panic on the streets of kansas city

Yoshitsune has a quite disturbing tale of heading down to the voting booth for the Missouri primary yesterday. it's well worth reading in its entirety regardless of your voting orientation. here's a small excerpt:

"Apparently there are groups out there who buy copies of the voter registration rolls, then send in new registrations for registered voters giving them a new address. It's really a more sophisticated version of the whole thing with the felony lists in Florida in the last election - however, people aren't being REMOVED from the voting rolls, and hence there's no red flag being raised. After all, people DO move and send in change of address, so there's no reason for them to suspect voter fraud. And there's really no way to trace this, so there's really no way to detect this. But in effect what it means is voters are removed from the rolls - after all, if you're unknowingly registered in another precinct, how can you vote at yours? I was lucky...I have the job flexibility and transportation to go down to the election board and find out the problems, but I'm betting a lot of the other people with the same problems don't. And there are a lot - at my precinct, during the period we were at the polls, which was pretty slow, there were only about five or six people in and out, including us. And of those, me and one other guy found ourselves off the rolls, and one woman said she'd had the same thing happen to her during the 2000 presidential election and had to spend the entire day down at the election board."

the right to vote is not and should not be a partisan issue. it's disheartening that the debate on this entry devolved into such, because the people who made it into that argument are possibly deflecting and/or missed the entire point, which is that such tampering is wrong, scary, and should be exposed for what it is and dealt with accordingly. voting rights and responsibilities should have NOTHING to do with political orientation, and such tampering is absolutely intolerable and inexcusable.

drunkard to mayhem!

so apparently some drunken idiot plowed into the Slave Labor Graphics offices over the weekend. luckily, it happened late at night, with no one actually in the office, so none of the SLG people were hurt. there's photos of the aftermath at the above link, though.

cuppa controversy!

Paul the Postman* mentions having need of finding himself a mission statement. perhaps George Orwell's inspiring essay, A Nice Cup of Tea might be of some assistance in this matter---after all, oughtn't everyone have a specific set of rules about tea-making?

this is Not A Matter To Be Taken Lightly, yo.

;)

* = and heavens**, whatever would we do if you were to suddenly cease in being a Postman? for instance, if you were to come into a large sum of money and quit the Royal Mails altogether---what should we call you? it seems somehow wrong to call you anything else, quite frankly...XD

** = the foregoing clearly indicates i've known Fifichu a wee bit too long. XDXD

strange days...

the Seattle Times has an article about how the implications posed by the draft of Patriot Act II* that has been released have brought some usually rather oppositional forces together.

...yes, it is serious. and everyone should be concerned. it isn't a partisan argument. (of course, nothing really is, but that's beside the point. XDXD)

* = which can be found here, if you need a good horror story before going off to bed.

coming down glass

RegularEverydayPeople.com: Put a Human Face on War.

picture = 1K words.

therefore, i really needn't say more, except go.

tell us something we didn't know, already.

still, this article on how independent journalists aren't particularly welcomed with open arms as regards reporting directly warside* is worth a read. it's got interesting links to follow, too.

* = wouldn't want to ruin the widely-propagated conception that this is just like a fairytale storybook with nasty pop-up casualties, would we? :P

they were coming straight for us!

...and why does this remind me of the hunting show on South Park?

*glares*

spinning gently out of time

currently spinning: "you're so great (and i love you)." blur (with Graham)

i keep seeing articles splashed all over the place mentioning that people are so surprised that a) Iraq is fighting back, and b) people (on all sides, but concern is especially for ours) are dying.

er...how? how does this come as a surprise? people tend to die in conflicts such as these, where large-scale weapons and tempers and such are involved.

it's unarguably terrible, yes, but hardly surprising. once again, the mind boggles.

on that note, article in the NY Times about opinions shifting as costs of war are tallied.

fitter, happier, more productive...

glad to see something like this in a fairly widely distributed paper such as the LA Times.

Robert Scheer on Senhor Bush's Colonialist Agenda

there. you thought you'd get away without me posting an article? hah. :P

welcome to the atrocity exhibition

skipped out to go retrieve lunch a bit ago. it was only after my curry decided to spontaneously spring a leak on me as soon as i'd hit the library doors that i realised Red Eye's true usefulness: it handily helped to mop up the currilicious mess down the front of my coat, and on a nearby trash/recycling bin. another issue of it also helped to convey my food back through the gates and to my desk, since the curry had of course weakened the paper bag it was in to the point of unusability. amazing.

it was also during this lunch run that i wondered how feasible it would be to file a complaint against certain individuals and their policies in our current government---via the Better Business Bureau? i've been wishing there was a way we could refuse to pay taxes based on dissatisfaction with service we've received thus far without fear of reprisal. i don't see one, but the BBB thing seems a bit more likely. i mean, come on---read what they've got up about truth in advertising guidelines, for a start!

i've luckily never had to file a complaint with the BBB before. people i know who have have not had much come of it. but the complaints would be on file for others to read, at least.

...which is the problem. probably not many people thinking about coming here are going to go look at the BBB first to seek out complaints. d'oh. it's really too bad. i think the claim (especially when made by a large number of people) would be incredibly valid.

that being said, loads of other issues have been brought to the fore recently. i can't even begin to explain how floored i was in having the task of trying to convince someone fairly close to me that wholesale genocide is not okay, and that the notion that "they all look alike" is utter bullshit. not to mention the people who actually believe the tenuous (at best, and that's stretching it SEVERELY) claims made by our government of ties betwixt Mssrs. Hussein and bin Laden. besides the fact that they were never able to prove anything, and that any "evidence" furnished was later discredited not only by credible governmental agencies abroad, but also by the CIA and FBI, merely using common sense should make one realise that two such power-hungry, egotistical individuals as they would not get along very well. really. the idea, aside from being something that would be extremely convenient for those wishing justification for this war, is patently preposterous.

of course, the tension regarding "immigrants" is paramount in my mind at the moment, mostly because of this rather disturbing conversation involving genocide. (which almost caused me to lose it, not surprisingly; was very glad Spaz was there and was making really good, informed, detailed arguments [better than mine would have been, in fact---i freeze up when too frustrated and tend to lose ability to speak well. >P], or else i really would have)

i mean, there's quite obviously the argument that unless one is of Native American ancestry, either one or one's ancestors somewhere along the line were all immigrants to this country. i wouldn't think this would be something that would need to be said, really---i'd think it would be fairly self-evident. unfortunately, it seems as though the actuality is otherwise.

the mind absolutely boggles. un-fucking-real.

anyrate, here's some articles for today:

The Judicially-Selected Dictator's Pre-Emptive War, brought to you by Ralph Nader (and before you groan [if you groan], read it--it's interesting).

more on the Coalition of the Bribed, Bullied, and Blind, brought to you by the Daily Mirror.

Henry Porter on How to Save Brand America in the wake of all the wrong being wrought in our name.

We Bomb. They Suffer. Robert Fisk on the realities of war, via the Independent.

Ultimatums and War by Lillian Corti.

and finally, following up from another article along similar lines from the other day, Jimmy Breslin relates Familiar, Haunting Words.

true your heart

Covielle (a girl whose work in online comics i admire very much) happens to be an American in Paris right now. she's stated a lot of things i've thought in a far more succinct (and just plain better, i think) fashion than i have so far. and it's also interesting to hear how people are reacting to her presence as well. you can read what she wrote here.

going home yesterday evening was exceedingly wibble-inducing. there were police in riot gear on every corner downtown i could see. another protest in Federal Plaza. apparently, the police were eager to avoid the same sort of march that sprawled up along Michigan avenue yesterday (thousands of people, traffic snarled, etc., etc. "civil disobedience." more like civil duty, really. they weren't breaking things, which i think would take it a bit far).

when you actually got up to Federal Plaza, there were police in riot gear at least three deep completely surrounding the plaza and the protesters. paddywagons scattered parked all around, some a few blocks up. didn't see horses, but can't be sure they weren't there as well. helicopters.

on a lighter note, these are rather amusing. would be more amusing if they weren't so close to home, but you might appreciate them anyway if you haven't read them. i didn't write them, but if you like them, thank the one who did...

The Very Secret Diary of Anthony Charles Lynton Blair

The Very Secret Diary of Donald Rumsfeld

The Very Secret Diary of Dr. Hans Blix

The Very Secret Diary of George W. Bush

perhaps more later this weekend. have been doing a bit better; haven't been reading/watching news so much today. feel exceedingly guilty that i have such a luxury, this trying to avoid thinking about it. it's a huge circle of stupid, really. :P

zettai unmei mokushiroku

a few interesting articles today:

The Second American Revolution

and also, the Washington Post alleges that (shock, horror) the "coalition of the willing" is all about spin. (would link WP directly, 'cept they also require registration to read articles, blah blah blah. generally like to link to sources directly rather than intermediaries, but...)

there's also this article, predicting the crumbling of a certain empire.

and finally, on a far more amusing note, Anthony H. Wilson Twats AGAIN!

(this last via the Null Device.)

also, i forgot to mention yesterday that whenever i saw newspaper boxes or what have you with simple headlines such as "WAR" glaring out from them, i very desperately found myself wanting to take a giant Magic Marker and write a big "G" in front of them. cos really, GWAR would be infinitely preferable.

gone all wrong

Common Dreams often has much reading material of interest; more than probably a lot of people have time to read and take entirely in, i would think (considering we've got jobs, allegedly). which is rather unfortunate. and also why i recommend reading this article right now.

i can't even describe how disgusted and sad i am right now. i'm sure you understand.

oh, and read this interesting commentary, too.

this last sorta ties into something i was wondering about as i listened to the speech last night. in general, i can't stand to listen to the speeches---i'll find out what was said in them later, but i just can't take listening to and/or watching him speak. it hurts.

but as i was in the midst of washing dishes last night and we had NWI on (the only newsstation i personally can stand to have on for any length of time). the speech was made. and i wondered, does he even believe what he's saying? because what i got out of the speech is that apparently, we're going in shining armour to rescue the princess from the clutches of evil. is that really what he believes? and what others believe?

part of me is utterly incredulous. apparently, that part of me can still be surprised---the very notion of which is somewhat surprising to me, as i thought i had long since reconciled to myself to this particular actuality, and all it entails.

it's true, you know. all the world really is a stage.

additionally, there are these:

another interesting article re: woeful state of media in the US, amongst other things over at Popmatters, via Krissy. nothing not known here, but still.

there's also this article, reprinted from the editorial section of yesterday's Chicago Tribune. i'd have posted it here yesterday, as i did read it then and find it rather interesting (especially coming out of that paper), but the Tribune is one of those sites requiring one to register to read their articles, and i didn't think it likely a lot of people would have patience for it. so i'm glad there's that reprint available now. the bit about Roosevelt being a manly man made me snicker.

and here's an article on the war of misinformation, complete with handy list of cliched phrases which i know i've already seen.

perhaps more to come. i'm having extreme difficulty concentrating on anything just now.

driven to distraction...

while the extremelybloodylikely prospect of war looms directly overhead, here's another very interesting oil-related story about to unfold.

of course, it's not in any way taking advantage of the fact that everyone's a little, er, preoccupied right now. oh no.

...what was that being said about it having nothing at all to do with oil in the slightest? hrrm.

(heads up comes from Paul the Postman, BTW.)

[addendum as of 8:49am CST on Thursday, 20 March 2003: Fi just sent me this. which is good news of a sort, although rather small in comparison to everything else. :I

oh, and if you've been having problems posting comments due to it demanding a password of you, sorry---my mistake. it's fixed now, so comment if you wish.]

while i've rather lightly brushed up against the topic, i'd like to say now that i really wish i could write something brilliant right now about this whole mess, but i can't. what can i say that hasn't been said already? just saying "er, this is really fucked up," doesn't quite cut it, does it?

someone once mentioned to me the joke that SBC really stands for "sodomised by cowboys."

an awfully apt description for this particular period in time. wonder if that's how it'll be demarcated in the history books? "The SBC Era: How the World was Lost."

also, Spaz got the latest issue of CBLDF's Busted! yesterday. full of interesting news about their ongoing fight to avenge trouncings of freedom-of-speech laws as regards anything and everything to do with comics. in it was an update on the Texas vs. Jesus Castillo case; the crux of which blows my mind every time i read it.

basically, it comes down to this: apparently, one isn't supposed to sell pornographic comics to adults of legal age. at least, not in Texas. because, you know, comics are only meant for kids. nevermind the fact that the arresting officer even made note of the fact that the "Adult" section was clearly marked and set off from the rest of the store, and that all materials within that section (including the translated hentai manga purchased by the undercover officer) were all clearly marked as "adult material." you can read more about the case here, and an interview with Jesus here. there's also another Newsarama followup here.

the CBLDF and other likeminded organisations need support more than ever, especially now, when voices of dissent seem to automatically equal treason in an alarming number of minds.

not really a tune you can dance to, is it?

...wow. O.O;;;

this is, of course, a very small and insignificant thing in the face of just about everything else, but this definitely tips the scales just an eensy bit more towards utter, complete, irrefutable insanity for Senhor Ashcroft now, doesn't it?

(incidentally, they were always referred to as "tabby cats" by everyone i know. as a kid, i only ever saw "calico" in books. perhaps it varies by region...?)