New T-shirt Design
From the guy who brought you the anti-corporate t-shirt:
<img id="image676" alt="ALL-shirt.jpg' src="/wp-content/uploads/2007/04/ALL-shirt.jpg' />
Laps of fire
Holy shit this Macbook gets hot if you leave it on all night downloading torrents.
Freedom may not be free, but the Pentagon is still overcharging
<img style=”margin: 3px; float: left” src=”https://a581.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images01/14/l_8a7215c53e7ac16579ab4207ec2110cc.jpg’ />I’m directing this question to all war-supporters: please explain to me the connection between our freedom and the military. Why is one so important to the other that it is trotted out as an excuse for every conceivable action by the armed forces? I don’t get it… there appear to be many countries around the world where their military doesn’t play that big of a role in their freedoms. What’s the connection? I don’t get it.
I have to admit: I kind of resent the notion that, just because I don’t want to take orders from some fascist fuck, I wouldn’t defend this country from an authentic threat. It also strikes me as a bit wrongheaded to put the defense of your freedom is somebody else’s hands (which explains the Right’s police state cheerleading). Why should the soldiers do all the work on the taxpayer dime - especially if you’re so pro-America? Why not take it upon yourself to defend your community, family, and self - cut out the middleman? (For conservative military gung-ho types: what, are you skeered?!?!)
I think we’re much safer as a result of popular firearms ownership than as a result of the military industrial complex. A rifle behind each blade of grass, just like Admiral Yamamoto said, is the best guarantee of our freedom from foreign or domestic governments. I think the latter is a bigger threat than the former at this particular juncture, but the point still stands even if you’re more afraid of terrorists.
WOO HOO!!!
My little brother is out of the military in less than a month and will soon be back in Virginia!
This is the best news I’ve had in a while.
SWAC Girl's Counter-Protester Hypocrisy
the Pentagon protest last month, where counter-protesters were allowed by on-site police to shove, spit on, yell at, and otherwise bully and assault anti-war protestors without consequence (according to two three separate witnesses at least; I reacted to those events here). The "Gathering of Eagles" counter-protesters outnumbered anti-war marchers by 4 to 1, but still the police failed to intervene to stop their intimidation.
And some people complained about it.
This, apparently, was too much for SWAC Girl, a prolific right wing cheerleader who has exercised her free speech on many occasions excoriating the anti-war movement, hippies, and Democrats. She's like the non-patrician version of Right Thinking Girl, only she plays the Christian card more often. In response to these complaints from the loyal opposition, she unleashed a tirade of ranting which had something to do with troops, Vietnam, and her children living under the constant threat of somebody, somewhere, not wanting the U.S. meddling in their affairs (sorry, I know, 9/11 happened because of the freedom-haters). Playing the role of the victim doesn't go as far when your party's in power, but she summoned enough God-fearing hysteria to make up for it.
Reaching out to Richmond libertarians
Tonight I’ll be attending the Patrick Henry Supper Club in order to touch base with local libertarians. Feel free to join me!
Also, Robert Russo writes a great piece addressing the Richmond Left Libertarian Alliance. Thanks!
UPDATE: Just got back and documented the event here.
If the troops dig this tacky tripe, they're even more demoralized than I thought...
What, <a href=”https://www.orthodoxnet.com/reagan/images/Reagan_leader.jpg’>no soft focus bust of Reagan</a>? What about the <a href=”https://freespace.virgin.net/thesahara.net/wtc/wtc_forget.jpg’>”we will never forget” self-indulgent WTC imagery</a>? And you’ve gotta be kidding me - <a href=”https://www.barking-moonbat.com/images/eagle.jpg’>no bald eagle shedding a tear with a fluttering star spangled banner in the background</a>?
These guys are missing so many opportunities for milking nationalistic Vaterland worship!
Useless Minutiae
- Radley Balko totally got me for April Fools. I had his post suggesting the institution of a fourth, administrative branch of the Federal government all ready for an excoriating attack with more than one mention of "vulgar libertarianism". Me so STUPID!!!!
- Tasha and I saw the Decemberists last night in Norfolk. I like their music, and they make good records, but I found their performance somewhat uncompelling. Plus: I felt old. I had a lot more fun when I caught them at the Austin City Limits fest. Hopefully the Flaming Lips concert in a few weeks will kick more ass - I mean, hell, Norfolk is almost two hours away, and that's when the traffic's O.K.
- I'm probably going to attend the Patrick Henry Supper Club tomorrow to touch base with the mainstream libertarians in the Richmond area and announce this left libertarian group I'm starting. That means I should probably figure out where I want to hold the first meeting, right. I'm sorely tempted to just have everybody meet at Commercial Tap House, though I don't know if I can reserve tables or what not.
- It gives me great pleasure to announce that I'll be hosting the RVA Blog Carnival this week, so if you're a Richmond blogger who has something - anything - you think deserves a mention, let me know.
The RVA Blog Carnival - SMC Installment
Since moving to Richmond almost two years ago I’ve really neglected to reach out to the Richmond blogging community as I had always intended. A recent Richmond event awakened me to the larger network of RVA bloggers and I started reading some of the local blogs. There’s great writing talent in this area and I think the blog carnival idea suits this community very well. So I’m happy to host this installment of the RVA Blog Carnival; sans theme, though I’ll probably find or impose one on it anyway.
PJPink happened upon a wonderful Richmond eatery called Relish and documented it on the River City Food and Wine blog. Great job, and there are more reviews where that came from. Also in the reviews category, longtime RVA blogger Matt Walters gives U-Haul a piece of his mind on their screw-up with his online order. He even shares the letter he wrote to their corporate headquarters! A shocking expose.
The creativity of Richmond is well represented in the RVA blog community. First off, je ne se pais shows off a great photography find he made: photos of old Richmond grocery stores. The photography fun continues with Phriendly Jaime’s return from a blogging hiatus at West of Shockoe. And the Richmond Craft Mafia, a local group of crafters who maintain the Off the Record blog to keep their fans informed, whipped up a vendor spotlight photo presentation of jewelry from My Precious Studio in anticipation of their upcoming show. My wife is also a member and will be participating, but she’s currently documenting the construction of a new kiln at her studio on her blog.
Obama, here I come!
According to this quiz, I should vote for Obama next year (with 100% certainty, to boot). That’s great, because the quiz is designed with my likely priorities in mind. I don’t even have to think about the issues - just use their handy little script to tally up my citizen’s duty!
Here’s a taste of this magnificent, ground breaking quiz:
- Do I support big government pro-labor policies or big government pro-business policies?
- Taxpayer funded private education options or taxpayer funded compulsory State education only?
- Fascist free trade or fascist protectionism?
- Handouts for the world or occupations for the world?
Thank God I live in a country where I’m free to choose.
Two heartwarming things
Looks like those evil antiwar peace movements are waging biological peace!
In the past several days, a huge peace sign has appeared in the grass in front of the U.S. Capitol. Not planted, mind you, but in the form of darker and longer blades of grass. According to the Washington Times, the U.S. Capitol Police suspect that antiwar protesters carefully placed fertilizer to grow the sign.
This is cute beyond belief:
Confronting the New Brownshirts
Over at Richmond IndyMedia Center, Phil Wilayto of the Virginia AntiWar Network presents a thorough and alarming analysis of the recent protest at the Pentagon:
<img id="image660" alt="march_on_pentagon.jpg' style="margin: 5px; float: right" src="/wp-content/uploads/2007/03/march_on_pentagon.jpg' />It was quickly apparent that the weather had not prevented counter-demonstrators, many in black leather motorcycle jackets, from showing up in force and surrounding all sides of the [Vietnam Memorial] Wall. At one point before the march started, counter-demonstrators formed a gantlet along an asphalt walkway on Constitution Avenue and heaped verbal abuse at protesters who walked through on their way to the assembly area. One Vietnam veteran in a wheelchair yelled obscenities at demonstrators, including some with children. The target of that gantlet, of course, was our 250-strong VAWN/Virginia Contingent, which seems to have received the brunt of the day's abuse. The more than 1,000 counter-protesters may have tried to pass themselves off as defenders of veterans, but that didn't stop them from screaming insults at the three members of our contingent who were disabled veterans in wheelchairs, forced to roll through that double line of frothing fanatics. ... Speaking of cops: In the past, D.C. police have usually tried to separate opposing groups of protesters. This time, they stood by while the right-wingers positioned themselves on either side of the sidewalk, forcing us to walk single-file between them. Several of us feel there was some plan to provoke a reaction from our side so the "vets" could attack, with the cops acquiescing. A plan like that couldn't be in place without approval from much higher up than the city level. ... In my opinion, what we saw in D.C. was an attempt to put together a genuinely fascist movement, one that could be used not only on March 17 but in the future to prevent anti-war and other progressive mobilizations. Some of the comments posted on the GOE Web site are conservative but not crazy, while others are open calls for shedding blood -- ours. So, on the one hand we shouldn't think we are up against a broad wave of resentment by masses of vets. But, on the other hand, we shouldn't kid ourselves into thinking this couldn't develop into something more serious than what we saw on March 17. In D.C., we had numbers, if not much security. At a much smaller protest back home, 20 or 30 of these yahoos could be problem.
Wilayto is describing a new dimension in the activist problem: the quasi-militarist counterprotestor whose target is not the system but the individual resister. The intimidation and thuggishness in which they deal - augmented by the passive collusion with law enforcement to promote violence and entrapment - cannot be ignored. In my opinion, this goes well beyond activist politics: what’s at stake here is the physical security of a dissenting minority from a threatening majority, the very stuff of free speech.
When the police stand aside and tactitly endorse this kind of mob brutality, activists need to have a backup plan and a strategy. The most pressing need, however, is bodies - we need to address the problems of mobilization that weaken our statement and allow us to be taken with so little seriousness. We need fresh ideas and approaches. The antiwar movement needs to be able to turn its popularity into a physical manifestation of nonviolent resistance. This becomes much easier when the movement is out in front of the world and united.
Richmond Left Libertarians, Unite!
<img id=”image652” alt=”ALL-symbol.png’ style=”margin: 3px; float: right” src=”https://richmond.leftlibertarian.org/images/allsymbol.gif’ />I’m pleased to announce the Richmond Left Libertarian Alliance. Here’s the announcement I made on Richmond IMC:
The Richmond Left Libertarian Alliance is intended to be an activist organization for allowing left-leaning libertarians and libertarian-leaning leftists to work together to achieve common goals. By serving as a facilitator for dialogue, strategic planning, and solidarity with the larger activist movements in the Richmond area, the RLLA hopes to help push the common ground shared by all advocates of individual freedom and opponents of institutional privilege and violence.
In the coming weeks I’ll be posting more information at the site in anticipation of our May Day kickoff meeting. Watch the site for updates.
Mephisto on DreamHost
If you’re looking to set up Mephisto on Dreamhost, look no further than these directions. Just don’t freeze to edge Rails.
