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1) W. T. F. ???????? </a> And in place of a torch, she held aloft a large gold cross, as if to ward off the pawnshops, the car dealerships and the discount furniture outlets at the busy corner of Kirby Parkway and Winchester that is her home. A single tear graced her cheek.
It was not clear if she was crying because of her new home, her new identity as a symbol of religion or, as the pastor said, America's increasing godlessness. But although big cheers went up from the few hundred onlookers at the unveiling, and some people even wore foam Lady Liberty crowns bearing Christian slogans, she was not universally welcomed.um. yeeeeah. skeeeeeeery! (except when the dude with the foam Christian Lady Liberty hat cracks me up) 2) A little less outrageous, but an outrage nonetheless: Wiccan Soldier who died in Afghanistan was denied a place on a Nevada Veterans' memorial because his religious symbol would have been a pentacle. hmm. let me get this straight: Soldiers' Oath: to defend the Constitution. Constitution: ensures freedom of religion. Not being honored because Veterans' Affairs has not "approved" your religion: ??? 3) God's Next Army (video link) - a Channel 4 (UK) documentary about Patrick Henry College, aka political training ground for the Christian Right. 4) RAD! Charles Darwin's myspace. Also, Jesus, Joseph Smith, Buddha, and XENU! 5) Hee!! Vladimir Putin questioned on when the stars are right and dread Cthulhu rises once more. He also, bizarrely, kisses a boy on the stomach at the Kremlin. AND! In other news: Oil hits $75 again, Mexico's election gets US 2000'ed, the CIA closes its Bin Laden unit (sorry, all who really do want justice for 9/11), and Kenneth Lay has DIED. Unless, of course, he's not conveniently living it up Dr. Moreau-style on a sunny, tropical tax-haven island. Okay, that was snarky. But you know, death just seems too good for the guy. allrightallright, have avoided this transcription thing long enough. kthxbye. mood swing: :Oo:
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from the TIVO delay, natch...so i don't see a reason for spoiler tags, it's all over the world by now. Brazil/Ghana, Spain/France here we come! - GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAL! Way to stick it to all those assholes with the fat jokes, Ronaldo!!!! He now holds the record for most World Cup goals scored, ever. And he shaved off that whatever-the-fuck-that-was on his head and is now looking adorable with his cute, silly, record-holding grin. Life is good. - I am officially in love with the name "Zé" (as in Zé Roberto, Zé Pequeno in City of God, etc etc) That's, like, future-baby-name awesome. really. - woooooo - Ghana is the heavy underdog in this game, and is understandably intimidated by having to play the Almighty Brasil, but damn, they're rocking this game! There are bicycle kicks all over, yo - it's like the World Cup Revue up in here. Very pretty tricks from both teams. and OOOOO!!!! Ghana had some great goal shots, but dumb luck (and Dida's right leg) kept them from scoring. - WTF? Adriano is one of the nominees for Man of the Match? Fucking ESPN. I love Brazil, but his goal was total cheese (he was offside, and barely touched the damn ball). That nomination should have gone to John Mensah - though he never actually scored, he took THE best goal shot of the game, and was responsible for most of the turnovers that gave Ghana domination over possession. - the Ghana fans are awesome. They are so blissfully happy to be there. Not that snarky British press peeps aren't fun too, but just...the JOY in the Ghana stands is palpable. Of course, having been one of the poorest countries in the tournament that beat the richest country in the tournament (i.e. the US in the last group game) has got to be a huge fucken boost. yay soccer for being one of the few places political hegemony just can't quite reach. - Spain/France: Spain really *are* the Buffalo Bills of soccer! apparently continuing the tradition of being historically fantastic in the qualifiers but never winning the rounds that count. :-( Torres and your fauxhawk, we hardly knew ye. - On the other hand, way for Thierry Henry (the gorgeous French forward) to stick it to Aragones (the Spain coach) after Aragones' racist asshole-ish remarks about him. das right, who da 'shit' now? lol. - So, we got Brazil/France to look forward to. Awesome! look at me, a sports fan. ROFLMAO! only comes once in four years, so i gotta get my share while i can. ;-)
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tiny update: Got back from the South Central Farm a few hours ago. Just devastating. It wasn't just bulldozed, it was trashed. Crops were uprooted, and signs and fences were chewed up. People's life, pride and joy - some people just had a field day fucking it all up. There were still a couple hundred or more protesting there when I left at 9:30pm, and the feeling was up and militant. people were starting some civil disobedience, tho, and i didn't feel like getting caught up in cop shit/arrests. plus, i was totally wiped out (i had my Spanish final today on top of everything), and just wanted to go home. i will write up my impressions and post pics soon. Anyway, had some stuff to eat, and settled down for the Brazil-Croatia World Cup match on Tivo. (by the way, these Guardian play-by-play reports are fucking hilarious. They're like the TWoP of soccer football matches. lol) ( does one use spoiler cuts for sports things? Well, just to be careful... )Another good round of games tomorrow, though Tivo will only let me tape one. I should try to watch them in Spanish (the commentary is not nearly as annoying), though i could save that for the Argentina game on Thursday. What would be cool, actually, would be watching 'em with a for-real soccer fan that can better explain the nuances of the different teams and players to me (AM does a good job of that, but i only see him once a week). Can't i just have a Brazilian hottie to watch the games with me? hee ;-) Tags: activism, fútbol!
mood swing:  tired
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Very quick, before I head out. This is what's happening RIGHT NOW, in a nutshell. - First, some background: The South Central Farm in the Vernon district of downtown L.A. is the world's largest urban farm. Started by the LA Regional Food Bank after the 1992 riots to provide green space and a community center for residents of South Central LA, this 14-acre farm in the middle of LA's industrial corridor is the main source of food for at least 350 families, as well as an inexpensive source of healthy organic produce for thousands in the surrounding neighborhood. Some facts about this amazing place: - It has the largest collection of Mesoamerican medicinal herbs outside Central America. The farm has been studied by botanists and environmental scientists for its unique properties. - Because of the large concentration of vegetation, it has been shown, in studies, to contribute greatly to improving the air quality in the area. (the mist that falls over the farm at night is nothing short of magical.) - It is a unique (well, outside Cuba) and EFFECTIVE model of sustainability and food self-sufficiency for the urban poor that has served as a source of hope for people all over the world. It provides healthy, organic produce to thousands of people who could not otherwise afford it. And so it, to me, represents our best and brightest way forward into a livable, sustainable post-oil future. Here are pics I took of this unique and wonderful place last year: [ 1] [ 2] [ 3] [ 4] [ 5] [ 6] [ 7] [ 8] [ 9] [ 10] [ 11] [ 12] ALL OF THIS IS LITERALLY UNDER ATTACK THIS MORNING. Breaking developments on the farm situation: - Two years ago, The City of LA secretly sold the land for $5 million to Ralph Horowitz, a developer who wished to build a warehouse on the site. Since then, he has periodically tried different tactics to evict the farmers from the site, but has been held off by community interests. - About 3 weeks ago, he got aggressive and called in the Sheriffs to forcibly evict the farmers from the site. Since then, there has been a 24-hour protest, with thousands literally staying at the site and forming a human chain to block the eviction. Julia Butterfly Hill, Daryl Hannah and John Quigley (as well as Willie Nelson and Joan Baez for a few days) have been tree-sitting at the farm for the past 3 weeks to call media attention to the struggle. IT WAS ONE OF MAYOR VILLARAIGOSA'S CAMPAIGN PROMISES TO PROTECT THE FARM, by the way. (fucking hypocrite.) All this while the Farmers desperately sought an option to reclaim the land (Horowitz's asking price was a ridiculous $16 million). - Three days ago, the Annenberg Foundation CAME UP WITH THE $16 MILLION TO BUY THE LAND FOR THE FARMERS. Talks were apparently in the works for the Foundation to buy the land as a community trust, thereby preserving it for the farmers and the community. - Apparently, this morning, Horowitz has changed his mind. At 5:20 AM, sherriffs, the SWAT team, and trucks with bulldozers have surrounded the property and have started PULLING PEOPLE OUT FORCIBLY. Bulldozers have started breaking down the fences and destroying crops. This is nothing but an act of spite and pure ASSHOLE-ISHNESS on the part of Horowitz and the city. THE FARMERS HAD THE FUCKING MONEY TO BUY THE LAND. Dude can build a warehouse ANYWHERE - ANY FUCKING WHERE. There are empty Kmarts just littering this goddamn city. But God fucking FORBID that poor people get a chance to feed & sustain themselves with some degree of dignity and independence. HOROWITZ IS A PIG AND MAYOR VILLARAIGOSA IS A LIAR. [/seething anger] The farm is at 41st street and Alameda in Downtown LA. If you're local and can make it and are half as enraged as I am about this, please go down there and show your support for the Farm. Warning in advance - the cops are making arrests. If you can't, call or email Mayor Villaraigosa and tell him what an asshole he is for going back on his word. At the very least, doing this in the middle of rush hour in LA is a bad fucking move. Progressive Latino community-friendly mayor my ASS. For updates: LA Indymedia is going to have streaming audio and video, as well as text updates. There will also be periodic audio updates on KPFK (Pacifica) 90.7 FM. The Farm represents the best chance and greatest hope for the urban poor to survive through the changes that will come in this turbulent new century. SCF is much more than a symbol of self-sufficiency - it's a real way that people in poverty have carved a space in this landscape, to have at least some dignity and pride in their ability to sustain themselves. The events of this morning are absolutely crushing, literally a dream cut short by the arbitrary actions of people with money and power. If it was Wal-Mart with that $16 million, Horowitz would have sold the land. (ON EDIT: Horowitz has BEEN in talks with Wal-Mart about the land, but they apparently won't negotiate concretly with him until he's secured it. Totally UN-FUCKING-BELIEVABLE.) This is a FUCKED UP situation through and through, and the farmers need the help of the community more than ever.  ok, i'm out. more soon. Tags: activism
mood swing:  anxious
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on her blog: How Banning Gay Marriage Will Destroy the Family
I didn’t plan to write about marriage again so soon, but here it is, the issue of the week, overshadowing Haditha, immigration, the Indonesian earthquake, global warming, and Brangelina’s new baby.
Someone has to say it: A constitutional amendment banning gay marriage will destroy the American family and all the sex-related “values” our brethren on the religious right hold so dear. And it will do so by creating an irresistible demand for a constitutional amendment banning heterosexual marriage.
The logic is clear. Since the Supreme Court ruled, in Lawrence v. Texas, that anti-sodomy laws are unconstitutional, it’s legal for gays to have sex. Add to that a ban on gay marriage and you will create a special class of people – gays and lesbians – who are free to have all the sex they want, as long as it’s outside of marriage.
This is bound to lead to grumbling among the heterosexual population, even a certain amount of gay-envy. Heterosexuals will start saying: “How come we’re supposed to get married if we want to have sex? How come homosexuals get all the breaks?”
( full article behind the cut )hee! also, check out her interview with Tom Engelhardt on class issues in America and the state of the "professional-managerial" middle class. VERY interesting. Tags: articles, leftgeekery, queer nation
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"The hunter lets the hawk live only when he wants a decoy, or to honor his place. He is kept alive, but in a cage."
"But then, maybe, in a while they will free you."
"No, dear soldier, it doesn't work like that, dear friend. If a man gives you freedom, it is not freedom. Freedom is something you, and you alone, must take. Do you understand?"
"No."
"Well, you will one day; for you have already started to think about it."
--"Burn!" (1969) |
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