip, you hit it right on the head: we're missing the forest for the trees.
Here's what I fucking care about, David. I just saw a piece in CNN in which the reporter showed video of horribly burned children - including an 8 month old baby - hit by Israeli rockets that may have been laced with phosporus.
Why don't we talk about that.?
The T-shirt doesn't change the nature of the organisation.
Here's their website
Here's the foundational quote they use by the feminist starhawk. It's not as anti-male as it might have been but it basically says the reason it's women and not men that must fight for peace is that men are about war. Men kill. Women don't. So your organisation is out there calling me a killer because of how I was born.
Here's the quote:
We call on women around the world to rise up and oppose the war in Iraq. We call on mothers, grandmothers, sisters, and daughters, on workers, students, teachers, healers, artists, writers, singers, poets and every ordinary outraged woman willing to be outrageous for peace. Women have been the guardians of life—not because we are better or purer or more innately nurturing than men, but because the men have busied themselves making war. Because of our responsibility to the next generation, because of our own love for our families and communities and this country that we are a part of, we understand the love of a mother in Iraq for her children and the driving desire of that child for life” —Starhawk
I happen to think men are not killers and I happen to think women have no monopoly on nurturing life. It's funny because I actually agree that people who have gone to war -- the veterans groups -- would be better off not advertising it at a peace vigil -- not as if they were proud of being ex-soldiers anyway. So I agree with starhawk there, on what is probably a controversial opinion in America, but she simply claims that all men are guilty of going to war and our (men's) uniform is our skin and the taint of our skin can never be removed.
Janet: I'm not trying to get at you. You just told us that you've argued against these sex segregationists. I know there's little choice very often in terms of these peace group -- rather less choice again for men in fact. I didn't actually call you out for joining up with these people.
By the sound of it Code Pink isn't as bad as Women In Black at least. Well I dunno. It probably varies from local group to local group according to the mix of personalities.
I did say as a means of introduction to all this, and I remind you, that I said the things that get people worked up are not things that are necessarily the most important things. I did say that -- but I'll still get accused of not seing the big picture.
But this just winds me up because it's as if the best people I can find you meet them and they are busy making new divisions and new reasons to hate some group that isn't like them or that they think isn't like them and that's just so fucked up. And I thought that at this place I might find someone who agreed that pissing on people because of how they were born was bad.
But I guess nobody really cares about any of that.
David,
Code Pink is only one group among many and several men support them. Why, oh why, in the midst of all of this inhumanity would you choose to start a personal blog war about a group that supports peace? If you have a beef with Code Pink, e-mail them. You are distracting from the real mission: ending war.
Far too many people refuse to even acknowledge the inhumanities being perpetrated in their names. If a group of pink elephants and unicorns was marching for peace and I was neither, I sure wouldn't care. They're simply doing what so desperately needs to be done. Isn't that what counts?
Hi Janet. The way I figure, the notion of the "tolerant liberal" is at best a hopelessly unfounded myth. If the typical American liberal is offended, they will be every bit as vicious as any other American who has made being American the core part of their self-esteem.
David,
supersoling here. And I'm 100 percent human, of the male persuasion. Janet has been good enough to offer to send me a Code Pink T-Shirt, size Double X. Shall I ask her to send you one too? LOL
Stu Piddy,
I read your commentary at MLW and 90 percent of the time, you and I are in agreement.
Population reduction products or PRP are a very good investment my broker(s) report so before you go around spreading negative thought forms that travel through the ethernet and be picked up by government sensors be aware that these products can be utilized to stop YOU.
I have been posting comments on MLW on a what I believe is a satirical basis and it's being accepted as straight commentary. I'm am being accepted as a member of the community.
David, I'm really... stunned. I'm sorry you feel so angry about this.
I can't really speak for all of CodePink or any organization all I know is that most men I march with.. WEAR THE CODEPINK t-shirts. Including my husband.
The color pink has been hijacked by Mattel and the Barbie type world. I don't see how a color can represent a sex. CodePink is in response to the baloney Bush color coded alerts.
Pink represents strength and peace.
Some women think that CodePink is a women's group. It is called "Women for Peace" but I urge you and any one else to read CodePink's Stop the Next War Now. Which has male writers in there as well.. Peace goes beyond race, class and religion for me.
I can't show you all the photos of the men who wear the same shirt I do that I know and have met who aren't even with CodePink. The men I've met while marching in peace protests. The fathers, brothers, uncles and sons...
Me and a few others have tried to explain to people that CodePink doesn't segregate. I'm sorry if I sound defensive. I'm just really tired.
I'm not here to argue or fight. I'm not even defensive. Maybe I'm just tired of getting crapped on by everyone elses issues.
Ductape, Thanks, but I truly think I need a break from blogs. Yesterday I was what? Anti-American. Now... I'm part of a segregationary, sexist anti-male clan.
LIke I said, no matter what I try to do... someone's going to be agnry.. I think I was better off alone.
I give up today. LOL
It is what it is Janet. A deliberate act of sex segregationism and sexism. All I am saying is that attitude is a very big part of what is wrong with the world. Do you agree? You seem very defensive about it for someone opposed to it.
Something is going to offend someone no matter what. I'm sorry you find certain peace groups sexist.
Why do you suggest that it is unreasonable for me to be against sexism? That it is unreasonable for me to callout a group for discrimination? It's almost as if you'd prefer to blame ME for objecting to the sexism than blame Code Pink for being sexist. Just in case it isn't clear I think objecting to all forms of prejudice is a moral act. I'm not apologising for that feeling.
I know that I've been in many discussions with other CP members about this subjet and many of us are of the same idea... anyone can march with us.
Meaning that many others in Code Pink are on the other side of these discussions and insist that the presence of male bodies would somehow taint your testimony? I can only imagine the horrible logic that those women use to justify such a position. I'm glad that you are not on their side of course, and I am very glad you are not the only one saying so, but come on! The organisation is explcitly for and about women. It's called "code pink". The idea of wearing pink specifically goes to sex stereotypes of that colour. It's all deliberate. You knew all this going in. It's a hostile environment for any man. The implication is the organisation was founded by the sex segregationists.
I'd be interested in hearing what the sex segregationsist arguments are against allowing men to participate. I've got a pretty good idea of course. Probably the same reason male victims of domestic violence are banned from shelters.
Hi, LenaDavid, I am glad to see you here. Thanks for telling of the petition. I would be dishonest if I said I thought there were much chance that it would cause the US to cease aggression and disarm, and yes, also disarm its fat little pitbull in the Levant, but sometimes, the point is to declare in which circle your wagon is.
I will, as threatened, have more to say on that subject later.
David, while I will have to admit that this is the first I have heard of anyone feeling that the peace activist groups discriminate against males, your point that the particular theatre under discussion is not the only area of the planet that finds itself on the receiving end of US policies is well-taken.
Regarding division amongst the peace activists.
CodePink hass men stand and march with them.
I guess for me, I'd been alone protesting for a while and it was really nice to hook up with others who were doing things to try to stop the insanity.
Something is going to offend someone no matter what. I'm sorry you find certain peace groups sexist. I know that I've been in many discussions with other CP members about this subjet and many of us are of the same idea... anyone can march with us.
Look at who is fasting with CodePink... it goes beyond sex, race, nationality.
I haven't really been following this war much. Israel terrorising it's "neighbours" - it's little empire of terror, countries pretending to be viable independent states have to be reminded who is boss every now and then. What else is new?
I don't really get emotional over the casualties. Factually speaking war is decreasing in importance to mortality. Poverty is now and has for a while been by far the biggest killer. 24,000 dead a day or thereabouts. I'm not saying they don't feed into each other but these days the little arguments between states are not nearly as significant as the distinctions within the states.
The largest of those is the US genocide in Iraq and then - I think it's the Congo situation? Several hundred a day dying from these conflicts.
What tends to get me emotional is quite trivial stuff really. This for example, that Janet mentioned, I find quite depressing:
I have some dear friends, and I have my CodePink pals and Veterans for Peace dudes...
And locally where I live it's often "Women in Black". All three groups, as with the KKK, are against the war. And obviously that's a good thing and all that but I do wonder why....
At what point are people going to "get it" you know? At what point will the people decide that segregating off groups by birth status and saying you're better than men for example, or that only women can stand for peace because men are killers--- jesus talk about irony. There's the veterans. Ex-killers for peace. I guess that's closest to a men's group there. Why would you want to make it your "thing" that you used to do exactly what is the wrong thing?
When are people going to quit saying their sex is better? or their country is better? Or their race is better? Isn't that what leads to these wars in the first place?
Ok, no it isn't. What leads to wars is a bunch of elites making the calculation that a war will be profitable for them, but the thing which is used to lead the people to war like a hook in their nose is hatred and division along the lines of how they happened to be born.
It just drives me nuts to see the exact same divisions showing up in a peace rally. Fucking insane.
I'm glad that there are compassionate people and to read the words of those that know this is so wrong.
Please go to http://julywar.epetition.net and sign the Save the Lebanese Civilians Petition and forward this invitation to your friends.
Lebanese civilians have been under the constant attack of the state of Israel for several days. The State of Israel, in disregard to international law and the Geneva Convention, is launching a maritime and air siege targeting the entire population of the country. Innocent civilians are being collectively punished in Lebanon by the state of Israel in deliberate acts of terrorism as described in Article 33 of the Geneva Convention.
Janet, you are right. You are at risk. The wagons are circling, and supersoling, you are also right.
As you may imagine, I have a lot more to say about all that, but I will have to say it tomorrow because Madame tells me it is time for me to turn the computer off, puncture myself, eat dal and watch White Trash TV with her.
Then again...I can't look at the pictures of these children and seriously deny that the rest of the world may have already decided my questions for me. That it's no longer for any American, good or bad, to decide how the world will solve our problem for us......
NLinStPaul,
Don't lose hope. All is not hopeless. And I do understand and share your fight or flight feelings. With children at home, and at risk for the draft into the new World War III army, I really do feel the need to run sometimes. But I can't. I just won't surrender my country to them yet. It may already be gone and maybe nothing I do or nothing a million supersolings and DamnitJanets and NLs do will make a difference. But that question hasn't been answered yet. Not for me. What ever you decide to do, it'll be the right thing for you.
Peace
Janet -- Your feet & body are doing more than any words typed on a keyboard. Keep your spirits up, take good care of yourself, & pay no mind to any anti-anti-american shouting -- there's a chinese character shi'n (sp?) -- heart/mind -- that perfectly captures your voice.
Ductapefatwa
I'm getting used to losing people in my life. I've lost my "family", lost people who at one time said they were friends - however they thought politics were "boring"... anyways what I'm trying to say is..
I'm used to trying to speak out and getting flack for it. I remember the threatening calls we got when I started to speak out against the schools and how they treated disabled kids.
But as I wrote in one of the cafes to my friends... I will not take sides amongst friends. I can not really spend energy on this in-fighting.
I realize now that many I thought were on the same page are not, but that's okay. At least they are in the same book and that's being against this war (I feel it's an illegal occupation... but those are just words) and against Bush. I don't understand the need for people to single others out for not thinking the exact same things...
It's like we've been doing this togheter for some time and all of a sudden we see that we're... GASP... different. Different perspectives... Different issues and actions. I don't see where the big deal is.
But I'll tell you what I do see. I see an awful lot of typing, words being flung around.
Tonight, we're going to march against this killing of Iraqis, killing of children and we're going to say the names of the butchered Lebanese children.
The more wars and killing we have out there the more I see people getting meaner and nastier to the people wanting to stop it. I was given an alert yesterday that this weekly march is getting an ampage because now it'll include the Gaza/Lebanon killings. Meaning... "we the marchers are introducing more risk to ourselves".
From who? I'm marching in America... so I guess that answers the question. right?
Janet, I am very happy to see you here. I am afraid that as wagons circle tighter in the course of unfolding events, you will be in for some very angry words from many quarters.
It is a difficult time for earth residents, as chickens hard as truth come home to roost, pecking and going to the bathroom on heads and often causing such unbearable inner conflict that the head owners have no coping mechanism for such unprecedented stress, such fear, and so they lash out at the peacemongers, who are, they have newly discovered, the Enemy.
The ologists must be having a field day, at least the ones who have managed to achieve that laudable goal voiced by the old dead imperialist Kipling:
"if you can keep your head when all about you, are losing theirs and blaming it on you...."
SuperSoling, Thank you.
Hey, I can get you one like my husband wants. It's magenta writing "CodePink" on a black t-shirt. I'll get one, possibly this Sat. at the street fair where there'll be a peace demonstration.
2X it is my friend. Just email me your snailer.
CodePink isn't the answer... but it is part of the solution at least for me. As well as when you take it to the streets or where ever... you have to also bring it inside your home. And I think when one does that... they realize that war and killing is just not the answer at all. Blood spreads.... but so does peace and giving.
As I look and read, I need to speak, but the thoughts are so jumbled in feelings, I don't know if there will be any sense to it.
I find that in the few times in my off-line life that this situation has been brought up - there is silence. But its not the silence of distance or apathy. Its the silence of fear and hopelessness.
We've been horrified before as these battles flare up in the Middle East. But this time its different. There are many things that make it different, but knowing we have madmen in charge is part of it. Hearing about wwIII is another part of it.
So now, we add fear to the horror. And after 6 years of seeing with our own eyes that nothing has affected this trajectory these madmen have put us on, you add the hopelessness. I feel it. I don't know what to do. Because I don't think anything I can do will actually make a difference. Perhaps I'm wrong - but thats how I FEEL.
I opten think about the concept of the fight or flight response. Right now I think I'm in flight mode. I don't know if that's the right response - but again, its how I feel.
Janet,
Ramble On!!
I have a question. Does Code Pink have pink t-shirts in size 2X?! ;o) Come hell or Blackwater, I'll be in DC in September. Hopefully it will be alongside you and your sisters, Code Pink, and others. I choose to align myself with true Earthly Patriots. You should be aware that it's evident from my perspective that you DO walk your talk. That you do put the soles of your shoes where your mouth is. And that your heart is full of the best that humans can hope to offer. I want to be close to humans like you. I need to share those common goals with people like you. We may be in the minority, and of that I'm not even sure, but we have a mighty voice because it's the voice of compassion and peace.
I can truly say without doubt that I love you.
super :o)
Hello. I've seen some of these photos before. But not as many that should be on our tvs and papers. I say that I do not support war, or killing. I say I do not support the notion that killing another provides safety for another.
I have been listening to many speakers via a progressive radio station and some are jesuit priests, some are ex-soldiers, most are journalists and very educated people and they all say the same thing.
The way to fight terror is not with guns or missiles but by providing aid and food and clothing... shelter, schools. The amount of money spent on butchering and, yes, raping people... could have been put to better use. Like feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, educationg the masses, providing clinics...
I witness the carnage from the safety of my home. But I try to get out on the streets, to military events even, I've found myself inside federal buildings... because I do witness and I do want it to stop.
Not in my name. But I won't sit and be silent. I will speak up even if it means offending a family waiting for their military son to return home.
War is wrong. Killing, torturing, burning bodies is WRONG!
Those photographs... it proves it's so wrong.
I'm sorry if that offends anyone or makes me appear to be stupid but that is how I have to live my life now and I have to walk my talk with that view.
Sorry for rambling... I needed more people out marching with me or doing things that would go hand in hand with activism, such as writing, calling... etc... and I've found that once again... I am more alone in my desire to stop the killing.
I have some dear friends, and I have my CodePink pals and Veterans for Peace dudes... but it's been very sad to see so many on the side of Peace, fighting each other.
I'm not anti-anything...because I disagree or have a different perspective... I'm trying to be Pro-Humanity. I'm trying to live in a way that is so different than the norm now.
Those babies.. those children... they, as I have said over and over... those children are all our children. Each time one is killed.. a piece of us dies.
I've been asked to go to DC with CodePink in September for the Declaration of Peace... but I really feel like I should be in the refugee camps near Iraq and Jordan with CodePink.
Sorry for rambling.
Good to see you here Arcturus!
Though I am sad that it is not under more auspicious circumstances.
More pix from As'ad AbuKhalil.
No words of comfort here, either. Many more are going to die.
We're just here blasting Coltrane's "Peace on Earth" out to the universe.
Let the Bushbashin being...
I wish I had some words of comfort. I am sorry. At this point, the best advice I can give is to enjoy every minute that you can with your loved ones, doing the things you love. Go ahead and run up the damn credit card, buy that uberkewl sound system for the car, the pretty dress, put in or cause to be put in those shelves you've been promising your wife for ten years, pack up your finest crystal and linen, make smoked duck breast sandwiches and take the entire family on a fancy picnic in the park, or to the museum, or a ball game, take those Egyptian cotton sheets Aunt Mina gave you as a housewarming present out of the package and put them on all the beds, buy the kids a big box of sidewalk chalk and send them outside to decorate the driveway, or the sidewalk, clean out the bonus room and fix it up, then invite an ailing elder to come and live in it, buy several bags of groceries and sneak it onto the front porch of a low income family, ring the bell and run away, blow some bubbles.
Watching this unfold is like reading the same book for the tenth time. The plot, the characters, and the end are all the same. And the MSM breaking bulletins are feasting on the brainless.... Israel says that kidnapped soldiers being moved to Iran...Israel says that rockets fired into Haifa are Iranian made....Israel says that damaged warship was hit by explosive laden drone.....on and on and on. It's like re-living Bush's State of the Union address from 02 all over again.
Bush's foriegn policy is also based on the Book of Revelations so my hope is dwindling...
Those are very high hopes in what is a very tangled situation. And, while this is all happening, Bush is obsessed with literally feasting on a pig. That's quite the metaphor.
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