Spain Knows Justice

If I ever leave the Netherlands, especially considering how the country is gradually becoming a pretty intolerant place, I will very strongly consider Spain. Not because it’s nice and close to Portugal. Not because I care about sunny weather. But because increasingly, the country does things right:

  • Vote out a conservative government that tries to use the “war on terrorism” logic to get elected.
  • Pulled all troops out of Iraq
  • Recognized Gay Marriages
  • Issued a warrant for the arrest of Pinochet (5 years ago)
  • And yesterday they issued warrants for the American Soldiers who killed reporters at the Palestine Hotel!
  • With all the crimes and horrible things that have taken place during this invasion of Iraq, many have probably forgotten the very illegal and murderous operation carried out by a US tank division. Everyone… and I mean everyone.. has known for year and years, that the Palestine Hotel is where journalists from all over the world stay. They make no secret of it, and it had long been respected. But these killers, who claim to be following orders, deliberately targeted the hotel and killed a Spanish and Ukrainian journalist, as well as seriously injuring three reuters journalists.

    So while it’s only a warrant, it is a hell of a statement. I also think their commanders should also be added to the most-wanted list. And finally, since we’re all European Union, wanted criminals in Spain are wanted criminals across the continent.

    Gore Vidal Must Be Heard

    I just wrote and lost a post about how the Syrian president is in no way the evil dude the white house tries to paint him as. Matter of fact, I find him charming in that odd sort of tall lanky middle eastern prodigy – way. And when he’s speaking english, he’s super timid. and somehow this is the tyranical president who needs to have his country invaded? bah.

    But my real point today is to urge you to listen to Gore Vidal on radio nation. I listened to it twice and rewinded frequently because he is among the most prolific and intelligent humans to ever walk the earth. Matter of fact, he is one of the inspirations for my decision to leave the US and live in Europe — he was/is also in self-imposed exile in Italy.

    Amongst his great points — he talks about the new low the current government has taken the US image to. Having disrespected virtually every nation on earth and being completely in-your-face about hostile and irrational policies. he also concludes that if the current white house continues its downward spiral, their next move will be – MARTIAL LAW. Shocking eh? don’t believe it? well.. look how they handled new orleans. Pass everything off to the military and private security. When the host responded – would the american people stand for that? Vidal responded – “They’ll stand for anything and they’ll stand for nothing.” – Thats my Gore!

    The Death of OldSchool Alt Media

    Whereas the internet is fertile ground for so much excellent alternative media and alternative styles of reporting on the world around us. I know that many of you, myself included, still look to those more traditional alt. newspapers we used to pick up for free on the streets of our favorite american city. Unfortunately not all that is rebellious and alternative stays that way. Unfortunately sometimes it becomes hip, trendy, and perhaps worst of all — profitable. No, I don’t completely blame profit, but america’s largest and once greatest weekly is in a tailspin, and I believe there’s no turning back.

    Beyond having been a research slave at the Village Voice, I have long been a huge fan and reader of their “no sacred cows”, grassroots style of journalism. Before I walked the halls for that brief and glorious period in my life, I believed it to be a temple – where my idols like Mailer, Newfield, and Ridgeway could be found yelling into phones and pounding passionately away at a keyboard.

    Of course once I lived it on a daily basis, I came back down to earth, and saw the greatness, and the dark side of what had become a profitable alt. media conglomerate. There were indeed some legends and future stars hiding in those cubicals, and that was inspiring. But the company itself had run around buying up other alt. weeklies throughout the 90’s. They bought up the other LA alt. newspaper and dismantled it. If I didn’t know it was the Voice, I would have imagined it was the NY times or some Tribune company pulling such evil moves. Course it was all in the name of survival and growth, for the paper and for alternative press, I tried to buy into the rationale.

    But this pit keeps getting deeper and darker. Couple of years ago, just as I finished interviewing some of the wonderful staff for my thesis on the sociology of alt. journalists; some of the finest activist-journalists on staff were let go. LET GO. Again, not a term I’d expect from a news organization that is supposed to be alternative to the stupidity of the mainstream.

    And now, as Madame L pointed out to me this weekend, a journalist who I watched work on a daily basis during my brief time there, has filed a harassment lawsuit against the editor. I never knew the editor really… had two or three elevator conversations with him. But judging by how the place was being managed, and what an excellent journalist and human being Richard Goldstein is – I say where there’s smoke, there’s fire. And it is the entire institution of free alternative weekly press that is buring to the ground.

    Sure Ill still go check the Voice to see what the few remaining survivors.. freedom fighters… are doing. But the reality is… abandon ship dear journalists.. come join the internets where you don’t get fired or forced into early retirement.

    Alternative Journalism is dead. Long live Alternative Journalism.

    bicyclemark75: Lessons Not Learned About Nuclear Weapons

    Robert Macnamara, in the documentary The Fog of War, points out from first hand experience exactly what the media and the public isn’t talking about – The New Nuclear Weapons Program of the US government.

    AudioCommunique #75(mp3)
    30min+, 80kbps, 15Mb+

    Discussion includes:
    Lots of Audio of Macnamara
    Cuban Missile Crisis Redux
    Fire Bombing, Nucs, and War Crimes Commited against Japan
    The fact that presently these weapons are still launchable by one man’s decision
    Manhattan Project II
    The Lone Senate Voice against New Nucs
    Helen Caldicott on psychology of scientists and irresponsible politicians
    Some US Army instructional video
    Last minute note about the terrible state of my beloved Village Voice

    Music:
    Duck and Cover, available at archive.org
    Talib Kweli – Put it in the Air
    Pedro the Lion – I do
    Sweet Honey in the Rock – Wanting Memories (dam this is a beautiful song)

    Television Shows about Presidents

    My biggest method of knowing whats really going on in terms of television, is to download shows off bittorent. Bitorrent is the greatest thing to happen to the internet since.. email; and maybe blogging. But thats not the matter at hand here today. Thanks to noble file-sharers everywhere, I get to pick and choose what American TV series to watch. And we all know most of them suck, but still – I check out many of them for sociological purposes; to understand perhaps a little better, how the people are thinking or what theyre watching and enjoying. (in theory if it stays on, someone likes it)

    Now thanks to Drock, who first introduced me to the series when I was visiting him in DC a few years ago, I love the West Wing. It’s actually on Dutch TV every sunday at midnight, so I watch it happily – half fantasizing that the country could ever have such a charming and quick-witted white house.

    Cut to– me browsing my bittorent site of choice the other day, and I come upon this new series: Commander-in-Chief. And although the title is a complete turn-off, I checked on the internets and they told me Geena Davis and an actor that I love – Donald Sutherland, were in it. I also was curious to see the underlying statement they would make with a woman president concept.

    While I hate to give to much blog attention to television, this show generally worries me. The whole logic that military action and war is an option when dealing with international problems is the type of irrational concept that somehow a large segment of the American (and world I suspect) population have accepted. And of course, they had to throw in that aspect of the first woman president being more militaristic and war mongering than any man before her; the Clarence Thomas of the executive branch. Anyway my advice to you is watch one episode and then wash your hands and face often and try to clean away the horror.

    the People’s Space Program

    It has been a while since I’ve talked about space programs, especially those non-American ones. Some of you may recall that I’m a huge fan of the space programs belonging to the European Union, India, Japan, Brazil, and of course – China. This because NASA has proven over the last decades that they’re basically the bitches of the military industrial complex and not interested in exploration and science. (not including the science of killing or spying)

    So of course I must express excitement at the fact that yesterday the second Chinese space mission ever was launched. Two Chinese “taikonauts” are now in Orbit, and will remain there for a few days.

    Naturally all these countries I listed might also use their space programs for military purposes, like the US. But at the very least, my hope is that the more nations that go into space – especially old wise ones – the greater the chance we will finally make some faster and larger advances in exploring the universe.

    Oh and of course, a great source for space info and one my favorite left coast bloggers – the space tramp – is also a good read.