Thursday, November 14, 2002
It's possible that you've heard about Rumsfeld's $100 million budget P2OG (Proactive Preemptive Operations Group) project. The literal quote from the Defense Science Board about it is that its purpose is to “develop an entirely new capability to proactively, preemptively evoke responses from adversary/terrorist groups”. So let's be real clear on this: the plan to find terrorists is to trick them into attacking us first, so then we can see where they are.
Let me point something out: we have a pretty good idea where the terrorists that committed the 9/11 attacks are: in the rubble of the WTC. But Osama Bin Laden, the guy who gets the blame — where's he? Still alive and well, and the hunt for him has been largely dropped. You can't fight holy suicide warriors with such tactics. All any cell hopes for is a single effective strike, and then it's game over for them no matter how it turns out.
So once again, the US government has found a way to burn through $100 million and not just screw over the US population in the process, but severely endanger it as well…
Links on the above:
Other than that, I'll leave you with a brief quote:
A democracy cannot exist as a permanent form of government. It can exist only until the voters discover that they can vote themselves largesse from the public treasury. From that moment on, the majority always votes for the candidates promising the most benefits from the public treasury, with the result that a democracy always collapses over loose fiscal policy, always followed by a dictatorship.
The average age of the world's greatest civilizations has been two hundred years. These nations have progressed through this sequence: From bondage to spiritual faith; from spiritual faith to great courage; from courage to liberty; from liberty to abundance; from abundance to selfishness; from selfishness to complacency; from complacency to apathy; from apathy to dependence; from dependency back again into bondage.
Fraser Tyler, English Historian
Written while the US was still a British colony
Sorry to post so late by the way; my internet connection has been down all morning. It claims it was because of cloud cover, but I'm not buying it. Anyway, I have guests right now, but later today I'll whip together an experience update, and do a few enhancements to IAM, and maybe go out to dinner with my girl and then watch Survivor.
Wednesday, November 13, 2002
So everything appears up and stable. I thought it was dead, but it's alive. So I canceled the order for one of the computers and just kept the order for the godbox to use for IAM development.
Here's how you buy a computer in Toronto: Figure out what you want, shop it around from store to store to get the best price, and eventually walk away with a computer where you're getting shoddy service because the price is too low, and the store isn't making any money either, so everyone walks away screwed over.
Here's how you buy a computer in Tweed (well, I bought it in Picton actually): Figure out what you want. Go to the store and give them your list. They give you the fairest price they can. Everyone walks away happy. I don't mind paying $50 extra for a computer if I know that (a) I'm getting better service, and (b) I'm supporting a local business.
One of the biggest problems out here is the lack of support for small business. The average person really doesn't give a damn, and will buy from a mega factory store, rather than a small business that's been there forever. I don't know why they can't see that those actions represent the death of the community they care for.
Anyway, I should have mentioned these a few days ago (you can get the best BMEshop updates on badseeds' page of course), but Rachel just picked up a Kids Club Hoody from BMEshop yesterday and it's really nice… We should have made light coloured hoodies a long time ago. Anyway, I'll be doing a HUGE BME update, but first I'm going to write the docs/specs for the anonymous comm system, so watch for those later today.
Tuesday, November 12, 2002
There's enough people from “traditional” punk backgrounds that can relate to this story that Jack sent me. Anyway, here it is:
As I posted in the whatever forum - I was expelled 2 times from school based on my appearance alone (memory failed me a bit - I was put in a gym class with the people who did not have the mental or physical capacities to participate in a normal gym class when I refused to remove my lip piercing and humiliated, not expelled) I was expelled and faced weapons charges when I wore a spiked leather collar to school — something I had, up to that point, worn every day. I was also expelled for wearing a "nazi punks fuck off" patch on my jacket. I was accused of being a nazi and forced into sensitivity counseling with a rabbi. My parents were not supportive at all any of these times. It just made me fight harder. I took it upon myself to go to the school board so I could speak with them directly and to the concerned parents and I got myself reinstated. After I left school I promised myself that I would not rest until I was in a position where I was valued to the point that my appearance was not an issue. That was actually something yttrx suggested to someone who was fired from their job over piercings on RAB when I was about 16 and I really took it to heart.
I guess what I'm trying to say is that people in positions of power are always going to be fucked up — they're people after all. I think the trick is to move yourself out of their reach, make yourself better than them, and take as many people with you as you can when you do it. I think that's the thing I admire most about BME is that you really encourage that and you practice what you preach. Growing up I thought I was the only one who was queer or kinky. BME was really the first place where I discovered that wasn't true. Anyway, I'm getting off my soapbox now — I just want to say thank you.
I was lucky. I went to a good school, so my problem was just my parents. No one at school ever commented on how I dressed — if anything my eccentricity was encouraged. The one time I got really “out of hand” by publishing an anti-administration newspaper, the vice principal took for for a walk across the street. He pointed at a set of cheap buildings going up across the street. In front of them was a large — but also cheap — sign that said, “Sunrise Christian Academy”.
“Shannon, I agree with most of what you've written. I think you bring up some good points. But you have to consider the results of your actions and whether they'll achieve what you're trying to achieve. Ask yourself; when parents see this, will they help you fix these problems, or will they just send their kids to Sunrise and make it even harder for us to correct these issues?”
I repeat that story often because (a) I think it's important to view things on this level sometimes, and (b) because I want to illustrate that most teachers and school administrators do care about their students, and don't want to repress them in any way. I don't know where the source of that problem stems. I can only assume it comes back to “the squeaky wheel gets the grease”, that is, small groups of parents yelling hard to force through their agenda.
PS. We wish you a merry Christmas.
On the computer front, I stripped out some of the flakier components from this machine (the DV editing board), and so far its stable. Now, it would really suck if that's the piece of hardware that's problematic. I've already replaced it once, and it's not a cheap piece of hardware… Hopefully it's still under warranty.
Monday, November 11, 2002
I got this magazine in the mail (“ICE”, a British magazine which is a very blatant knock-off of Bizarre) — as you can see it has a rather lame feature on BME. I should probably be happy that they messed up the URL:
I don't really want to talk about the below today, it's hit very close to home. But do expect something more complete very soon. I'm sorry it's not instant. I just got this (unrelated email). I get ones like it regularly so I thought I'd share the response here.
I have Branded myself all to hell and I wanted to know where I could get a book or video to learn how to do it right in all ways so I could do my friend,I just want to know if I did anything wrong to myself let alone do it to a friend,I would love the help,thanks a great deal...
My response was as follows:
Well, as far as branding yourself, if you've already done it, then you'll learn all your answers simply by listening to your body and carefully watching how you heal. I'm not sure how long ago you did it, but healing larger brands can be very unpleasant experience!
As far as books or videos teaching you how, no, there is nothing like that. As I'm sure you must have already realized, there's more to it than just hot metal on skin, at least when it comes to doing something other than very simple scars. I don't think a book or video could adequately train you in this art form.
If you are really serious about branding as a professional, you should strongly consider going and taking Fakir Musafar's course on the subject. You can find out more about it at www.bodyplay.com
Good luck,
Shannon
PS. PLEASE do not brand your friend before being trained and apprenticed.
Sunday, November 10, 2002
This is verbatim from Bryan's page:
I pierce in Lake County. The school district in Lake County is one of only three counties in the state of Florida that do not allow body piercings at school. A few days ago, it claimed a life. Robert pierced a girl's eyebrow recently, and she was suspended from school because of it. When she got home and informed her father, he yelled at and demeaned her for it. Shortly there-after, she went upstairs and shot herself in the head. A young life ended over an eyebrow piercing.
Part of me thinks that this could have had a dramatically better ending if her school hadn't denied her education over a piece of jewelry. Part of me wonders what the father feels like, now. I'm kind of torn up over the issue.
It is things like this that should make schools open their eyes to the issue of suspensions over piercings.
Why should I be surprised those fucking assholes at the school board along with their accomplice the father murdered her? After all, mainstream society has been murdering gay students like this for decades. I don't give a fuck who hears me saying that, and I don't give any credit to “suicide is a choice” bullshit when you start forcing young people down useless one way roads and making it clear to them that the entire world thinks they're valueless. And anyone who can't see that is either totally compassionless or totally sheltered.
Again: FUCKING MURDERERS.
Her blood is on their hands. I accuse them.
I accuse them of murder, and I am disgusted at this. I can't even begin to say how angry I am about this. You want to not hire a person with piercings? Fine. It's your right to be a jerk in your own business. But denying people basic rights because of piercings is atrocious and unacceptable in a free society.
They must answer for this murder.
They do not have the right to force their closed-minded will on young people, and any atrocity that follows their fuse-lighting act is entirely their responsibility. And under no circumstances can we let them try and blame this on us. They must answer for their crimes, and we can not take the fall for them again.
