late to the party, as always

But seriously, perfect. I’ve seen people defend the carnival crap by saying that all protest is spectacle and theatre—sure. But what you’re saying by showing up with giant puppets is you don’t take this seriously. If the participant isn’t taking it seriously, why should the observer? I’m sorry, but this shit isn’t funny anymore. In Cambridge they marked the anniversary of the Iraq War by holding up signs that said “War is Over”.Really?

The benefits of not holding office, academia, etc.

Carter points out the obvious.

Former president Jimmy Carter accused the United States, Israel, and the European Union yesterday of seeking to divide the Palestinian people by reopening aid to President Mahmoud Abbas’s new government in the West Bank while denying the same to the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip.

Carter, a Nobel Peace laureate who was addressing a human rights conference in Ireland, also said the Bush administration’s refusal to accept Hamas’s 2006 election victory was “criminal.”

Carter said Hamas, besides winning a fair and democratic mandate that should have entitled it to lead the Palestinian government, had proved itself to be far more organized in its political and military showdowns with Abbas’s moderate Fatah movement.

 So the five dollar question of the day:  Could he have said this on a US College campus?

Global Anti-Semitism identifies four primary sources of global anti-Semitism. These are:  

“Traditional anti-Jewish prejudice that has pervaded Europe and some countries in other parts of the world for centuries. This includes ultra-nationalists and others who assert that the Jewish community controls governments, the media, international business, and the financial world.

 

Strong anti-Israel sentiment that crosses the line between objective criticism of Israeli policies and anti-Semitism

 

Anti-Jewish sentiment expressed by some in Europe’s growing Muslim population, based on longstanding antipathy toward both Israel and Jews, as well as Muslim opposition to developments in Israel and the occupied territories, and more recently in Iraq

 

Criticism of both the United States and globalization that spills over to Israel, and to Jews in general who are identified with both[2]

 

It should go without saying that anti-semitism is bad, while questioning the policies of nations is important, and in fact vital, especailly on college campuses.   These definitions are pretty broadstroke, and cross that line. 

 

Keep in mind, people who support racialist social darwinism still get their ass kissed by everyone.

signing statements

So can we impeach him now?

Of course not, silly me. That would be divisive.

Constants

You should always brush your teeth.

You should always hold the door if someone is behind you.

You should always change your oil every three thousand miles.

You should always read Max Sawicky.

On the local side of things

Dear Gov. Patrick.

I didn’t vote for you. To me, you were a corporate stuffed shirt Clintonite with ties to the sub-prime lending industry, and even though your opponent was deeply odious, I just couldn’t bring myself to make my mark next to your name. Then you got elected. That budget you pushed for—to my untrained eyes anyway—looked genuinely progressive. And your plan to make the first two years of college free? Seriously? Fantastic. I triple dog dare you to pay for it, but I like the thinking behind the goal.

And now, finally, you did your part to ensure that my home remains the gay marryin, evolution believin’ capital of the US. You, sir, are having your name scratched off the douchebag list.

Pictured above: Deval Patrick: Not a douchebag.

 

I know what your thinking: Gee, an anonymous asshole on the internet decided I’m not a douchebag. Truly, I am blessed.

But you need to appreciate just how few politicians are not on that list. And do a quick glance over the rest of this blog, how many times do you see Democrats mentioned with out the obligatory” hoch-toooie!” noise? Probably none, or like, you and Dennis Kucinich. That’s it. Take the compliment; this is hard for me.

Keep in mind, though, that I’m still watching closely, and if you betray me now, my reaction will be much more vulgar. Douchebags I treat with passing contempt. Traitors to the Great and Glorious Cause of Politicians Doing What I Tell Them To Do get drunkenly yelled at while they’re trying to buy milk at the local store. Ask John Kerry, it’s an ugly experience.

Imperialsim makes disgusting bedfellows

Guardian:

The US state department issued a report describing Sudan as a “strong partner in the war on terror”. A state department official said the Sudanese had done things that had saved lives but acknowledged there was a contradiction: “The bottom line is that they are bombing their people … Dealing with Sudan, it seems like they are always playing both ends against the middle.”

Gaza Chaos

Made in Washington

And of course, for added fun:

Former Finance Minister Salam Fayyad, an independent, has been asked to take over and form an emergency government.

The move comes amid political upheaval in Gaza, where Hamas has forcibly taken control from its Fatah rivals.

But Ismail Haniya, of Hamas, said he was still prime minister, calling his government’s dismissal “hasty”.

A former World Bank executive, Mr Fayyad is a well-respected figure internationally.

Glad to see we don’t let elections stand in our way.

Well what do you know?

I have a blog.  Neato.  And I even remembered the password.  Apologizing would be silly, because it would imply that someone actually read this thing– I don’t have the energy for that large a conceit.I didn’t even remember why I had stopped writing here, but I guess I do now, and it can be summed up in a single word: Despair.I spent my adolesence as a Catholic.  If you can think of a more incompatable combination of age and dogma, I’ll buy you a beer. I cannot tell you how many Sundays I spent on my knees with my eyes glued to the body parts of fellow worshipers, convinced that the next waywad thought was going to open The Trapdoor and drop me into instant eternal torture.  To make it worse, I think I may be a little OCD: Certain thoughts will get trapped in my head, and it would take a scalpel to get them out.  Trying to chase them away only makes it worse;  so does being terrified of them.  You can imagine what  happened when I came across the “unpardonable sin” in the Gospel.  That’s right, blaspheming the holy spirit became my own involuntary mantra.I’m not a Catholic any more—hell, I’m not even a Christian– but I think I finally understand what that line means.  Despite what I may have thought at the time, the denying the holy spirit clause is not a cruel method of heavenly population control.  What it’s saying is that you can’t be saved if you don’t believe you can be saved.  The absence of hope, despair, is the unpardonable sin.  Just this once I will say it:  On this, the Christians are right.   And this is my crime.   Please note that the last sentence is in the present tense. I’m not sure how to break out of this, but I’ve decided that keeping my mouth shut about it is bad for my health. So I guess this place is open for business.  Expect sporadic posting, links, quotes, profanity infused ranting, idle threats against public figures and the occasional red sox blather. That last one a merciful distraction, at least until they have their mid season collapse, starting 3…2….1….