Tag Archives: history

Pull the Wool

Good blog news to follow my frustrated statements on the issue of the day:

I now fear that people will grow weary of the Iraq Prisoner Abuse issue. I’m worried that the horrific scale of these crimes will cause people to look away in disbelief. This is sooooo not the time to look away. This goes way beyond a few bad soldiers misbehaving, Rumsfeld himself alluded to that, in all his stumbling and fumbling. There is an absolute DO NOT MISS article by Seymour Hersh in the latest New Yorker Magazine. In it, he takes inventory of the mountain of evidence that is emerging about crimes committed by the military, including:
unreleased photographs showed American soldiers “severely beating an Iraqi prisoner nearly to death, having sex with a female Iraqi prisoner, and “acting inappropriately with a dead body.” The officials said there also was a videotape, apparently shot by U.S. personnel, showing Iraqi guards raping young boys.” (NBC quoting military officials)

Bush and other officials have offered half-hearted apologies, saying “This is not America.” Yet if we look at it, two soldiers being charged, are prison guards in the US! These criminals have jobs back in the US, where they use the same sick practices and values. Furthermore, when you think back to recent American history, Abner Louima (assaulted with a plunger), Mental hospital guards sexually abusing patients, etc, etc.. are you sure this is not America? I know there are plenty of people out there who do their jobs well and respect others, that’s America. But we should never forget the dark and shameful traditions of disrespecting and humiliating those who are considered different or inferior… that too is America. (for more on this, listen to this radio program)

Note: I’m pulling Salaam Pax’s blog “Where is Raed,” I used to love it, but like so many now-famous bloggers, he never posts, so off my blogroll he goes.

Also:Great news for the blog: IT WORKS! My RSS feed works! If you don’t know what I’m talking about, read closely. RSS (really simple syndication) is a format for websites that makes them easy to grab and read using RSS feed reading programs. I myself use Feedreader, which is free and opensource. Also, it’s a small program. Using it, I have an enormous world of news available to me, just by clicking on a subject like “Technology News,” “Mexico News,” or “New York City News”.. the list is endless. My blog is now available via this service, just cut and paste my RSS feed into any of these programs, and bam – all my posts will appear automatically in that program. (the icon appears just below my archives on my menu)If you want news from all over the internet/world, try RSS!

Memorial and Liberation

Rememberence Day and Liberation Day, back to back here in the Netherlands. I think I didnt pay enough attention to it last year, however this year I was very aware of it. I made sure to tune into the broadcast of the ceremonies and the two minutes of silence at 20h CET. I was also capitivated by Amsterdam’s cable channel AT5 which showed old film reels from the 1940’s. It is really mindboggling what went on here. What haunts me even more is that I see, in the reels, those same streets and houses i walk by everyday. What haunts me even more is that 60 years later, there are still occupations taking place, mass killing, hatred, intolerance…. seems like much of the world hasn’t learned much at all. History seems to repeat itself… like Marx said.. ( was it him?) first as a tragedy, second as a farce. I see alot of farces among our world leaders.

A Canadian citizen has come forward in the scandal involving prisoner abuse by coalition soldiers. There are multiple photos involving multiple instances, something is definately going on. The pentagon said that soldiers were reprimanded for alleged abuses. If they’re being reprimanded, than I guess they aren’t alleged abuses are they? They’re quite real.

I was reading a poem on a great blog from an EMT in London. It’s about his boots, which have seen so much, from day-to-day. I thought it fitting to read on this a day with so much rememberence and reflection involving hatred, violence, life, death, pain, love and the overall grey history of the world.

Today’s Music: Joe Strummer & the Mescaleros – Streetcore

Snow Soup

I was very pleased to see new contributors/readers leaving comments in recent posts. Even if that meant I was proved quite wrong on some of my points, especially that students on the metro thing. Those Nadar and gay marriage questions have been discussion topics between me and friends for the past week. I love a good discussion. But I digress.

My big dream.. actually not so big.. is to apply at the Music Conservatory here in Amsterdam. Stay with me here, most of you might know that I’m a very dedicated and able French Hornist. While Id like to be modest, I must say I’m good.. dam good. So why not make a new and unexpected career move and focus on music again. Otherwise it’s just me playing for my roomates and neighbors, oh.. and the occasional open mic/salsa club where I sit in and play. I’m not sure it qualifies as a dream because Its quite attainable in the near future. Still.. Im a social scholar, and I’ve only begun down that road.

Here’s a topic I’m interested in, and I’m trying to get people to talk about here in the ‘dam. The new Mel Gibson film “Passion of Christ.” Let me first put some facts out there: I’m not religious. I don’t go around saying Im atheist because I find that label annoying.. I prefer non-theist as Edward Abbey once said. I just don’t have any need or involvement as far as myself and religion. On the same hand, I’m not against other people having a religion.. althought I do despise all the evil that has been done on this earth in the name of religion. That being said… I want to see this film and I think I’ll be pleased with it. Pretty much the same way I would love to see a movie about Mohammed or David or Confucious.. I’m interested in history and culture.. and yes even FICTION, so this movie interests me. On a very simple level, Im psyched that the film is in Aramaic and Latin.. I want to listen to how they depict the languages. On the down side churches are going nuts over this film…. and they’ll try to use it to recruit new “believers” which to me is manipulative. It’s art… film is art… unfortunately it’s also used as propaganda by some. Nonetheless, Passion of Christ interests me… and Richard Goldstein breaks it down quite nicely in this week’s Voice. OH and Roman uniforms are always good for a laugh.

Today’s Music: Ceclia Cruz – Regalo del Alma (Salsa)

Libyan Pride

Suddenly every newspaper is giving their little anaylsis of how Libya’s decision to dismantle their weapons programs is a victory for GW Bush’s pre-emptive strike doctrine. They say its thanks to Bush’s invasion of Iraq that other countries are panicing out of fear.

Bullshit.

For almost 10 years now Libya has quite publicly changed its policies with the outside world. Why? Because of Kadaffi and his ego. The man is obsessed with the notions of his legacy and doing important things that will make him loved long after his death. For this reason he has dedicated his time to the creation of the African Union, a European Unionesque framework in its beggining stages. He has also renounced his position as dictator of Libya, keeping a symbolic role of head-of-state, self proclaimed king in many ways. In his place Libya’s parliament makes policy decisions, complete with all the corruption you would find in any western governing body. Kadaffi has also focused on improving his relationship with Europe.. especially France and England, by owning up to his government’s relation to the lockerbie and other hijackings. His government has shelled out millions for families of bombing victims… how many other governments can claim to do the same? Does Saudi Arabia pay WTC survivors?

In a recent interview with a NYTimes reporter, Kaddafi talked about how he once believed in arm sturggle to forward a cause, but now believes he was wrong, and better avenues should be taken to create change.

There is no doubt the man has a huge ego, which in the past has hurt people. But it is not as western media tries to paint it… he is not the same kind of dictator as Saddam or Pinochet…. we always want to paint things black and white, and put things into categories.

This is not the result of Bush’s bully tactics that have alienated the world. Bush has done nothing to make the world a more peaceful place – war does not result in peace, it results in more fighting and despair.

Libya is not a trophy, Libya has been changing for a long time, it’s the press that has no memory of history.

Moon man

Return to the moon. that’s the Bush camp’s big vote-getting plan, among other crap ideas. It is a shame that science gets raped my politics.. investment in the space program has always been completely abused by political whims of old conservative males. Beyond that, the Bush Admin now presides over one of the largest budget deficits in history, so.. how exactly will he pay for his joyride to the moon?

Be afraid… not just America.. the whole world pays a price when this rich brat gets an idea.

9-11 profiteering.

George Bush’s fine performance since 9-11.

– Invaded two countries, both still ravaged by civil war.

– Rejected international agreements on not-testing nuclear weapons.

– Rejected international enviromental accords (actually pre-911)

– Presided over the worst financial scandles in recent history: Enron, Worldcomm, Adelphi, etc.

– Worst economy in a decade.

– Unemployment highest in more than a decade.

– Cut Veterans benefits.

– Did nothing to solve energy crises in either california or the northeast.

– The Israeli-Palestinian conflict gets worse and worse.

– Cuts aid to organizations in developing countries that support planned parenthood or birthcontrol.

– Sets an all time record for vacation days as president.

– Highest deficit since Reagan.. spending money he doesn’t have.

– Tuitions are skyrocketing at universities around the country.

I could go on, but eventually you get numb. Maybe thats what has happenned, the nation has gone numb.

To re-elect this man would be the cruelest joke ever played on a nation and the world.