Silflay Hraka has moved. Sorry about my title.
Archives for 2003
International A.N.S.W.E.R.
Protest Warrior has infiltrated an International A.N.S.W.E.R. meeting and secretly filmed it. Enjoy, but try not to laugh so much- the meeting starts with this proclamation:
“Good morning. Welcome back to day two of the International A.N.S.W.E.R. coalition, national organizing conference against war, colonial occupation, and imperialism. Those of us here in this room are the most important people in the United States today. We are the people who will build a permanent, anti-imperialist, anti-racist, movement here in the heart of the empire. We are the ones who will build a true solidarity movement with the people who are struggling for self-determination and civil liberties.
This was the opening remark from the workshop:
Okay. So let’s get started on the portion of the agenda where we all get a chance to talk, and I would like to appeal to my fellow European American males to not be the first ones to shoot your hands up or to get up on the floor, but to give everyone else a chance to speak first and try not to dominate the discussion.
They don’t like the Constitution either.
I hate to point out that the Constitution itself sucks; there’s a lot wrong with it. There’s no right to healthcare, no right to education, no right to jobs, none of that is in there. Racism, anti-gay bigotry, none of that is outlawed by the Constitution. Those are the things that need to be in a real peoples’ constitution. It’s important to point out because we keep defending the Constitution, but it’s a Constitution that’s extremely weak and does not represent what people need. And when we defend the Constitution we have to go one step further and say “this is what a real constitution should look like.”
There was a deep understanding of economics in the group, as well:
It really clarified things when the economy starts to you know go sour and I actually picked up a copy of Communist Manifesto and started reading what Marx said, that every ten years there’s a boom and bust system, and it’s like, “Oh okay, I get it!” You know like I read it before and didn’t get it, it didn’t apply, you know? And now that I read it again it applies! It’s like, “Oh okay, I get it!” You know, I think.
Also, some of you have gone around suggesting that, we’ve held all this protesting; it doesn’t seem as though the administration is listening. So you know, why don’t we just pick a day where everybody just withdraws their money from banks, just massively just go up to their money, go to banks, get their money out, and hold it for a weekend?
You know, that’s something that we can do, you know? People can do, they can do it quietly so they don’t have to go to a protest or anything you know, just do it. And you know, just don’t buy anything for a few hours, and say, say you know, “We’ve against this administration, so why should we contribute, you know, to the economy of this country?”
Giggle. The whole time I was watching this I was thinking of Monty Python’s Holy Grail (‘Help, help! I’m being repressed!). Don’t forget your tin-foil hat.
Why I Won’t Vote For Democrats
Sorry- I am just tired of this shit. Democrats claim they never fight tough enough- that Republicans are mean and play dirty and Democrats are nice. Bullshit. Let them fool themselves, but don’t let them fool you. While moderate Democrats can pretend the rhetorical excesses of the loony left and the base of the party do not exist, they simply are living in a fantasyland. From the mindset that brought you the James Byrd dragging commercials, the DNC now proudly presents the latest in their line of fear appeals:
This charming flash macromedia cartoon is Bush creating his perfect Supreme Court Justice, a la Frankenstein. Here is the text for those of you without Flashplayers:
Aide: What is it Mr. President?
President Bush: I am creating the perfect Supreme Court Justice. A right wing extremist the likes of which have never been seen before. My justice will have the vision of Charles Pickering, the teeth of Priscilla Owen, the secrets of Miguel Estrada, the arms of Clarence Thomas, and the brain of Antonin Scalia.
Aide: And the heart?
President Bush: Heart? We don’t need no heart! We have everything we need. The Switch!
(The Bushenstein is brought to life and then shown, later that night attacking the Supreme Court building.)-
Bushenstein: Civil Liberties Bad!!!! Worker Protection!! Choice!! Environmental Protection!! Public Education Bad!!!
Voiceover: Don’t let George Bush reconstruct the Supreme Court. Let’s make sure the next justice has American vlaues, not right-wing values. Get involved now.
Those timid Democrats. Always picked upon. Next time they try to peddle their crap, tell them where to stick it.
Orrin Hatch Has Lost His Mind
I am about a step away from moving to Montana and living in a shack in the woods. I can no longer take the incessant stupidity emanating from both sides of the aisle in the House and Senate. We don’t deserve to have these people as leaders. How did this happen? At any rate, here is the Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee stating that he is in favor of allowing the RIAA and Hollywood to become the judge, jury, and executioner in regards to copyright laws:
No one is interested in destroying anyone’s computer,” replied Randy Saaf of MediaDefender Inc., a secretive Los Angeles company that builds technology to disrupt music downloads. One technique deliberately downloads pirated material very slowly so other users can’t.
“I’m interested,” Hatch interrupted. He said damaging someone’s computer “may be the only way you can teach somebody about copyrights.”
The senator acknowledged Congress would have to enact an exemption for copyright owners from liability for damaging computers. He endorsed technology that would twice warn a computer user about illegal online behavior, “then destroy their computer.”
“If we can find some way to do this without destroying their machines, we’d be interested in hearing about that,” Hatch said. “If that’s the only way, then I’m all for destroying their machines. If you have a few hundred thousand of those, I think people would realize” the seriousness of their actions, he said.
“There’s no excuse for anyone violating copyright laws,” Hatch said.
There is no excuse for being an asshole, either, Orrin.
(via Drudge)
Movements
Gregory Hlatky’s always entertaining A Dog’s Life has moved to fancy new digs. Adjust your bookmarks and blogrolls accordingly.
Europeans- Can’t Live With Them, Can’t Let the Germans Shoot Them
Why do they just not grasp the concept of free speech? What is so difficult for Europeans to understand (not that Bill O’Reilly gets it, either- here is O’Reilly’s intemperate screed for those of you who missed it)?
The all-but-final proposal draft says that Internet news organizations, individual Web sites, moderated mailing lists and even Web logs (or “blogs”), must offer a “right of reply” to those who have been criticized by a person or organization.
To the esteemed members of the Council of Europe: Go F— Yourself. You can reply in the comments below.
Go read this entire article by Declan McCullagh.
(via Sullivan)
Europeans- Can’t Live With Them, Can’t Let the Germans Shoot ThemPost + Comments (3)
Hideous Amendments
TalkLeft discussed a proposed constitutional amendment that you should be against:
This should be getting more attention. Senators Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) and r Jon Kyl (D-AZ) have successfully pushed their proposed Victim’s Rights Amendment to the U.S. Constitution through a Senate Panel vote. But the bill has many detractors in Congress.
Every Democrat on the panel voted against her. Think about it for a moment. A constititutional amendment? Why? Wouldn’t a federal law do, if that’s what Congress wants to pass?
Jeralynn has a detailed article here.