Arlene's Grocery
08.31.04 (3:14 am) [edit]
I never played Arlene's Grocery before. See they had this reputation for not giving bands even a cut of the door. The way live original rock and roll has devolved is like this: I guess once upon a time bands actually got paid to come out and play at like virtually all gigs; then what happened is in some clubs (nearly all oringal music clubs) the band got a cut of the door. If it was 6 dollars to get in the band might get 2 or 4 of it. They'd never count right, but I've been lucky and had the door man count my bands high and even round up and give more money than the math would dictate. Some clubs then lay the guilt trip on about "you didn't bring enough people" like promoting their club is sloely the bands job. The real money is behind the bar, that is why the clubs can even afford to advertise. The worst was when the door went to the bands and not the club but the door man! He'd never count right and alwas rip off the bands. I never had that experience but when I was in college a lot of my freinds were playing these clubs and they'd always have it happen to them.
In some places they had "pay to play" which Nirvana sang about. Apparently a lot of LA clubs work that way. The idea is the club give the band the tickets and the band is supposed to sell a certain amount. They even alter the schedual and band won't go on if they don't sell enough tickets. Now, this has nothing to do with how many walk in the door, so essentially the band is buying stage time with these ticket sales. In both these and the "cut of the door" places the tendency is to book too many bands so that they push each other back later and later and their sets go shorter and shorter and the art of setting up and breaking down is one of the best way to tell if a band has done a lot of those. I think I'm about the fastest on and off the stage. I've seen like two guys that were faster-- and one of them was packing up BEFORE the last song was over!
Anyway, New York City has it's share of "cut of the door" but I've never played a "pay to play". I think the old "Studio 1" in Newark NJ was pay to play, and maybe Escapades in Jersey City. I never played them. I was lucky to get classical guitar work while I was in college and when those places were big. When I started doing freelance bass and when I had bands of my own I did a lot of cut of the door type gigs. When it was my own band I'd be paid the cut of the door, when I was freelance I got my rate.
When a client wanted to play Arlene's the other freelancers told him that he shouldn't do it as they didn't even give him a cut of the door. I think they might not have been charging at the door, but I don't remember. As it is, the word was they didn't pay the bands. They also had a reputation that label A&R guys hung out their. This made all the wanna be rock stars like really get all foaming at the mouth to play it. I think that the "A&R guy" thing was probably overblown. I mean you'd want to hit all the clubs if you're really looking for talent. If you'd focus on a single club I could think of many others I'd check out first.
Well, we played their tonight for the Central Jersey Peace and Justice Coalition (I think) and so the acts could raise money for the last leg of the tour. They charged at the door and apparently the bands or the organizer (not the club) got all the door. I know a drummer, the original New Patriots drummer actually, who came to see the show and he said when he played the place they got their cut of the door. So, I guess either they changed for the better or the rumours were all wrong.
So, Darren Kramer played. He was really good and had a great stage presence. He played sitting down (as I do when playing acoustic) on a wooden chair on a piece of plywood. He wore shoes with taps hammered into them. He played guitar and sang, and stomped his foot on the plywood, like a metronome. They miced the plywood and it really added a nice touch to his performance. He put on a good show. Like a somewhat punk influenced blues man. Very bluesy but with an edge that just seemed like a punk band kinda vibe. Is "alt blues" a catagory like the way "alt country" is? That would be him if it is.
Catherine Moon continues to astound me. She can really sing, has great lyrics that are topical, political and moving and intelligent. I've seen her perform three times now and right now she like my favorite artist to see perform. Supposedly her newest, unrecorded, material is the strongest she has. In any event it is great stuff.
We played pretty well. I got some nice compliments on my playing and that always makes the walk back a lot more pleasent. It was a lot of fun. The sound in the club was really good, but I made the mistake of saying I could come down in the monitors. I couldn't hardly hear myself as I was playing! But their are two kinds of musicians it seems. Ones that would whine about it, and ones that can play regardless of the situation. I never understood the guy that can stand their and go back and forth with the sound guy with the monitors.
We're in Pittsburg next and then Buffalo. Come on out if you're in the area. Check out the links in the blog below.
In some places they had "pay to play" which Nirvana sang about. Apparently a lot of LA clubs work that way. The idea is the club give the band the tickets and the band is supposed to sell a certain amount. They even alter the schedual and band won't go on if they don't sell enough tickets. Now, this has nothing to do with how many walk in the door, so essentially the band is buying stage time with these ticket sales. In both these and the "cut of the door" places the tendency is to book too many bands so that they push each other back later and later and their sets go shorter and shorter and the art of setting up and breaking down is one of the best way to tell if a band has done a lot of those. I think I'm about the fastest on and off the stage. I've seen like two guys that were faster-- and one of them was packing up BEFORE the last song was over!
Anyway, New York City has it's share of "cut of the door" but I've never played a "pay to play". I think the old "Studio 1" in Newark NJ was pay to play, and maybe Escapades in Jersey City. I never played them. I was lucky to get classical guitar work while I was in college and when those places were big. When I started doing freelance bass and when I had bands of my own I did a lot of cut of the door type gigs. When it was my own band I'd be paid the cut of the door, when I was freelance I got my rate.
When a client wanted to play Arlene's the other freelancers told him that he shouldn't do it as they didn't even give him a cut of the door. I think they might not have been charging at the door, but I don't remember. As it is, the word was they didn't pay the bands. They also had a reputation that label A&R guys hung out their. This made all the wanna be rock stars like really get all foaming at the mouth to play it. I think that the "A&R guy" thing was probably overblown. I mean you'd want to hit all the clubs if you're really looking for talent. If you'd focus on a single club I could think of many others I'd check out first.
Well, we played their tonight for the Central Jersey Peace and Justice Coalition (I think) and so the acts could raise money for the last leg of the tour. They charged at the door and apparently the bands or the organizer (not the club) got all the door. I know a drummer, the original New Patriots drummer actually, who came to see the show and he said when he played the place they got their cut of the door. So, I guess either they changed for the better or the rumours were all wrong.
So, Darren Kramer played. He was really good and had a great stage presence. He played sitting down (as I do when playing acoustic) on a wooden chair on a piece of plywood. He wore shoes with taps hammered into them. He played guitar and sang, and stomped his foot on the plywood, like a metronome. They miced the plywood and it really added a nice touch to his performance. He put on a good show. Like a somewhat punk influenced blues man. Very bluesy but with an edge that just seemed like a punk band kinda vibe. Is "alt blues" a catagory like the way "alt country" is? That would be him if it is.
Catherine Moon continues to astound me. She can really sing, has great lyrics that are topical, political and moving and intelligent. I've seen her perform three times now and right now she like my favorite artist to see perform. Supposedly her newest, unrecorded, material is the strongest she has. In any event it is great stuff.
We played pretty well. I got some nice compliments on my playing and that always makes the walk back a lot more pleasent. It was a lot of fun. The sound in the club was really good, but I made the mistake of saying I could come down in the monitors. I couldn't hardly hear myself as I was playing! But their are two kinds of musicians it seems. Ones that would whine about it, and ones that can play regardless of the situation. I never understood the guy that can stand their and go back and forth with the sound guy with the monitors.
We're in Pittsburg next and then Buffalo. Come on out if you're in the area. Check out the links in the blog below.
Shows update
08.28.04 (4:06 pm) [edit]
The first two shows went really well. I thought we played especially well in Asbury Park, and that Catherine Moon played great both nights. Daddy kicked serious ass Last night, they're also playing in Ithica tonight at the Chantyleir or something. Spook Handy played the Asbury Park show and had a predictably great set. He has a way of really providing great political and social commentary with a nice positive approach, happy music and humor. Stephan Smith who might be the most famous artist at these shows also played a great set. There was a great cellist/vocalist I think named David Roberts at the Ithica show and he war really good. He used a distortion pedal through a blackface Fender Deluxe Reverb and sounded great.
Ithica apparently has all these waterfalls and is worth visting for the sight-seeing. I'll have to go back with the wife and kids.
A spokesperson for the "Bush Must Go" coalition, www.bushmustgo.net gave an impassioned speech. Lefties are so much more sensative to nuances in differences of opinion. He went on and on and then said, well that is one voice in the Bush Must Go organization, another feels that ...., on and on, and then he basically spells out each nuance of opinions. Imagine Republicans doing that. Each he delivered equally well.
All night we heard the same problem "Bush really has to go, but Kerry isn't exactly the peace movement canidate, and ultimately we like the Green Party on prinicples and such". We really all need to take a look at the Green Party and at some point consider supporting it's growth because the democrats are so often just a little less evil than the Republicans, and in less dire times maybe that hedging of evil is even more evil.
Anyway the shows are going well and if any of yous guys live round NYC, Pittsburg, or Buffalo you can still check out the New Patriots, Daddy, Catherine Moon and other great acts.
They're making a documentary about the tour and interviewing people about their thoughts on Bush. Apparently I missed a lot of people that were FOR BUSH!!!! but I was standing their when they asked a young guy if he'd be interviewed for the movie and he asked what about. When he heard it was about Bush he went off, just like I'm sure all of you would.
Ithica apparently has all these waterfalls and is worth visting for the sight-seeing. I'll have to go back with the wife and kids.
A spokesperson for the "Bush Must Go" coalition, www.bushmustgo.net gave an impassioned speech. Lefties are so much more sensative to nuances in differences of opinion. He went on and on and then said, well that is one voice in the Bush Must Go organization, another feels that ...., on and on, and then he basically spells out each nuance of opinions. Imagine Republicans doing that. Each he delivered equally well.
All night we heard the same problem "Bush really has to go, but Kerry isn't exactly the peace movement canidate, and ultimately we like the Green Party on prinicples and such". We really all need to take a look at the Green Party and at some point consider supporting it's growth because the democrats are so often just a little less evil than the Republicans, and in less dire times maybe that hedging of evil is even more evil.
Anyway the shows are going well and if any of yous guys live round NYC, Pittsburg, or Buffalo you can still check out the New Patriots, Daddy, Catherine Moon and other great acts.
They're making a documentary about the tour and interviewing people about their thoughts on Bush. Apparently I missed a lot of people that were FOR BUSH!!!! but I was standing their when they asked a young guy if he'd be interviewed for the movie and he asked what about. When he heard it was about Bush he went off, just like I'm sure all of you would.
My little tour
08.26.04 (2:09 pm) [edit]
Hey gang, I'm playing the Saint in Asbury Park, NJ tomorrow night (Thursday) at like 1:30. Some really great acts will also be playing-- one of my favorites: Catherine Moon, you've got to hear her sing.
http://www.thesaintnj.com/" title="http://www.thesaintnj.com/" target="_blank"http://www.thesaintnj.com/
Anyway we're all playing Ithica, NY Friday night at the ABC Cafe
http://www.theabccafe.com/" title="http://www.theabccafe.com/" target="_blank"http://www.theabccafe.com/
then NY NY on Monday night at Arlene's Grocery,
http://www.arlene-grocery.com/" title="http://www.arlene-grocery.com/" target="_blank"http://www.arlene-grocery.com...
then
on Friday Sept 3 in Pittsburg PA at The Quiet Storm Cafe
http://www.quietstormcoffee.com/" title="http://www.quietstormcoffee.com/" target="_blank"http://www.quietstormcoffee.c...
The gigs are like rabble rousing and supporting or in conjunction with like local peace and justice type organizations.
and ending up in
Buffalo Sunday Sept 5, at Broadway Joe's.
http://www.bjoes.com/" title="http://www.bjoes.com/" target="_blank"http://www.bjoes.com/
Wish me luck, and what ever it takes to hear the chord changes in the monitors and remember the set list.
Our Set is almost all political numbers, we've got like a puppet show and like a stage presentation and it could be a lot of fun. It looks like most of the places are all ages, which I like. Not that they pay but in terms of intimate vib and stuff.
I'm looking forward to seeing cities I've not seen and hopefully I'll not be obsessing about my lawn or my roof or my ticks and ants and bees or the move. I really got to move, I'll hopefully blog and answer comments and stuff before the Pittsburg show.
http://www.thesaintnj.com/" title="http://www.thesaintnj.com/" target="_blank"http://www.thesaintnj.com/
Anyway we're all playing Ithica, NY Friday night at the ABC Cafe
http://www.theabccafe.com/" title="http://www.theabccafe.com/" target="_blank"http://www.theabccafe.com/
then NY NY on Monday night at Arlene's Grocery,
http://www.arlene-grocery.com/" title="http://www.arlene-grocery.com/" target="_blank"http://www.arlene-grocery.com...
then
on Friday Sept 3 in Pittsburg PA at The Quiet Storm Cafe
http://www.quietstormcoffee.com/" title="http://www.quietstormcoffee.com/" target="_blank"http://www.quietstormcoffee.c...
The gigs are like rabble rousing and supporting or in conjunction with like local peace and justice type organizations.
and ending up in
Buffalo Sunday Sept 5, at Broadway Joe's.
http://www.bjoes.com/" title="http://www.bjoes.com/" target="_blank"http://www.bjoes.com/
Wish me luck, and what ever it takes to hear the chord changes in the monitors and remember the set list.
Our Set is almost all political numbers, we've got like a puppet show and like a stage presentation and it could be a lot of fun. It looks like most of the places are all ages, which I like. Not that they pay but in terms of intimate vib and stuff.
I'm looking forward to seeing cities I've not seen and hopefully I'll not be obsessing about my lawn or my roof or my ticks and ants and bees or the move. I really got to move, I'll hopefully blog and answer comments and stuff before the Pittsburg show.
Maybe this will dent Prince George's poll numbers
08.20.04 (6:56 am) [edit]
Did you know the "overhauled" overtime rules start Monday? Get them hours in this weekend people. Here is the link, right click please:
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap /20040820/ap_on_go_ca_st_ pe/overtime_politics&cid= 542&ncid=716" title="http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap /20040820/ap_on_go_ca_st_ pe/overtime_politics&cid= 542&ncid=716" target="_blank"http://story.news.yahoo.com/n...
The article is written by Leigh Strope, and I love her fourth paragraph "But know one really knows" how many people will gain new overtime pay or lose it. Well, she cites too confliciting sources-- like the media always does-- but is that good enough? When the department of labor says 107,000 will lose while 1.3 million will gain it, it sounds good-- but consider the source. The administration's departments have been caught red handed lying about the air at ground zero, the cost of their drug plan, the war, and everything else. When counter with the Economic Policy Institute's number of 6 million, then you see someones number is messed up.
Do you think the reporter looked into the assumptions that the 107,000 number came from? Did she ask anyone to analyze the discrepency for her? No, she just throughs the too numbers out and we're left as always to assume, as she tells us, that no one really knows.
That seems to be job number one for the mainstream media, to take the lies of the ruling class and make them as plausible as well researched analysis. Evolution vs. Creationism, who knows? The media would lead us to believe that the "evidence" for both is almost equal. Remember the "Bell Curve" racist theory? How did the media handle that? The present the racist claims, then "balanced" it with opinions so weak and stunted that the morons that invented the theory sounded like they might be on to something.
Oh, and on a side note: did anyone see that wacked out woman on Hardball defending Bush and "Swift boat vets for truth"? Keith Olberman said it best when he called her that woman who made a fool of her self on this network earlier. At least two of the guys featured in that ad are lying, go to factcheck.org and read up.
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap /20040820/ap_on_go_ca_st_ pe/overtime_politics&cid= 542&ncid=716" title="http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap /20040820/ap_on_go_ca_st_ pe/overtime_politics&cid= 542&ncid=716" target="_blank"http://story.news.yahoo.com/n...
The article is written by Leigh Strope, and I love her fourth paragraph "But know one really knows" how many people will gain new overtime pay or lose it. Well, she cites too confliciting sources-- like the media always does-- but is that good enough? When the department of labor says 107,000 will lose while 1.3 million will gain it, it sounds good-- but consider the source. The administration's departments have been caught red handed lying about the air at ground zero, the cost of their drug plan, the war, and everything else. When counter with the Economic Policy Institute's number of 6 million, then you see someones number is messed up.
Do you think the reporter looked into the assumptions that the 107,000 number came from? Did she ask anyone to analyze the discrepency for her? No, she just throughs the too numbers out and we're left as always to assume, as she tells us, that no one really knows.
That seems to be job number one for the mainstream media, to take the lies of the ruling class and make them as plausible as well researched analysis. Evolution vs. Creationism, who knows? The media would lead us to believe that the "evidence" for both is almost equal. Remember the "Bell Curve" racist theory? How did the media handle that? The present the racist claims, then "balanced" it with opinions so weak and stunted that the morons that invented the theory sounded like they might be on to something.
Oh, and on a side note: did anyone see that wacked out woman on Hardball defending Bush and "Swift boat vets for truth"? Keith Olberman said it best when he called her that woman who made a fool of her self on this network earlier. At least two of the guys featured in that ad are lying, go to factcheck.org and read up.
OI, I lied, one more Abu Ghraib Scandal
08.19.04 (9:04 pm) [edit]
I said I'd not blog about this anymore but there is some new news. Right click the link:
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=5 14&e=5&u=/ap/20040819/ap_ on_re_mi_ea/torture_docto rs" title="http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=5 14&e=5&u=/ap/20040819/ap_ on_re_mi_ea/torture_docto rs" target="_blank"http://story.news.yahoo.com/n...
So, does anyone still buy the "just a few rotten kids" line? This is sounding more organized than I'd have thought. Really, read the article: it is pretty scarry stuff.
This would be war crimes if Bush didn't preemptively declare Iraq free of such civilized things before he sent our troops in.
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=5 14&e=5&u=/ap/20040819/ap_ on_re_mi_ea/torture_docto rs" title="http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=5 14&e=5&u=/ap/20040819/ap_ on_re_mi_ea/torture_docto rs" target="_blank"http://story.news.yahoo.com/n...
So, does anyone still buy the "just a few rotten kids" line? This is sounding more organized than I'd have thought. Really, read the article: it is pretty scarry stuff.
This would be war crimes if Bush didn't preemptively declare Iraq free of such civilized things before he sent our troops in.
OK, it's official, I've completely sold out
08.19.04 (1:19 pm) [edit]
The John Deere L110 or LX 110 or LC 110 (what ever it is) with automatic transmission riding lawn mower will be delivered tomorrow to the new house.
When my neighbor said that one reason guys use them is to avoid ticks that sort of sealed the deal. Later on that night when leaving the house after painting a ceiling I sprained my ankle. That was a week and a day ago and it is still tender. I bought it yesterday and it gets delivered tomorrow. I can't let injuries stop me from cutting my grass, I'll piss off my new neighbors.
A few years ago I was in a pretty bad car accident where I broke my leg and our yard went to peices. Stuff grows so fast here-- this used to be all the best farm land like before the Victorian era-- that it tooks us about a year to get everything chopped back to where we were. This new house is almost all lawn and not a lot of shrubs (the shrubs were the overgrown problem a few years ago) but I can't just let it go.
So I've sold out. We'll see just how good the snow thrower attachement and he sonw plow attachements work when the winter comes and maybe some of the other attachements. I'm kinda psyched. Well I am selling out-- I'm definately not buying in as they say.
You know, that is the retort. "Hey man, your selling out", "No, I'm buying in". Like one has converted to the evil and pretends it isn't so bad. I'm not pretending, I just want my lawn cut in an hour. Tomorrow it will take me an hour just to figure out how to get it running, then it will rain and I'll not get the grass cut to next Tuesday.
When my neighbor said that one reason guys use them is to avoid ticks that sort of sealed the deal. Later on that night when leaving the house after painting a ceiling I sprained my ankle. That was a week and a day ago and it is still tender. I bought it yesterday and it gets delivered tomorrow. I can't let injuries stop me from cutting my grass, I'll piss off my new neighbors.
A few years ago I was in a pretty bad car accident where I broke my leg and our yard went to peices. Stuff grows so fast here-- this used to be all the best farm land like before the Victorian era-- that it tooks us about a year to get everything chopped back to where we were. This new house is almost all lawn and not a lot of shrubs (the shrubs were the overgrown problem a few years ago) but I can't just let it go.
So I've sold out. We'll see just how good the snow thrower attachement and he sonw plow attachements work when the winter comes and maybe some of the other attachements. I'm kinda psyched. Well I am selling out-- I'm definately not buying in as they say.
You know, that is the retort. "Hey man, your selling out", "No, I'm buying in". Like one has converted to the evil and pretends it isn't so bad. I'm not pretending, I just want my lawn cut in an hour. Tomorrow it will take me an hour just to figure out how to get it running, then it will rain and I'll not get the grass cut to next Tuesday.
Well this bit if news is kinda shocking, and Global Warming related
08.19.04 (1:07 pm) [edit]
Check this out:
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=1 540&ncid=1540&e=2&u=/afp/ 20040818/sc_afp/science_b ritain_environment_waves" title="http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=1 540&ncid=1540&e=2&u=/afp/ 20040818/sc_afp/science_b ritain_environment_waves" target="_blank"http://story.news.yahoo.com/n...
It seems that this boulder throwing is increasing because sea level is rising and sea level is rising because of Global Warming. Crazy Stuff. So much for that beach house.
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=1 540&ncid=1540&e=2&u=/afp/ 20040818/sc_afp/science_b ritain_environment_waves" title="http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=1 540&ncid=1540&e=2&u=/afp/ 20040818/sc_afp/science_b ritain_environment_waves" target="_blank"http://story.news.yahoo.com/n...
It seems that this boulder throwing is increasing because sea level is rising and sea level is rising because of Global Warming. Crazy Stuff. So much for that beach house.
Here's a couple of links to read about Global Warming
08.18.04 (6:07 pm) [edit]
First the good news, open this link in a new window and read up. But realize we must like pester our congress people and all our representatives-- all of us-- before anything even a little bit good actually gets done in Washington.
http://www.csmonitor.com/2004/0813/p03s02-ussc .html" title="http://www.csmonitor.com/2004/0813/p03s02-ussc .html" target="_blank"http://www.csmonitor.com/2004...
Now, take a look at this and see just how bad it can get if we don't do anything:
http://www.smithsonianmag.si.edu/smithsonian/issues04/ aug04/tuvalu.html" title="http://www.smithsonianmag.si.edu/smithsonian/issues04/ aug04/tuvalu.html" target="_blank"http://www.smithsonianmag.si....
http://news.yahoo.com/fc?tmpl=fc&cid=34&in= world&cat=climate_change" title="http://news.yahoo.com/fc?tmpl=fc&cid=34&in= world&cat=climate_change" target="_blank"http://news.yahoo.com/fc?tmpl...
and make note of the first paragraph (read the whole thing though) here:
http://www.csmonitor.com/2004/0819/p01s01-usec .html" title="http://www.csmonitor.com/2004/0819/p01s01-usec .html" target="_blank"http://www.csmonitor.com/2004...
Notice the use of the word "Instability" on Russia and Venezuela, what they mean is Oil not currently owned by some connected to the Bush gang. Sounds like we need more troops to feed their lust for money and oil or a change-- I say the latter.
One thing about Kerry is at least his environmental voting record is good, but good just isn't proactive enough. The people will have to be very vocal and active to force him to be proactive on the environment.
http://www.csmonitor.com/2004/0813/p03s02-ussc .html" title="http://www.csmonitor.com/2004/0813/p03s02-ussc .html" target="_blank"http://www.csmonitor.com/2004...
Now, take a look at this and see just how bad it can get if we don't do anything:
http://www.smithsonianmag.si.edu/smithsonian/issues04/ aug04/tuvalu.html" title="http://www.smithsonianmag.si.edu/smithsonian/issues04/ aug04/tuvalu.html" target="_blank"http://www.smithsonianmag.si....
http://news.yahoo.com/fc?tmpl=fc&cid=34&in= world&cat=climate_change" title="http://news.yahoo.com/fc?tmpl=fc&cid=34&in= world&cat=climate_change" target="_blank"http://news.yahoo.com/fc?tmpl...
and make note of the first paragraph (read the whole thing though) here:
http://www.csmonitor.com/2004/0819/p01s01-usec .html" title="http://www.csmonitor.com/2004/0819/p01s01-usec .html" target="_blank"http://www.csmonitor.com/2004...
Notice the use of the word "Instability" on Russia and Venezuela, what they mean is Oil not currently owned by some connected to the Bush gang. Sounds like we need more troops to feed their lust for money and oil or a change-- I say the latter.
One thing about Kerry is at least his environmental voting record is good, but good just isn't proactive enough. The people will have to be very vocal and active to force him to be proactive on the environment.
Chavez won and their still whining
08.17.04 (12:03 pm) [edit]
Well, Hugo Chavez won, and the right wing spoiled brats are still whining and considering staging strikes. Here is the Yahoo news article:
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=5 14&e=14&u=/ap/20040817/ap _on_re_la_am_ca/venezuela _recall_22" title="http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=5 14&e=14&u=/ap/20040817/ap _on_re_la_am_ca/venezuela _recall_22" target="_blank"http://story.news.yahoo.com/n...
Don't be surprised if this still was just a dress rehearsal for our election and they just went through the motions without fucking up the results to avoid drawing more attention on the big prize. If Prince George II steals this one again they'll just stage a military overthrow like they've always done in Latin America ever since Smeadly Butler's day.
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=5 14&e=14&u=/ap/20040817/ap _on_re_la_am_ca/venezuela _recall_22" title="http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=5 14&e=14&u=/ap/20040817/ap _on_re_la_am_ca/venezuela _recall_22" target="_blank"http://story.news.yahoo.com/n...
Don't be surprised if this still was just a dress rehearsal for our election and they just went through the motions without fucking up the results to avoid drawing more attention on the big prize. If Prince George II steals this one again they'll just stage a military overthrow like they've always done in Latin America ever since Smeadly Butler's day.
Free Bobby Fischer
08.16.04 (11:53 am) [edit]
Bobby Fischer is insane. He thinks everyone is out to get him. It is a shame though, because I don't think many people even know what his life may have been like and the toll it, obviously, took on him. This "violating sanctions" rap is nonsense, "the man" could let it slide if he were cool about it. Free Bobby Fischer.
Bobby Fischer is a hero to every man in the US that is around 40 or older and started playing chess around the age of 5 or maybe up to 10-- at least. Bobby Fischer was the greatest US chess player in history, his best games are still worth studying and some of his tactics are still debated. His little pawn grab in the Nardof Sicilian Defence took like decades to be refuted and still you have to be seriously on your game to beat it back. To see this icon self destruct broke so many people's hearts, let's at least try to feel some empathy for the old man that once was a kid standing up for the honor the US during the cold war on a very cold and lonely battlefield.
Chess during the cold war was the Soviet Union's game. The Chess Champ was from the Soviet Union almost none stop since Botvinik. The US players were just not as good, typically they had good end games but didn't get the opening or middle game advatage that the Soviets got. Ever since the "hypermodern" style, chess changed. There used to be "the opening" where you deploy your troops, the "middle" where you fight for the advatage and the "ending" where you cleaned up. The changes was the opening became as tactical and full of twists and turns as any middle game.
Soviets dominated tournaments around the world. It wasn't a bad life for these guys. They got to travel, play chess and enjoyed some measure of fame all on the state's ticket. The US players were essentially amatures or hustlers struggling to suceed. Very few long standing chess clubs exist where players could gain the skill needed to compete on an international level. The US gov just didn't invest in chess like the Soviets did. To them it was a point of cold war pride, but they were winning a battle that the US wasn't even fighting in.
Then a kid named Bobby Fischer started winning tournaments. He became the best player in the US and his only goal was to beat the Russians. He took it on him self as point of national pride to win this little corner of the cold war. As he became an actual threat to the soviets it seems the tournaments were rigged against him, all sorts of things would go wrong for him and he had to fight just to get to the table. At least in his head.
He felt he was spyed upon, and had all kinds of bizarre dirty tricks played on him. When he finally played Boris Spassky-- who by all accounts is just a really nice guy with a great game of chess that he used to travel and he wasn't all into the cold war thing-- for the championship every chess player in the US was excited. They broadcast the games on TV, well the moves anyway. It was a hell of a match and Fischer won.
Having defeated the enemy he spent his entire life trying to defeat he lost his way. The Russians of coarse wanted a candidates tournament right away and proceeded on to the next phase where eventually -- I think it was-- Korchnoi became the next challenger. Fischer refused to play. He had basically disappeared in hiding. Ultimately Korchnoi defected and he played Karpov for the vacated championship. Korchnoi describes the same mental warfare being waged against him that the Fischer spent his life fighting. Reading Korchnoi's version of those struggles makes one realize that the kid they tageted in the same way had been really permenantly damaged by what amounts to nothing more than Russian pride. I didn't see the movie but I imagine the Denzel Washington character in The Manchurian Candidate being played by a kid and a decent analogy.
Spassky facilitated Fischer's re-emgence. Spassky felt compassion for the man whose victory made him looked at as essentially a traitor by his own government. His life was filled with road blocks after that defeat. Finally, after the Soviet Union fell, Spassky went back the point where his life forever changed-- his match against Bobby Fischer. He set up a match after finding Fischer. The people sponsoring the event coaxed Fischer out of hiding.
He still insisted that he was the Chess Champ, after all noone defeated him. That was the "old" way of deciding the Chess Champ. He could choose his own opponent and as these "champs" got older and less sharp they avoided the best players and settled on people that may have desereved a shot years ago but where no real threat. Lasker screwed over Tarrish that way. In his prime Tarrish would have won but he never got his chance then. Alekhine whose games still amaze people retained his championship by avoiding people as much as by his skill and he was regarded as the best ever. Had he given Capablanca-- who made the mistake of actually playing the best challenger in the world-- a re-match chess history would be very different.
The biggest favor ever done for Fischer was Spassky playing him for the "Championship". That is how they treated it. The chess world looked on half in semi-shock, the other half laughing, but both halves united in a sort of terror upon seeing just what had become of our hero Fischer and how he needed this false title to even come out of hiding. The games had some good chess, Fischer showed some promise and some innovation-- innovation if we were twenty years earlier. The game had left him behind. Spassky continued to play competitively and his "game" was known. He was still a tough opponent but no where near the worlds best. Fischer it seems was about the same.
But Fischer didn't play much in those intervening years. What the chess world lost when he lost his mind is immeasurable. But most sadly an American hero lost his mind.
Now Fischer flees persecution from our own government because his rematch against Spassky was in violation of sanctions. He did make political statements about the sanctions being wrong and all sorts of other crazy ideas-- hey, he's nuts. He is like detained in Japan where he now hopes to marry a Japanese woman to gain his freedom their.
Give Bobby a break. He scarificed his life for the cold war on a chess board and lost his mind in the process. He didn't get "rich", chess players would rather play chess than eat shower shave or buy new clothes-- just go to a chess club and look around. He don't need jail time he needs help and our compassion.
Any entity with power that can't take the "insult" of Fischer's violations and just let it go is drunk with it's own power. Let the man alone. Look at the scoundrals recieving pardons, Fischer can't get one?
Free Bobby Fischer.
Bobby Fischer is a hero to every man in the US that is around 40 or older and started playing chess around the age of 5 or maybe up to 10-- at least. Bobby Fischer was the greatest US chess player in history, his best games are still worth studying and some of his tactics are still debated. His little pawn grab in the Nardof Sicilian Defence took like decades to be refuted and still you have to be seriously on your game to beat it back. To see this icon self destruct broke so many people's hearts, let's at least try to feel some empathy for the old man that once was a kid standing up for the honor the US during the cold war on a very cold and lonely battlefield.
Chess during the cold war was the Soviet Union's game. The Chess Champ was from the Soviet Union almost none stop since Botvinik. The US players were just not as good, typically they had good end games but didn't get the opening or middle game advatage that the Soviets got. Ever since the "hypermodern" style, chess changed. There used to be "the opening" where you deploy your troops, the "middle" where you fight for the advatage and the "ending" where you cleaned up. The changes was the opening became as tactical and full of twists and turns as any middle game.
Soviets dominated tournaments around the world. It wasn't a bad life for these guys. They got to travel, play chess and enjoyed some measure of fame all on the state's ticket. The US players were essentially amatures or hustlers struggling to suceed. Very few long standing chess clubs exist where players could gain the skill needed to compete on an international level. The US gov just didn't invest in chess like the Soviets did. To them it was a point of cold war pride, but they were winning a battle that the US wasn't even fighting in.
Then a kid named Bobby Fischer started winning tournaments. He became the best player in the US and his only goal was to beat the Russians. He took it on him self as point of national pride to win this little corner of the cold war. As he became an actual threat to the soviets it seems the tournaments were rigged against him, all sorts of things would go wrong for him and he had to fight just to get to the table. At least in his head.
He felt he was spyed upon, and had all kinds of bizarre dirty tricks played on him. When he finally played Boris Spassky-- who by all accounts is just a really nice guy with a great game of chess that he used to travel and he wasn't all into the cold war thing-- for the championship every chess player in the US was excited. They broadcast the games on TV, well the moves anyway. It was a hell of a match and Fischer won.
Having defeated the enemy he spent his entire life trying to defeat he lost his way. The Russians of coarse wanted a candidates tournament right away and proceeded on to the next phase where eventually -- I think it was-- Korchnoi became the next challenger. Fischer refused to play. He had basically disappeared in hiding. Ultimately Korchnoi defected and he played Karpov for the vacated championship. Korchnoi describes the same mental warfare being waged against him that the Fischer spent his life fighting. Reading Korchnoi's version of those struggles makes one realize that the kid they tageted in the same way had been really permenantly damaged by what amounts to nothing more than Russian pride. I didn't see the movie but I imagine the Denzel Washington character in The Manchurian Candidate being played by a kid and a decent analogy.
Spassky facilitated Fischer's re-emgence. Spassky felt compassion for the man whose victory made him looked at as essentially a traitor by his own government. His life was filled with road blocks after that defeat. Finally, after the Soviet Union fell, Spassky went back the point where his life forever changed-- his match against Bobby Fischer. He set up a match after finding Fischer. The people sponsoring the event coaxed Fischer out of hiding.
He still insisted that he was the Chess Champ, after all noone defeated him. That was the "old" way of deciding the Chess Champ. He could choose his own opponent and as these "champs" got older and less sharp they avoided the best players and settled on people that may have desereved a shot years ago but where no real threat. Lasker screwed over Tarrish that way. In his prime Tarrish would have won but he never got his chance then. Alekhine whose games still amaze people retained his championship by avoiding people as much as by his skill and he was regarded as the best ever. Had he given Capablanca-- who made the mistake of actually playing the best challenger in the world-- a re-match chess history would be very different.
The biggest favor ever done for Fischer was Spassky playing him for the "Championship". That is how they treated it. The chess world looked on half in semi-shock, the other half laughing, but both halves united in a sort of terror upon seeing just what had become of our hero Fischer and how he needed this false title to even come out of hiding. The games had some good chess, Fischer showed some promise and some innovation-- innovation if we were twenty years earlier. The game had left him behind. Spassky continued to play competitively and his "game" was known. He was still a tough opponent but no where near the worlds best. Fischer it seems was about the same.
But Fischer didn't play much in those intervening years. What the chess world lost when he lost his mind is immeasurable. But most sadly an American hero lost his mind.
Now Fischer flees persecution from our own government because his rematch against Spassky was in violation of sanctions. He did make political statements about the sanctions being wrong and all sorts of other crazy ideas-- hey, he's nuts. He is like detained in Japan where he now hopes to marry a Japanese woman to gain his freedom their.
Give Bobby a break. He scarificed his life for the cold war on a chess board and lost his mind in the process. He didn't get "rich", chess players would rather play chess than eat shower shave or buy new clothes-- just go to a chess club and look around. He don't need jail time he needs help and our compassion.
Any entity with power that can't take the "insult" of Fischer's violations and just let it go is drunk with it's own power. Let the man alone. Look at the scoundrals recieving pardons, Fischer can't get one?
Free Bobby Fischer.
Seeing the Fruits of Pre-Emptive War
08.15.04 (5:58 pm) [edit]
Check out this news article:
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=5 74&e=3&u=/nm/20040815/wl_ nm/taiwan_china_dc" title="http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=5 74&e=3&u=/nm/20040815/wl_ nm/taiwan_china_dc" target="_blank"http://story.news.yahoo.com/n...
China is seeing our attack on Iraq as a possible model for their possible attack on Taiwan. Now I'm not saying China hasn't been looking for a chance to take over the island, but let's face it: it just plain sucks if they can use our actions as their model or excuse.
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=5 74&e=3&u=/nm/20040815/wl_ nm/taiwan_china_dc" title="http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=5 74&e=3&u=/nm/20040815/wl_ nm/taiwan_china_dc" target="_blank"http://story.news.yahoo.com/n...
China is seeing our attack on Iraq as a possible model for their possible attack on Taiwan. Now I'm not saying China hasn't been looking for a chance to take over the island, but let's face it: it just plain sucks if they can use our actions as their model or excuse.
Venezuela Poor News Coverage Here in the US
08.15.04 (1:27 pm) [edit]
You know, reading the news has become an artform, and if you've not developed the technic then you can't really read the news successfully. Look at the way they cover the events in Venezuela. Here are two links:
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=2 027&ncid=2027&e=4&u=/chit ribts/20040815/ts_chicago trib/chavezslandreformdiv idesvenezuelans" title="http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=2 027&ncid=2027&e=4&u=/chit ribts/20040815/ts_chicago trib/chavezslandreformdiv idesvenezuelans" target="_blank"http://story.news.yahoo.com/n...
and
http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap /20040814/ap_on_re_la_am_ ca/venezuela_recall_8" title="http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap /20040814/ap_on_re_la_am_ ca/venezuela_recall_8" target="_blank"http://news.yahoo.com/news?tm...
Now, you'd never know that there was a failed coupe attempt that was promoted by Prince George II's regime, or that-- as it was failing and Chavez was regaining power-- one of our Prince's minions in an act of blatant transparency was declaring our willingness to work with the new millitary dictatorship. You'd never realize that the wave of violence they mention that was "caused" by land reforms was really caused by wealthy and greedy US corporations or locals that are no more than US corp minions (my new word, like it?) and that the wave of violence was infact illegal acts perpetrated by criminals.
You'd never know that the malcontents that backed the failed coupe then faked petitions to bring about this vote, and that these malcontents are fronts for US corps. You'd never know that Jimmy Carter, who was instrumental in getting Chavez to accept the fake petitions, was also instrumental in the ousting of Aristide in Haiti. You'd never suspect that when you see Jimmy Carter's name in international affairs that the puppet strings of capitalist imperialism and oppression are there too-- no, you have to learn to see them.
You'd also never know that the bastards counting the votes in Venezula openly back the ousting of Chavez and are tied to Bush's regime here and they are involved on the counting of our own votes in November. No, you'd never even suspect that this Venezuela exercise might just be a dress rehearsal for the fix they need to set in here in November.
You'd also never suspect that they only like elections in third world countries when the governments cause any slight discomfort for multi-national corporations. You might not even realize that Venezuela will be a significantly more important source of oil if Saudi oil wells have in fact peaked production (meaning they'll produce less and less oil until their production is exceeded by the cost of extraction and finally till there is no production at all), and that the Bush family NEEDS that oil privatized and secure like my 3 year old needs two watch a Strawberry Shortcake video or needs another pack of chocolate chip cookies.
You'd never even put together the whole oil privatization thing if you hadn't cultivated the art of reading the news.
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=2 027&ncid=2027&e=4&u=/chit ribts/20040815/ts_chicago trib/chavezslandreformdiv idesvenezuelans" title="http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=2 027&ncid=2027&e=4&u=/chit ribts/20040815/ts_chicago trib/chavezslandreformdiv idesvenezuelans" target="_blank"http://story.news.yahoo.com/n...
and
http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap /20040814/ap_on_re_la_am_ ca/venezuela_recall_8" title="http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap /20040814/ap_on_re_la_am_ ca/venezuela_recall_8" target="_blank"http://news.yahoo.com/news?tm...
Now, you'd never know that there was a failed coupe attempt that was promoted by Prince George II's regime, or that-- as it was failing and Chavez was regaining power-- one of our Prince's minions in an act of blatant transparency was declaring our willingness to work with the new millitary dictatorship. You'd never realize that the wave of violence they mention that was "caused" by land reforms was really caused by wealthy and greedy US corporations or locals that are no more than US corp minions (my new word, like it?) and that the wave of violence was infact illegal acts perpetrated by criminals.
You'd never know that the malcontents that backed the failed coupe then faked petitions to bring about this vote, and that these malcontents are fronts for US corps. You'd never know that Jimmy Carter, who was instrumental in getting Chavez to accept the fake petitions, was also instrumental in the ousting of Aristide in Haiti. You'd never suspect that when you see Jimmy Carter's name in international affairs that the puppet strings of capitalist imperialism and oppression are there too-- no, you have to learn to see them.
You'd also never know that the bastards counting the votes in Venezula openly back the ousting of Chavez and are tied to Bush's regime here and they are involved on the counting of our own votes in November. No, you'd never even suspect that this Venezuela exercise might just be a dress rehearsal for the fix they need to set in here in November.
You'd also never suspect that they only like elections in third world countries when the governments cause any slight discomfort for multi-national corporations. You might not even realize that Venezuela will be a significantly more important source of oil if Saudi oil wells have in fact peaked production (meaning they'll produce less and less oil until their production is exceeded by the cost of extraction and finally till there is no production at all), and that the Bush family NEEDS that oil privatized and secure like my 3 year old needs two watch a Strawberry Shortcake video or needs another pack of chocolate chip cookies.
You'd never even put together the whole oil privatization thing if you hadn't cultivated the art of reading the news.
Just Try and Say Bush Didn't Screw Up Iraq
08.08.04 (11:45 pm) [edit]
Here, read this:
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap /20040809/ap_on_re_mi_ea/ iraq_arrest_warrants&cid= 540&ncid=716" title="http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap /20040809/ap_on_re_mi_ea/ iraq_arrest_warrants&cid= 540&ncid=716" target="_blank"http://story.news.yahoo.com/n...
That Ahmed Chilabi is being arrested is no big surprise, but the nephew is the guy putting Sadaam Hussein on trial. So the guy trying Hussein is charged with murder. The Bush administration couldn't find people with cleaner hands to carry out the policies? This might be the first time someone that was a guest of a President at the State of the Union Address is charged with murder, but you know what they say about the company one keeps.
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap /20040809/ap_on_re_mi_ea/ iraq_arrest_warrants&cid= 540&ncid=716" title="http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap /20040809/ap_on_re_mi_ea/ iraq_arrest_warrants&cid= 540&ncid=716" target="_blank"http://story.news.yahoo.com/n...
That Ahmed Chilabi is being arrested is no big surprise, but the nephew is the guy putting Sadaam Hussein on trial. So the guy trying Hussein is charged with murder. The Bush administration couldn't find people with cleaner hands to carry out the policies? This might be the first time someone that was a guest of a President at the State of the Union Address is charged with murder, but you know what they say about the company one keeps.
Pardon Me While I get Metaphysical
08.06.04 (1:33 pm) [edit]
I was thinking about corporate responsibility and how there isn't any and I stumbled into a kind of scarry idea. We all know that corporations have all the rights of people with no illnesses, no death awaiting them, nothing to punish them for wrong doings, no fear of jail time, maybe an occassional fine. A lawyer may represent a corporation in a legal proceeding, but since that corporation is not a human it doesn't have to be in court. You cannot speak to a corporation but you can speak to it's representatives.
These are not the only such entities, the "law" when it was created in the modern sense in England was much the same way and still is. When the ruling class in England forced the population to stay off "common grounds" because the ruling class needed more hunting grounds they created an elaborate lie. They created all these laws paraded around judges and tiny armies and held big spectacle trials where "Law" was enforced. Though this was just a way for some far off king to impose his will on remote villages, they pretended it was better than some individual imposing his will on people because it was the law and it was impartial.
In practice it was nothing of the sort, they created various systems of favoritsim where people could seek others to petition the law's enforcement arm and bargin. This patronage bestowed on common folk by those with slightly more connections goes back a long way and is as integral to "the law" as it's enforcement. Law started and remains as a non-human entity with all the fickle preferences of a Greek God or demon. Selective enforcement may be random like some traffic tickets or intentionally biased like arresting black kids selling weed to white kids and letting the white kids drive off, or pulling over black motorists instead of white.
Anyway these non-human entities exist in our world and can be show to "exist" in at least some sense of the word. We can pretend "law" doesn't exist but we end up in jail and either admit "law" exists or at least admit that "law's" minions exist. Even if Dow Chemical doesn't really live, it's minions still killed a lot of people in India, still pollute and destroy the earth and still suck up dollars all in it's name. God is quite different, we can't prove God exists, not in a way that satisfies our mind like the way we can prove law or Dow Chemical exists. Yet neither can be proven to exist as concretely as my cat or my dilapidated stair case exists.
How different from "false gods" are these non-human entities? They have shrines built all over, in their names their minions exert all kinds of power. We're told in their absense we'd have anarchy and chaos. We're told that in spite of the obvious capriciousness and biasis and unfairness that we're better of with them than the alternative. But I suspect these things we're told are really just lies.
We saw that the "savage" natives only were savage after they were killed and subjegated buy "civilized" people. We know that the Celts had more gender equity and more class-mobility than the Romans that destroyed it. Same goes for the peoples that the English subjegated on the British Isles. I can't speak much for India, but in Africa the first real organized army and authoritarian state to oppose the Europeans was Shaka-Zulu's Zulu nation, which was a response to the invaders. In fact anything we call a "tribe" might only exist after indigineous people are exposed to oppression by more advanced invaders. At least that a theory bouncing around anthropological circles.
It seems funny that we can "prove" a corporation exists when it is just a construct of the human mind, but we can't prove God exists. We know in our hearts, those that believe in God, that we must have no other gods and that actions in the world attributed to monsters or demons or witchcraft have no supernatural hold on us. While we accept that no witch can really curse us, we submit to all sorts of inconvieniances in the name of these other non-human entities.
When it is all said and done, are these the demons and false gods we must worry about? If the prophets that warned of worshiping false gods and of all kinds of scary things are right, maybe their taking about these false gods that we create on paper. After all, we did create these things, they are not "of God" at all.
I hope what I'm saying makes sense and I hope everyone starts to take note of when you're talking to real people and when you're talking to an agent of a non-human entity. We should take stock of all these non-human entities in our lives and find a way to detangle our lives from them-- and since they don't really exist, I really mean their minions. We need to help each other and then we'll decrease our perceived need for the "laws" minions, and the "corporations" minions, and the "government's" minions.
I'm not an anarchist nor am I a religious freak seeing demons everywhere. I just want people to be people and push back the need for these non-human things. I think a lot of people have very cold hearts because they can't see person to person and see institution to institution.
These are not the only such entities, the "law" when it was created in the modern sense in England was much the same way and still is. When the ruling class in England forced the population to stay off "common grounds" because the ruling class needed more hunting grounds they created an elaborate lie. They created all these laws paraded around judges and tiny armies and held big spectacle trials where "Law" was enforced. Though this was just a way for some far off king to impose his will on remote villages, they pretended it was better than some individual imposing his will on people because it was the law and it was impartial.
In practice it was nothing of the sort, they created various systems of favoritsim where people could seek others to petition the law's enforcement arm and bargin. This patronage bestowed on common folk by those with slightly more connections goes back a long way and is as integral to "the law" as it's enforcement. Law started and remains as a non-human entity with all the fickle preferences of a Greek God or demon. Selective enforcement may be random like some traffic tickets or intentionally biased like arresting black kids selling weed to white kids and letting the white kids drive off, or pulling over black motorists instead of white.
Anyway these non-human entities exist in our world and can be show to "exist" in at least some sense of the word. We can pretend "law" doesn't exist but we end up in jail and either admit "law" exists or at least admit that "law's" minions exist. Even if Dow Chemical doesn't really live, it's minions still killed a lot of people in India, still pollute and destroy the earth and still suck up dollars all in it's name. God is quite different, we can't prove God exists, not in a way that satisfies our mind like the way we can prove law or Dow Chemical exists. Yet neither can be proven to exist as concretely as my cat or my dilapidated stair case exists.
How different from "false gods" are these non-human entities? They have shrines built all over, in their names their minions exert all kinds of power. We're told in their absense we'd have anarchy and chaos. We're told that in spite of the obvious capriciousness and biasis and unfairness that we're better of with them than the alternative. But I suspect these things we're told are really just lies.
We saw that the "savage" natives only were savage after they were killed and subjegated buy "civilized" people. We know that the Celts had more gender equity and more class-mobility than the Romans that destroyed it. Same goes for the peoples that the English subjegated on the British Isles. I can't speak much for India, but in Africa the first real organized army and authoritarian state to oppose the Europeans was Shaka-Zulu's Zulu nation, which was a response to the invaders. In fact anything we call a "tribe" might only exist after indigineous people are exposed to oppression by more advanced invaders. At least that a theory bouncing around anthropological circles.
It seems funny that we can "prove" a corporation exists when it is just a construct of the human mind, but we can't prove God exists. We know in our hearts, those that believe in God, that we must have no other gods and that actions in the world attributed to monsters or demons or witchcraft have no supernatural hold on us. While we accept that no witch can really curse us, we submit to all sorts of inconvieniances in the name of these other non-human entities.
When it is all said and done, are these the demons and false gods we must worry about? If the prophets that warned of worshiping false gods and of all kinds of scary things are right, maybe their taking about these false gods that we create on paper. After all, we did create these things, they are not "of God" at all.
I hope what I'm saying makes sense and I hope everyone starts to take note of when you're talking to real people and when you're talking to an agent of a non-human entity. We should take stock of all these non-human entities in our lives and find a way to detangle our lives from them-- and since they don't really exist, I really mean their minions. We need to help each other and then we'll decrease our perceived need for the "laws" minions, and the "corporations" minions, and the "government's" minions.
I'm not an anarchist nor am I a religious freak seeing demons everywhere. I just want people to be people and push back the need for these non-human things. I think a lot of people have very cold hearts because they can't see person to person and see institution to institution.
Republicans Show their "Big Tent" True Colors
08.06.04 (12:55 pm) [edit]
Here you go:
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=6 84&e=16&u=/ap/eugenics_ca ndidate" title="http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=6 84&e=16&u=/ap/eugenics_ca ndidate" target="_blank"http://story.news.yahoo.com/n...
In a party where evolution is still doubted buy the leadership (publicly anyway, no oil man finds oil without the use of evolution that is the back bone of stratigraphic corelation using fossils) why not run a "Eugenics" canidate? I mean you hear these republicans saying their the "big tent" party, right?
The republicans couldn't get anyone to even oppose this guy, and they could get their faithful to vote for the write in guy during the primary? Give me a break, they got the candidate they deserve: now lets just hope the national media points it out.
No one to run against future Senator O'Bama (Allan Keyes, Ha ha ha ha), a racist runing in Tennessee (well OK, that is nothing new) and an absolute idiot for president. If the Democrats were a party in crisis the the republicans are not far behind.
But, lets be fair. The democrats had a floor full of anti-war people at their party and are running two pro-war candidates. Once this election is over people should really try to build political parties that represent their views. I would love to see a bigger Libertarian Party, a bigger Green Party, and a bigger Socialist Party, a real Labor Party, and hell I guess the spoiled brats in the "Club for Growth" could have their own party too. Veterans should take Smeadley Butler's idea of having the people that will actually go and fight a war have the final vote on it, and to that end maybe create their own party.
In a country this big two parties is a joke. We have too many regional differences in terms of energy needs, economic needs, trade, poverty relief etc. The current system is tailor made for the wealthy to dominate both parties.
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=6 84&e=16&u=/ap/eugenics_ca ndidate" title="http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=6 84&e=16&u=/ap/eugenics_ca ndidate" target="_blank"http://story.news.yahoo.com/n...
In a party where evolution is still doubted buy the leadership (publicly anyway, no oil man finds oil without the use of evolution that is the back bone of stratigraphic corelation using fossils) why not run a "Eugenics" canidate? I mean you hear these republicans saying their the "big tent" party, right?
The republicans couldn't get anyone to even oppose this guy, and they could get their faithful to vote for the write in guy during the primary? Give me a break, they got the candidate they deserve: now lets just hope the national media points it out.
No one to run against future Senator O'Bama (Allan Keyes, Ha ha ha ha), a racist runing in Tennessee (well OK, that is nothing new) and an absolute idiot for president. If the Democrats were a party in crisis the the republicans are not far behind.
But, lets be fair. The democrats had a floor full of anti-war people at their party and are running two pro-war candidates. Once this election is over people should really try to build political parties that represent their views. I would love to see a bigger Libertarian Party, a bigger Green Party, and a bigger Socialist Party, a real Labor Party, and hell I guess the spoiled brats in the "Club for Growth" could have their own party too. Veterans should take Smeadley Butler's idea of having the people that will actually go and fight a war have the final vote on it, and to that end maybe create their own party.
In a country this big two parties is a joke. We have too many regional differences in terms of energy needs, economic needs, trade, poverty relief etc. The current system is tailor made for the wealthy to dominate both parties.
Even a "Liberal" Review of "OutFoxed" shows a Right Wing Bias
08.06.04 (12:35 pm) [edit]
I'm sure we all know about the movie "OutFoxed" which proves conclusively that Fox News is extremely biased and that one's misconceptions about current events can be directly related to the amount of Fox News one watches. I get a daily email from the Center for American Progress (www.americanprogress.org) and they have a link to a review of the movie. Here is that link: http://www.washingtonpost.com...
What I noticed is that they go out of their way to say the movie has a liberal bias. They don't really support that claim so much outside of pointing out that some of the people they interview are known lefties (McArthyism still permeates our language and world view apparently, if this last sentence actually matters in our collective imaginations). Another thing that leaped out at me is that they list all the lefties they interviewed, but then in the next paragraph go on to say that they also interviewed Walter Cronkite and thus they don't just present a decidely leftist bias!!!!!! Maybe if they were reviewing the movie and not the movie's alledged bias they'd have presented that first. Afterall, Walter Cronkite is a bigger name than Eric Altermann: wouldn't you lead with that? Not if you were more concerned with the movie's alledged bias than the bias the movie exposes.
The review is forced to admit that with all the detail and testimony from current and ex- fox employees that the case is a a slam dunk, to their credit they open with that. But why then focus on the alledged bias of the film makers, when they them selves rise above it and the movie stands on its own? Fear. The same fear that dominated Soviet Russia, the same fear under brutal dictators with secret police and the same fear that most veterans of our armed services served to protect our country from. Vigilance against losing freedom of speech has turned into fear to exercise free speech. We are indeed losing the war on Terrorism by submitting to totalitarianism.
What I noticed is that they go out of their way to say the movie has a liberal bias. They don't really support that claim so much outside of pointing out that some of the people they interview are known lefties (McArthyism still permeates our language and world view apparently, if this last sentence actually matters in our collective imaginations). Another thing that leaped out at me is that they list all the lefties they interviewed, but then in the next paragraph go on to say that they also interviewed Walter Cronkite and thus they don't just present a decidely leftist bias!!!!!! Maybe if they were reviewing the movie and not the movie's alledged bias they'd have presented that first. Afterall, Walter Cronkite is a bigger name than Eric Altermann: wouldn't you lead with that? Not if you were more concerned with the movie's alledged bias than the bias the movie exposes.
The review is forced to admit that with all the detail and testimony from current and ex- fox employees that the case is a a slam dunk, to their credit they open with that. But why then focus on the alledged bias of the film makers, when they them selves rise above it and the movie stands on its own? Fear. The same fear that dominated Soviet Russia, the same fear under brutal dictators with secret police and the same fear that most veterans of our armed services served to protect our country from. Vigilance against losing freedom of speech has turned into fear to exercise free speech. We are indeed losing the war on Terrorism by submitting to totalitarianism.
Wal Mart Underpays their workers: that isn't news, is it? None of you actually shop there, do you?
08.03.04 (9:13 pm) [edit]
Read this linked news article:
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=1 896&ncid=1896&e=9&u=/nm/2 0040803/us_nm/retail_walm art_wages_dc_2" title="http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=1 896&ncid=1896&e=9&u=/nm/2 0040803/us_nm/retail_walm art_wages_dc_2" target="_blank"http://story.news.yahoo.com/n...
It seems that wall mart underpays their people so band that their reliance on public assistance is a drain on The Govunators' budget. There are all sorts of things wrong with corporations, like the fact that they have "rights" like a living person, but can't go to jail for their bad actions, and live for ever. Honestly, the way the law treats them like people but then since they never die we've essentially created super-humans that are above and beyond any human. These super humans can get away with all sorts of stuff like , wicked pollution and empoverishing entire communities and draining state resources.
This uses the new posting system, it may not work well.
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=1 896&ncid=1896&e=9&u=/nm/2 0040803/us_nm/retail_walm art_wages_dc_2" title="http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=1 896&ncid=1896&e=9&u=/nm/2 0040803/us_nm/retail_walm art_wages_dc_2" target="_blank"http://story.news.yahoo.com/n...
It seems that wall mart underpays their people so band that their reliance on public assistance is a drain on The Govunators' budget. There are all sorts of things wrong with corporations, like the fact that they have "rights" like a living person, but can't go to jail for their bad actions, and live for ever. Honestly, the way the law treats them like people but then since they never die we've essentially created super-humans that are above and beyond any human. These super humans can get away with all sorts of stuff like , wicked pollution and empoverishing entire communities and draining state resources.
This uses the new posting system, it may not work well.
Drugs and Columbia, Who Knew?!?!
08.03.04 (12:22 am) [edit]
Drugs are a major part of the world economy. I don't even mean like Merck and Pfizer, even "just" illegal drugs are a significant percent of the world's economy.
The US has always had a noteworthy relationship with countries neck-deep in the drug trade. One of the most amazing things to me about Afganistan is that while I essentially forgot about it since Reagan's days one thing that stood out was that they (the Taliban) got a grant of some kind for erradicating opium/herion trafficing in Prince George II's first year as president. And within a year of our invasion-- and the CIA was running the Afgani war almost from the onset in a very public manner receiving coverage as such on the network news-- we find out that Afganistan is again a leading producer of opium. Now I don't know if the Taliban accutally eliminated drug trafficing-- I rather polly-annishly thought they did--, but it is funny how where ever the CIA goes, heroin flows.
Soldiers coming from Viet Nam in body bags were also shipping CIA herion-- I'll not forgive those bastards for that, so fuck the CIA-- and the CIA was all over the contra/crack crips/bloods connection.
We've also been giving all sorts of covert aid to the Columbian government in their war against "drug trafficers", but this war has extended-- as they all do-- to union organizers, peasent advocates, indiginous peoples. Now according to this link,
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=5 14&e=5&u=/ap/20040802/ap_ on_re_la_am_ca/colombia_u ribe" title="http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=5 14&e=5&u=/ap/20040802/ap_ on_re_la_am_ca/colombia_u ribe" target="_blank"http://story.news.yahoo.com/n...
the Columbian government's leadership itself had ties to drug trafficing. Of coarse, that is no big deal according to our goverment. Instead of saying "Good God, we not funding any more of this nonsense, sort out your own problems, we'll build schools instead of helping keep down political opponents of the Columbian government", we're told that one drug dealer is better than another.
Just say no, people.
The US has always had a noteworthy relationship with countries neck-deep in the drug trade. One of the most amazing things to me about Afganistan is that while I essentially forgot about it since Reagan's days one thing that stood out was that they (the Taliban) got a grant of some kind for erradicating opium/herion trafficing in Prince George II's first year as president. And within a year of our invasion-- and the CIA was running the Afgani war almost from the onset in a very public manner receiving coverage as such on the network news-- we find out that Afganistan is again a leading producer of opium. Now I don't know if the Taliban accutally eliminated drug trafficing-- I rather polly-annishly thought they did--, but it is funny how where ever the CIA goes, heroin flows.
Soldiers coming from Viet Nam in body bags were also shipping CIA herion-- I'll not forgive those bastards for that, so fuck the CIA-- and the CIA was all over the contra/crack crips/bloods connection.
We've also been giving all sorts of covert aid to the Columbian government in their war against "drug trafficers", but this war has extended-- as they all do-- to union organizers, peasent advocates, indiginous peoples. Now according to this link,
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=5 14&e=5&u=/ap/20040802/ap_ on_re_la_am_ca/colombia_u ribe" title="http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=5 14&e=5&u=/ap/20040802/ap_ on_re_la_am_ca/colombia_u ribe" target="_blank"http://story.news.yahoo.com/n...
the Columbian government's leadership itself had ties to drug trafficing. Of coarse, that is no big deal according to our goverment. Instead of saying "Good God, we not funding any more of this nonsense, sort out your own problems, we'll build schools instead of helping keep down political opponents of the Columbian government", we're told that one drug dealer is better than another.
Just say no, people.
Pinochet, the article linked below says it all ....
08.01.04 (11:14 pm) [edit]
You know, I like when they just flat out say what they mean, like this:
http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/nm /20040801/wl_nm/chile_pin ochet_dc_1" title="http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/nm /20040801/wl_nm/chile_pin ochet_dc_1" target="_blank"http://news.yahoo.com/news?tm...
It tells of a bank scandal that was exposed by some Senate action here in the US where Pinchet was able to keep a slush fund that wouldn't have been frozen when people were trying to hold him accountable for all the death squad stuff and crimes against humanity.
Apparently their very up front about the fact that while he was killing left and right, his "reputation" as being honest and "good" economically is now tarnished.
Tarnished??? He was a scum-bag, but NOW his reputation is tarnished?
Chile before his Nixon/Kissenger inspired/funded coup was a free and great country. It sucked from what I understand from every way you could measure it when he was in charge-- but not for bankers or rich people or US devil worshipers I guess.
It tells a lot about what these neo-con demonologists think when they think about what a country should be. Freedom of speech-- not important--, freedom of press-- not important--, civil rights-- they only get in the way--, artistic expression-- no thanks--, freedom of assembly-- I doubt it.
They don't really care all that death under Pinochet-- poor people, educated, artists people that don't matter-- as long as the banks worked. It is like we see two different worlds, even when they are confronted with Pinochet's atrocities they don't see them.
They see dollars, we see sense.
http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/nm /20040801/wl_nm/chile_pin ochet_dc_1" title="http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/nm /20040801/wl_nm/chile_pin ochet_dc_1" target="_blank"http://news.yahoo.com/news?tm...
It tells of a bank scandal that was exposed by some Senate action here in the US where Pinchet was able to keep a slush fund that wouldn't have been frozen when people were trying to hold him accountable for all the death squad stuff and crimes against humanity.
Apparently their very up front about the fact that while he was killing left and right, his "reputation" as being honest and "good" economically is now tarnished.
Tarnished??? He was a scum-bag, but NOW his reputation is tarnished?
Chile before his Nixon/Kissenger inspired/funded coup was a free and great country. It sucked from what I understand from every way you could measure it when he was in charge-- but not for bankers or rich people or US devil worshipers I guess.
It tells a lot about what these neo-con demonologists think when they think about what a country should be. Freedom of speech-- not important--, freedom of press-- not important--, civil rights-- they only get in the way--, artistic expression-- no thanks--, freedom of assembly-- I doubt it.
They don't really care all that death under Pinochet-- poor people, educated, artists people that don't matter-- as long as the banks worked. It is like we see two different worlds, even when they are confronted with Pinochet's atrocities they don't see them.
They see dollars, we see sense.
