"Real black folks run."

Wednesday, September 11, 2002

I wasn't going to link to any 9/11 stories, but I thought this one in Salon would be OK. It's a collection of “secret thoughts” that people had on September 11th. They're all really interesting; some funny, and some disturbing. Anyway, I thought the following one was worth quoting:

I watched from my window, not on television, as the twin towers fell. As shocked as I was, I felt that this was not my problem as a black person. The people who worked at the World Trade Center were mostly white men, and so they had nothing to do with me as a black woman.

When there was an outpouring of grief and donations from every corner of the United States, I said to myself, If those planes had flown into a housing project and the victims were poor blacks and Latinos, people in Missouri wouldn't give a damn. When I heard that there had been over $1 billion in private donations, I asked myself where was this money before? Why hadn't it been donated to help the homeless, children who do not have access to an education, people who do not have access to healthcare? Here we have people rushing to write checks to people whose families will be taken care of by insurance or their employers.

To me, 9/11 was just another example of the American paradigm of deservedness and white entitlement. We are not all Americans; the white investment banker, the white fireman, the white police officer, the white EMT, they are Americans.

It is true… Greg had a good joke about it on his page. I hope he doesn't mind if I quote it here:

President Bush and Colin Powell are sitting in a bar. A guy walks in and asks the barman, "Isn't that Bush and Powell sitting over there?" The barman says, "Yep, that's them."

So the guy walks over and says, "Wow, this is a real honour. What are you guys doing in here?" Bush says, "Well, we're planning World War Three." And the guy says, "Really? Cool! What's going to happen?"

Bush says, "Well, this time around we're going to kill 140 million Iraqis -- and one blonde with big boobs."

The guy exclaims, "A blonde with big boobs? Why kill a blonde with big boobs?"

Bush turns to Powell, punches him on the shoulder and says, "See, smart ass?! I told you no one would worry about 140 million Iraqis!"

And that really does sum it up. No one — no one in mainstream America that is — gives a damn unless you're killing whitey. People can hear endless stories of insane horrors, but can totally blank them out unless it's (attractive and thin) white folks getting hurt.

Or if it's a puppy.

What does it say about a culture when a puppy is perceived as having more value than millions of non-white lives? Well, I'm off now to drag about fifteen bags of horrible garbage out from the back yard (BBQ garbage, I missed garbage day last week).

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BME BBQ stuff

Tuesday, September 10, 2002

Here are some more photos from Phil's BBQ photo shoot. I'll be posting the next four rolls of film later this evening (I haven't had a chance yet to make the thumbnail pages).

I should also mention two things:

  1. Phil is selling prints of these photos — if you want some, contact him directly. All the proceeds from the prints are going to iWasCured's fund for sending them to Dallas for SusCon 2002.
  2. There will be more photos being taking at the BME BBQ DVD screening at Badur's house. That's right — he's hosting a semi-public screening of the BME BBQ DVD this weekend!

Back to work now…

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Update done

Tuesday, September 10, 2002

About two hundred new experiences have just been added to the site. Enjoy!

So a few people have dropped me messages telling me about how the President declared September 11th “Patriot Day”. In his statement he says,

"On this first observance of Patriot Day, we remember and honor those who perished in the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001... Our Armed Forces have pursued the war against terrorism in Afghanistan and elsewhere with valor and skill... They have achieved success."

"Americans also have fought back against terror by choosing to overcome evil with good. By loving their neighbors as they would like to be loved, countless citizens have answered the call to help others... As we mark the first anniversary of that tragic day, we remember their sacrifice; and we commit ourselves to honoring their memory by pursuing peace and justice in the world."

"NOW, THEREFORE, I, GEORGE W. BUSH, President of the United States of America, do hereby proclaim September 11, 2002, as Patriot Day."

Now, let's take a look at some of that. According to Bush, the US military has already fought the war on terror — and won! That's good to hear, I guess that means the troops are back at home planting flowers and we're moth balling our bombs, right? Thank God the threat is over, let's get back to guzzling oil now. It could have gone really bad. The US could have overreacted and trashed both its economy and its civil rights, but thankfully that didn't happen because they won the war on terror so quickly.

I'm so glad to hear as well that Americans “do unto others as they would have others do unto them” and treat the world with love. It's nice to know that big nations like America don't have policies like preemptive strikes or anything like that. I'm so glad that America treats all nations fairly and with love. Some nations would have allowed their megacorporations to take advantage of this and abuse their own people for financial gain, but luckily the overwhelming environment of love in the United States didn't allow that to happen.

It's reassuring to know that America honors the memory of those lost in 9/11 by pursuing peace and justice. Some people would have attacked a scapegoat and killed many innocent people for revenge, but thankfully America is a peaceloving nation and no one else had to die. I am very happy that America always requires lots of evidence before launching an invasion, and has global peace as it's prime goal. With such strong advocates of peace, the world must be a wonderfully serene place.

What a load of bullshit.

If I was in America, I'd tell President that I refuse to celebrate any fake holiday and I am tired of him trying to politically capitalize on death. I'd tell him that I refuse to pay for policies that guarantee more and larger attacks on (relatively) innocent Americans. I'd tell him that I'm sick of his lies, and most importantly, I'd tell the dimwit that Patriot Day is already the third monday in April to commemorate the battle of Lexington and Concord, and that being from Texas is no excuse for being ignorant of the holidays of the Northeast United States.

It's pretty sad when an uneducated Canadian is more aware of both world and domestic issues than the Yale-educated US president.

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Ah, suicide

Tuesday, September 10, 2002

Ignoring obviously planetary suicides such as space warfare, I'm now starting to think that the US leadership is delusionally suicidal. As we all know, the US failed miserably at its “war games” test of an Iraq invasion. There is serious doubt whether the US could even seriously challenge Iraq.

So… What does Rumsfield say when asked if the US could fight multiple wars at the same time? He replied that if China took back Taiwan (as it has said it is doing), the US “had the firepower to respond and win decisively”.

Not a chance. The US is far too strained financially and militaristically right now. If America goes to war with China, China will win, and it will decimate the US in the process. Better make sure your kanji tattoos say what you think they do.

I now issue my statement to the ants^H^H^H^HChinese on the eve of invasion:

"What we've seen speaks for itself. The American nation has been taken over 'conquered', if you will by the Chinese. It's difficult to tell from this vantage point whether they will consume the captives or merely enslave them. One thing is for certain, there is no stopping them; the Chinese will soon be here. And I, for one, welcome our new Asian overlords. I'd like to remind them that as a trusted Internet personality, I can be helpful in rounding up others to... toil in their underground sugar caves."

That's right — the statement above is stupid. But the introduction isn't. If America wants to play games with the middle east, that's one thing. But starting to play these military posturing games with a superpower like China is a game far more scary and dangerous than any game played during the cold war with the Soviets.

War between China and the US would be devastating on a global level. I really hope that each nation has the foresight and self control not to allow such a thing to happen. Sadly, I think it's clear that the current US government does not. That's painfully clear in fact.

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500 HP Beetle?

Monday, September 9, 2002

I know there are some other car nuts here, so I thought I'd share these photos I just got sent. I have a somewhat similar set up in a car I once owned, so he thought I'd find his project interesting. Basically he's squeezed a 455 Olds V8 on a Toronado transmission into the back of a VW Beetle (which I hear is an uncomfortable place). Anyway, check it out:

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