The Runcible Blog

Paul Krugman's column today in the New York Times talks about the lies that the American public swallowed whole:

One wonders whether most of the public will ever learn that the original case for war has turned out to be false. In fact, my guess is that most Americans believe that we have found W.M.D.'s. Each potential find gets blaring coverage on TV; how many people catch the later announcement — if it is ever announced — that it was a false alarm? It's a pattern of misinformation that recapitulates the way the war was sold in the first place. Each administration charge against Iraq received prominent coverage; the subsequent debunking did not.

It's unbelievable to see the polls that say that the majority of the public would still support the invasion and occupation of Iraq even if they knew they were being lied to. I guess it doesn't matter now that we "won" (meanwhile, Iraq is still in chaos, and what ever happened to Afghanistan? Oh, that's right, more chaos.)

Thanks to this pattern of loud assertions and muted or suppressed retractions, the American public probably believes that we went to war to avert an immediate threat — just as it believes that Saddam had something to do with Sept. 11.

Now it's true that the war removed an evil tyrant. But a democracy's decisions, right or wrong, are supposed to take place with the informed consent of its citizens. That didn't happen this time. And we are a democracy — aren't we?

  

The feeling I've encountered from many pro-war folks is that they really were afraid of Iraq's WMD's. They bought into the fear-mongering 100% and never questioned the crap coming out of Ari Fleischer's and Rumsfeld's mouths this whole time. Come on, people! Let's be a little more skeptical!

When I hung out on Main street, North Andover with my signs, some lady confronted me. I asked her in general terms if she would trust someone who lied to her. She replied that, in fact, she would hold a grudge against someone who lied to her. So I said, "well, the president has lied to you. why do you continue to believe him?" And she basically avoided the issue. The lesson is that it's ok for our president to lie to us, thus causing the needless deaths of countless people, but if some joe shmuck is dishonest, he'll need to work hard to regain any credibility. The fact that the administration can continue to feed us lies and get away with it marks a huge win for Karl Rove and the rest of the political masterminds ruling our Muppet President.

Not that I care about Clinton (Michael Moore called him the best Republican president we've had), but what a stinky hypocrisy we have when Clinton can be accused of "high crimes and misdemeanors" and impeached because he lied about sex, while Bush can lie about the need for war, lie about his past (he was an alcoholic and a coke addict), and continue lying without any retribution. Of course, the Democrats don't want to try impeaching Bush because they'd be seen as unpatriotic. And God forbid anybody from going out on a limb against the president's high popularity.

Hum-bug to the whole lot of them!

I don't get it. Can't we all just get along?

Hmm, it's been a while since I've written anything. Here's a brief recap of last week's events:

For Easter, rather than participating in any sort of reincarnation celebration, I took a nice trip to Den Rock Park in Lawrence/North Andover. There are a bunch of trails in this state park (which seems to be transforming into a housing development) that I've never explored. I took some pictures of the results of human meddling in the woods back there. It looks like all the new construction has interfered with the natural water run-off, creating large areas of flooded marshes where there used to be trails. Interesting...
On Monday, I went to Boston to watch the marathon and cheer for my father. I even ran the last mile (and would've had a heart attack if I had to run any longer than that...time to get back into shape). So, that was pretty exciting.
The rest of the week consisted of mundane work-related things, including the apparent controversy and irritation I'm causing by bothering to question our current brain-dead, hypocritical policies. So, I'm not winning the popularity contest anywhere, lately. All in a day's work.
Saturday, my father and I helped out a couple old ladies. It's always sad to see old people considered nuisances and hassles. This lady is 91 years old yet seems to be treated as a pest. Well, I guess I don't know the whole story (maybe she is a pest), but it's heartbreaking to see someone confined to a bed, waiting to die. I guess that's why we usually ship our elderly off to nursing homes -- out of sight, out of mind.
This weekend, I read Stupid White Men by Michael Moore. I highly recommend it even though some of what he says is a bit over-the-top. I'd rather have him doing what he does than have no one voicing the concerns mentioned in the book.
Finally, I'm falling in love with Astrud Gilberto (or at least her voice).

Nina Simone died today at the age of 70. I was surprised because I thought she had died years ago. Either way, her music lives on in my CD player.

I wonder if there's a device that will allow me to use my feet to navigate the Internet. I like to recline in my chair here while keeping the keyboard on my desk. Right now, I can page up and down and maybe go forward and backward with the browser, but I can't type with my toes. The keyboard is too small. As a result, I have to lean forward to type in a new address or click on a link. Well I suppose I could use the mouse with my foot, but it wouldn't be as accurate or fast. Or if my chair had a keyboard built in to the arms, I'd be all set. Anyway, someone should invent a keyboard that can be operated by feet. They'd make millions.

Yes, it's true -- I have no life.

Kissing Jessica Stein: A cute and funny movie. Not just for lesbians.
*gasp*

That is all.

I'm about ready to trash my six string bass. This thing has no character, no personality. It's a bore to play. My $180 4 string with frets removed sounds better to my ears than this $600 behemoth. I think the fact that it isn't made out of real wood gives it a sterile, boring sound.
Hopefully I'll be able to sell it to a good home and use the money toward an upright bass. I had so much fun playing the cello that I'm sure I'd have even more fun on an instrument tuned in 4th's rather than 5th's. Then I can take my show on the road......excellent.

Woody the Woodpecker went to work outside my window today at 6:00AM.
Spring is here....

Well I just finished filing my taxes for the first time...or at least I think I finished. Actually, I might have to send something in. Arg...filling out the forms was easy enough on the Internet, but the "filing" part is trickier since I have to sign something and send it in. But I'm not sure what I have to mail. Bah. Who needs taxes anyway?

It looks like I'll get a nice refund which I'll then use to buy 400 tacos at Taco Bell. I checked the box to send $1 to the Massachusetts Clean Election Fund. I think that will be spent on babysitters for politicians' kids. Yay.

Lately I've been setting up a qmail mail server at work to replace an aging Mac running Eudora. The server routes and delivers much of the company's mail, and I have to say, I've never seen so much spam in my life! I haven't done any statistics yet, but I'd estimate that the company receives nearly 5,000 spam emails every day. 3,000 of those are to users who don't exist. Unfortunately, for now, I have the job of sorting through those for any legitimate messages (spelling mistakes, etc). What I've learned so far is that spammers think that by sending 50 copies of the same message, people will be forced to realize that their penis needs enlarging, horny housewives are waiting for them, and now is the best time to refinance their mortgage. Something tells me most spammers didn't take any classes in advertising. If ever there was a case for Social Darwinism, this is it.

While looters in Baghdad participate in jubilant anarchy, robbing hospitals of their lightbulbs and incubators, burning down government offices and embassies, attempting to pillage orphanages, and stealing 5000 year old artifacts from the National Museum of Iraq, it's good to know that the Ministry of Oil is well protected. By the way, this war isn't about oil....

Among the thousands of people who protested yesterday comes this picture from outside a KFC in Pakistan:

(AP Photo/B.K.Bangash)
I'm glad that if I ever go to Pakistan I'll be able to have a bucket of extra crispy Kentucky-style chicken. Thanks, globalization!

My erstwhile friend, Nathan from Winchester, is moving back to his hometown of Eerie, Pennsylvania. That means we won't have any eclectic jams in Harvard Square this spring/summer....unless I can find some people to play with.

Anybody? Anybody?

Below is a fascinating article about Hitler's rise to power and the parallels to the United States government today. It's long but worth the read. There's such a thing called Godwin's Law which states that as soon as someone tries to compare Nazis or Hitler to anything, they automatically lose the argument. Regardless, this article provides an interesting perspective. Bob Marley said, "If you know your history, then you would know where you're coming from." Yeah.

Read more...

The mini-protest made today's paper:

In addition to people supporting the troops, some antiwar protesters turned out at a North Andover rally yesterday. Holding signs are Masood Sheikh (left) of North Andover and Dave St.Germain of Lawrence. (photo by Tim Wacker)
Sunday, April 6, 2003
Local rally backs troops

By Tim Wacker
Staff Writer

NORTH ANDOVER --

For about 30 people gathered outside Town Hall yesterday, braving the rain, snow and sleet was a small sacrifice to show support for American troops in Iraq who are braving much worse.

"It's snowing out, and so what?" said rally organizer Debbie Boda clutching an American flag in her right hand. "Look at what they are doing to sacrifice for us .... I am behind Bush, but I have people close to me who disagree."

If those who joined Boda yesterday are any indication, many more people agree with her these days. Few at the rally carried umbrellas, everyone carried a flag and many carried placards proclaiming in red white and blue their support for the American troops in Iraq.

North Andover 12-year-old, Katie Sullivan, kicked off the rally at 10:14 a.m. with the national anthem. Before she sang, the St. Michael's School seventh-grader said she loved both, singing and her country.

"I think, if there's definitely a reason to be there, then we should be there," she said. "I'm not exactly sure what I feel about it, but if the president said there is a reason, then I guess we should be there."

Similar sentiments were spoken by many adults in attendance. Cynthia Sibeleski, a North Andover resident whose son, Michael, is serving in the war effort overseas, said she wanted him home. She also said her son believed in what he was doing, so she did too.

"I never gave up my son to go to Iraq," she said. "But he wouldn't have it any other way so I wouldn't have it any other way."

Methuen resident Gayle Andrews said she supported the war effort early on, even though her son Eric, 28, has been serving with the Marines in Iraq since January 28.

"I didn't feel good about it but, yeah, I supported it," Andrews said. "It's started, so now, I've got to support it."

For most spoken with yesterday, the reason for the rally was as regrettable as the weather that set the somber tone, which followed it through three hours. The scraping of snowplows and the supportive horn blasts from passersby occasionally drowned out a short speech given by Edward Mitchell, North Andover's director of veterans services.

Mitchell presented Sibeleski with a Blue Star Banner, one of 18 that have been handed out to North Andover families with sons or daughters serving in the war effort. Mitchell then read off the names of those 18 service people and Sullivan then sang "America the Beautiful."

The formalities over, a bone-aching damp, cold and sometimes driving frozen rain did little to chill the spirits of supporters of all ages who lingered behind. World War II veteran, Jim Cassidy, the commander of the American Legion Post 219 in North Andover, said he supported the war before it got started and now it is time others joined in.

"We've got one young man right here in Dracut who got killed," he said, referring to Matthew Boule, 22, who died in a helicopter crash near the Iraqi city of Karbala Wednesday. "We're losing lives over there, so it's important that the citizens of the United States unite."

Across Main Street from Town Hall, two men with white cardboard signs disagreed. One sign said "Don't Believe the Lies." The other said "End War, Wage Peace."

North Andover resident and rally attendant Ralph Wilbur spent about 20 minutes trying to convert one of the two men.

"He doesn't support our troops," Wilbur said as he abandoned his conversation with war opponent Dave St. Germain of Lawrence. "I don't support our troops over there," St. Germain replied. "I'll support our troops when they are over here."

Joining St. Germain, Masood Sheikh, was blunt. " We are colonizing (Iraq); we are taking their oil," Sheikh said. "There is no reason for us to be over there. This is Bush and Cheney's war. ... We're here to support our troops. Bring them home."

Both men seemed indifferent to the glares leveled at them from those on the other side of the street. But there were no ill feelings spoken toward the two men who stood out in stark opposition to the cause that so many felt so passionately about just 30 feet away.

"That's why we are fighting over there. So they can do that," Wilbur said, pointing to St. Germain and Sheikh. "That's what it's all about."

A larger, similar rally scheduled to start at 11 a.m. the same day in Lawrence was called off because of the weather. Organizer James Stokes said it would be rescheduled for next weekend.

----------

First of all, I don't remember saying that exact quote. Second, Mr.Wilbur didn't spend 20 minutes trying to "convert" me. And most importantly, there were plenty of ill feelings spoken toward us. See my previous entry. But I shouldn't expect fair reporting from The Eagle Tribune. They've been blatantly pro-war from the start. Since I work at the Tribune, maybe I'll find Tim Wacker and give him a piece of my mind.

(updated with better picture and text from Eagle Tribune Online)

I'm not a teenager anymore. How about that? Weird, huh?
It would've been cool to see Laser Floyd. Ah well.

I just finished watching Dr.Strangelove (Or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb) which I just bought on DVD. It's a great movie. Sorry, movie reviews aren't my forte.

20 years seems like a long time, but the years pass so much quicker now. In the words of Roger Daltrey, "I hope I die before I get old!"......(not really)

I went to my first protest today -- a protest of one. I had seen flyers for a "support the troops" rally in North Andover and felt that I should make a stand for opposition to this war. So, I went down there with a few signs:

"Support the troops by bringing them HOME!!"
"End war. Wage Peace."
"Don't believe the lies."
(yes, nothing terribly original)

The roughly two dozen flag-wavers stood on one side of the street (in front of town hall) while I stood on the other side. When I held up the "support the troops by bringing them home" sign, the lead flag-waver came over and expressed her agreement. She gave me a flag to wave and asked if I had more signs. When I showed her the other signs and explained my position, she frowned, argued, and returned to the safety of her fellow flag-wavers. I'm surprised she didn't want me to return the flag. A few reporters asked me some questions, and a photog took my picture -- although it was odd that he told me to hold the sign so that it would fit in his shot. I thought setting up photographs was a journalistic no-no. Anyway, the vast majority of the people who drove or walked by reacted with scorn or insults. Many drivers shook their heads in disgust, and several told me to go home or gave me the finger. Several veterans muttered as the passed while one WWII veteran said I had "guts". But I don't think he agreed with me. That's ok though. What isn't ok is the large number of people who say "shut up" to anti-war protesters in an attempt to squelch dissent. What country do we live in, again?

After a while, a man named Masood approached me and agreed with me. He saw my sign as he was driving by and felt that he should stop and participate. So, Masood, originally from Pakistan, and I stood together in mostly quiet protest. One zealous person intentionally drove into a large puddle in front of us, splashing slush all over the place. Across the street, the flag-wavers and the police officers grinned and laughed at us.

So many people seemed angry at us -- too many people had the "you're either with us or with Saddam" attitude. This line of thinking is dangerous and scary. Little kids across the street chanted "USA! USA!" while holding signs that said "boycott French". I felt like I had been teleported to Alabama. I thought Massachusetts was "liberal", but North Andover is a very wealthy, and therefore conservative town. Masood remarked that he's noticed a relationship between flag size and intelligence -- those with the biggest flags are the most ignorant. His words, not mine. But the flag-wavers did seem awfully blind in their patriotism. I can hardly blame them, however, since the media coverage has been overwhelmingly propagandistic in favor of the war. That, combined with the false belief that our government would never do anything wrong leads to such demonstrations of flag-waving prowess.

Yes, I know that I can't stop this war myself. Even with the help of a soft-spoken 5'4" Pakistani-American, we probably won't change anyone's mind. But, it's very important for like-minded people to know that there are those who share their views. If someone thinks that they are alone in their dissent (which would be understandable for anyone living in North Andover), they might be too afraid to speak out. And I know I was feeling a little discouraged before Masood showed up. So, that relationship is the value of protesting -- getting the message out not only to those who disagree but to those who agree but feel alienated and marginalized.

When we left, the flag-wavers sang "Na na na na, hey hey hey, goodbye!" I regret that I stooped to their level and offered the one finger American salute as I walked away. I shouldn't have done that since it only helps their cause. Emotions got the better of me (there you go, Judy).

The seeds of fascism are planted wherever dissent is stomped out. Fascism grows when patriotism replaces speculation and children hear nothing but propaganda. The flag-wavers accused me of ignorance of history and the threat of "inaction", but it seems that we could all use a history lesson. Goering said it best:

"Naturally, the common people don't want war; neither in Russia nor in England nor in America, nor for that matter in Germany. That is understood. But, after all, it is the leaders of the country who determine the policy and it is always a simple matter to drag the people along, whether it is a democracy or a fascist dictatorship or a Parliament or a Communist dictatorship.....
the people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. That is easy. All you have to do is tell them they are being attacked and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism and exposing the country to danger. It works the same way in any country."

I witnessed a small dose of the effects of Goering's statement today.

I wish I knew how to draw. I used to draw a bit but was never any good.

I should start taking more pictures soon. perhaps saturday

I realized on my way to work today that Lynrd Skynrd is a silly band (took me long enough).

Why do people still doubt evolution?

"Girl From Ipanema" is such a smooth song.

When does spring start?

(warning: geek speak ahead...)
There's a weird system here that enables me to update this picture every 30 seconds and involves three computers and lots of noise. A Logitech Quickcam Express connects to an old iMac called aquaboogie. The picture then gets sent via NFS to this huge server a few feet away whose fans lull me to sleep at night. The picture is stored on a RAID array of one drive (therefore, it's neither redundant nor an array). Finally, the webserver in my closet (too far away to get a picture), which also has an NFS link to the huge not-redundant RAID, grabs the photo and serves it up. It's a convoluted configuration, but it justifies having an otherwise useless 3rd computer running at all times.
Now, when I want to add that little picture of the cat, it's a whole different story involving laser digitization of a tiny cat that I keep frozen under my bed, but I won't get into that this time.

There, I've gotten that computer mumbo jumbo out of my system....back to the usual rambling.

Extra! Extra!

"you dont understand kids our age"
That just about makes my day.

(By the way, I'll be 20 in 4 days -- so over the hill that I've lost touch with youth, apparently.)

Update:

BrokenSoapBox (9:28:23 PM): you're telling me to be a stronger person, but unfortunately, you too are also spineless, yet act like your some sort of demi-god, like you're better than everyone...i can not take your advice seriously because i dont believe that i cant take "courage tips" from someone who lacks it
BrokenSoapBox (9:28:44 PM): and that's all i have to say. goodnight
“BrokenSoapBox” signed off at 9:28:48 PM.

That's classic. To paraphrase the above quote -- "You're spineless, but I'm too chicken to stick around and explain how." Thanks for the tip, babe. But I really do hope you grow a spine, even if you never talk to me again. Good luck.

the camera is back on:

This story is just silly:

They may be the ones facing danger on the battlefield, but US soldiers in Iraq are being asked to pray for President George W Bush.

Thousands of marines have been given a pamphlet called "A Christian's Duty," a mini prayer book which includes a tear-out section to be mailed to the White House pledging the soldier who sends it in has been praying for Bush.

"I have committed to pray for you, your family, your staff and our troops during this time of uncertainty and tumult. May God's peace be your guide," says the pledge, according to a journalist embedded with coalition forces.

The pamphlet, produced by a group called In Touch Ministries, offers a daily prayer to be made for the US president, a born-again Christian who likes to invoke his God in speeches.

Sunday's is "Pray that the President and his advisers will seek God and his wisdom daily and not rely on their own understanding".

Monday's reads "Pray that the President and his advisers will be strong and courageous to do what is right regardless of critics".

Next week they'll be serving the special Koolaid to the troops....

There's not a whole lot going on in my life recently besides the ol' rat race and banging on computers, but here are some stories of interest:

The Wall Of Shame should be required viewing for anyone who believes this war is for the benefit of the Iraqi people.

Light-weight media critic Howard Kurtz mentions some of the negative aspects of "embedded" journalists. You'd have to be really naive if you believe that the U.S military doesn't see "embedding" as a propaganda opportunity. Check out this older article about Cheney's "management" of the press during the first Gulf War.

A graphic account of the battle in Nasiriya:

Down the road, a little girl, no older than five and dressed in a pretty orange and gold dress, lay dead in a ditch next to the body of a man who may have been her father. Half his head was missing. ...

and a quote from one of America's "finest":

"The Iraqis are sick people and we are the chemotherapy," said Corporal Ryan Dupre. "I am starting to hate this country. Wait till I get hold of a friggin' Iraqi. No, I won't get hold of one. I'll just kill him."

FOX's "fair and balanced" coverage of the anti-war demonstration in NYC:

Fox News had its own response to the demonstrators. The news ticker rimming Fox's headquarters on Sixth Avenue wasn't carrying war updates as the protest began. Instead, it poked fun at the demonstrators, chiding them.

"War protester auditions here today ... thanks for coming!" read one message. "Who won your right to show up here today?" another questioned. "Protesters or soldiers?"

Said a third: "How do you keep a war protester in suspense? Ignore them."

Still another read: "Attention protesters: the Michael Moore Fan Club meets Thursday at a phone booth at Sixth Avenue and 50th Street" - a reference to the film maker who denounced the war while accepting an Oscar on Sunday night for his documentary "Bowling for Columbine."

In other news, David Frum, writer of the infamous "axis of evil" speech, Bush cheerleader, and former CANADIAN citizen (up until 2000, I believe), is whining about "unpatriotic conservatives". With friends like Frum, who needs enemies?

Finally, a serious and important domestic issue -- detaining citizens without being charged with a crime. Mike Hawash, American citizen and Intel engineer, is being held in solitary confinement, with little to no access to an attorney and without being charged with a crime. This is wrong, and dare I say it: unamerican. These illegal arrests must be stopped. The government can not be given free reign to detain or spy on law-abiding citizens. If Hawash has committed a crime, he should be charged as such and given a fair trial. There are far too many people in our government who seem to be reading 1984 as a handbook for doing business (one of these days I'll finish reading that book...hopefully sometime before fiction becomes reality).