First of all, I should mention for friends of Jordan and Dan that Jordan father just posted a brief note in the 7ANGELS7PLAGUES forum. Along similarly sad notes, if anyone would like to say something regarding former IAM member Brian Edge(less) who passed away recently I can post it as well.
I've gotten no sleep lately. I try to go to bed early, but when I go to bed early, I just end up getting up even earlier; today I was up at about 4AM. I have a lot to do this weekend, so I tried to go back to bed, but I'm one of those people who wakes up instantly, and then stays awake until they're totally tired again, so that was an unsuccessful mission.
I was supposed to hook up yesterday with Damian who's hosting NIX so we could go over the Internet connections, but that didn't happen. I know what a nightmare organizing ModCon was, so I really have to tip my hat to Damian for organizing a full-scale tattoo convention! In any case, I'll be there even if the booth falls through hanging out with Blair, Mark, Marty, and everyone else who I've forgotten has made it up to NIX. And I will have lots of stickers, and so will Ryan if you want a super-slick BMEbooks sticker!
Oh, and I hear there's a suspension tonight (although if it stays this chilly, I'm going to recommend it be pushed back a day or two).
Now the part that some of you love, and some of you hate… I was reading the news this morning and I'm starting to wonder if it's not corruption we're seeing in the government, but plain and simple stupidity? Of course, maybe that's what they want us to think. The latest with Rumsfield in India is particularly weird — he totally forgot or was uninformed that Musharraf had promised to shut down terrorist camps in Kashmir. Then the press reminded him that a few days before Powell had made this public in a speech. Rumsfield insisted that he didn't think that Powell would say anything like that, and that he was pretty sure Musharraf couldn't shut down the camps.
The government tried to explain that he was “impossible to reach” for most of his time abroad, but I have to seriously doubt that. Yeah, one of the most important US politicians is AWOL while in hostile territory? As if that crew doesn't have a dozen satellite phones. Worst case just as CNN, it't not as if Rumsfield isn't tailed by dozens of reporters.
Or, more along that line, remember how last week Rumsfield implied that Al Quaeda was in Kashmir? Now they've had to admit that was effectively made up and that there's no evidence for it. So who knows… Are they lying, stupid, or misinformed? The whole dirty bomber scam at least blew up in their faces… I just want to know why the (very well armed) Americans haven't revolted. I know if I was Texan, I'd be pushing the Republic of Texas a lot harder nowadays. I know I'd support Texas becoming a free country!
And, rolling the news way back, it's looking more and more like the Anthrax attacks after 9/11 were quite specifically launched by the US government at least in part. More in the “they're all out to get you” file includes this story about how even now the airlines are still trying to avoid reporting incidents out of fear that bombs on planes could mean less flights (well duh).
Finally, I have two more stories I'd like to address. First is this opinion piece in the Mercury News stating that the solution to terrorism is bringing American troops home. Now, I know Americans are told that America is the target because it represents freedom and the opulence of the West… If one is to make such a statement, you have to include the fact that America is one of the most debt-ridden countries in the West (especially now that the EU is making such extreme budget demands of its nations, and Canada just declared a $9 billion budget surplus this year), has pretty much the lowest standard of living in the Western world, has the highest crime, the least education, and the least civil rights (with the exception of guns). America is attacked for one reason alone: its foreign policy and its foreign troop movements.
So I think the solution is quite obvious, and the writer of this piece sees it in my opinion.
Finally, I wanted to link to this piece in the Miami Herald. It points out that of the four US-citizen terrorists arrested recently (Jose Padilla, Yasser Esam Hamdi, John Walker Lindh, and Timothy McVeigh), their rights, as in whether they are treated as foreign military prisoners or whether they are treated as US citizens with rights, is determined almost exclusively by the colour of the skin.
I have friends that are of colour and political activists. I certainly hope they have the sense to not enter the United States. Good luck not being executed.
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