if only i listened when i was warned. if only i could step back and see that people repeat negative actions. often, negative behavior doesn’t improve.
i wish
i wish i had a partner i could plan with
spend time with
travel with
lean on
and see my future flowering forward
i wish he wasn’t so fucking determined
to stay damaged
i wish
i could fly
and see my parents
right now
Haji: Slang for an Iraqi, derogatory
Today on Democracy Now, portions of the testimony by the Winter Soldiers in Maryland this week:
http://www.democracynow.org/2008/3/18/winter_soldier_contd_us_vets_active
US veterans and active-duty soldiers from Iraq and Afghanistan testify about the horrors of war. For four days, soldiers convened at the National Labor College in Silver Spring, Maryland for Winter Soldier, an eyewitness indictment of atrocities committed by US troops during the ongoing occupations in Iraq and Afghanistan.
From Wikipedia:
General George William Casey, Jr., USA (born July 21, 1948) is the 36th and current Chief of Staff of the United States Army. General Casey previously served as Commanding General, Multi-National Force – Iraq from June 2004 to February 8, 2007. He assumed his current assignment on April 10, 2007.
from Wikileaks:
Monday March 17, 2008
A confidential memo obtained by Wikileaks shows that not only has the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission created an insider trading loophole big enough to drive a truck through, but that Wall Street is taking full advantage of it, establishing ‘how-to’ programs and even client service divisions to help well-heeled clients circumvent insider trading regulations.
http://wikileaks.org/wiki/Whistleblower_exposes_insider_trading_program_at_JP_Morgan
the players
• high-powered governor, famous or infamous for tough prosecution; many political enemies, arrogant and wealthy
• high-priced hooker, plays sympathetic in the media, myspace profile has no personal friends as contacts; only celebrities, and the profile and photos seem staged
• FBI investigators with federal wiretap in back pocket, only tap until they nab the governor, rather than taking down the larger prostitution ring
the timing
the train is derailed the same day that the governor is set to speak to a group of pro-choice activists, who are gathering around the country to mark the National Day of Appreciation for Abortion Providers
the questions
Who is the hooker? Is she really a young girl from a tough background? Why is her MySpace profile seemingly tailored for just such a situation? Even the photos are such that if someone were contriving the whole scenario, they’d shoot photos just like these for a character in this situation.
Why was the governor the only one taken down?
Why were the federal wiretaps, which apparently were available for up to another month, taken down before nabbing a larger group of individuals?
Why did the governor resign without any charges being brought? Does anyone smell extortion?
What else is going on that the media is not covering while they cover this to death?
im•peach |(ĭm-pēch’)|
•call into question the integrity or validity of {a practice}
•charge the holder of a public office with misconduct
The questions surrounding the conduct of NY Gov. Eliot Spitzer have quickly turned to impeachment; whether to impeach, and how quickly. My concern about this line of thought is the same concern I had when Bill Clinton’s indiscretion became a national focal point: sexual matters are personal matters. Much like a person’s palate for food, amorous choices are private.
I see the irony in Gov. Spitzer on one hand prosecuting prostitution rings, and on the other, engaging in the illicit business himself; but this should be handled as it would for any private citizen. Impeachment should be reserved for crimes that are directly related to the interest of the public being represented.
A more serious question, and one that I think most people have already considered, is whether a president should be impeached when he’s lied to the public with the direct intention of misleading the country into war. That, I do believe, is a reason to impeach.
Persepolis is an animated movie about a young girl growing up in Iran, primarily in the 1980’s and 1990’s. The animation and artwork is luscious; all black-and-white, it transitions from one scene to the next with dreamy liquidity.
At one point, the family is hiding in the bomb shelter or basement with many other families. The moment gave me a timeless view of people living completely in fear because of the foolish actions of people in power. Children grew up watching family members arrested and executed for questioning the direction that the government was taking the country. I was reminded of the last few pages in Housseni’s ‘A Thousand Splendid Suns’, when I had the realization that all this happened BEFORE September 11, 2001. Look at what this country went through before all the recent garbage began!
I highly recommend seeing Persepolis.
