World War III, Get Both Sides Of The Story

After reading books such as George Orwell's, 1984, or Aldous Huxley's Brave New World, and seeing movies with the same general message like Brazil, THX-1138, Wag The Dog, etc., I have had little trust in the mainstream sources for world news. Accordingly, I spend a lot of time looking for alternative information sources whenever I am trying to find the truth on global political matters.

The PAK-ALERT PRESS stands out as an excellent source for independant stories and articles out of the Middle- East and especially with respect to the situation in the region of Afghanistan and Pakistan. The photos and stories that I find there, give a realistic perspective to the stark reality of a distant war that most Americans are insulated from by our sterile and impotent media giants.

Here is the article that inspired me to write this: The Anatomy Of America's Defeat In Afghanistan

Blue Man Group On Global Warming

Just for funzies!

A Muse Yourself

Life begins at forty I have heard, but I could be mistaken. Maybe it was "life begins at fired". Both these occurred within about three weeks of each other so my actual delivery date is ambiguous. As far as work is concerned, I can't say I'm really "missing" it. I graduated with a romantic desire to work in some new green technology. My enthusiasm collided with a faltering economy and I ended up working for a Dutch software company writing code to simulate oil field production. OK, I did it for the money. Somewhere between graduating and the job that would kill my passion, someone told me that true responsibility lied in a steady paycheck, health insurance (see Flu as a pre-existing condition), and giving up my bicycle as transportation for a car. I became a proper consuming, polluting, and productive member of society. This is what happens when you do not follow your muse.
First, what exactly is your muse? What they don't tell you is that there are more than one. There are, in fact, nine muses according to the Greeks or Romans. Your choices range from Calliope (epic poetry) to Melpomene (tragedy) and variations in-between possibly involving dancing or playing the flute. I believe we could create more modern versions of these muses such as: Blogonia (politics), Yogaerpe (holistic health), or Ployspamnia (web development). We may even create hybrid muses for specific interests, such as: Thaliablogonia (political humor). One kind of muse you will not find is one centered around social stability or the pursuit of money which brings me back to my last employment.
My boss decided to task me with scheduling lunch hour lectures. My co-workers grew to hate me as my task turned into cajoling them into standing in front of the entire company and talking instead of eating. The upshot was we could talk about anything we wanted with special butt kissing points awarded to anyone who could make our miserable job look exciting. My own lecture was on the compelling topic of "peak oil". For those who are unaware of what this means, it's when the easy oil is taped out and the remaining oil fields become economically unfeasible to develop (think tar sands). The term develop is actually a misnomer. oil is not developed but removed from the ground and replaced with seawater, but developed sounds more creative and innovative. The United States hit peak oil back in the mid seventies. That's why we import so much now. Anyhow, my lecture, complete with graphs and figures, comes to an end and all I see are stunned co-workers and supervisors. "So what you are saying Charley is we are in a dying business?" I hate to give happy go lucky geeks bad news but I thought it might be important. To the main boss this was almost treason. Lectures were meant to raise moral, rally the troops, and to develop a sense of guilt and servitude toward the company. Whatever reason my boss had for terminating my contract doesn't really matter. The point is that I am free. I can only blame myself if I get into another working situation that drains the hemoglobin from my vitals. I might do better becoming a carbon neutral street performer or following the muse of Ecobuskina .

Privilege of Anonymity

Although it is repugnant for me to do so because it has a chilling effect on free speech, I had to change the posting requirements for this web-page. Of course, I am happy to receive any and all comments here, and I will only censor spam (i.e., repetitive duplicate posts), hate speech, or obscene material. I believe the privilege to publish one's opinion anonymously is central to any functioning free society. Nevertheless, as this blog becomes more popular, it becomes increasingly difficult for me to moderate appropriately. I hope the new policy doesn't discourage too many people from posting here. Anyone who is interested in becoming an official contributer to this forum please feel free to send a writing sample to my email address.

Bloggers, please feel free to leave links with your comments.

As always, I am grateful for your participation!

World War III

How does one make a distinction between "occupation" and "invasion"? It should be obvious right? Most would immediately say that an occupation is temporary and an invasion permanent.  But, let us look more closely at these words.

My Encarta Dictionary tells me that the first definition of "occupation" is "1. the job by which somebody earns a living." That makes sense when I think about what the United States is doing in the Middle-East. But wait, we're talking about a military action, right? The traditional military use of  the word "occupation" according to Encarta, is "4. MILITARY the invasion and control of a country or area by enemy forces."  Hhmmn, there is nothing there about leaving the invaded country...

The order by which Encarta lists the definitions for any given word are supposed to be representative of the commonality of their usage, so I was not surprised when I looked up "invasion" to find that the first definition was perfectly military in its application, "1. a hostile entry by an armed force into a country's territory, especially with the intention of conquering it."  Again, there is nothing here about leaving the invaded country. I like this word better for a description of what our country has done in the Middle-East; there is no deception with this word.

Of course our troops in the Middle-East are planning to leave...just as soon as they are done building a few more permanent military bases. Just like in Viet Nam, our presence there will eventually change the culture into a more "American friendly" place to be. The US military never had a plan for "leaving" Iraq, because that is not what an "invasion" is all about.

Let us use words that convey the true meaning of our actions in the Middle-East when we talk about our "enterprises" there. And let us not pretend that we are conducting "police actions" or "occupations"--this is not a "war on terror." We are in the middle of nothing less than World War III! How many nations are involved in this global power struggle? I think they all are...

Please leave your comments below.  Especially if you disagree with me!

Israel Admits Stealing Organs From Palestinian Corpses

Apparently, after some hemming and hawing the Israeli government has finally admitted to stealing organs from the corpses of dead Palestinians. Why is this not surprising to me? The Israeli government has committed countless war crimes against the Palestinians, and they show no signs of changing their ways. This story has barely been reported in the United States, so I thought I would make a point of mentioning it here.

As always, I welcome your comments.

DeGeneres To Palin On Gay Marriage Ban

Although I see her as one of those "centrist" liberals, I fully agree with Ellen DeGeneres on this subject.



If there are still conservatives who will debate with me that the right-wing is the enemy of freedom in the United States, I would love to hear your comments on this...

Wedding Photographer Ordered to Pay Same Sex Couple

It appears that the photographer, a Christian, felt that it was against her religious beliefs to photograph a same sex couple who later brought a civil suit against her for discrimination based on sexual orientation. The Taos judge agreed and ordered the photographer to pay the couple $6,600+. The case is on appeal, of course.

http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/judge_upholds_ruling_against_photographers_who_declined_work_at_homosexual_ceremony/

Let Us Remember The Heroes

Do you recognize this man? Most will say he looks vaguely familiar, and he should...in my opinion, this is the greatest hero of the war in Iraq. This man had the courage and the fortitude to stand up and say what he believed in, in spite of the swift and brutal retaliation that he knew he would receive for doing so. This is the famous Shoe Throwing Reporter, Muntadhar al-Zeidi. He had the nerve to throw both of his shoes at Former President Bush in a show of disgust for the lies and propaganda spread by the Bush administration. He endured nine months of torture in an Iraqi prison for his act of defiance, and was released last September.

After his release, al-Zeidi said that he believes US forces "...will spare no efforts to track me as an insurgent revolutionary in a bid to kill me..." He has since gone into hiding with his family.

Please post a comment below...especially if you disagree with me!

Green Party Takes Over California Town

Arcata, California........this small northern California town has just become one of very few in the nation that has a City Council which is dominated by Green Party council members.

Read the article here: Hippie Kids Call The Shots

The controversial Green Party, has raised rancor among Democrats who claim that they take liberal, libertarian, and independent votes away from Democrat candidates. Many Greens feel that the Democratic Party hasn't done enough to stand up against the inhumane Republican party and its expansionist, pro-corporation policies. Some believe that the Democrats and Republicans are really all working for the same masters--a small 2% of the planet's population, which is in control of virtually all of the its wealth.

Wage Slavery In America (how they did it)

Here is a beautiful little gem I found on the web. This is a classic propaganda cartoon which warns of the dangers of state regulation of private enterprise. It is interesting to look at the statistics cited and compare them to our current situation. Comments anyone?