Beardy Guy Musings

This is great. A playing card deck which shows the way to regime change in the U.S. The deck is a 55 most wanted list of those responsible for crimes against Iraq and is modeled on the deck issued by the Pentagon a few weeks ago.

Technorati Tags: George Bush, Iraq, War Crimes

Is painful. But damn, I guess it’s better than most I’ve had. In a strange way I’ve actually been looking forward to going in lately. I think that’s because it’s a lower stress environment than my home life has been lately. I work at the Memphis Literacy Council and I’m happy to be working at a place that isn’t about making a profit. It’s great to see people helping each other on a daily basis. Though I suppose I’m frustrated. Much of the work I do is repetetive: data entry. I’m a total fucking office dork and it get’s old. Damn, I’ve been there for 5 years and that’s longer than any other job I’ve ever had. Sometimes the urge to quit is overwhelming but thet I wonder where I’d want to work and I can’t think of any job situation that would be better. Maybe I just lack creativity.

I suppose that in many ways it’s an ideal situation. My pay is a little low but the work is not too demanding and leaves me with plenty of energy for my real passions… whatever the hell they are. This is the direct opposite of Sue who’s cleaning people’s houses and is utterly exhausted after working or Renae who’s wating tables and who comes home with her back aching.

Here’s something most folks are amazed to hear: the national illiteracy rate for adults is around 25%. That’s 1 in 4 adults. The rate in Memphis is a little higher. I’m happy that places like the Literacy Council exist in most cities and and that most of them offer their services for free or at very low cost. It’s a shame though that less than 1% of those who are illiterate use these services on a regular basis. I’m amazed at the way people are able to adapt to life without the ability to read.

Technorati Tags: Memphis, Literacy, Adult Literacy

Okay, being the consumer geek that I am I went out last night and bought the Matrix DVD. I’m suprised I hadn’t bought it before but really wanted to watch it again before going to see part 2 which is, of course, out this week.

Am I the only one who sees just a hint of serious societal critique in the Matrix? Of course what’s stated in the movie is fairly surface level. We’re not talking a deep analysis here. If you want that in a movie check out Mind Walk which is really amazing. But what is implied in the Matrix could be the stuff of many late night discussions. Specifically, when Morpheus is defining the Matrix for Neo. He describes it as being the big fat lie that is our lives. Not just any lie but the fundamental deception which has been carefully created to keep us sedated so that we will serve as an energy source for others that will profit from us. This is easily applied to the current “system” in which the corporate media is owned by (or own) other multinational corporations. This system, or matrix, surrounds us from birth to death. It seeks total control over the minds of supposedly “free” people and does so without being seen. It is the air that we breathe. It is most developed in the United States where the media seems to be the most invasive and where televisions have been the most consumed for the longest period of time.

What is the truth which is obscurred by the matrix? At it’s most basic it is that we are not free as we are told we are. The matrix is designed to hide the ways in which we are merely tools which are used by those in power to increase the power that they have. It is a never ending struggle. They have control but not complete control. As long as there are people who protest, who write words such as these they will lack complete control. Perhaps the internet is helping in the breakdown of their control. It seems that it’s almost certainly true. But their control is not just measured in what people are thinking, it’s what they are doing. Resistance against the matrix is about the mental activity as well as physical activity: protesting, building community-based counter-institutions, and direct action which takes many different forms.

Of course, in the end the movie itself is just a thread in the matrix it is describing.

Technorati Tags: The Matrix

It’s a real bummer that Directv DSL went out of business this past fall. In one year of service with those folks we had maybe 2 outages for a total of less than 1 hour. An added bonus was a static ip address which made connecting remotely much easier. Their service was the best I’ve had yet.

Enter BellSouth FastAccess which is almast as bad as Road Runner was. For starters, the signal drops out several times a week. These outages usually only last a few minutes but sometimes up to several hours. Very annoying. Another kicker is what they apparently do to discourage do-it-yourself home networking. From the start we’ve had problems posting from certain online forms or email services such as yahoo or hotmail. These problems only occurr when working through our Asante or Linksys router. A direct connection to the modem works fine for all pages and services. Why? Evidently Bellsouth throws a wrench in the works by requiring that data packets be smaller than what the router normally uses in some instances. This is not a problem that can easily be fixed or even discovered by the typical home user. I discovered a solution after many google searches and finally a post to the Asante support forums.

There is a solution though it’s a pain in the ass and I’ve not been able to get it working on all of the computers on our home network which range from Windows XP to Mac OS9 to Mac OSX. Each computer has to be configured to limit the size of it’s MTU (maximum transmission unit). The two machines easiest to configure were running OSX. I did a search for configuring MTU in Apple’s KBase and came up with this article. Pretty straight forward use of the terminal and the pico text editor to create a script and a file as well as altering another. Though it is described as an “advanced procedure” most anyone could do it if they simply follow the directions. Took me about 10 minutes to do both computers.

As of this writing the XP computer is still not properly configured. I downloaded a recommended shareware program, NetTweak Pro, installed and configured it but with no success. In fact I can no longer access the web on that computer. Nor have I found a solution for reconfiguring the OS9 computer.

Seems like Asante and other router manufacturers could allow for this kind of setting in the router? Perhaps future router firmware updates will include this feature.

Ah…. it amazes me how much music can shift my reality. We don’t just listen to music, we use it. I suppose that’s obvious but I hadn’t really thought of it that way till tonight.

Listening to Azure Ray right now… so sweet and kinda sad too… but comforting at the same time.

Current favorites: Virgin Suicides soundtrack, Asian Dub Foundation, Morcheeba, Poi Dog Pondering,1 Giant Leap soundtrack, Leonard Cohen, and They Might be Giants.

For the geeks out there… the new Apple iPods are pretty sweet. I sold my 5 gig to Brandon and bought the new 10 gig last week. Smaller and lighter though supposedly less battery life… 8 hours instead of the former 10. It’s nice to have the added ability to use text notes… I could see lots of potential there. The backlit buttons are pretty nifty. Overall it seems more sensitive to touch than the older iPods and I’m not quite use to that yet. I’m finding that it’s easier to accidentally push buttons… hopefully it’s just a matter of adjusting.

One last note, Apple’s iTunes and the iPod now support the AAC file format which supposedly increases quality and allows for smaller files. I’ve encoded a few cd’s with it but hell, I don’t really notice a difference in quality. Since the files are smaller I suppose it makes sense to go with the new format.

Technorati Tags: Apple, iTunes, iPod, Music

GSM remote is a nifty shareware program that sync’s up various mobile phones to your OSX computer. It’s not quite as neat as the iSync and t68 via bluetooth but it works pretty well. All you gotta do is plug in a supported phone (in my case a Motorolla) via usb and open the software. You can add new contacts via the keyboard and back up your contacts by exporting them from the phone to a file. Also, you can drag your contacts from OSX’s built-in address book to a folder and then drag the resulting vCard to the windo of GSM remote and all of your addresses are instantly entered. Quick and easy!

According to Zeldman: “On 2 June 2003, the FCC proposes to remove laws that prevent any single company from owning every TV channel or newspaper in your city. If these regulations change, a company with a right- or left-wing agenda could eliminate your access to opposing views. One with no political agenda could eliminate intelligent programming and replace it with sewage that sells ad time. Don’t let one conglomerate control what you and your family can watch, read, or hear. See this or that and contact your representative."

Funny thing. The reason for the FCC’s existence is to regulate the airwaves in the public’s best interest. Time and time again they have violated their own mission and demonstrated that they are far more interested in the creation of media monopolies.

Am I the only one that thinks that any country which claims to have a government by the people for the people also needs a media which is by the people for the people? Of course we all know that this is a government increasingly by the corporations for the corporations so it’s no surprise that one of it’s agencies would increasingly act in the interest of corporations.

Technorati Tags: FCC

I’ve been having a difficult time lately. Strange how life can be so wonderful and really yucky all at the same time.

Lately living at deCleyre is kinda like swimming in sandpaper. I’m feeling overwhelmed by people. Relationships can sometimes seem so difficult. Maybe I just need a vacation from my life, some time out of Memphis. Why is it so hard for folks to get along? Why is communication so difficult? Why are we so quick to be defensive? What must we do to be comfortable with communication about communication?

On a positive note, the first screening of Weaving Community went really well. I didn’t promote it at all so the turn out was small which I’m okay with. There were a few people that didn’t show that I hoped would but I’ll get over it. I was able to get more feedback and will do some final editing sometime in May or June. Basically I need to bring it down from 95 minutes to something like 80 minutes. I think I’ll try to show it again in August and I’ll actually promote that showing.

Technorati Tags: Cooperative Living, Memphis, Community

Damn. Seems like it’s been forever. I’ve been way too busy. I need some down time… rest… relaxation.

I’m showing my documentary this Saturday, May 3 at the MeDiA Co-op and have been consumed with finishing it. Stupid me… I’ve hardly promoted it though. Damn, I knew I’d get to this point and say to myself “Self, you should have done more to promote this movie.” It’ll work out though because I’ll be showing it again in June or July and I’ll promote that one. I guess I’m kinda viewing this go around as a test-run… a sneaky peak. I think I’ll show it again in June or July and I’ll make more of an effort to promote that showing.

It’s gone pretty well though and I’m happy with the film. Two weeks ago I wasn’t so sure but the editing I’ve done in the past couple of days has brought it to a good point. I think it might still be a little long at 95 minutes, perhaps not though. It’s my first solo effort at editing a full length film.

So, here we are. The tail-end of a relatively one sided “war”. Anti-war protestors have been grilled in the media. We are un-American while George Bush and his buddies are the patriotic leaders of the “free” world. At least according to the media. I wonder, how does patriotism and “supporting our soldiers” relate to this story by Holly Sklar over at Alternet. 

Sklar writes that “Private First Class Jessica Lynch, a truck driver’s daughter, joined the Army to get a college education to become a teacher. Nationwide, teachers are being laid off, schools closed and college aid slashed to pay for tax cuts for President Bush, Defense Secretary Rumsfeld and other upper-class Americans.”

It’s more of the same really. Look at the big picture. Poor and working people have been consistently undermined by U.S. presidents as they happily cooperate with global capitalism. They further their own wealth as they push the poor further down. It’s nothing new. The majority of those in the military are not the children of the wealthy. They are poor and working people’s children and have far fewer options available to them then the children of U.S. presidents.

Now this is patriotic: “Never before in wartime, with Americans killed, wounded and captured in the line of duty, have the wealthy lined their pockets with tax breaks. With $1.6 trillion in tax cuts favoring the rich already enacted through 2010, President Bush wants more, costing nearly $2 trillion through 2013 Ð including added interest on the swelling national debt, reports the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.”

Is it not increasingly clear that those in power care nothing at all for U.S. soldiers? Bush is not motivated by a love of freedom. His regime is motivated by something very sinister and it will, I believe, be the undoing of the U.S.

Read the rest of Sklar’s article, Upper-Class Tax Cuts, Working-Class Soldiers.

A tale of pies 

I love the Biotic Baking Brigade. There latest target? A reporter of the corporate media in San Francisco:

Coroporate Reporter Served Just Desserts

“The pie-throwing flan-archists of the Biotic Baking Brigade have struck again, this time targeting a corporate media reporter responsible for spewing misinformation about the massive anti-war protests in San Francisco. 

Phase I of the BBB’s “Operation: Shock & Awe” began at 7 pm on March 20. In the middle of blockaded Market Street in downtown San Francisco, outraged individuals surrounded KTVU Channel 2 reporter Jennifer Jolly (seriously, we’re not making the name up), a typically blonde-haired, fancy-dressed TV “news” personality, and confronted her regarding her lies and blatant propaganda. Earlier in the day, these individuals had watched her report on the air that demonstrators were violent and disrespectful and lawless, that parents should not bring their children to anti-war demonstrations, that she had not witnessed any incidents of police brutality, and other such garbage. 

BBB Agent Tarte Classique, who just so happened to be carrying around cans of whipped cream and paper plates, made her/his way through the throng, announced “Pies for your lies!”, and deposited a large plate of cream straight into Jolly’s talking head. 

Read more…

04/09/2003 
It’s not war 

“Let’s quit pussyfooting and call it what it is. It’s murder, it’s slaughter, it’s clubbing baby harp seals.” – Bryan McCoy, Marine

Heh. Well, no kidding? Thanks for clearing that up for us. I am so enraged. What the fuck is going on? The biggest fucking gangster on the planet just beat the shit out of a nation that could not defend itself. That’s not war and it’s nice to see it so plainly spoken for what it is. So, the u.$. is not engaged in war, but slaughter, how do we deal with that? Surely this is not okay. This is not the proper behavior of a world citizen is it? In my opinion it’s behavior that should, in any sane world, be termed criminal.

04/09/2003 
America’s Media Liberates Iraq 

Since the begining of the war (not really a war since only one side really has the firepower) I’ve only watched 10 minutes of tv news. Most of my information has come from the internet. But in browsing CNN’s website it becomes clear that the propaganda machine is in high gear. Hey it’s not easy rewriting history as it happens so we gotta give credit to these folks for a job “well done”.

Roger Alper  writes about those amazing spin doctors at Fox News: “With effective, rapid and decisive rewriting of history, there is an impression that the network has erased past relations between Iraq and America. It is difficult to find any mention of the fact that the U.S. armed Iraq in its war against Iran in the 1980s, or that it turned a blind eye when Saddam Hussein brutally put down a 1991 uprising with chemical weapons after the first Gulf War.”  Read more…

04/09/2003 
What comes after? 

Of course it isn’t over yet. Even as innocent Iraqi’s endure the pain and misery of operation piss off the planet, er, “Iraqi Freedom”, the capitalists are positioning for their place in the reconstruction process.

Max over at Stand Down has an interesting article about the upcomming plunder.

04/09/2003 
Target Saddam 

Mr. Ming discusses the targeting of Saddam

I was not there but I’m told it was a great march in downtown Memphis on Friday, April 4, 2003. There we 200+ people at the march and 1,000+ at the rally. There was a good bit of antiwar sentiment as you’d expect at an event commemorate MLK. The Latino community was also represented and various unions. Check out the photos

Thanks to DruBlood for pointing me to a very interesting blog and also to
this article about European leader’s dislike of George Bush’s “God Talk”.

It cracks me up to think of George Bush as a Christian. As an agnostic I just kinda find myself wondering at the diversity of Christians and all world religions. What’s really scary and disgusting is when these folks start waging wars in the name of god. Actually, any kind of condemnation in the name of god by one human against another is really fucked up. So hey, any of ya’ll that might be reading this and thinking “This freak is going to hell” I got something for ya: go screw yourself. Oh, and fuck you George Bush, you fucking twit.

Ugh. Now I’m thinking about the separation of church and state. What the fuck does that mean? How is it that u.s. dollars still have the words “In God we trust” on them? Am I missing something here? While that’s not a connection to any particular religion it’s still a statement regarding a god of some sort. Money. God. God Money. Money God. Monkey God. Why don’t we start a movement to change the dollars to “In monkey we trust”?

I have to wonder. Is “God” just a front used by people like the monkey boy Bush or does he really believe? Either way it’s twisted.

Technorati Tags: George Bush, Religion, Christianity

Check it out 
Blogs Against War, a new anti-war blogs/news aggregator. A great place to go for getting the most recent writings by those opposed to the war.

03/31/2003   
Some days just kick ass. It’s weird because in the back of my mind the war sits their like a pile of stinky shit and taints my days. That said, the past 24 hours have been the best in quite a long time. A big, big thanks to those in my life who have made it so… you know who you are.

Michael Moore Directed Anti-War Video

Check it out: system of a down Boom

03/30/2003 
Iraqi Liberation 

Liberation or terrorism?

This is terrorism. George Bush is not a president. He is the world’s leading terrorist.

What the world thinks? 
I’m question the accuracy of this, but it’s certainly worth taking a look.

03/29/2003 
Reality Check 

Support the troops

I’ve talked to several people who have the opinion that we should “support the war until it’s finished”. Some of these folks are opposed to the war but believe that we should stop the protesting as long is war is on. I strongly disagree and have yet to encounter an argument which would persuade me otherwise.

One primary argument is that the troops will have lower morale if they don’t see a unified front at home. The conclusion is that they may not fight as well. I don’t think this could be proved or disproved.

My reply is that it’s irrelevant. I don’t want them to be effective. I don’t want them to kill or be killed.

Let me break it down: Leave troops in Iraq and they are more likely to die. Bring them home and they are less likely to die. That’s not hard to understand. Of course to bring them home would be embarrassing. Good. We should be embarrassed. Or, I should say, George Bush should be embarrassed. No, he should be ashamed. 

There are millions of people around the planet that will not stop protesting this war. There are millions of people that are increasingly angrier at U.S. aggression and arrogance. There are millions of people that believe that the U.S. is a rogue nation armed with weapons of mass destruction. There are millions of people that believe that it is the U.S. which is the primary threat to our planet. There are millions of people that believe George W. Bush is a war criminal.

If not war, what?

Here’s a solution. George Bush should order the troops home. If this “president” really, really wanted a safe and secure U.S. he would apologize for what has been done so far. He would divert the U.S. military budget to rebuilding Iraq with a stated goal of restoring it’s infrastructure to it’s state before the 1st Gulf War. He would use the remaining military budget for humanitarian aid both in the U.S. and abroad. He would order the termination of the CIA. Then he and his entire administration should step down. This would surely be welcomed by the world community.

The solution to a secure world will only come through global disarmament and the building up of the capacity of every country to feed, house, and educate it’s people. The U.S. should immediately cease all activity designed to overthrow or undermine regimes it does not approve of. The U.S. should respect the sovereignty of all nations. It should cease the development of weapons of mass destruction and set a schedule for the elimination of it’s current stockpiles. It should engage the world with open hands willing to build rather than fists ready to beat down.

The Media

CNN, MSNBC, ABC and all the other BSers are nothing but propaganda machines. Really. I’m not joking. It’s not a matter of opinion, but fact that these corporate media are disseminating filtered and government approved information. These entities serve the agenda of international capitalism. They are not about the free flow of information which is necessary to a healthy democracy. Rather, they exist to broadcast very carefully crafted programming designed to manufacture consent (props to Noam Chomsky).

Say it with me… I cannot believe everything I see on TV, I cannot believe everything I see on TV, I cannot believe everything I see on TV, I cannot believe everything I see on TV. Please keep repeating that until you understand it. It’s deprograming. If you need to write the phrase down on pieces of paper and then carefully position them all around your home. I’m consistently amazed that people take the broadcasts of CNN as truth which they accept without question.

The charters of the largest media corporations should be revoked.

What’s the alternative? Community-based media functioning at the neighborhood and city level. It’s about time we had a flow of information which has at it’s base the intent of informing citizens to function in a democracy rather than one which attempts to coerce them into a role of passive consumerism. Such an information system would serve to assist in the cooperative efforts of citizens to improve their communities rather than broadcast fear-based infotainment.

We don’t have to continue down the path we are on. If we do continue as we are I fear for our survival.

Heh. Just got off the phone with a friend who’s become active in the local organizing against the war. He’s planning something this afternoon… kinda short notice. Anyway, I see the value of what he intends to do but I’ve already got plans. He suggests that I break them or alter them and I say probably not. He replies that that’s pathetic.

What the fuck is it with people who become so fucking obsessed with shit that they feel that what they are doing should dictate what you do? Damn, I’m oppossed to this war too and I’ll do what I can but don’t fucking expect me to just jump when you say jump.

Perhaps I’m not doing enough to protest. Perhaps I’m not committed enough. But it’s not for you to decide. I don’t try to tell other people how to live their lives because I barely know how to live my life. What the FUCK?!

Perhaps we should call it The Absurd War? Or, The Absurd War Without Justification? Maybe something simple like The War of U.S. Aggression? Of course calling it what it is, well, that’s not what the media’s good at. The truth is thrown out the window at the outset of war and the media becomes the mouthpiece of the government. Actually, I’m not sure the truth was ever invited into the room at all, so there’s been no need to throw it out any windows or sweep it under any carpets.

Norman Solomon of FAIR Writes that “With American tax dollars financing the war on Iraq, the urgent need for us to get in touch with our consciences has never been more acute. The rationales for this war have been thoroughly shredded. . . The propaganda edifice of the war rests on a foundation no more substantial than voluminous hot air.” Read more…

What a crazy week. Of course, as I write that I laugh at myself. My week is nothing in comparison to those in Iraq. But, in the context of my life it’s been a crazy week. I guess my schedule tends to be pretty full with various projects. Add to that mix the U.$. war of aggression against Iraq and… ugh. I’ve fallen behind in various responsibilities and now have a constant stomach ache. I love stress, don’t you?

The good news, at least in my little life, is that I finished the MeDiA Co-op newsetter today. I think tonight I’ll just try to chill out, maybe watch a movie. Next on the list of things to do: finish editing of my documentary. I’ve got five weeks to finish it up which should be plenty of time.

They wear blue and they move through the night, feared by many. But they do not exist to serve and protect as they tell us they do. The Memphis Police Department exist to control the populace. In their eyes all citizens are criminals. All are suspect and are treated accordingly. I’ve had too many experiences to ignore the evidence that exists. Now, before I go any further, let me say that I believe the officers of the MPD are probably typical of police forces all over the country. Because I’m a citizen of Memphis, this article will focus on the MPD but the problems with “our” police are typical of other cities. 

So, why am I picking on the Police? Because they deserve to be. The police are a standing army. They are armed to the teeth. They often abuse their power and do so in many ways. While they are paid by us and, in theory work for us as public servants, the truth is that they work to serve and protect only a small part of the population. The truth is accurately spray painted on the north side of the railroad overpass just north of Central Ave on Cooper street: “Police serve and protect the rich.” 

But the problem is that they don’t just serve and protect the rich, they wage war on the poor. The United States incarcerates more of it’s citizenry than any other “Western” society. In recent years we’ve seen the development of what many are calling a “prison industrial complex”. This is not a fabrication or a collective figment of imagination, it is a verifiable fact. The situation is this. Those that rule have worked very hard to crush the power of working people over the years. They have solidified their control of government even as the media have convinced us that it is pointless to act and that politics are better left to others, that our role is to consume. Thus citizens become consumers. As common folk have lost the power to control our lives we have also lost the economic leverage that comes with a powerful labor movement. Combine this with the resulting poverty, and the so-called “drug war” and what we have are cities at war with themselves. 

It is unclear just how aware the police themselves are of their social, political purpose in our society. But it is very clear that they behave towards the citizenry with increasing arrogance and a disregard for human rights. The cases of physical abuse abound and the violence towards citizens unjustifiable in almost every situation. The evidence is even to be found in their driving habits which often betray a belief that they are above the law that they exist supposedly to uphold. I myself can tell a story of being in the back of a patrol car that raced down Poplar Ave. at speeds greater than 75mph. I had no seatbelt on (the backseats do not even have seatbelts) and had the officer had an accident I fear the condition I would have been in. How many others have had their lives endangered in such a way while in the custody of the MPD? From where do the police derive the right for such endangerment? 

Another aspect of the current situation is the direct action activism that is developing in many cities. As working folk and students see themselves loosing power and the ability to have the “good life” they have increasingly reacted with mass protest. This is, of course, nothing new. History consists largely of the struggle between the owning or employing class and working people. It is an age old struggle that erupts throughout history. The eight hour day enjoyed by many working people is the result of intense labor organizing and massive street actions in the late 1800’s. The result is that those in power seek to increase the power of their defensive systems, this being the police. Increasingly the budgets of police departments skyrocket to better prepare for the probability of increasing social, economic conflict. 

Of course the police are just one part of “justice” system. Any discussion of the police and the role they play must at least touch on the growing prison system. Anyone that pays any attention to the goings on of Memphis has surely read or seen the recent news concerning the problems with the Memphis city jails. It’s not at all surprising that such gross human rights abuses are occurring in the “correctional” system. The fact is, these facilities are designed to continue with the dehumanization that the police begin when they arrest someone. The entire process is designed to instill fear and to remove the individual’s control of his/her life. All rights are forfeit and the body, practically speaking, becomes the temporary property of the state. The intent is not at all correction, but punishment. 

Amplifying the problem is the fact that prisons are increasingly privatised which means that they are managed by private corporations for profit. The equation includes primarily poor, black men that now work in the prison system increasing the profit of those running the prisons. The prison industrial complex is now big business. 

The citizens of Memphis, along with citizens everywhere, need to watch the so-called “protectors”. In many cities watch groups such as Cop Watch have been formed. For those that value freedom and human rights there is no choice but to reign in the power of the police and the industries the police serve. Of course this is just one aspect of the struggle for freedom. There’s plenty to do.