Monthly Archives: April 2003

He ain't heavy

Monday, April 21, 2003

I don't know how I'm not arrested (or dead) right now — my only explanation is that I have an in at the CCCC*…       ————rewind!

My brother, his partner, and his gargantuan grinning baby came to visit this morning. About ten or twelve minutes after they left, we noticed that he'd forgotten his jacket and work ID, which is a big deal because he works in secure areas that need ID swipes for access. About twenty minutes from the house is the merge from the “local” road to the larger highway, at which point traffic is heavy enough that I wouldn't have caught him easily.

So I grabbed his stuff and threw it into the Porsche, turned the Cuban rap way up, and tore out of the driveway. Traffic wasn't bad until I passed Tweed where it started to get bogged down with people returning from the holiday, so I had to do a lot of passing — if I didn't maintain an average speed of at least 140, I wasn't going to catch them.

Coming around a bend I saw that I had perhaps a quarter mile before an oncoming transport convoy passed me, so I dropped down into fifth and gunned it — I squeaked between the transport and the car in front of me at over 160, only to notice that a police cruiser was sandwiched between the first two trucks… Luckily I suppose his predicament did not allow him to catch me, so I guess he just cursed all the way home.

At the intersection of the highway I caught up to them, and they didn't seem to realize who I was — it wasn't until I pulled up along side them and honked that they realized it was me and stopped… When they thanked me for the delivery, I thanked them back — it's not often I have a “valid” excuse to drive 175 on curvy country roads!

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Repeat…

Sunday, April 20, 2003

A number of older members of the site that aren't willing conspirators of murder and cheering for more killing described saying and seeing the same things forty years ago as they protested earlier imperialist wars, and fought for similar freedoms. Not only that, but similar movements existed in the late 1800s and the start of the 20th cetury as Amerrc asserted itself as an Empire rather than a Republic… and that is terrifying.

To me that says that this shell game of trading back and forth politically similar parties while the master plan continues unimpeded says one thing and one thing ONLY: The system can not be changed from within. In order to end war, oppression, racism, sexism, and so on we must destroy the system, not just vote for some other rich white dude.

The question is I guess is just how much do people value real freedom, and what are they willing to give up to achieve it. You see, I'm not saying it's time to raise arms against them. Clearly war is not the path to peace… But you can stop playing their game. As a start, just stop buying from big business, and remove yourself from the system as much as you can.


Come you masters of war
You that build all the guns
You that build the death planes
You that build the big bombs
You that hide behind walls
You that hide behind desks
I just want you to know
I can see through your masks

You that never done nothin'
But build to destroy
You play with my world
Like it's your little toy
You put a gun in my hand
And you hide from my eyes
And you turn and run farther
When the fast bullets fly

Like Judas of old
You lie and deceive
A world war can be won
You want me to believe
But I see through your eyes
And I see through your brain
Like I see through the water
That runs down my drain

You fasten the triggers
For the others to fire
Then you set back and watch
When the death count gets higher
You hide in your mansion
As young people's blood
Flows out of their bodies
And is buried in the mud

You've thrown the worst fear
That can ever be hurled
Fear to bring children
Into the world
For threatening my baby
Unborn and unnamed
You ain't worth the blood
That runs in your veins

How much do I know
To talk out of turn
You might say that I'm young
You might say I'm unlearned
But there's one thing I know
Though I'm younger than you
Even Jesus would never
Forgive what you do

Let me ask you one question
Is your money that good
Will it buy you forgiveness
Do you think that it could
I think you will find
When your death takes its toll
All the money you made
Will never buy back your soul

And I hope that you die
And your death'll come soon
I will follow your casket
In the pale afternoon
And I'll watch while you're lowered
Down to your deathbed
And I'll stand o'er your grave
'Til I'm sure that you're dead

- Bob Dylan
Masters of War

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April 20th is a day in April also known as Easter Sunday

Sunday, April 20, 2003


For those that didn't notice, the latest update is in place (just click the cover image there to go to it of course. I'll likely finish the update later today, and the new article will go up as well.

And now some news.

The more time that passes, the more clear it becomes that not only does Iraq not have WMDs, but the more likely it becomes that the US and the UK actively misled their people and the world on the subject (more, more) and even faked documents to do so (more). Not only that, but the UK has been very clear that there can be no international (UN) involvement in the search for WMD evidence (more), meaning that if any “evidence” is found it will surely be tainted in the eyes of most of the world. Not only that, but the “coalition” are actively blocking independent investigation into WMD claims (more)…

In the art looting of Iraq story, it's seeming more like Crocodile Dundee in Los Angeles every day — evidence is mounting that the art in those galleries is now up for sale on the international market (more), and that it much of it may well have been “ordered in advance” (more). Iraq's culture is shattered — museums, theatres, libraries, zoos, and museums all looted and burned to the ground as US troops watched (more), with orders only to protect the oil fields, which are now under total US control (more).

Is it any wonder that the “new Iraq”, with its Shiite majority, is preaching a strong anti-US stance (more)? Is it any wonder that the Kurds are launching a civil war to “unarabize” the North along with chasing out the Americans (more)? Is it any wonder that militant clerics far more dangerous to America than Saddam ever was are coming to power (more)? Fact: Saddam was a murderous tyrant. Given that fact, how despicable are we, the West, in allowing our “figurehead nation” to make the life of the Iraqi people dramatically worse than it already was?

In the light of all that, the US has announced a long term military occupation of Iraq (more). Well, if you're an American, I guess you'd better not travel internationally any more, because you'll be at risk of violence, attack, and abuse in general. It's not a pretty future for the American people… Civil rights eliminated, new pinnacles of poverty, and the growing risk of terrorist attacks not just from the world, but from McVeigh-style domestic terror groups.

And, as I pointed out before, it's irrelevant whether Bush is voted out at the next election. The damage in Iraq is done. It'll take twenty years or more for that country to get back to where it was a year ago… And until then, there's over twenty million people with their guns just waiting to kill Americans. They really won't care that Bush has retired to his ranch to live in wealth… Terrorists rarely just assassinate a leader — they use the blood of the people to send their message.

The above text is a “spoiler” as in it could spoil your day. If you want to read it, drag your mouse over it to highlight it.

PS. If you don't want to invade Syria, you might as well be a terrorist (more).

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Today is 2003/04/19

Saturday, April 19, 2003

I'm off to do an image update today… but let me first say… Iraq is turning into a nightmare of the worst kind. America is now left with two extremely unpleasant options: first, a military occupation that essentially forces them to impose the same strong-handed rule that Saddam did… Or they could actually allow Iraq to be free, in which case it becomes a violently anti-US Islamic state far more repressive to its people and far more dangerous to America than Saddam's Iraq ever was.

The Arab states are calling for a boycott of any US-run Iraq (more), and Islamic priests are telling America to “get out before we force you out” (more, more, more). Tens of thousands of Iraqis protest daily in the streets calling for America to leave (more, more), clerics are seizing political control (more), America struggles to maintain order by allying itself with Saddam's forces (more) but often ends up “killing the good guys” (more) and fighting continues… not with Saddam's forces, but with locals who just want American invaders to leave (more).

The US is now threatening that France will “pay some consequences” (more) for its actions. France on the other hand threatens to veto a lift on sanctions against Iraq (more), a truly despicable act that promises both to kill more Iraqi people and damage any meager reconstructions plans (more) which also have a side effect of helping US corporations… And again, the Iraqi people are the pawns that suffer while big business around the world fights for war profits. Back in America on the other hand Iraqis are rounded up for “voluntary” interrogation sessions (more), and the US struggles to explain the multitude of “fabricated media events” it staged during the Iraq war, most notably the “Saving Private Jessica” fraud (more).

Meanwhile, still no WMDs have been found (more), and Rumsfield says they don't actually expect to discover any (more), and Iraqi scientists continue to maintain the lack of a WMD program (more). So basically, the Iraqi people have been taken from a relatively liberal, secular, and modern Middle-Eastern dictatorship, to having their country destroyed, their economy and history shattered, their stability reduced to chaos and anarchy, and they are now about to be ruled by religious fanatics in a Taliban-style totalitarian potentially-terrorist sponsoring state. But don't worry, US companies are getting very rich! After all, that tax money you just paid has to go somewhere, since it's obviously not coming back to you.

PS. Pakistan on the other hand, a genuine terrorist state that continues to send terrorist and guerrilla forces into Kashmir on an almost-official level (more), refuses to cut back in any way on its massive nuclear weapons program (more).

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Swagtastic

Friday, April 18, 2003

Just had dinner with Ryan and Corrie and got to see the three new shirts… Below are shots of the “BME Red Menace” and “In Mod We Trust” shirts. The “BME Militia” design (the skull with the wings) is done as well but I didn't get a change to photo it — it looks amazing though! Anyway, here are the first two; I'll get descriptions written for them and they should be in the shop by the end of the weekend I'm guessing:

PS. As a point of trivia, the “In Mod We Trust” shirt is the first ever shirt that I've signed with my actual name — the text is from various modified manifestos that I've posted here.

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