Ever Heard Of The Jena Six?

Well, now you have.

Damn. That's pretty much all I have to say right now. Damn. Damn the system, damn the man, damn me for not being able to do anything more about this than sitting here and telling you that right now, in some tiny town in Louisiana, six people are being treated grossly unfairly. This story borders on an abomination of everything that I stand for as a human being, and what I believe this country should be about.

I had an interesting phrase pop into my head earlier today. It had nothing to do with this, but it seems relevant. "When is the American Dream going to stop being just a dream and actually be America." Or words to that effect. Basically, when is this country going to stop dreaming about the truths our forefathers held to be self evident, and actually live them out.

I need to find a bus to Jena, or just drive there some weekend and... Do what, exactly? Sit under the "White Tree" in protest? I'm too white. It would probably just get me beat up. Sigh. I don't have any money to donate, either. I'm too poor. I dunno, though. I should find a petition or something. I wonder if they'd let me wear a button to work that said "Free the Jena Six." Probably not. ._.

Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.

-Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.

Words this true are not spoken often enough, and are heard even less.

P.S. - Add this to the list of stories they should put on the news: Stories of true injustice. Not "I didn't know the coffee would be hot," or "No one told me to remove my baby from the stroller before closing it." The kind where innocent people are being punished for being born. Being born is never a crime, no matter who you are.

Viva El Presidente

Family Security Matters:

President Bush can fail in his duty to himself, his country, and his God, by becoming “ex-president” Bush or he can become “President-for-Life” Bush: the conqueror of Iraq, who brings sense to the Congress and sanity to the Supreme Court. Then who would be able to stop Bush from emulating Augustus Caesar and becoming ruler of the world? For only an America united under one ruler has the power to save humanity from the threat of a new Dark Age wrought by terrorists armed with nuclear weapons.

Everyone else who thinks this is scary bullshit, please raise your hands.

\o/!

EDIT:

I decided a rebuttal was in order.

Mr Atkinson,

I noticed your article was taken down. Did you guys realize it wouldn't work, too?

Americans, as much as we enjoy not being blown up, have a much deeper love of freedom. Think of such classics as: "Give me Liberty or give me death," "They can take our lives, but they can never take our freedom," and "Those who would sacrifice essential liberty for temporary security deserve neither." I think that Henry and Franklin, and even Mr. Gibson, would be shocked at your proposal. It violates the very freedoms President Bush, and the military men and women at his command, swore an oath to protect.

While the Roman people, by way of their Senate, might have buckled to Caesar's personal army, Bush would have a much harder time controlling the American population with our volunteer-army. Convincing the troops who had just committed genocide in a harsh desert that they must now come home and police their friends and neighbors would be no easy task.

Also, you can't forget how the story of Julius Caesar ends. He is killed, not by an invading enemy, but his own countrymen. Much like those back-stabbing Romans, Americans will not stand for a dictator. If the United States becomes a police state, the terrorists they will have to fight will bear less in common with Osama bin-Laden and more with Timothy McVeigh. The Colorado Rockies, much like bin-Laden's Middle-Eastern series of caves, will be a constant thorn in Bush's side, a nagging pest that you can always feel but never quite find. Freedom-loving Americans would band together and fight back, as much as possible, in very much the same way that the Iraqis are doing now - They wouldn't have to defeat the military outright, just make the operation too costly to continue. Unless Bush decides to nuke the Rockies, but even that would create more disloyalty, more anger at our new dictator, etc....

So, did your article get removed because you decided it wasn't realistic after all? Or, and this is what I truly hope, did you realize what you wrote was an atrocity that shouldn't have been said at all.

By the way, don't think I'm trying to tell you that you shouldn't be allowed to write that Bush should pull a Caesar (or a Hitler, to flip the coin), but when you do write something so insulting to America as a whole, expect to be called on it.

-Greg L

Edit Number 2 - Electric Boogaloo: I just noticed what the post below this one was. I feel a little bit comforted by it.

Psalm 23

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil: For thou art with me;
Thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me.

No News Is Good News

I guess I'm on a writing kick tonight?

At work, we don't get cable. Our breakroom TV only gets over the air signals, so roughly 5 and a half channels. During the daytime, when most of my shifts are, those channels are dominated by Jerry Springer, Divorce Court, and some sort of all knowing paternal expert telling elated vagrants "You are NOT the father!" In short, shit. And even worse, soap operas. But there's one show that I can count on to sort of be at least somewhat helpful to my daily life. The local news, with its local weather and, occasionally, traffic reports.

I remember from my youth, the catch phrase "News You Can Use", a segment during some news (half)hour show. The implication being, I suppose, that the other 25 minutes of news is information that I can't use. So, why am I tuning in? Entertainment? I don't find tales of police drug busts or car accidents from hours ago very useful. Nor do I find the details of a social controversy over in Ohio or whatever very helpful in my day to day life. Studies have shown that, for instance, people who watch Fox News are more likely to be misinformed about the facts, so this moves the problem from a waste of my time (news I can't use) to an actual detriment to my being (news that hurts me).

There is a problem here.

So, why isn't news simply news I can use? Who decided that they needed to fill the other twenty-five minutes after the weather and traffic was done? Just run another program or something. That seems to be the most cost effective route. Granted, knowing these channels its likely to be a paid advertisement for the Spammerator, a knife that slices fake meat AND sends enticing letters penned by fictitious African Kings offering large sums, but at least it'll be, theoretically, something I COULD use, if I wanted. (This way, I'll have something to eat while I wait for help transferring my obscenely huge fortunes.)

Actually, there was one thing on the news today that was helpful. They talked about a recall on several toys. Working in the toy department of Target, I had already been made aware of the risk (by the way, if you or anyone you love has bought the Disney's Cars toys - the ones about the size of Hot Wheels - you should take them back, there's something wrong with them), but for anyone who didn't work for a toy store, this is important information. Old ladies turning 100, a beauty pageant for kittens, and a turtle who got flipped upside down until local neighbors flipped him back; these stories are certainly not news-worthy, and yet they make headlines on my local news.

So, then, back to the question: what, exactly, should be reported. Obviously, weather and traffic are important. The same goes for public service messages like the toy recall, or possible medical alerts (ISSUED BY PROPER AUTHORITIES - I don't need to hear about every sick kid with the sniffles and how it could be an outbreak of Possum/Opossum flu). Political issues and races directly affecting me classify somewhat as news, though not to the extent they are currently covered. I actually saw a piece about whether or not candidates' hair made them appear "gay". That is news I cannot use. I, for one, do not care what my president looks like, as long as he gets the job done and doesn't screw up too badly. I don't need to know every notch in the polls because of every little happening in every nook and cranny of the nation, especially not 14 months before the election. Give me state by state primary results, maybe. Highlight key notes said at each candidates speaking events, but don't over do it. I don't need a 24 hour news channel devoting 72 hours to a botched joke or a weird shirt.

I'm okay with opinions. Believe it or not, I'm fine with The O'Reilly Factor. I tend to lean a little more towards the Kieth Olberman side of the spectrum myself, but to each his own, and I'm sure there's a place out there for all opinions. In fact, opinions are probably more useful to me than facts. Interpretation, even wrong interpretation, can help to get the process moving along. True, it can also lead a bunch of dittoheads to vote off a cliff like lemmings, but that's simply how people will work.

I also think it's interesting to see how the internet will affect all this stuff. With the internet, there's a place I can go to get specialized news. For instance, most people wouldn't care about when the next Transformers toys are due out, but I am very interested in such things. Obviously, while this information is news to me (news I can use, at that!) it's not really relevant to 99% of the population.

Anyway, I need to sleep now. Laters.

To Want And To Be Wanted, And To Want To Be Wanted

I just wanna be loved unconditionally. I yearn for physical contact, someone to hold me at night when I go to sleep, and to lie next to me when I wake up. Someone to talk to me when it's quiet. Someone to watch dumb movies with me, or play video games with. Someone to tell me I'm awesome for being me, to find beauty in my flaws, and to let me know when I'm being an idiot (it happens more often than I think).

I want to be that for someone else, too. I want to love them unconditionally. I want to be their warm pillow, to hold them when they're tired, to wake up with them in the morning. Someone to have a conversation with, whether it's about religion or politics or the Transformers or the religion and politics of the Transformers. I want someone to want to watch dumb movies with me, or play video games with. I want to tell someone they're awesome because they are, to find beauty in ever part of them, and someone who won't hate me if I point out they're being an idiot (you women are so sensitive).

I like mirrors. I wonder, do they like me?

Emergencies And Other Trivialities

Someone's window just crashed in near my house. I'm not sure why. I feel like I should do something, but what? Call 911?

-911, what's your emergency?
-Uh, yeah, I think my neighbor's glass door may be broken.
-So do you want us to send some police over to look at it, or what?
-Yeah, I guess. Texas has emergency carpenter service, right?

God bless the hardworking men and women of Texas' ECS, who give their lives in the never ending battle against termites.

As I was driving around earlier tonight, I realized my Zune doesn't have any lights when it's on after the 15 second wait before the backlight goes off. Same goes for iPods and, I just noticed, my cell phone. I find this somewhat weird. Before this, whenever I had something electronic in my hands, I could tell at a glance if it was on or off. But in fact, as near as I can tell, iPods and Zunes NEVER really turn off, they just go into a standby mode. I wonder how this affects plane traffic. They say they want all your electronic devices shut off. How do I do that with my Zune? Or, for that matter, a wrist watch? I dunno, but whoever figures out a way to make an airplane-safe MP3 player will make a mint. I dunno if it's even possible, though. I'd have to do more research into figuring out why they ask you to turn off electronics in the first place.

Speaking of things I need to figure out, I've decided I need an "Oh Shit" backpack. By that, I mean a backpack I can pick up, put on, and run out the door with. Btw, I just finished watching the Bourne Identity, so that may be playing a big part of that. But I've got a few ideas for what I'm gonna need.

Cash - Probably about $500 in small bills, not too much, but enough that I can get to a motel for a few days till I figure something else out.
Flash Drive - loaded up with it's own little goodies, mostly an instance of Portable Firefox with a homepage set to a fresh and clean Gmail account and a specialized foxmarks account that includes stuff like 10 minute mail and other stuff. Basically, the flash drive is there to serve as a separate digital identity for me aside from my normal one. I'll probably also keep images of important documents and such on there.
Digital Camera - Taking pictures of stuff, obviously. Hopefully something that I can use to take pictures quickly without being noticed.
Pre-Paid Phone - I'll need to check and see if the minutes expire on stuff like this. If not, I'll just activate the phone and leave it there so it's good to go, otherwise I'll have to get to an Internet Cafe and activate it then and there. I'd obviously prefer the first option, though.
Swiss Army Hammer - I've seen these before. It's like a Swiss Army knife (lots of little tools, knives, corkscrews, screwdrivers, etc) but with a hammer on the end. Seems like it could come in handy.
Duct Tape - Oh yeah, I'm going the full MacGuyver here.
Battery-less Flashlight - Target has one of these. You shake it back and fort and a little magnet generates your power. I've seen ones that you pump a handle to go, but those are noisy. Not sure if I'd wanna make so much noise when I'm trying to hide. Unfortunately, the one I saw at Target was sorta broken, and also very cheap looking. I'll have to keep my eyes open for more like this.
Clothes - Whatever I've got on my back, plus a light hoodie, a jacket (I'd wear one or the other out the door), white t-shirt, jeans, socks, underwear, etc. Plain stuff, nothing eye catching. Also a ball cap, plain as well.
Eyewear - I usually wear glasses, so I'd probably want a spare pair in the bag. I'd also wanna pack some contacts and sun glasses.
More - I'm sure I've forgotten something, but I'll get to it later.

My left eye is twitching up a storm; I should probably get to bed.

Also from watching the movie, mostly from the line "...at this altitude, I can run flat out for a half mile before my hands start shaking." This strikes me as a useful talent. The fact that he knew it just instinctively maybe less so, but I need to work on my own personal fitness. I'm not ashamed to admit that Matt Damon is an attractive man, and if I ever wanna be that good looking, an exercise regimen is in order. I'll probably start jogging. I wonder what the local high school would think if I just started jogging around the track every day...

Not tonight, though. Too dark, and I'm too tired.