The Rittenhouse Review, also an Aries

Hey, Happy Birthday, Jim!

Unspeakable Arrogance

After September 11th, many people asked "Why do they hate us?" like it was a hard question or something.

Why do they hate us? Well, maybe one of the reasons it that we keep saying things like this.

Sure, there's been some pilfering of food, appliances, medical supplies, and historical relics. But by the standards of a country whose rulers have routinely expropriated billions in oil revenue and seized whatever property struck their fancy, walking off with a jar of peanut butter and a fridge is more petty mischief than looting.
....That's not to say that the crowds' exuberance has been harmless; I'm sure that a lot of glass and more than a few noses have been needlessly broken, and I'm sure that some goods have been transferred to people who won't fully appreciate their value.

Some pilfering? Petty mischef? Just alot of broken glass?

How about 7,000 years of history lost forever?

As examples of what was gone, the officials cited a solid gold harp from the Sumerian era, which began about 3360 B.C. and started to crumble about 2000 B.C. Another item on their list of looted antiquities was a sculptured head of a woman from Uruk, one of the great Sumerian cities, dating to about the same era, and a collection of gold necklaces, bracelets and earrings, also from the Sumerian dynasties and also at least 4,000 years old.

How about an entire city torn to the ground?

A young man named Rafiq was panicking in a terrible way and said in a broken voice, "Where are the American forces? We want to stop this situation. There is stealing and looting and we need safety. WHERE ARE THE AMERICANS?" ... "This isn't freedom, this is bullsh*t," a kid said to me. It was like the report of a rifle.

How about sick people going untreated because the hospitals have been looted?

International Committee of the Red Cross official Roland Huguenin-Benjamin told CNN that hospitals have been looted and pointed out that potential patients will not be able to make it to the hospitals to receive treatment "unless some sort of security can be re-established in the city."

Take a look at this Yahoo News slideshow for a closer look at these "small potatoes." Some of these pictures are of Iraqis looting Saddam Hussein's palace. Fine. But the images of destroyed museum artifacts are disturbing. Not to mention images of people looting humanitarian food supplies and hospitals.

If that's not enough for you, how about this horrible quote Free Pie found in Atrios' comments?

Limbaugh actually said the following today in regards to the museum looting:

"What culture? What cars have they invented? How many Nobel Prizes have they won?"

What culture? Oh, I don't know, that is the part of the world that pretty much invented the city, and the number zero (which is the exact amount of respect I have for Limbaugh). Or how about this amazing piece of architecture (found at Veiled 4 Allah)?

Why do they hate us? Because we're a bunch of completely inconsiderate assh*les, that's why.

And the first person to say "Oh, that means you think people deserved to die on 9/11" gets a verbal punch in the nose (addendum: not an actual punch, as this right-wing thug that Digby posted about suggested). That shows, to quote Bill Maher, an inability to mentally walk and chew gum at the same time.

Okay, rant over.

Deja Vu all over again

You know, this line didn't convince me last time, and they'll have a really hard time trying to convince me with it again.

Fleischer would not rule out military action against Syria, but emphasized that it is U.S. policy never to do so.

"We always leave options on tables, but our course of action with Syria is focused on reminding Syria that this is a good time for them to re-examine their support of terrorism, and a good place to begin is with their harboring of these Iraqi leaders who have fled to Syria, who should be allowed to find safe haven there."

Syria flatly denied the accusations.

As Tom Tomorrow said, "second verse same at the first".

Good News, Funny Photos

This news made me happy, but also a little weireded out because of the photos of soldiers all in matching pajamas. They look a little like escaped mental patients.

KUWAIT CITY - Unexpectedly released by Iraqi troops, seven U.S. POWs basked in a warm welcome Sunday and were declared in good shape after their 22 days of imprisonment....Shortly after their capture early in the war, the seven had been shown on Iraq's state-run television - giving a human face to the peril confronting American troops. After their release, Young's father, back in Lithia Springs, Ga., watched shaky video footage of his son on CNN. "It's him, and I'm just so happy that I could kiss the world!" Ronald Young Sr. said. "It's him! It's definitely him."

Yay! Also this photo of a servicewoman living it up in the lap of cheezy deposed-regime luxury is very amusing. Via Electrolite.

Flexing the Freedom Muscle

I will give you 500 dollars if you can give me examples of right-wing "pro-war" protesters being treated in a remotely similar fashion as the left-wing "anti-war" protesters have been treated recently at Yale.

From Atrios (edited slightly for language*):

1) Wednesday morning - Publishing of an article on Katherine Lo,
whose suite was entered by three men armed with a 2x4 after she displayed an American flag upside-down outside her dorm room window. They attempted to enter her room, which was locked, and left the following note: "I love kicking the Muslims b*tches ass! They should all die with Mohammad. We as Americans should destroy them and launch so many missiles their mothers don't produce healthy offspring. F*ck Iraqi Saddam following f*cks. I hate you, GO AMERICA."


2) Wednesday evening - A group of undergraduates participated in a silent, non-violent vigil-type action in the University's dining halls to mourn the loss of Iraqi civilians in the current conflict. Raphael Soifer, a participant, was followed out of Davenport and spit on by a husky white male.

There's more, and it ain't pretty. And please, none of the "Well, in Iraq under Saddam you wouldn't have the freedom to decry the government," because that's the stupidest argument ever. That's like saying "Since you can show your dissent, that automatically means you shouldn't." What good is ability to flex your "freedom muscle" (to coin a kinky-sounding phrase) if you never actually flex it? If you have the ability to say, play the violin, and then say "I'm not going to play it, because I already can," then eventually you will lose that ability.

Am I the only one this is an obvious connection for? The less we allow ourselves to use the freedom of expression that people have fought and died for, the more the muscle will atrophy and eventually our freedom will be a 90 pound weaking that gets sand kicked in its face by Canada. And nobody wants that.

*I edited the language a little so that people reading this site from work won't get blocked out by their horribe fascist web-nanny software.

Cultural Casualties of War

The looting in Baghdad is really starting to piss me off. (note: I've been told recently that I'm always pissed off about something. Perhaps Plucky is a misnomer?) We were immediately able to secure the oil wells in Iraq. The president even specifically asked Iraqis not to destroy them, because they were "wealth that belongs to the Iraqi people". But stores, offices, hospitals, schools? Even, god help us, the museum? Go ahead, angry mob, help yourself.

Robbing history itself, thieves pillaged the Iraq National Museum, stealing or destroying artifacts going back 7,000 years predating even Babylon. The loss resonated through Baghdad and around the world.

"This is Iraq's civilization," said a tearful museum employee. "And it's all gone now." At Emory University in Atlanta, historian Gordon Newby said: "This is just one of the most tragic things that could happen for our being able to understand the past."

The looting isn't just annoying. It's also, if I may put on my tinfoil cap for a moment, suspiciously convienent.

The looting of the Baghdad bureaucracy raised concerns that any documents tied to Iraqi chemical, biological or nuclear weapons programs might disappear along with all the treasures.

Our "unoccupying force" (you know, like 7up is the "unCola") needs to take care of this. Perhaps we are finding out that rebuilding a nation is not entirely as easy as we thought it would be?

Let me just say this right now for the record...

If any of my "friends" or "loved ones" ever, ever puts me on Scare Tactics, I will kill them.

That show is seriously funny, though.

Happy Birthday to me!

Woo Hoo! I am 25! If the world ends tomorrow, so be it.

Welcome to my blogroll

Thanks to The Watch for the link!

Happy Birthday*, the War is Over

I was going to write something pithy and genius about the "end" of the war, but Max wrote it already.

What's left? Will the Iraqi people come out of this, after burying their war dead, in better shape then we found them? If you think it matters, you have to admit it remains to be seen.

Got read it. I hope the "new" Iraqi government is worth these horrible injuries, these horrible deaths, and this kid's arms. To paraphrase a "Get You War On" cartoon I saw a while back, the Iraqi people better be the most freaking free people on the face of the planet, for me to justify the loss of a little boy's arms. The better have a more enlightened government than Canada by next week.

I also want to know, as I did with Afghanistan, what evil we're bolstering and supporting now that will turn against us in 20 years. Because, you know, our track record of installing successfull governments is soo good.

So while I definitely think it's great the Iraqi people are dancing in the streets right now, (especially the "Democracy, Whisky, Sexy" guy Bill Maher mentioned on his show last week) forgive me if I reserve my judgement on the "success" of the war for the time being.

Just to clarify, I know the song is "Happy Xmas, the War is Over", but it's my birthday tomorrow, so I changed it.

Let's play a little game...

Who said this?

"We have a president I don't trust, who has proven my reason for not trusting him: He had no plan. We have a civil war that was falsely described as a huge humanitarian problem, when in comparison to other places, it was nothing."

Was it Michael Moore at the Oscars? Was it Peter Arnett on Iraqi television? Was it John Kerry talking about George W. Bush? Was it a Dixie Chick?

Nope, it was Tom DeLay deriding President Clinton during the Kosovo invasion.

What's that you say, a Republican criticizing the President during wartime? They must really hate America!

For more right-wing hypocrisy, read this Salon article about how John Kerry is standing up to convervative attack dogs.

Luckily the decorated Vietnam war veteran is defending himself. ... "I'm not going to let the likes of Tom DeLay question my patriotism, which I fought for and bled for in order to have the right to speak out," .... "The Republicans have tried to make a practice of attacking anybody who speaks out strongly by questioning their patriotism. I refuse to have my patriotism or right to speak out questioned. I fought for and earned the right to express my views in this country." Finally, a Democrat who has the guts to fight back!

Let's hope they all show the same backbone, and we may actually end up with a democratic presidential candidate with a chance of ousting the Boy Emperor from office!

Jewish-Muslim Interfaith Peace Walk

There is going to be a Peace Walk (like a march, but slower I suppose) in Albuquerque, NM on Saturday, May 10th. It will start at Nahalat Shalom at 7 am and end up at the Islamic Center of New Mexico. Anyone wanting more specific info just send me an email.

This one hit close to home...

The IDF has shot another non-violent, unarmed protester.

Brian Avery, 24, from Albuquerque, N.M., heard shots fired and came out of his apartment building to investigate just as an armored personnel carrier rounded a corner, said Tobias Karlsson, a fellow activist...."We had our hands up and we were wearing vests that clearly identified us as international workers when they began firing," Tobias said. "Brian was shot in the face, and it looks like he was hit by a heavy caliber bullet because of the extent of the wound."

Brian Avery is exactly my age and from my home town. I wonder if I've ever met him.

My father travelled with members of the ISM on his recent trip through the Occupied Territories. These people are not terrorists. I wonder what ham-handed excuse the IDF will offer up this time.

Life as Parody

It took me a second to realize this pro-war rally was an April Fool's joke by anti-war protesters.

Then again, compare this to this and you might wonder which is real and which is a joke as well.

One thing I've been feeling recently is that America is not so much a country anymore, but a spoof of a country, starring Leslie Neilsen and directed by David Zucker and titled Democracy 33 1/3 or something. It's getting hard to tell The Daily Show and The Onion from actual news.

I don't know if that's good or bad.

Missed Opportunity

You know, I'm actually kind of sad that Geraldo got kicked out of Iraq.

Fox News correspondent Geraldo Rivera and his crew were flown out of Iraq Wednesday by members of the Army's 101st Airborne Division.
Earlier this week, military officials accused Rivera of disclosing military movements without military authorization after a report in which he squatted in the desert and outlined military movements in the dirt.

This is a serious missed opportunity.

Think about it. Once coalition forces took hold of Baghdad, Geraldo could come across a secret vault in Saddam Hussein's basement, and spend an hour of prime time tv talking about all the amazing Weapons of Mass Destruction (and other buzzwords) hidden there. Then, they would crack it open on live on Fox and find...nothing!

Either that or one of Saddam's Fedayeen could hit Geraldo in the face with a chair and break his nose, I'm not sure which one would be better.

Seriously, missed opportuniy. Story via skippy.

Do you think we would ever see this on Fox News?

I really don't have any additional comment for this story. It speaks for itself.

"We had hope," he said. "But then you Americans came to bring us democracy and our hope ended."

Another one for the "I guess they'd rather be alive than free" files. Via Hesiod.

Thanks!

To everyone who sent me a nice letter telling me not to be in pain anymore.

And thanks to Devra, for the link!

This is a seriously stupid article.

I am sick and tired of hearing that the anti-war movement should support the troops. How am I not supporting the troops if I don't think they should die?

Those who protest insist, for the most part, that they support the troops. But cries of "Bring them home!" are all but drowned out by ubiquitous war coverage.

"For the most part" my arse. Humph.

Look, I understand that our soldiers are good at their jobs, and that they understand the risks involved in performing it. Still, I think that if you join the armed forces, putting your life on the line, you are putting your implicit trust in your leaders to not to be wasted as a resource. Just because you're the president, and you can order a bunch of men and women to go and die for your personal gain, doesn't mean you should. I oppose the war the administration has started, not the mostly working-class men and women they are using as pawns and then refusing to take care of when they are sick and old.

Support the troops, bring them home.

Trust me...

If your dentist ever asks you "so, in addition to that filling I'm going to give you, do you think you're up for having your wisdom teeth pulled?" say NO.

I don't think I could be in more pain if I tried.

No blogging today, I'm going to take a percocet.

Operation Iraqi Freedom, Shmoperation Shmiraqi Shmreedom

I was asked the other day if I didn't think the humanitarian cause was reason enough to go to war with Iraq. Sure it is. It's just not the reason we're going to war with Iraq. There are a myriad of other countries that have horrible human rights violations that we don't seem to have a problem with. In fact, some of them are members (however dubious) of the "coalition of the willing".

Read this CNN.com article.

When asked why the U.S. felt it could have countries who were criticized in the report as members of its coalition against Iraq, Powell said, "We do not believe it is inconsistent to work with nations who are willing to assist in this effort who themselves have some problems with respect to human rights that we candidly talk to them about and encourage them to change."

Uhh huh. I'm sure Saudi Arabia also talks candidly back to us and encourages us to buy their oil.

The article also notes human rights violations in China, Israel, Palestine, Colombia, Afghanistan (wait, didn't we liberate them already?), and other nations. We're not going to war with any of those nations. I'm going to "go out on a limb" here and say that "Operation Iraqi Freedom" is hideously misnamed.

We've got to keep our heads until this peace craze blows over...

U.S. troops in Iraq have apparently been watching Full Metal Jacket, or something.

U.S. troops killed seven women and children and wounded two others when they opened fire on a car packed with civilians near Najaf, Central Command war headquarters said.

Thirteen women and children were inside the vehicle, four of whom were unhurt, the U.S. military said.

This story is sad enough, but I think I've heard these things said before. From Full Metal Jacket:

Private Eightball: I guess they'd rather be alive than free. Poor dumb bastards.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Private Joker: How can you tell which ones are V.C?
Door Gunner: Anyone who runs is V.C. Anyone who stands still is well-disciplined V.C.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Private Joker: How can you shoot women and children?
Door Gunner: Easy... you don't lead 'em so much.
[laughs]
Door Gunner: Ain't war hell?!

I think in our media-saturated culture we're reaching in weeks a state of craziness it took years to reach in earlier wars. So perhaps what we're seeing now in Iraq is a sort of speed-Vietnam. With embedded web-cam "journalism" being pumped into us 24-7 the Iraqi people have been dehumanized completely in a matter of weeks.

Maybe I'm wrong, and maybe we'll find out that the women in this vehicle were all horrible terrorist suicide bombers with ricin for blood, or something, but I don't think so.

**ADDENDUM** For another incident of Full Metal Jacket syndrome, read this horrifying story I found at Hullaballoo.

Martin's distress was in contrast to the bitter satisfaction of some of his fellow marines as they surveyed the scene. "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."

This is sickening and very sad. I'll say again, Saddam Hussein better have Osama bin Laden hiding in his basement. He better have nuclear freaking warheads aimed at the Statue of Liberty. The world better look like freaking Star Trek after he's gone, or otherwise this war is the least justified act that the U.S. government has ever committed.

some tweaking...

Okay, I got tired of having a blog that looked exactly like 5 or 6 other blogs I could name off hand, so I changed some fonts and added some images. Hate anything? Have I rendered anything unreadable? Let me know. I am holding off on changing the links, contact, and random pages, not to mention the archives, until I decide I like it this way.

**UPDATE** Well, I stayed up half the night changing things around, and wound up changing most things right back they way they were. Oh Well.

And soon, no drinking and no talking!

Albuquerque Clears Air With Smoking Ban

One less reason to like it here! One thing the United States really doesn't need is another California! Please, Californians, stop moving here!

I want to reserve judgement on this, but...

...it's really, really hard to do so. One of the things I've hoped the Bush Administration was right about, now that we have gone to war, is the fact that Iraq is hiding chemical, biological, or nuclear weapons. Not that I wanted those weapons in the hands of Saddam Hussein, but I wanted this war to be for a good reason.

I don't want to say those weapons are not there. But it's getting harder and harder to believe that they are there.

Intelligence officials were convinced they would find the toxin known as ricin, which is deadlier than cyanide, or the apparatus to make chemicals at the facility. In fact, they were so concerned they were planning to attack this facility before the war....Inside, they found mortar shells, medical supplies and grim prison cells but no immediate proof of chemical or biological agents.

I truly hope this war has better results than our previous one (see an earlier rant of mine) and I truly hope that it is indeed for a good reason. Who knows, in the coming weeks, or months, or, god forbid, years, we will find all sorts of weapons capable of "mass destruction" and other such buzzwords. I hope so.

I really don't want another useless war committed in my name.

Anthrax? That's soo 2001.

Apparently the fact that the person who murdered several people through the mail with Anthrax powder last year was probably an American working in a lab somewhere does not faze the Bush Administration.

A Bush administration program to add at least three bioweapons labs is troubling many scientists and arms control experts, who say it can't be good to train more microbiologists in the black art of bioterror..."It's perversely increasing the risk of exposure," said Richard Ebright, a Rutgers University chemistry professor and bioweapons expert who believes one additional lab is all that is needed.

Ebright and others believe labs managed by universities could prove less secure than government facilities, which have had their own security lapses.

Many believe the anthrax attacks that killed five people and briefly paralyzed Capitol Hill in 2001 were launched by a scientist with access to one of the government's high-security facilities -- called Biosafety Level 4 labs, or BSL-4 for short.

Not to mention the runaway monkeys.

But mistrust runs deep, especially in the California college town of Davis. Lobbied intensely by vocal residents, the city council voted to oppose the school's application to build a lab.

The Davis protests reached a crescendo in February with the escape of a lab monkey, which is still missing. Davis officials said it was disease-free and probably now dead. Still, the school's $200 million bid for a BSL-4 lab has been jeopardized.

You know, Outbreak was a terrible movie. I really don't want to see it again. Especially as real life.

51 + reason why I am against the war in Iraq

I don't think these people had to die.

Welcome to Blogtopia*!

Thanks, Polizen, for putting me on your blogroll!

*TM skippy the bush kangaroo

This is why nobody likes going to the movies with me.

Movie geeks, read this excellent article on the demise of the proper appreciation of great Hollywood films from the first half of the century. Philistines and dullards, stay away.

A Conversation...

Held last night at local cafe. Paraphrased from the original, but gets gist of it.

man: So, how's your father doing?

me: Well, he's currently working with a local Rabbi to establish a Jewish-Muslim dialogue. They get together once a month and don't fight about anything.

other man: Except for what's on the pizza, right?

me: heh heh

man: You know, I used to work with an Arab person, and I asked him why Arabs hate Jews. He said "Because the Koran tells me to!"

me: Well, you know, it doesn't actually say tha...

man: Yeah, the Koran says they have to hate and kill Christians, too!

me: It doesn't actually say...

other man: It doesn't matter if you're for or against the war, they still think you're an Infidel and they still want to kill you!

man: *laughter*

me: *sigh*

Government sanctioned...I mean embedded journalists

Salon (Oh, just click past the ad and stop whining) has a good article today about why "embedded journalists" are a bad thing.

With slices instead of the whole, the administration has provided action without context, lots of trees without any forest as one anchorman put it, which is exactly what the president wants. The White House knows that so long as viewers are focusing on the troops, there will be public support for the war, though the one thing the administration might not have bargained for is that when things go badly, a war in montage can look an awful lot like chaos.

Full story here.

All That Zzzzzzzzzzzzzz....

Is it just me, or were the Oscars a complete and total freaking snore this year?!? What is the demographic they go for...themselves??? But they're all already there! The Independent Spirit Awards on Bravo were much more entertaining, and awarded better, and more artful films.

Although, I was impressed by Michael Moore's ability to go from standing ovation to booed off the stage in a matter of moments. Hollywood is so fickle. I'm sure it was just Charleton Heston booing anyway.

"Mr. Heston, why do you think the United States has more gun violence than Canada?"

"Well, we do have a higher minority population than they do."*

And people defended Heston!

*Paraphrased from Bowling For Columbine. But gets the gist of it.

Well, since he is my patron and all...

I've added TRR: The Lighter Side of Rittenhouse to the blogroll. Go read, or Jim Capozzola might take it personally!

Hey, Thanks!

To Veiled4Allah for the link!

Local Celebrity

I'm going to have to start poking fun at him. Dad has made the paper yet again.

Abdul Rauf Campos-Marquetti, general secretary of the Islamic Center of New Mexico, said he's seen an increase in praying both at the center and in other places.
"I think strange times like this are times when communities can come together and focus on what the real issue is and that's peace and respect for each other," he said.
Campos-Marquetti has been working to keep a dialogue open between the Muslim and Jewish communities in Albuquerque.
"As a community, we encourage non-Muslims to come and speak to us and ask us what our feelings are about this situation. Don't assume we love Saddam or al-Qaida," he said.

News Bulletin....

I just heard on MSNBC (you caught me, I was watching it again) that an American soldier is in custody for the attack on the 101st airborne division that happened a few hours ago. It was apparently an inside job. I will look for a link to a story confirming this.

**UPDATE*** Atrios has the scoop.

An American Muslim soldier is among three people being questioned in connection with a grenade and small-arms attack that injured at least 10 U.S. soldiers at Camp Pennsylvania in northern Kuwait, reports CBS News Correspondent Mark Strassman.

Oh great. A Black Muslim. More fodder for Ann Coulter.

**UPDATE AGAIN*** The first paragraph of the CBS article now reads

An American soldier is among three people being questioned in connection with a grenade and small-arms attack that injured at least 16 U.S. soldiers at Camp Pennsylvania in northern Kuwait, reports CBS News Correspondent Mark Strassman, who is on the scene with the Army's 101st Airborne Division.

The word "muslim" has been excised from the article completely. Why? It will be interesting when we find out the full details of this situation.

**Okay, Another Update*** Some bloggers are already using this as an excuse to hate. I won't link to this person, but Atrios has, so if you're really that interested you can find it there.

I'm angry right now, and I may regret these words. But, I think it is entirely reasonable for Americans to suspect the loyalty of American Muslims. There is substantial evidence that their allegiances lie not with their country, but with their god.

When an American soldier, trusted, respected, takes three grenades and attempts to murder his leaders while they plan and execute a war to secure American interests, suspicion is justified.

You can call me a bigot, or a racist, or an ignorant fool. But you can't call me wrong. Not when Muslim FBI agents refuse to follow orders, not when American soldiers of the Muslim faith attempt to execute their commanding officers during wartime.

What has this disgusting, vile faith wrought?

That's funny, I think the same thing whenever John Ashcroft, or any of the sexist, backwards, born-again Christians in the current administration open their mouths.

(The above statement is a horrible generalization and I take it back.)

Seriously, if one bad Islamic American is enough to judge them all bad, then one good American Muslim, by the same logic, is enough to judge them all good. I propose we try to publicize the positive actions of Muslim Americans, in order to counter the negative attention by the press.

My example? My father, releasing doves with a Rabbi at a completely non-political peace walk (the only signs allowed were ones that read "Peace") that ran between the mosque and a synagogue. Go here for a photo.

**Final Update, I swear*** Now I hear that one of the injured soldiers in this incident has died. This is very tragic, and my heart goes out to their family. What a horrible way to lose a soldier.

Housekeeping

I've updated the blogroll with correct links for Cooped Up and Easy Bake Coven. Plus, I've added StoutDem, TAPPED, and the below mentioned Little Red Cookbook.

And thanks to StoutDem and Sisyphus Shrugged for the recent links!

If you link to me, feel free to tell me so I can thank you! And link to you back!

Cool New Blog

Well, to me at least. Via Body and Soul I find Little Red Cookbook.

"Cake or Death, sir?"

You know, I'm really starting to like my city recently...

Did anything like this happen in larger cities like San Francisco or Chigaco when anti-war rallies took an unfortunate turn?

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. -- Police, protest organizers and Mayor Martin Chavez met Friday to discuss ways of avoiding the kind of violence-marred demonstration that occurred Thursday night near the University of New Mexico.

Organizer Eric Sirotkin said the meeting was positive, and he's confident that from now on, people can safely express their feelings about the war on Iraq, without fear of violence.

(snip)

Sirotkin and police spokesman, Detective Jeff Arbogast, both said the behavior of the other side was unacceptable last night. But they said the two sides have opened the lines of communication, and Arbogast said they will continue to meet regularly. The next meeting is set for Saturday.

After watching people blow each other up on TV all day, and reading about people bulldozing other people all week, it sure is nice and refreshing to hear about opposing sides of a conflict getting along.

**UPDATE** But then again there's this.

Two teachers and a guidance counselor have been suspended after refusing to remove antiwar material from their schools in Albuquerque.

Well, this is from the school system that suspended a teacher for showing the film Catch-22 to her students, after the students read the book, which was required reading and on the syllabus.

Reason # 1,346,232...

The Agonist gives us this tidbit.

The 320 Tomahawk cruise missiles the U.S. Navy launched into Baghdad on March 21 cost $1.2 million each -- meaning the first massive air assault on Iraq totaled $385 million.

$385 million. In one day. Sigh.

Talking to the right-wing conservative hand

Sometimes you get the feeling that sensible dovish people could shout at the hawks all day long, and they just don't listen. Take this story about a group representing family members of victims of the September 11, called the September 11th Families for Peaceful Tomorrows.

The group also condemned Iraqi President Saddam Hussein's regime, and expressed support and concern for American troops.

But it said the resulting civilian deaths of a war on Iraq and the consequences of destroying Iraq's environment and infrastructure could lead to many deaths in the future.

To which the pro-war hawks replied;

Others disagreed with the group.

"I think it's very important that you support our troops even if you don't support the war," said Jill Pall, who founded Adam's Angels in memory of Adam Rand, a friend who died on September 11.

The group condemned Hussein and expressed support and concern for American troops, and yet they are still told they should support our troops even if they don't support the war.

Anybody see the problem here?

As a person firmly rooted on the left I'm really tired of having to say every two seconds "I support the troops even if I don't support the war," or "I'm against the occupation of Palestine but I feel suicide bombings on innocent Israelis are evil," or "I protest the actions of my government but I don't hate America," or any number of statements that should just be assumed since I'm not a raving Taliban "islamo-facist" (I cringe even using that word sarcastically, it annoys me so much)!!

Grrr...spit....

Bush Administration Jumps Shark

Just a thought, but if the war in Iraq is over as quickly and painlessly as many are hoping, then what will Dubya use to distract us from the failing economy?

Bunch of savages in this town...

Just in case anyone was wondering, I was not involved in this incident.

Albuquerque police spokesman Jeff Arbogast said the protesters took over Central Avenue and began marching toward Interstate 25 Thursday night -- indicating they were going to block it. Arbogast said protesters were warned numerous times to leave the street, but began throwing things at officers. The officers then sprayed the crowd of more than 300.

Arbogast said a dozen protesters were arrested. He said the protesters at one point blocked the entrance to University of New Mexico Hospital, forcing an ambulance to find a different route.

Sigh. as someone who is against war in Iraq, I'd like to ask these people to stay off my side. Anyone who would force an ambulace to "go around" just sucks. I bet most of them were from Santa Fe, anyway.

Remember the other war?

Well, it's still going on.

About 1,000 U.S. troops launched a raid on villages in southeastern Afghanistan Thursday, hunting for members of the al-Qaida terrorist network in the biggest U.S. operation in just over a year, military officials said.

Is it just me, or is this the first time we've been involved in two unrelated wars in different places at the same time?

Let's see...

The last time the Terror Alert level was raised to orange was during the Muslim hajj holiday. It's been raised again due to the war.

So, let me get this straight. A religious holiday that's celebrated by the joining thousands of people of every color and every nation uniting in one place in peace, and a vicious war that's misguided at best and unjust and revenge-fueled at worst?

Yeah, that's the same.

UPDATE** This article seems to have been edited by the Ministry of Truth.*

THE TERROR THREAT has been at “yellow,” the middle of the range, since last month, when it was raised for much of February because of concerns of a possible terrorist attack against U.S. interests overseas.

Uh-huh. Let's take another look at an article from that time period in February.

The conclusion of the Muslim hajj holiday period played a role in the decision to lower the threat level from orange, the second-highest level on the five-part scale, Ashcroft and Ridge said. Counterterrorism officials had noted intelligence information pointing toward a possible attack around the time of the holiday, which is in early and mid-February.

I try really, really hard to avoid the 1984 references, but they just keep presenting themselves!

The regime change will be televised.

Okay, this is going too far .

ABC has said it will do whatever is necessary to report breaking news, which could involve interrupting the Oscar telecast.

Don't they know what Americans really care about?

Time's Up

Hang on everybody, it's going to be a bumpy ride.

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- President Bush's deadline for President Saddam Hussein and his sons to leave Iraq passed Wednesday night without any sign the Iraqi leader was prepared to accept exile over a U.S.-led military attack.

At this point, all I can do is hope George W. Bush is right. And that's depressing.

This is really annoying.

Blogger seems to be down. Or maybe it's just me. Don't know if this will even get posted.

Movable Type looks better every day!

Israeli War Crimes

Read this article I found via Alas, A Blog.

A few weeks ago, on March 3, an Israeli bulldozer killed a nine-month pregnant Palestinian woman, Nuha Sweidan, while destroying the house next door in a dilapidated Gaza refugee camp. Palestinian witnesses said that Mrs. Sweidan, 33, bled to death under the rubble as she cradled her 18-month-old daughter. Her unborn baby also died.

I have spent a long time, since my father's journey to the area, thinking about this conflict. I have come to hold the belief that the Israeli goverment, as the only Democracy in the region, needs to take responsiblity and stop acting like a terrorist orginization. You cannot act like terrorists to try to stop terrorism. Not only would you be creating a breeding ground for recruiting new suicide bombers, but you are becoming terrorists yourselves.

I will again invoke the Drug War comparison. What if a mostly white police force in my mostly hispanic neighborhood (which, to say the least, is not a good one), in order to stop the production of crystal meth decided to bulldoze an apartment where they knew there was a meth lab, one that had resulted in alot of rich white kids being addicted, and the pregnant mother next door was crushed to death by the rubble while holding an infant, do you think that would make the people in my neighborhood like white police officers, or hate them? Even if the bulldozing of the apartment with the meth lab in it ultimately would result in the reduction of drug-related crime overall?

Think about what is happening in Israel.

UPDATE: Not that it makes much of a difference, but for clarification's sake I have since learned that Nuha Sweidan's home was not destroyed because of a bulldozer tearing down a house near hers, but because of a tank destroying a home near to hers.

Land of Enchantment or Land of Entrapment?

On the one hand...

HOUSE JOINT MEMORIAL 40
46th legislature - STATE OF NEW MEXICO - first session, 2003
INTRODUCED BY
Max Coll
A JOINT MEMORIAL
AFFIRMING CIVIL RIGHTS AND LIBERTIES; DECLARING OPPOSITION TO FEDERAL MEASURES THAT INFRINGE ON CIVIL LIBERTIES.

Via Atrios. This seems very cool to me, although I don't really know if it has any actual effect on anything.

Then again, on the other hand...

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. -- Four members of a Kirtland Air Force Base security squadron are accused of burning a cross in the back yard of a southeast Albuquerque home.
The men, who are on paid leave, also are accused of participating in supremacist activities.
Kirtland's public relations director, Ralph Francis, said the men had Ku Klux Klan literature and Nazi swastikas.

Story here, via StoutDem. Never a normal news day in New Mexico.

No Comment.

Israeli Bulldozer Kills U.S. Woman, 23

"Rachel was alone in front of the house as we were trying to get them to stop," he said. "She waved for bulldozer to stop and waved. She fell down and the bulldozer kept going. We yelled 'stop, stop', and the bulldozer didn't stop at all. It had completely run over her and then it reversed and ran back over her," he said.

The Israeli military had no immediate comment.

This could have been my father. No immediate comment! Couldn't they at least have expressed sorrow for the loss of a life!

***UPDATE*** Alas, a Blog has an excellent post on this subject, and gives a good talking-to to someone in his comments section