lilyj. net » Politics

Goodbye Blue Monday

lily — Fri, 11 Nov 2005 14:15:50 +0000

Happy birthday, Mr. Vonnegut. Kurt Vonnegut, my favorite 83 year old man and second favorite curmudgeon, turns 83 today. If I had my way he’d have another happy, healthy 50 years ahead of him. Below is a quote from his book Sirens of Titan that I find amusing.

“Sometimes I think it is a great mistake to have matter that can think and feel. It complains so. By the same token, though, I suppose that boulders and mountains and moons could be accused of being a little too phlegmatic.”

It’s also Veteran’s Day. Mr. Vonnegut is a veteran of WWII, and in honor of that and his birthday, I thought I would again link to an essay that expresses his feelings on the war in Iraq. It’s called “Cold Turkey.”

Those Damn Kids

lily — Mon, 18 Apr 2005 20:58:23 +0000

I recently read an old news story about a guy named Ryan Clancy and was darned impressed with a fellow human. It’s not often I am impressed, so this is something. Ryan is a former Peace Corps volunteer, and certified English teacher who currently owns a DJ/Music store in Wisconsin. Before the war in Iraq started, he went to Iraq to protest the war, help form a human shield, and humanize the U.S.’s target. He also wanted to let the civilians there know that it isn’t US against THEM.

The U.S. has had travel sanctions against Iraq since the early 1990’s. Clancy knew this, but after researching the repercussions of travelling to places like Cuba and learning that the average fine is $500, he decided that the opportunity to spend 3 weeks working for and with the children of Baghdad was well worth the price. Little did he know that the Bush administration would decide the price was $10,000 or 12 years in jail.

If you want to read the full story, it can be (sort of ) found here. You can find an interview with him here at Tastes Like Chicken. He has also been a guest on the Daily Show.

I wondered if there was an ending to his story, so I wrote to him. Apparently it is still not over for him. I won’t quote his answers here. I respect the fact that they may not be something he wants made public, but suffice it to say, our government is proceeding. He will be punished for lending aid and comfort to children.

I am not sure if his fine will be lowered, or if it will remain at the ridiculous amount they initially slapped on him, but either way, if you are a DJ or just have a desire or need for such things, why not check out Trounce Records, his store. You KNOW you want to buy something, and I am sure it would help him out.

I can attest to his character. I have seen a photo of him fellating a balloon poodle. This has to count in his favor.

National Security Archives

lily — Thu, 07 Apr 2005 14:56:20 +0000

I was looking at the National Security Archives at George Washington University and came upon all of its papers on our relationship with Iraq from 1980-1984. It is very interesting reading.

If you would like to read the security documents that led to our current involvement in Iraq, they have those too. The press release is at the top, and the documents are in links nearer the bottom of the page beside a synopsis of each document. They are in PDF format.

If you are interested, they house a wide variety of US security documents from throughout our history.