They deserve Real Dads, not Cardboard

This article in the New York Times just makes me cry, When Soldiers Go to War, Flat Daddies Hold Their Place at Home.
"The Maine National Guard is giving life-size from-the-waist-up pictures of soldiers to the families of deployed guard members. Guard officials and families say the cutouts, known as Flat Daddies or Flat Soldiers, connect families with a relative who is thousands of miles away. The Flat Daddies are toted everywhere from soccer practice to coffee shops to weddings."

First let me say that I ache when I witness the bravery of these soldiers and their families. Our government, OUR government is asking these citizens to endure so much danger and heartache. We are asking so much from these people, and they are stepping up to the plate.

But why are they still in Iraq? Why did we go in the first place? Why are we asking these children to bond with a cardboard cutout instead of their real fathers and mothers? What happens when these soldiers die? These kids will be left with only a cardboard dad. Is that what we want?

Before we ever commit troops to battle we need to seriously consider these issues. We need to seriously consider these kids. They need their dads. Let's bring them home while we still can.
Don't vote for anyone who does not want to work to bring these brave parents home to their kids.

No Octane Suprise

My Brother Ronnie was asking why his local gas prices had just gone down so fast. He also wanted to know who sets prices and how. I don't feel like writing an in-depth essay on the petroleum market, but Ronnie needs to know that prices have dropped nation wide and with the midterm elections coming up the Republicans are thanking their lucky stars that prices are coming down. One thing is clear, people are happy that gas costs less. Is this part of Carl Rove’s October Surprise? People are suspicious.

From the Washington Post:
“A Gallup poll showed 42 percent of Americans believed the Bush administration had deliberately manipulated the price of gas so that it would decrease before the November 7 midterm vote. Internet blogs are filled with skeptics questioning the relationship between Republicans and big oil.
While both the White House and market experts dismiss the conspiracy theory, Republicans are relieved the days of $3 a gallon gasoline are over, at least for now.
"It's very difficult for Democrats to use this as a campaign issue when every passing week drops the price of gas a nickel or a dime," said Ed Patru, spokesman for the National Republican Congressional Committee.”

This from WXII and the AP:
“The retail price of gasoline has plunged by 50 cents, or 17 percent, over the past month to average $2.38 a gallon nationwide, according to Energy Department statistics. That is 42.5 cents lower than a year ago, when the energy industry was still reeling from the aftermath of hurricanes Katrina and Rita, which damaged petroleum platforms, pipelines and refineries across the Gulf Coast.
Fimat USA oil analyst Antoine Halff said there is no doubt that "the downturn in prices is welcome news from an electoral standpoint for the ruling party." But he scoffed at the notion that the U.S. president had the power to muscle around a global market.”

So what do we know about the fall in gas prices and their connection to the election? Nothing. But the media is trying very hard to discount the suspicions of a lot of people. They analysts may be right, Bush does not have the muscle to bully the Big Oil Companies around. But the Big Oil Companies have the muscle to bully Bush around. And it is no mystery why Big Oil has enjoyed record profits ($342.4 billion) since Bush has come into office with his administration made up of ex-oil executives. So it doesn’t take much of a stretch of imagination to imagine that the Big Oil companies want the big profits to continue for a few more years.
What is clear is that 42 percent of Americans are so suspicious of the Bush Administration’s motives and actions that they believe they are capable of manipulating gas prices just to gain a few extra percentage points in a tight midterm election. It is clear that America is losing its trust of this administration and its Big Oil buddies.

P.S.: Have you noticed that diesel prices are still over $2.68? While gas has fallen over 50 cents, diesel has only come down 30 cents. Why? Who knows, but I bet more voters use gasoline instead of diesel. Oh yeah, and over 80 percent of Big Oil political contributions go to Republicans with only 20 percent go to Democrats (and most of those are on key committees). But you make up your own mind.

Waging Peace

Peaceful Takeover of US Senate www.declarationofpeace.org

Offending Public Officials is Criminalized

In Iraq (our purple-fingered bastion of democracy in the Middle East) it is now a criminal offence to “publicly insult” the government or public officials. Three Iraqi journalists are being tried for violating Paragraph 226 of the penal code, a law resurrected verbatim from Saddam Hussein’s penal code. The journalists face up to seven years in prison for these “crimes” against the government.

Don’t tell the Bush Administration about this new law, there is still time for Congress to slip it in before the midterm election recess, especially now that they have finished obliterating Habeas Corpus and given George immunity to prosecution for torture and illegal detentions. But I am not sure Bush needs this new law here. In the good old U. S. A. the mainstream media censors itself, and the few journalists who don’t are subject to all manner of pressure to not “publicly insult” the government.

Jeff Cohen, who worked for MSNBC, Fox News and CNN, says that:
“Since corporations' interests are aligned with the interests of conservatives, conservative opinion dominates "hopelessly imbalanced" television networks, Cohen said, adding that corporate pressure caused journalists to "utterly fail the country" leading up to the war in Iraq.

"When journalists are busy waving flags they don't have time to do their jobs - asking tough questions before sending young men and women to war."

So Bush does not need Saddam’s Paragraph 226 to keep the press in line. But the end result for Iraqi and American citizens is the same: no main stream reporting on facts that might “publicly insult” the government.

For example, the brave people at The Declaration of Peace have been conducting hundreds of nonviolent actions around the country, including taking over the Senate Office Building, but these stories don’t get mainstream media attention. The media does not want to “publicly insult” the government.

Fortunately we can still read about these Peace Actions on the Internet. So go to www.declarationofpeace.org and read the stories and look at the pictures and videos. You won’t see them on Fox News. But beware, you may be “publicly insulting” the government and subject to Paragraph 226 of Saddam’s penal code because Bush and the NeoCons are bringing “democracy” to America, just like they are bringing “democracy” to Iraq.

Everywhere but here in the U.S.

According to Newsweek in Europe we are losing Afghanistan. In Asia we are losing Afghanistan. In Latin America we are losing Afghanistan. Everywhere in the world (including Afghanistan) we are losing Afhanistan. But here in the United States we are more interested in Annie Leibovitz the photographer who shot the elusive Hollywood infant, Suri Cruise for Vanity Fair.

Pop culture and the people who bring it to us are more important than our complete and utter failures in Afghanistan.

Notice a pattern here? It is the same pattern followed in the Global Warming "debate". In the rest of the world there is wide spread agreement that Global Warming is real and caused by human activities. Only in America do we "debate" the existence of Global Warming. The rest of the World is debating what to do about Global Warming. They are debating what to do despite the fact that the most powerful economy and milatary in the world denys the existence of Global Warming.

Our media is owned by corporate interests.
Our governement is owned by corporate interests.
And these interests do not care about the publics' desires for peace, health and cooperation.
They only view the public as consumers and commodities.

But who cares? Tom and Katie and baby look so cute in those photos.

4 > 0

Being against something
Strengthens the thing you are fighting
It defines you as opposed to that thing
What happens if that thing disappears?
Who will you be?
Being against things is a zero sum game

Being for something is much harder
But it defines you as being part of a thing
Part of a thing that you love
As long as you are for that thing
That thing and you cannot disappear
You know who you are

Being anti-war
Subtly increases war
Being active for peace
Increases the power of peace
If more energy is directed towards peace
War will naturally decrease

Let us spend the effort and the time
To discover who we are
And what we are for
For love
For peace
For compassion
For dignity
For health
For education
For saving our selves and all others

For is Greater than Zero

Dealing with Iraqi Insurgency Not In the Plan

On the 5th anniversary of 9/11 crimes committed against America, President Bush tried to tie the continued Occupation of Iraq with our defense against terrorism. The President told us that:

“Whatever mistakes have been made in Iraq, the worst mistake would be to think that if we pulled out, the terrorists would leave us alone. They will not leave us alone. They will follow us. The safety of America depends on the outcome of the battle in the streets of Baghdad.”

Despite the obvious logical flaws in this statement, namely that America is unable to defend our country without occupying Iraq, it is obvious that the President is serious about defeating this terrorist insurgency in Baghdad. He is so serious about it that he has staked our future and safety on the outcome in Baghdad.

But is the President serious about defeating the Iraqi insurgency?

Apparently not. According to Marine Maj. General Richard C. Zilmer, a senior American commander in Iraq, he has enough U.S. troops to accomplish his main mission: training Iraqi security forces:

“For what we are trying to achieve out here I think our force levels are about right," he said. Even so, he said the training of Iraqi soldiers and police had not progressed as quickly as once expected.
"Now, if that mission statement changes — if there is seen a larger role for coalition forces out here to win that insurgency fight — then that is going to change the metrics of what we need out here," he added.

Zilmer says that defeating the insurgency is not in his mission plan. Defeating these insurgents, these terrorists who will not leave us alone, who are stacking up dead bodies in the Iraqi streets every day, these radicals who will follow us home, is not part of the plan for victory in Iraq. The course we are staying in Iraq does not include defeating these people. Even though in the President’s mind “the safety of America depends on the outcome of the battle in the streets of Baghdad,” he has not made battling people and defeating them in the streets of Baghdad part of the mission plan.

How much more evidence do people need that this Administration is not interested in the security of this country or Iraq? How much more evidence is needed that this Administration will lie and cheat and sacrifice brave American Troops and allow tens of thousands of Iraqis to die as long as the private contract dollars keep flowing to their friends at companies like Raytheon, Halliburton, and the big oil companies?

How much more evidence do we need before we make them stop?

Looking At: Banksy

I give to you Banksy's FAQ Page:

Frequently asked questions

Is graffiti art or vandalism?
That word has a lot of negative connotations and it alienates people, so no, I don't like to use the word 'art' at all.

How do you make the stencils so big?
By sticking lots of small ones together

Do you sell t-shirts?
i don't make shirts because it would feel like the painting was a guerilla marketing campaign for a fashion label.

A guide to cutting stencils

• Think from outside the box.

• Collapse the box and take a fucking sharp knife to it.

• Leave the house before you find something worth staying in for.

• It's easier to get forgiveness than permission.

• Spray the paint sparingly onto the stencil from a distance of 8 inches.

• Be aware that going on a major mission totally drunk out of your head will result in some truly spectacular artwork and at least one night in the cells.

• When explaining yourself to the Police its worth being as reasonable as possible. Graffiti writers are not real villains. I am always reminded of this by real villains who consider the idea of breaking in someplace, not stealing anything and then leaving behind a painting of your name in four foot high letters the most retarded thing they ever heard of.

• Remember crime against property is not real crime. People look at an oil painting and admire the use of brushstrokes to convey meaning. People look at a graffiti painting and admire the use of a drainpipe to gain access.

• The time of getting fame for your name on its own is over. Artwork that is only about wanting to be famous will never make you famous. Any fame is a by-product of making something that means something. You don't go to a restaurant and order a meal because you want to have a shit.