Angry White Kid

Farewell for now...

As I mentioned last month, I'm taking a prolonged break from blogging.  I figure an explanation of some sort is due, so here it goes. 

I started this on a whim almost three years ago.  It's been a very instructive experience.  I've learned a lot, had some great discussions, and met some interesting people. 

Over the course of those three years, the time I've had available to blog has steadily decreased.  I find myself with lots of ideas but often lacking either the time or motivation to turn them into entries.  Though perhaps nobody cares but me, this makes me feel as though this blog is not achieving its full potential. My opinion is that if it's not going to be excellent, then I shouldn't waste my time or the reader's time.  I'd prefer to have no blog than a mediocre one - and for the foreseeable future, all this blog is capable of being is mediocre at best.

That's my main reason for stopping.  Another is that I would like to produce writing that is less frequent, more in-depth and thoughtful, and published in more widely-read sources.  Though I try to discuss myself as little as possible here, the notion of having a blog has felt increasingly noxious to me.  I loathe the idea of projecting an inflated image of self-import or of a tantrum-esque narcissism.  Far too often, I feel blogs have an unnecessarily deleterious and antagonistic effect on social and political discourse.  Which is a major reason as to why I rarely read blogs. Certainly blogs are not without their positive aspects, but overall I feel generally pessimistic about them.

For me, I also feel that I've allowed blogging to take the place of more legitimate and effective organizing and relationship-building.  I need to be spending less time on the internet and more time working face to face with the people in the communities I find myself in.  Online activism has the benefits of being quick, easy, and often anonymous, but it can never replace (though it can complement) non-virtual, "traditional" organizing.

Finally, I have several tasks and obstacles in my personal life which I need to engage with.  I'm not going to go into detail, but needless to say they require a lot of time and are physically and emotionally draining.

So that's that for the time being.  I don't imagine that I'm gone forever, but likely for at least the next year. I am interested in having some sort of online presence, I'm just not sure what that should look like at the moment.  I plan to keep this blog up.  Much appreciation to those that have read, commented, and emailed.  I am humbled by your consideration.

Until next time...

Pack it up, pack it in

I think I'm going to stop this for a while.

I'll elaborate on some of the reasons why later.

ANSWER's big plan revealed

Confounded as to why anti-war sentiment in the US has been steadily increasing while attendance at their demonstrations (in monotony) has been decreasing, the ANSWER Coalition (who I've made clear I'm no fan of) released a proposal yesterday, asking What Should the Anti-War Movement Do Now?:

It is clear that the anti-war movement is not sufficiently strong at the moment to bring this criminal and despised war to an end. Every organization must ask why is this so and most importantly what can be done to change the situation immediately.

The first question to ask and answer is: Can a people's movement in the United States overcome the commitment of the White House, Congress and the Pentagon to authorize, extend and finance the war and occupation in Iraq?

If the answer to the question is yes...we must assess various factors and craft a strategy that will be fundamentally different from the current path of the anti-war movement. [Emphasis added]

So what's this great "new" strategy?  Unfortunately, it doesn't involve ANSWER dissolving and us rejoicing.  It involves...hold your breath...one big protest!  Taadaa!  Because that new/old strategy of organizing big protests has been working so well, ANSWER wants to get one million people to march on DC.  In six months to a year's time.  In the meantime, you can all take a nap.

Brilliant!  Why didn't anyone think of having a big protest in Washington, DC before? 

Oh wait, they have? 

Oh wait, and the war is still going on? 

Oh wait, no one pays attention to a "movement" that only involves showing your face once or twice a year at a boring, cop-coordinated rally?

Is this really the best that the "leaders of the vanguard" at ANSWER could come up with?  I guess adherence to Stalinism really does stifle creativity.

No wonder the US left is a worldwide laughingstock.  It's been co-opted (willingly) by the likes of ANSWER and their cult of banality and faux-dissent.

At this point, I think Bill Hicks and I are going to go watch American Gladiators.

Tragedy in Lebanon

What a disgraceful situation in Lebanon.

The Lebanese Army shows that while it will have tea with Israeli invaders, it is more than happy to indiscriminately shell Palestinian refugees. (And of course the US is always willing to pitch in when it comes to killing Palestinians.)

The media tries to paint Palestinians as terrorists, though the members of Fatah al-Islam are nearly everything but Palestinian.

Instead of condemning the massacre of Palestinian civilians, the American Task Force on Palestine (which hangs out with the AIPAC-financed WINEP) and the American Task Force on Lebanon send out a press release expressing "support for Lebanon" and condemning the "assault on Lebanese sovereignty, stability and security."  They call for merely "minimiz[ing] civilian casualties." And to top it off, in the same press release they manage to do away with the right of return - asking instead for the refugee camps to be made into nicer places to live.

And the Palestinian refugees, expelled by Israel and already facing horrific conditions in Lebanon, are left to fend for themselves.

Here is info on the Nahr el Bared Relief Campaign.  Here is an insightful interview with As'ad Abukhalil.

Woodfin Suites Hotel organizes and provides free lodging for anti-immigrant activists

If we're rent-a-thugs, these kids must have been rented from their parents' country clubs. Perhaps that sign is self-referential.

In an earlier post I called Woodfin an "evil corporation."  But even according evil corporation standards, this is just downright appalling.  An email from the East Bay Alliance for a Sustainable Economy reports the following:

The right-wing, anti-immigrant, anti-worker squads are at it again. This time, they're being sponsored, and paid for, by the Woodfin Suites Hotel in Emeryville.

This past Saturday, during our regular picket at the Woodfin, we were joined by twenty five counter-protestors identifying themselves as College Republicans from UC Davis and San Francisco State. They showed up carrying provocative placards - “No Green Card, No Work”, “Justice is at the Back of the Line”, “Union Thugs Go Home”, "Legals YES, Illegals NO," and “Marx Would Be Proud” - and tried to disrupt our protest.

The counter-protestors were openly taking direction from the Woodfin's management, going where the hotel’s General Manager told them to, standing on hotel property. They even bragged that Woodfin management had put them up in free hotel rooms the night before!

When we tried to separate ourselves, they physically shoved into our picket line- even pushing and berating the young children of Woodfin workers! Finally, the Emeryville police created a barrier between them and our peaceful picket, for the safety of all involved.

Join the pickets. Contact the Woodfin.

SSA shut down at Port of Oakland

My crappy cell phone photo of the picket.

This (early) morning a community picket successfully shut down the war profiteer SSA (Stevedoring Services of America) at the Port of Oakland.  The International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) locals decided to honor and not cross the 100+ strong community picket. 

Therefore SSA, which was at full capacity with three ships waiting to be loaded and unloaded, wasn't able to do any business this morning.  The picket is continuing as the second shift of longshore workers arrives at 4:30PM, hopefully to meet with the same results.  I'm sure more photos and reports will go up at Indybay. May this only be the beginning.

UPDATE: SSA was indeed shut down all day by the picket. From a obnoxiously sectarian reportback:

When scores of picketers blocked the gates at the SSA terminal beginning at 7 a.m., the company eventually gave up and called off the shift. In the evening, an arbitrator ruled that this was not a bona fide “health and safety issue” and ordered the workers to go to work. However, the dock workers collectively refused.

Censoring Palestine on Daily Kos

As I couldn't care less about the Democrats, I don't read Daily Kos.  They like to call themselves the "left-wing of the Democratic Party", but on the political spectrum that's still a pretty right-wing place to be, and I'm not interested.

Given that 500,000 other people per day do appear to be interested, and given that anyone can post on the site, it is an important place to raise topical issues that most Democrats could use some educating about, such as Palestine.  Several pro-Palestine bloggers maintain diaries on the site in an effort to do just that.

But ironically enough, as the Palestinians marked the 59th anniversary of the Nakba - their forced expulsion from their homes and homeland - three pro-Palestine bloggers were expelled from Daily Kos. This occurred for no reason other than that the pro-Israel side complained consistently and loudly enough that some apparently weak-willed administrator gave in.

Sabbah, one of the recently-banned bloggers, provides some background on this development. Others on Daily Kos are trying to right the situation.  Unfortunately, I don't see the banned bloggers being reinstated. As the dKosopedia states, "If you are banned as a user for any reason, the only court of appeal is Markos himself."  And as Markos states, Daily Kos "is a Democratic blog with one goal in mind: electoral victory."  As the Democrats' only concern about the Palestinians is making sure they remain as subjugated as possible, a blog dedicated to Democratic victory is likely not to look fondly on Palestinian rights or have any interest in the Palestinian narrative. 

In short, it's a shameful situation. The banned bloggers should be immediately reinstated and the censorship at Daily Kos - for which it is gaining a reputation - should end. But really, it's the Democrats, the other brand of American Fascism™, so I wouldn't expect much. My hat is off to those who tried, and keep trying, to make a difference.

UPDATE: curmudgiana at My Left Wing shares just how far off the deep end the Kos administrators have gone.  Truly, Daily Kos has now ideologically melded itself with Bush and the selective "war on terror." The purge and silencing of anything contradicting The Party line continues.

Saturday: Picket to shut down the war profiteers

You win some, you lose some

Too bad, Warriors, too bad.  Well, at least they beat the Mavs.  And now I can stop watching the playoffs.

On the other hand, Jerry Falwell died.  So, in the end, things balanced out yesterday.

Of trinkets and tshirts

Lego man, Jesus, Palestine, Bolivian rooftop toro, and Pacifism as Pathology all agree: Going to a playoff game is fun.  When the Warriors win by 20, it's even more fun.

UPDATE: I forgot what to mention was not fun. If you're one of those good folks who doesn't stand and face the flag for national anthems, it's not advantageous to be sitting directly in front of said flag during said national anthem. People tend to glare at you. Luckily that's all the trouble we had.

This is not a sports blog.  I swear.

Got the new Sage Francis the other day.  Still undecided - probably cause I only listened to it while eating breakfast in another room.  Statistically improbable phrases: "Stop calling it emo" and "Faustian bargain bin."