Date:	2003 Oct 2 16:10
Subject:	Is it a quagmire yet?
Mood:	angry

General: 3 to 6 GIs Dying in Iraq a Week

By TINI TRAN, Associated Press Writer

BAGHDAD, Iraq - Nearly six months after the fall of Baghdad, U.S. troops are suffering an average of three to six deaths and 40 wounded every week, the commander of American forces in Iraq said Thursday.

"The enemy has evolved — a little bit more lethal, a little more complex, a little more sophisticated, and in some cases, a little bit more tenacious," said Lt. Gen. Ricardo Sanchez. "The evolution is about what we expected to see over time."


American forces are being attacked 15-20 times a day, counting roadside bombs, mostly in Baghdad and the surrounding Sunni stronghold to the west and north of the capital, Sanchez said.


Since May 1, when the U.S. declared the end of major combat, an estimated 90 soldiers have died in combat, according to an Associated Press tally. A total of 314 American service members have died since the war started March 20, according to the U.S. Defense Department.


Soldiers whose wounds are not severe are treated in field hospitals in Iraq. Those with more serious wounds are sent to the American military hospital in Landstuhl, Germany, after their conditions are stabilized. Some of the most seriously wounded are being sent to the United States. The military would not give a breakdown.


Landstuhl Regional Medical Center has been getting an average of 40 to 44 patients a day from Iraq, about 10 to 12 percent of whom are classified as "battle injuries," said spokeswoman Marie Shaw.


Since the start of the conflict, the hospital has seen 6,684 patients — 5,377 coming after May 1, Shaw said.


"What we don't see a lot of, though we see some, is gunshot wounds," Shaw said. "We see a lot of shrapnel wounds, some amputations, some burns — mostly from individual explosive devices."


Sanchez blamed the changing nature of the conflict on an influx of militants and other terrorist elements coming in from Syria and northern Iran to join the core resistance of Saddam loyalists.


"We believe there is, in fact, a foreign fighter element. There is a terrorist element focused on the coalition and international community in general and the Iraqi people to try to disrupt the progress being made," he said.


In the latest violence, U.S. soldiers came under fire Thursday near the Fallujah mayor's office and killed one of their attackers, an American officer said, while a witness said a U.S. convoy was attacked southeast of the volatile city.


Those incidents came a day after three American soldiers were killed in separate attacks as the U.S.-led coalition faced an increasingly sophisticated resistance movement.


None of the Americans was hurt in the attack by three gunmen in Fallujah, a major city 30 miles west of Baghdad in the so-called "Sunni Triangle," but two girls were injured in the crossfire, Lt. Col. Brian Drinkwine said.


A check by The Associated Press at the town's two hospitals showed one dead and four wounded — a policeman, a 17-year-old boy who underwent surgery for an abdominal wound, and a mother and her 4-year-old daughter. All were in stable condition.


Drinkwine said the attack was aimed at the city building.


"While we were conducting a meeting in the city council building (mayor's office), we were fired upon. We returned fire and killed one enemy," Drinkwine said.


Shortly before the attack, a fuel tanker in a U.S. convoy near Amiriyah, southeast of Fallujah, was hit by a mine or roadside bomb, according to Mohammed Hamid, who lives nearby. He said a soldier in the passenger seat of the cab pulling the tanker was killed and the driver was wounded. The military had no information on that attack.


Twenty miles to the east in Khaldiyah, a roadside bomb exploded as a U.S. convoy was passing, but did not damage the American vehicles.

Witness accounts of the Fallujah attack were at odds with those of the military, with some claiming the gunmen fired from a passing car on a U.S. foot patrol. Others said a single gunman attacked from the street.

Ali Jassim, commander of the Fallujah Protection Force, also said the dead man was not an attacker but an innocent bystander. He said policeman Mohammed Muafaq, 27, was shot in the hip.

Walid al-Jumaly, a tire shop owner, said more than 10 soldiers were walking across the main street in front of the mayor's office and an adjacent U.S. Army post when a man stepped from a side street, shouted "God is great!" and started firing with an assault rifle.

He said the Americans used tear gas and returned fire.

Afterward, residents of the Euphrates River city said they were happy the soldiers came under attack, calling the assailant a freedom fighter.

Assou Nadim Hamid, a policeman himself and brother of one of eight Fallujah police mistakenly killed by U.S. troops Sept. 12, voiced anger at the Americans.

"Whenever they come inside Fallujah, they will be attacked. Saddam Hussein is gone. But now we have the same kind of regime," he said.

A bomb was found at the mayor's office last week and defused. U.S. troops routinely are in the office to coordinate reconstruction projects in the region.

Fallujah, a wedge of land west and north of Baghdad, has been the scene of repeated attacks by resistance fighters opposed to the American occupation.

On Wednesday, a soldier from the 1st Armored Division was shot and killed while on patrol in the al-Mansour district of western Baghdad, the U.S. command said. A female soldier from the 4th Infantry Division also died Wednesday when a roadside bomb exploded about 300 yards from the main U.S. base in Tikrit, Saddam's hometown. Two other soldiers were wounded in the blast. U.S. troops in Tikrit fired mortars overnight into empty fields near the base in a show of force.

Another soldier from the 4th Infantry Division died following a rocket-propelled grenade attack on a convoy Wednesday near Samara, about 60 miles north of the Iraqi capital, according to the military.

In Tikrit, the military said the Baath Party official was arrested overnight near Baqouba. His name was not released, but the military said he was believed to have been helping Izzat Ibrahim al-Douri, a longtime Saddam confidant and one of the most senior members of the former regime still at large.

Al-Douri, Saddam's Revolutionary Command Council vice chairman, is No. 6 on the most-wanted list of 55 Iraqis. His daughter was married to Saddam's son, Odai, who was killed with his brother, Qusai, in a U.S.-led attack in July.

Meanwhile, troops of the 4th Infantry Division killed one Iraqi and wounded another after assailants fired rocket-propelled grenades and small arms fire at a U.S. patrol near Balad, division spokeswoman Maj. Josslyn Aberle said.

In New York, U.S. diplomats circulated a new draft U.N. Security Council resolution calling for a strengthened U.N. role in rebuilding Iraq. The draft provided no timetable for a handover of authority to Iraqis, according to a copy of the document obtained by AP.

Edward Teller, the last of the great Manhattan Project scientists, has died at the age of 95.

It's kind of ironic. Enrico Fermi, Charles Oppenheimer, and most of the rest--they were horrified at what they had created once they saw what happened to Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Most of them died relatively early, either from cancer or suicide.

Edward Teller, in my estimation, went somewhat mad. He became enamored of his creation. He urged the creation of MORE A-bombs, then H-bombs. He worked on creating "superbombs", Doomsday Bombs that could destroy the earth. He was a proponent of the SDI initiative. He never showed any remorse for what he had helped create...and he lived to the ripe old age of 95.

And now we have a mad cabal in control of the world's largest nuclear arsenal, capable of destroying all life on Earth several times over.

Thanks for nothing, Edward.

This just cracks me up.

The associated article had this entry near the end, which further cracked me up:

"[Milwaukee Brewers spokesman Joe] Greenberg said the racing sausages were scheduled to compete against racing pierogies (dumplings) at a series with the Pirates in Pittsburgh Aug. 15-17 and then again during a series between the teams Aug. 22-24 at Milwaukee."



Racing sausages vs. racing pierogies. Uh...yeah.

Is baseball THAT goddamn boring that they have to come up with completely surreal crowd diversions like this?

Now I'll grant you...all sports have little goofy intermission-filling activities for the fans.

Hockey has kiddie hockey, human bowling, and the little slider car races. Football has marching bands and the infamous dog frisbee halftime shows. Damned if I know what pro basketball does. Also damned if I care.

But it seems to me that the thing with hockey and football diversions is that they utilize the particular qualities of the playing field. All three of those things I listed for hockey, wouldn't work without ICE. Marching bands and dogs chasing frisbees wouldn't work too well in a basketball arena or on ice.

But racing sausages? I know it's been a while since I actually went to a baseball game (and it was a minor-league game at that), but the last time I checked, baseball diamonds didn't have hot metal bars under the turf.

At the very least, at least now comedians and sports pundits will have something else to talk about than Sammy Sosa's bats.

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akage Magic Number 10 Job Despot Personality A Worrier, I Worry That I Worry Too Much Temperament Check My Pulse Sexual Whatever, Whenever, Whoever Likely To Win Another Gold Star Me - In A Word Divine Colour Brought to you by MemeJack

A despot that thinks he's God. Yeah, that sounds about like what I'd be if I had the resources.

So I'm reading here about Tommy Chong getting busted for selling bongs. Part of the recent DoJ crusade against the evils of blown glass, I suppose.

And I'm thinking, they spent how much tax money for a sting operation to prove that Tommy Chong is connected to drug paraphenalia? Sweet Jesus in the microwave, anyone who's ever SEEN a Cheech and Chong movie could tell you that!


And I'm overjoyed to know that while Saddam and Osama are still unaccounted for and al-Qaeda is still setting off carbombs...at least the specter of a free Tommy Chong no longer haunts this nation. WTF?!?

I'll be honest. I've lit up a couple of times. Who the hell DIDN'T at least try it in college? I found out (to my disappointment) that it doesn't have much effect on me, unless I'm already drunk. Which seems like overkill to me, so I quit bothering with it.

However, I'll be the first to say that alcohol (which I had a LOT of experience with in college -- to the point of being a borderline alcoholic) is probably far more dangerous when abused, especially to others.

All the stoned people I've ever been around tended to either sit back and wax philosophical for hours, or roll around on the floor giggling. Either way, they weren't exactly a threat.

Whereas I've seen plenty of people get drunk and belligerent.


My main hope is that the neocons will line up with Ashcroft on this and just make themselves look even more idiotic. There's a good number of conservatives (those leaning towards Libertarianism) who think this is ridiculous, and may finally be convinced that despite sharing a party allegiance, they don't share similar values of personal freedom.

Date:	2003 May 9 10:12
Subject:	Why Taoism never works as an organized religion in the West
Mood:	contemplative

Hrm. Got invited to a Taoist LJ community. Checked it out. Not too shabby, but a bit too flighty and New Age-y for my taste.

A common problem with Taoism in the West--gets lumped in with everything from Hare Krishnas to Wicca to aromatherapy. And of course, based on the booksstores, there is apparently a "Tao of _________" for everything now, while poor Zen Buddhism is relegated to motorcycle maintenance.

This Taoist LJ community was apparently created in part because of a flame-war in another Taoist LJ group, which seemed much more like a pack of antisocial teens into Taoism mainly as a form of rebellion against the mainstream, while completely missing the point (and reacting quite viciously to anyone who pointed this out). Also a problem that Taoism runs into in the West--because it's foreign and mystical, and has an aura of "wisdom" about it, it's a trendy, cool thing to label yourself a Taoist.


I was at one time close friends with a witch. Not a Wiccan, but a real bonafide, agriculturist, family-tradition witch. No books, no covens, no crystals, just "doing things the way my mother/grandmother/etc." did them.

She mentioned to me once that while she did know a few other "traditional" witches, they didn't get together very often for worship/ritual purposes, mainly because each had developed such an eclectic, idiosyncratic style that they'd never be able to agree enough to get anywhere. She also didn't care too much for the trendy GenX Wiccans who seemed mostly about feminist symbology and making a few Wiccan authors quite prosperous. If you've ever read any of Terry Pratchett's Discworld material, think Granny Weatherwax--it's a pretty close assessment. This particular witch kept a Philippine assault rifle around the house, "just in case", and didn't worry about which color candle was in which direction. "The candle's so you can see what the hell you're doing, just put it somewhere."

And I think much the same applies to Taoists. The ones who have really gotten into the material, have got their brains wrapped around the notion of wu-wei, and realize the sort of Zeno's Paradox inherent in Taoism. The ultimate goal, if there is one, is to attain the state of "naturalness", where one is completely in accord with your primal nature. But, conscious attempts to be natural...aren't natural. A deer doesn't *try* to be a deer, it just is. A person trying to be be natural, isn't.

It's a bit like the speed of light barrier. According to the math behind the theory of relativity, the amount of energy required to accelerate even a ridiculously tiny amount of mass to lightspeed, reaches infinity. So essentially, in order to be going a lightspeed, you have to have ALWAYS been at that speed (or convert your mass to energy).

Likewise, to attain the state of primality, one can't approach it by getting closer, you just have to suddenly BE that way.


Anyway, the sort of Taoists who have done the metaphysical gymnastics wrapped up with all that tend not to get together with others of similar mind, because it's not a group journey. And certainly not with those who THINK they know what's going on, because it gets distracting and frankly, annoying.

Me, I've arrived at acceptance of all the inherent paradoxes in the Tao, and I'm absolutely positive I don't comprehend it now. I comprehend the general shadow of things, and perhaps some of the motions, but the intricate workings of the Tao are inscrutable, and IMHO, beyond human comprehension. It's like an ant trying to understand the workings of a hydroelectric plant.

On the other hand, there's always an innate desire to join with like minds, and the discussion engendered could be userful, in the right circumstances. But I think in the end, I'm happiest just walking my own path, occasionally sharing the path with friends of other faiths, where we have common ground to tread upon.

Date:	2003 Apr 17 06:21
Subject:	WOOHOO!
Mood:	pleased

Quick note: The Anaheim Mighty Ducks are now (and shall remain for quite a while) my second favorite team in the National Hockey League, by virtue of their absolutely embarrassing the Detroit Red Wings by sweeping them in the first round of the playoffs.

And I promise not to make fun of their team name for at least until the beginning of next season. :)

Date:	2003 Apr 4 11:49
Subject:	WTF???
Mood:	frustrated

What the hell is this happy horseshit?!? I didn't even hear about this until it got a one-line mention in an article about how Europeans are worried about the increasing confluence of religion and government in the US (and frankly, they're not the only ones...)

Lo, look upon and gnash thy teeth...




H. Res. 153

In the House of Representatives, U.S.,

March 27, 2003.
Whereas the United States is currently engaged in a war on terrorism in response to the attacks of September 11, 2001;

Whereas the Armed Forces of the United States are currently engaged in a campaign to disarm the regime of Saddam Hussein and liberate the people of Iraq;

Whereas, on June 1, 1774, the Virginia House of Burgesses called for a day of fasting and prayer as an expression of solidarity with the people of Boston who were under siege by the enemy;

Whereas, on March 16, 1776, the Continental Congress, recognizing that the `Liberties of America are imminently endangered' and the need `to acknowledge the overruling Providence of God', called for a day of `Humiliation, Fasting and Prayer' ;

Whereas, on June 28, 1787, during the debate of the Constitutional Convention, Benjamin Franklin, convinced of God's intimate involvement in human affairs, implored the Congress to seek the assistance of Heaven in all its dealings;

Whereas, on March 30, 1863, in the midst of the Civil War, Abraham Lincoln, at the bequest of the Senate, and himself recognizing the need of the Nation to humble itself before God in repentance for its national sins, proclaimed a day of fasting , prayer and humiliation;

Whereas all of the various faiths of the people of the United States have recognized, in our religious traditions, the need for fasting and humble supplication before Providence;

Whereas humility, fasting , and prayer in times of danger have long been rooted in our essential national convictions and have been a means of producing unity and solidarity among all the diverse people of this Nation as well as procuring the enduring grace and benevolence of God;

Whereas, through prayer , fasting , and self-reflection, we may better recognize our own faults and shortcomings and submit to the wisdom and love of God in order that we may have guidance and strength in those daily actions and decisions we must take; and

Whereas dangers and threats to our Nation persist and, in this time of peril, it is appropriate that the people of the United States, leaders and citizens alike, seek guidance, strength, and resolve through prayer and fasting : Now, therefore, be it


Resolved, That it is the sense of the House of Representatives that the President should issue a proclamation--

(1) designating a day for humility, prayer , and fasting for all people of the United States; and

(2) calling on all people of the United States--

(A) to observe the day as a time of prayer and fasting ;

(B) to seek guidance from God to achieve a greater understanding of our own failings and to learn how we can do better in our everyday activities; and

(C) to gain resolve in meeting the challenges that confront our Nation.







Now, what's even sadder is that while I've come to expect this sort of inanity from the House, it not only passed the House, but a similar resolution was introduced and passed in the Senate. Of course, the day designated by the Senate version was March 17, the same day it was passed. Which means it's an absolutely pointless resolution to be used only to play to the God vote. The House version didn't pass until March 27, and doesn't even designate a date, leaving that up to the President.


Even more appalling is that it passed in the Senate by unanimous consent with no debate and no attempts to amend. At least the House forced a vote (346 Yea, 49 Nay, 23 Abstain). And my local rep, David Price, voted for it, which surprises and saddens me. I suppose he figured this one wasn't worth fighting for, as it will pass essentially unnoticed by the public, but I do not like the tone it sets whatsoever. Congress has no duty telling the American people to start up the prayer engines, because we've got to drag God over to our side (which would imply that He isn't on our side right now---something I could very well believe, if such an entity exists).

Date:	2003 Apr 4 08:42
Subject:	Fear and loathing in....me.
Mood:	drained

Well, I held out as long as I could. The weather's still beautiful, but I need to vent. One side effect of the beautiful warm weather, it should be noted, is the POLLEN. There's a yellowish haze in the air, and on everyone's cars and all over the ground. Where it gathers and precipitates, it looks like that lemony yellow chalk dust that would sit in the chalkboard tray in elementary school. When I walk outside, I can literally feel my sinuses reacting to it. It's gonna be a long couple of weeks, until the plants finish copulating, and we get a couple of good hard rains to wash it all out of the air.


But that's not what I need to vent about. The pollen, as aggravating as it is, is actually a welcome event in its own way. It's familiar. It shows that life and the world outside of humanity continues on unabated. A reminder that this too shall pass.

What I guess I need to vent about is the need to vent. I'm angry and I'm tired, and mostly I'm just tired of being angry. Anger, the really deep-down kind that borders on true hatred, can be very exhausting. I don't know the full physiology of it, but I'm sure that strong anger produces something of an adrenaline surge, which may explain why we as a society love to be outraged. But maintaining that elevated level for a long period of time has to be bad for you.

I've been at that level since at least 9/11/01, if not before. To tell the truth, I can't remember when I *started* being angry. I think I've always been angry, with brief periods of calmness in between. I know that several people commented that when Robin and I started dating seriously, I became a lot less angry. But now, not even being married seems to help.

We went to a driving range last night, because we were both feeling restless and edgy. I'd never really swung a golf club before. I doubt I'll take it up as a sport, but I have to admit it felt good to smack the shit out of something with a metal rod. Got some pretty nice distance with a 5-iron.

The way my anger's been lately, I can tell it's suppressed and just waiting for an outlet. I feel like it's going to get the point where I have three options:

1. Take an extended sabbatical from work, the news, the rest of the world and purge myself of hate.
2. Beat the living bejeezus out of something or someone.
3. Have a heart attack.

Obviously, #1 is by far the preferable option, but not necessarily a viable option. I can't just stop working, not given that we're about to buy a house, have her student loans to pay off, and credit cards, and various sundry other expenses to deal with. ESPECIALLY with a job market so weak that I wouldn't be able to just jump back in when I was ready.

#2 is better than #3, unless of course I go to jail for it. I'm not that worried about beating the shit out of a friend or loved one. I still have enough control to refrain from that. But there's been a reason I haven't gone back up to DC or even to the State Capitol to join the antiwar marches. With the increasingly ugly and combative tone on boths sides, I'm afraid I'd snap and just cave someone's skull in with a baseball bat and plant that flag they're wrapping themselves into their genitals. Or something like that.

At the very least, I've avoided going because I know that at this point it wouldn't make me any calmer. The protests BEFORE the war made me feel good, at least in part because I actually thought we might have a chance at stopping it. And because the protests were peaceful and the pro-war crowds so small and dispirited. It was easy to laugh at them. But now the tone has gotten so outright hostile and vicious that I can't laugh. Even when I hear the most ridiculous comments made about what some chickenshit Laz-E-Boy soldier would do to a protester--a small voice in the back of my head says, "You know, they're just crazed enough to do it". And that in itself makes me angry.

As I said before, I'm tired of being angry.

Date:	2003 Mar 26 12:59
Subject:	Change of pace
Mood:	mellow

For once, an upbeat entry! Yes, the world is still going to hell in a handbasket. Yes, we still have escapees from Nurse Ratchet running the country. Yes, we're still engaged in Operation: Piss Off The World.

But here in North Carolina, it's sunny. It's warm. It's green. We've left the ice and rain and cold of winter behind us and are swathed in glorious spring, if only for a little while. Given the way spring works here, it'll either vacillate between cold and warm for a while, or skip spring altogether and go right into summer. But right here, right now, it makes one glad to be alive. I ate lunch outside yesterday, just to get the sunlight on my face. That's something I rarely do. We've been opening the windows at home, to get the fresh, moist air to sweep through the apartment and push out the stale, dry, overprocessed air of winter.

For someone that hates cold as much as I do, the return of warm days is a luxurious, sensual feeling, like stretching out in bed on a Saturday morning and just enjoying the feel of the sheets against your body. I could just stand outside all day and bask in the heat of the air like a snake sunning itself on a rock.

So for a little while, the troubles of the world seem distant. And I'm not going to disturb that feeling. It'll get cold (or hot) soon enough--THEN I'll start ranting again...

Date:	2003 Mar 20 01:02
Subject:	It's official.
Mood:	numb

And just like that, 227 years of mostly doing the right thing go up in smoke. Now we're on course to become a pariah. A rogue state. An epithet.

God help us all.

I...that is....wow. I think this can be taken as proof positive that we have passed beyond the veil, and are now living in a Vonnegut novel.





'Talking fish' stuns New York
A fish heading for slaughter in a New York market shouted warnings about the end of the world before it was killed, two fish cutters have claimed.
Zalmen Rosen, from the Skver sect of Hasidic Jews, says co-worker Luis Nivelo, a Christian, was about to kill a carp to be made into gefilte fish in the city's New Square Fish Market in January when it began shouting in Hebrew.

"It said 'Tzaruch shemirah' and 'Hasof bah'," Mr Rosen later told the New York Times newspaper.

"[It] essentially means [in Hebrew] that everyone needs to account for themselves because the end is nigh."

'It's the devil!'

Mr Nivelo told the paper he was so shocked he fell into a stack of slimy packing crates, before running in panic to the shop entrance and grabbing Mr Rosen, shouting: "The fish is talking!"


It is very rare that God reminds people he exists in this modern world. But when he does, you cannot ignore it
New York resident Abraham Spitz
However his co-worker reacted with disbelief.
"I screamed 'It's the devil The devil is here!', but Zalman said to me 'You crazy, you a meshugeneh [mad man]!" Mr Nivelo said.

A disbelieving Mr Rosen then rushed to the back of the store, only to hear the fish identifying itself as the soul of a local Hasidic man who had died the previous year.

It instructed him to pray and study the Torah, but Mr Rosen admitted that in a state of panic he attempted to kill the fish, injuring himself in the process and ending up in hospital.

The fish was eventually killed by Mr Nivelo and sold.

God in fish form?

Many members of the city's Jewish community are now certain that God, troubled by the prospect of war in Iraq, has revealed Himself in fish form.


Ah, enough already about the fish, I wish I never said anything about it
Zalmen Rosen
"Two men do not dream the same dream," said Abraham Spitz, a resident who visited Mr Rosen's shop to observe the site of the miracle.
"It is very rare that God reminds people he exists in this modern world. But when he does, you cannot ignore it."

The incident also relates to the beliefs of some Hasidic Jews, who say that righteous people can be reincarnated as fish, the British Observer newspaper reported.

New York story

Others are more sceptical, with New York comedians already incorporating the story into their stand-up routines and one fish company even contemplating changing its slogan to "our fish speak for themselves".

Mr Rosen also seems to have become rather tired of being questioned about his incredible experience.

"Ah, enough already about the fish," Mr Rosen said.

"I wish I never said anything about it. I'm getting so many calls every day, I've stopped answering. Israel, London, Miami, Brooklyn... they all want to hear about the talking fish."

Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/americas/2854189.stm

Published: 2003/03/16 09:39:02

© BBC MMIII

Date:	2003 Mar 5 12:20
Subject:	Man arrested at Albany mall for wearing peace t-shirt
Mood:	shocked

This is un-frickin-believable.




By DAMITA CHAMBERS
Associated Press Writer

March 5, 2003, 6:15 AM EST


ALBANY, N.Y. -- A man was charged with trespassing in a mall after he refused to take off a T-shirt that said "Peace on Earth" and "Give peace a chance."

Mall security approached Stephen Downs, 61, and his 31-year-old son, Roger, on Monday night after they were spotted wearing the T-shirts at Crossgates Mall in a suburb of Albany, the men said.

The two said they were asked to remove the shirts made at a store there, or leave the mall. They refused.

The guards returned with a police officer who repeated the ultimatum. The son took his T-shirt off, but the father refused.

"'I said, `All right then, arrest me if you have to,'" Downs said. "So that's what they did. They put the handcuffs on and took me away."

Downs pleaded innocent to the charges Monday night. The New York Civil Liberties Union said it would help with his case if asked.

Police Chief James Murley said his officers were just responding to a complaint by mall security.

"We don't care what they have on their shirts, but they were asked to leave the property, and it's private property," Murley said.

A mall spokeswoman did not return calls Tuesday seeking comment.

Monday's arrest came less than three months after about 20 peace activists wearing similar T-shirts were told to leave by mall security and police. There were no arrests.
Copyright © 2003, The Associated Press






I didn't want to believe that we've come to this. So I looked for a local write-up of the story, thinking that maybe the AP was blowing it out of proportion, or that the t-shirt was maybe provocative in some way. Found the story at the Albany Union:

http://www.timesunion.com/AspStories/story.asp?storyID=112222&category;=REGION&BCCode;=HOME&newsdate;=3/5/2003

Well, the shirts look pretty unassuming to me. And the men claim they weren't demonstrating, just walking around. And no one seems to be claiming otherwise. So, what you have here is a mall owner who is either a complete dick or is scared shitless of controversy. Either way, he's screwed now. My guess is that there will be non-stop protests all around that mall for weeks, if not months.

I think it's becoming an inevitability that I'm going to leave the tech support field. I have to. Years of dealing with some of the stupidest dregs of humanity that America has to offer has finally worn a burning, smoking hole not only in my stomach, but in the veneer of friendliness that I didn't even know I could project until I started doing this for a living.

I still remember interiewing for the first tech support job I had, and saying "I'm not really a people person. I'm not all that patient." Somewhere along the line I discovered that I could be unbelievably patient and calm, but mainly in the same way that I can drop into a meditative state while the dentist is jabbing steel picks into my gums. And for much the same reason.

But after doing this for over six years, I'm losing it. I'm finding it difficult to conceal the frustration that I get, and even harder to conceal the contempt I feel for most of the people who call. And that's starting to get me in trouble. A tech's biggest asset is (sadly) not their technical expertise, nor their ability to ferret out useful information from the garbled muck that most users give when explaining their problems. It's their ability to hide negativity. Most users are too clueless to know if the tech actually knows his shit or not. But they know a harsh tone when they hear it. And they don't like it, just as a child hates to be scolded.

The only difference is that these children are adults, and in my particular line of support, are usually adults that make a good deal more money than I do, and can, if they complain to the right person, get my ass fired.



It may be a moot point by this summer. The company is not in good financial straits. We've lost all but four of our helpdesk clients, as companies tighten their belts and tech support goes out the window or comes in-house. Of the remaining four, one is so small that it barely makes a profit. If we lose any of the three remaining clients, the whole company will most likely fold. I'm actually hoping for that. Then I can draw unemployment for a little while, gather my wits, and get an entirely new line of work. I'd love to take an intern position at Scion Studios (http://www.scionstudios.com), but i can't justify taking the major paycut at this point. Working part-time at Scion and drawing at least partial unemployment to help cover the shortfall could make do for a while, hopefully long enough to get a full-time position at Scion as a playtester, documentation person, texture artist, or something....


At the very least, I could take out a student loan and go back to school. All I know is that when I leave this job, I don't want to EVER end up in a tech support job again.

Date:	2003 Feb 27 12:05
Subject:	And another part of our childhoods fades away...
Mood:	sad

'Mister Rogers' Dies of Cancer at 74


By TODD SPANGLER, Associated Press Writer

PITTSBURGH - Fred Rogers, who gently invited millions of children to be his neighbor as host of the public television show "Mister Rogers' Neighborhood" for more than 30 years, died of cancer early Thursday. He was 74.


Rogers died at his Pittsburgh home, said family spokesman David Newell, who played Mr. McFeely on the show. Rogers had been diagnosed with stomach cancer sometime after the holidays, Newell said.


"He was so genuinely, genuinely kind, a wonderful person," Newell said. "His mission was to work with families and children for television. ... That was his passion, his mission, and he did it from day one."


From 1968 to 2000, Rogers, an ordained Presbyterian minister, produced the show at Pittsburgh public television station WQED. The final new episode, which was taped in December 2000, aired in August 2001, though PBS affiliates continued to air back episodes.


Rogers composed his own songs for the show and began each episode in a set made to look like a comfortable living room, singing "It's a beautiful day in the neighborhood," as he donned sneakers and a zip-up cardigan.


"I have really never considered myself a TV star," Rogers said in a 1995 interview. "I always thought I was a neighbor who just came in for a visit."


His message remained simple: telling his viewers to love themselves and others. On each show, he would take his audience on a magical trolley ride into the Neighborhood of Make-Believe, where his puppet creations would interact with each other and adults.


Rogers did much of the puppet work and voices himself. He also studied early childhood development at the University of Pittsburgh and consulted with an expert there over the years.


"He was certainly a perfectionist. There was a lot more to Fred than I think many of us saw," said Joe Negri, a guitarist who on the show played the royal handyman in the Neighborhood of Make-Believe and owner of "Negri's Music Shop."


Negri said Rogers refused to accept shoddy ad-libbing by guests who may have thought they could slack off during a kid's show.


But Rogers could also enjoy taping as if he were a child himself, Negri recalled. Once, he said, the two of them fell into laughter because of the difficulty they had putting up a tent on the show.


Rogers taught children how to share, deal with anger and even why they shouldn't fear the bathtub by assuring them they'll never go down the drain.


During the Persian Gulf War, Rogers told youngsters that "all children shall be well taken care of in this neighborhood and beyond — in times of war and in times of peace," and he asked parents to promise their children they would always be safe.


"We live in a world in which we need to share responsibility," he said in 1994. "It's easy to say 'It's not my child, not my community, not my world, not my problem.'


"Then there are those who see the need and respond. I consider those people my heroes."


Rogers came out of broadcasting retirement last year to record public service announcements for the Public Broadcasting Service telling parents how to help their children deal with the anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks.


"If they see the tragedy replayed on television, they might think it's happening at that moment," he said.





Rogers' show won four Emmy Awards, plus one for lifetime achievement. He was given a George Foster Peabody Award in 1993, "in recognition of 25 years of beautiful days in the neighborhood."

At a ceremony marking the show's 25th anniversary that year, Rogers said, "It's not the honors and not the titles and not the power that is of ultimate importance. It's what resides inside."

The show's ratings peaked in 1985-86 when about 8 percent of all U.S. households with televisions tuned in. By the 1999-2000 season, viewership had dropped to about 2.7 percent, or 3.6 million people.

As other children's programming opted for slick action cartoons, Rogers stayed the same and stuck to his soothing message.

Off the set, Rogers was much like his television persona. He swam daily, read voraciously and listened to Beethoven. He once volunteered at a state prison in Pittsburgh and helped set up a playroom there for children visiting their parents.

One of Rogers' red sweaters hangs in the Smithsonian Institution.

Rogers was born in Latrobe, 30 miles southeast of Pittsburgh. Early in his career, Rogers was an unseen puppeteer in "The Children's Corner," a local show he helped launch at WQED in 1954. In seven years of unscripted, live television, he developed many of the puppets used in his later show, including King Friday XIII and Curious X the Owl.

He was ordained in 1963 with a charge to continue his work with children and families through television. That same year, Rogers accepted an offer to develop "Misterogers," his own 15-minute show, for the Canadian Broadcasting Corp.

He brought the show back to Pittsburgh in 1966, incorporating segments of the CBC show into a new series distributed by the Eastern Educational Network to cities including Boston, Philadelphia and Washington.

In 1968, "Mister Rogers' Neighborhood" began distribution across the country through National Educational Television, which later became the Public Broadcasting Service.

Rogers' gentle manner was the butt of some comedians. Eddie Murphy parodied him on "Saturday Night Live" in the 1980s with his "Mister Robinson's Neighborhood," a routine Rogers found funny and affectionate.

Rogers is survived by his wife, Joanne, a concert pianist; two sons; and two grandsons.

They're at it again. The Department of Homeland Security (I still can't say that with a straight face) has a new PR campaign, to prepare people for a potential catastrophic terrorist attack which could kill millions--without alarming them.

The main problem that I see is that they're taking their preparedness tips from some old prop-u-cation reels they found in Cheney's undisclosed location, circa 1955. Tom Ridge is actually pushing the duct tape idea again.


This includes keeping a three-day supply of water, food and medicine, Ridge said. Among other things, the government-recommended "kit" also includes duct tape and plastic sheeting Ridge said could be used to seal off a room in the event of a chemical or biological release.


"Stash away the duct tape — don't use it!" Ridge said.


I mean, come on...the whole "duct tape and plastic sheeting" bit was an amusing joke for about a week. It was even funnier to look around and see which of your fellow Americans actually fell for it at first. But when it begins to dawn on you that the originator of the joke isn't joking, it's not funny anymore.

My take on this is that there's one of two possibilities, neither all that comforting:

1. They know it won't help, but this is the best they can think of to give people something to feel "empowered". That doesn't comfort me, because frankly I'd expect more if we're bankrolling this new Federal monstrosity to the tune of billions a year. How about some high-profile air monitors or public gas mask dispensers? I mean throw us a bone here, Tom...we're generally dumb enough as a society that if you mailed everyone a plastic disk with a flashing LED on it and told them it was a nifty-keen "personal anti-anthrax forcefield", they'd buy it. At least that would show some kind of effort.

2. They actually BELIEVE this will help. That's even less comforting, because I'm reminded that Ridge is on the same team as men for whom the debate about national security focuses mainly on "Which is better: Magical Mystery Missile Shield or the forcefield of God's Divine Favor?"

I'm leaning towards #1, partly because Ridge doesn't strike me as quite the nutcase that Ashcroft, Rumsfeld, Perle, Wolfowitz, etc. are...and partly because of this portion of the article:

"We will not be afraid. We will be ready," said Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge, who traveled to Cincinnati to announce the program and meet with safety and emergency workers at the local Red Cross. "Make a kit! Have a plan! Get informed!" he said.

Granted, all the exclamation points could be editorial license. But whether it is or not, it makes Ridge sound more high-strung than a chihuahua on a six-pack of Jolt. The video clips I've seen seem to back that up. I'd say he's nervous because he knows what he can't admit, at least not publicly:

That if and when something big does go down, the DHS is going to fail miserably, because they haven't been able to do their #1 task--turn a huge mish-mash of Federal, state and local agencies into a streamlined response team.

'Human Shields' Begin to Gather in Iraq

By SAMEER N. YACOUB
Associated Press Writer

February 13, 2003, 12:35 PM EST


BAGHDAD, Iraq -- American and European peace activists wrapped their arms around posts on a bridge over the Tigris River on Thursday, symbolizing their intent to act as human shields in any U.S. war on Iraq.

The 14 activists, mostly from Italy, were one of the first groups here using the "shield" title, which suggests they might place their bodies at potential targets to deter bombing. But they acknowledged their mission was only a gesture meant to try to deter an invasion to topple Saddam Hussein.

"I have no intention of being a martyr," Canadian Roberta Taman said. "I'm here because I believe that the world wants peace and that we can achieve peace."

The campaigners, organized as the Iraq Peace Team, have been draping banners over public facilities in Baghdad this week -- an electricity station, a water treatment plant and, on Thursday, the Martyrs Bridge over the Tigris. "Bombing This Site Is A War Crime," the banners read.

More than 60 other "human shields" -- Europeans and Americans -- obtained visas at the Iraqi embassy in Ankara, Turkey, on Tuesday and were also headed for Iraq, riding in double-decker buses.

"A country that can hardly provide water for its citizens cannot be a threat to the world," Ignacio Cano of Spain told reporters after arriving in the Iraqi capital.

This largely American group, numbering 46 people, said that the Geneva Conventions governing the practices of war make it a crime to attack facilities essential to civilian life, as the U.S. military did in the 1991 Gulf War when its bombs knocked out Iraq's electricity system.

Standing on the bridge, Iraq Peace Team leader Kathy Kelly of Chicago said, "You can imagine what this city would be like if it were cut off when some people need desperately to get to a hospital or to connect with the people on the other side."

In New York on Thursday, U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan and the 15 Security Council members were meeting to discuss the potential humanitarian consequences of a war in Iraq.

The U.N. refugee agency said it is concerned about possible shortages of food, drinking water, winterized shelters, sanitation, and other basic services. It says 600,000 Iraqis might flee to neighboring countries if war breaks out.

As peace groups here and around the world readied for a major day of marches and rallies Saturday in protest of U.S. war plans, the U.N. arms inspectors in Iraq quietly went about another day's business Thursday, the third day of a four-day Muslim holiday.

Among other missions, a U.N. chemical team began the neutralization of mustard gas from 10 artillery shells at the former al-Muthanna chemical weapons installation in the desert northwest of Baghdad.

The 155mm shells, whose complete neutralization is expected to take another two or three days, were the first "weapons of mass destruction" destroyed by the U.N. teams in the new round of inspections that began last Nov. 27. The shells were actually inventoried by previous U.N. inspectors in the 1990s, but were not destroyed before that inspections regime collapsed in 1998.

Security Council resolutions adopted since Iraq's defeat in the Gulf War have prohibited chemical, biological and nuclear weapons programs in Iraq, and limited its missiles to a 150-kilometer (94-mile) range.

Inspectors in the 1990s oversaw destruction of the bulk of chemical and biological weapons, and dismantled Iraq's program to try to build nuclear weapons. The inspections resumed last November, after a four-year gap, to search for any remaining weapons or revived programs.

In crucial reports to be submitted Friday to the U.N. Security Council, the chief U.N. weapons inspectors will update their assessments of Iraqi cooperation in the disarmament effort. Those reports are expected to help decide the next steps to be taken by the Security Council in the Iraq crisis.

France, Germany and Russia have said they favors giving the arms inspectors more time to try to certify that Iraq is free of such banned weapons programs. But the U.S. and British governments are pushing for early U.N. authorization for an invasion of Iraq if, in their view, it isn't complying sufficiently with the disarmament resolutions.
Copyright © 2003, The Associated Press

For those who haven't seen it (and that would be virtually eveyone), I highly recommend this blog.

It's the online diary of an American student working as a non-partisan antiwar correspondent. He's in Baghdad to chronicle the effects of sanctions, and now it looks like he'll be there to chronicle the effects of several million tons of munitions. It's simply written, and poignant.

Well, the MSNBC retraction has now been amended to say that it was an "extemporaneous mistranslation", and that's why they pulled it.

At least Atrios is all over this. Which means half the blogosphere will be too, before long. I'm just glad I got to see it with my own eyes and hear it with my own ears. At least now I can be incontrovertibly convinced that our government is lying to us, and the media is fully bought.

Granted, I always tended to believe that before this. But I had my doubts, as any critical thinker should. Those doubts were erased today, when MSNBC tried to erase anything that could hurt the Administration's case for war.

From here on out, I guess I'm a terrorist, because I sure as hell ain't "with them".