March 31, 2003

The "Liberal-Extremist" Debate

There has been a very interesting discussion of liberal extremists and moderates on Calpundit, Atrios, Body and Soul, Ampersand, Pandagon, Mac Diva, and Pedantry.

I took the quiz "Where Do You Fall On The Liberal-Conservative Political Spectrum" linked to Calpundit. I came up Liberal.

I found the quiz oversimplistic and a bit troublesome. The answers that guaranteed one would be labeled a far-right conservative would have been more accurately labeled as "closed-minded bigot." I know conservatives who are against abortion, who want to see the 10 Commandments in schools, and who are pro-death penalty who are not closed-minded bigots. I saw the same problem with responses that would lead to the label "far-left liberal." I know plenty of radical liberals who don't believe all Christians are intolerant Bible-beating fanatics.

What I found most interesting is that the quiz defined "moderate" as follows: "You are balanced between political extremes. While this is generally a good thing, you should take care to avoid a tendency towards apathy. There must surely be something you are dissatisfied with in our current society. People actually caring about an issue is the first step to needed social change."

The answers that guaranteed a "moderate" ranking? All "I don't care/no opinion."

That's the problem I see with defining what "moderate" and "middle" in today's political climate. Since the 2000 elections, "moderate" has come to mean wishy-washy and lacking a definite conviction on anything. The operating phrase seems to be "why can't we all just get along?" That's a far cry from what "moderate" meant when there were more moderates in office. They seem to be a vanishing breed. One I liked very much, Republican Connie Morella from Maryland, lost in the last election. Moderate liberal has come to mean "doormat for right-wing thugs." Bartcop rags on moderate Tom Daschle's lack of spine all the time by dressing him in a pink tutu. The last time he chewed out Daschle, he called him a "candy-ass, enabling wanker." Sad to say that sums up "moderate" for some people.

I don't think being either "moderate" or "middle" means that you don't care or don't have an opinion. I think it means that you prefer to present your opinions in a more socially acceptable and polite fashion. Sam at Pedantry called the modus operandi of the extremists and the moderates "good cop/bad cop." The extremists draw attention to an issue. As Ampersand wrote, "If you hold a gay Pride march with 100,000 folks dressed in jeans and tank-tops and one person dressed in a sequined cape and pope hat, the news media will always focus on the person in the pope hat." The moderates take those points addressed by the extremists and package them in a form more palatable to the general public, who may find flamboyant spectacle or heated rhetoric off-putting. Sometimes the moderates themselves may be a bit put off by the extremists who are on their side. I think this may apply to Kevin. He sounded a little embarrassed. I think it's helpful to remember that the desired result of both extremists and moderates is that those issues get proper attention and the benefit of thoughtful discourse. More often than not, that's what happens.

The word "extremist" itself bothers me. It has a negative connotation, evoking images of a crazed, wild-eyed, frizzle-haired person who is busy telling the entire world how wrong and fucked up it is. "Radical" sits better with me. In my mind, a radical uses a passionate approach to educate the public about injustices, bias, and unfairness. A radical is also more than capable of taking on the vitriolic attacks from those who vehemently oppose the ideas presented -- something that moderates don't seem to handle as well. A radical works to open people's eyes, to broaden perspectives so that what had been hidden from public view. A radical also broadens perspectives about issues that had simply not been noticed because it was outside someone's personal life experience. Due to the radicals passionate actions and statements, those issues are lit with a bright light for all to see, evaluate, and change. This mindset fits in well with addressing the White Guy's Fallacy Ampersand had discussed at length. The words I've heard used to describe what Barry talked about are "privilege" and "sense of entitlement." The first step towards social change is to ensure that society is aware that certain injustices exist at all.

This brings me to the post that inspired this discussion: Kevin's comments about Drew Limsky's op-ed denouncing Adrien Brody for kissing Halle Berry when he received his Oscar for Best Actor. He called extreme lefties (feminists were implicitly included in there) as "moralistic killjoys," Jeanne at Body and Soul gave an excellent example of seeing, from a woman's perspective, what a heterosexual white man may not see. She described the differences between what she saw and what Kevin may have seen when viewing the Adrien Brody/Halle Berry kiss:

"When the kiss ended, I was doing something that probably very few men were doing -- looking at Halle Berry's face. I was very curious about what her reaction would be. To me she looked embarassed. But smiling. She looked confused at the stupid line about that being part of her "gift basket." During Brody's speech, the camera moved back to her a few times, and she still had that deer in the headlights look. I didn't hear most of Brody's speech, because I was too busy looking at Halle Berry and feeling embarassed for her. It's a look, an embarassment, I think most women know from the inside, because we've all been in positions where men have said something or done something that makes us feel like a piece of meat, but we just stand there and smile because we know we'd look foolish (or put our jobs in danger), if we said anything. "Everyone" thinks it's funny after all. For some odd reason, "everyone" doesn't always include us. "It's certainly possible that I'm over-reading Halle Berry's expression based on my own experiences. It's equally possible, though, that Kevin missed it because he's never been treated like that. The difference is, I don't assume "everybody" shares my sense of what happened. I know my experience and perceptions aren't universal. I just don't understand why so many nice, intelligent middle-class white guys assume theirs are."

That's what turning "White Guy's Fallacy" on its head looks like.

Jeanne provided a perspective that hetero white guys seldom experience on their own -- they have not often been placed in positions where they feel like or have been treated like pieces of meat. I know that feeling. I've been on job interviews where the men who questioned me commented about my sexy legs. I have received unwanted bear hugs and kisses of the sort Berry had been subjected to. Those hugs, kisses, and comments are violations of my personal space. I don't appreciate them. If I take issue with them, that does not mean that I am a humorless feminist who can't take a compliment or a joke. As I said in Atrios comments section, where this issue has also been discussed, "Why assume that feminism equals moralistic killjoy? That's only a reinforcement of the stereotype that feminists have no sense of humor -- something that is definitely not true."

posted at 6:20 AM by Trish Wilson | Link

Congress Gives Up On 'Faith-Based' Push

"Conceding they don't have enough support, congressional sponsors of President Bush's faith-based initiative have given up on legislation that would make it easier for churches and religious groups to get government grants."

On the other hand, the House approved of a National Day of Prayer," calling for "humility, prayer and fasting in a time of war and terrorism."

I have long ago stopped being shocked by the audacity of the Bush administration. Remember the appropriate synonyms for audacity. All more than adequately describe Bush and his minion.

Rude
Impudent
Flagrant
Reckless
Brash
Brazen
Disrespectful
Boorish
Ill-bred
Ill-mannered
Ill-behaved
Impertinent
Insolent
Uncivilized
Uncouth
Uncultured

posted at 6:20 AM by Trish Wilson | Link

War in Iraq And Cultural Genocide

During the previous Gulf War, numerous archeological sites in and around Baghdad were seriously damaged. In addition to the loss of lives, bombing damages and destroys valuable cultural heritage. Looting was a serious problem following the previous Gulf War.

Modern-day Iraq is the home of the Cradle of Civilization. Think of Mesopotamia, Nebuchadnezzer and Alexander the Great. Think of Assyria, the home of the first written language, cuneiform. Seventy thousand cuneiform tablets are at risk in Baghdad.

While eyes have been glued to television coverage of the devastation of Basra, not many may know that Basra Al Qurna is "said to be site of Garden of Eden with Adam's tree." A top U. N. official announced Thursday that coalition bombing appeared to have damaged three important museums. One of these museums may be the world famous National Museum of Antiquities, located in Baghdad. An important old citadel is located in Tikrit, Saddam Hussein's home town. All of these sites sustained damage in the previous Gulf War. Mosul is near Ninevah. World Monuments Watch cites this as one of the 100 most endangered sites.

Related Item of Interest: Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day is of the pre-telescopic astronomical observatory in Beijing, China. It links to a picture of Nabta Playa, the oldest known astronomically aligned stones in the world. Located in the Sahara Desert in Egypt, it predates Stonehenge by over one thousand years.




For more information about Nabta, go to these links:

Late Neolithic megalithic structures at Nabta Playa (Sahara), southwestern Egypt.

Oldest Astronomical Megalith Alignment Discovered in Souther Egypt by Science Team (1998)

Egyptian "Stonehenge" Predates the Pyramids

If you want to see it for yourself, a ten-day expedition sets out in October, 2003.

posted at 6:20 AM by Trish Wilson | Link

March 28, 2003

Next On The War Plate: Syria and Iran

Rummy is shaking his finger at Syria and Iran. He says that "shipments of "military supplies and material and equipment" have been crossing from Syria into Iraq, apparently to aid the forces of President Saddam Hussein."

What he hasn't said is that the Project for the New American Century has already placed Syria and Iran in its scope.

Hezbollah Hezbollah is one of the leading terrorist organizations in the world. It is suspected of having been involved in the 1998 bombings of the American embassies in Africa, and implicated in the bombing of the U.S. Marine barracks in Beirut in 1983. Hezbollah clearly falls in the category cited by Secretary Powell of groups "that mean us no good" and "that have conducted attacks previously against U.S. personnel, U.S. interests and our allies." Therefore, any war against terrorism must target Hezbollah. We believe the administration should demand that Iran and Syria immediately cease all military, financial, and political support for Hezbollah and its operations. Should Iran and Syria refuse to comply, the administration should consider appropriate measures of retaliation against these known state sponsors of terrorism.

I predict that the "War On Terror" will move to those two countries once coalition forces finish decimating Iraq. Maybe the Bush administration won't bother to wait that long. The PNAC letter outlined the war agenda before the troops had even set foot in Iraq.

posted at 6:45 PM by Trish Wilson | Link

Great Googly-Moogly!

Quite a few people have found my blog lately by plugging "Alcolac" into Google. They aren't as numerous as those who have typed in "Samantha Geimer" and "Roman Polanski," but I'm happy to see them. Although while I suspect some of the Geimer/Polanski folk are looking for smut, I think many of them simply want to know what Polanski had done to her all those years ago. For those who are interested, Geimer's grand jury testimony from the 1977 sexual assault case is here at The Smoking Gun.

I believe that American corporate complicity in arming Iraq is very important to point out. Alcolac was only one company that supplied Iraq with materials. I've already discussed this issue at length on January 5 and on February 14 (Valentine's Day. How sardonic.).

A recent article about the American role in arming Iraq (including Alcolac's contributions) is at the Pakistan Daily Times.

Of course, you don't want to forget this picture:

posted at 6:44 PM by Trish Wilson | Link

March 26, 2003

This Post Is Dedicated To The People Who Found My Blog By Typing "Samantha+Geimer+Pictures" To Google

I fried my keyboard two nights ago. I spilled my drink on it. The damage isn't as serious as it could have been, but it is definitely time for repairs. Obviously, since you are reading this, I have found a way to continue to post to my blog. At least my laptop hasn't exceeded its minimum recommended daily allotment of cat fur and Tostitos crumbs. That would require a major overhaul.

I can type any word I like as long as it does not contain an "O," an "I," or a "P."

That means I can't use my laptop to tell the people who found my blog via Google by typing "Roman+Polanski+rape+pictures" to PIss Off.

One person typed "Roman+Polanski+in+drag." I don't want to know what that was about.

I've been getting lots of hits since Polanski won the Best Director oscar. None of them are about the movie.

One interesting search result was "minaret+and+penis." It picked up two unrelated posts from my blog: (1) part of the transcript of the California rape case trial, and (2) one of the archeological sites (a minaret) that had been damaged during the last Gulf War. A minaret is a prayer tower. The tie to the word "penis" seems to be about religious ceremony, as in circumcision. There is an organization called The Minaret of Freedom Institute, that has written about Islam and female circumcision. I know nothing about this organization so I cannot comment further.

posted at 1:10 PM by Trish Wilson | Link

News Sources That Tell You What American Media Won't Disclose

Iraq Body Count Database: civilians reported killed in Iraq by US-led military action during 2003

Middle East News: What the American media won't tell you.

Louisville Committee To Stop The War In Iraq

Includes "10 Things To Do To Protest War In Iraq," such as protesting often, faxing and faxing the White House and Congress, educate yourself, turn off "all war, all the time" TV and radio, and boycott companies that support the Bush regime. Includes a page written by one of the human shields in Iraq, who is from Louisville. Frequently updated, so visit often.

100 Companies Receiving The Largest Dollar Volume Of Prime Contract Awards - Fiscal Year 2002

FOREWORD 100 Companies Receiving the Largest Dollar Volume of Prime Contract Awards is published annually. This report contains summary data on the 100 companies, including their subsidiaries, which were awarded the largest total dollar volume of Department of Defense prime contract awards during fiscal year 2002.

Top 100 Companies and Their Subsidiaries

Bechtel Group and Bechtel Corporation (number 17) received $1,029,712,447.

Halliburton (number 37) breaks down as follows:

Halliburton Company: $34,470
Halliburton Affiliates Corporation: $69,918
Kellogg, Brown & Root, Inc.: $483,565,913



Top 10 Companies

The FY 2002 top 10 companies are listed below by rank, along with their FY 2001 rank and the dollar value of the awards received in both FY 2002 and FY 2001.

 

Rank		Company Name	Awards (Billion$)
2002	2001		2002	2001
1	1	LOCKHEED MARTIN CORPORATION	17.0	14.7
2	2	BOEING COMPANY, THE	16.6	13.3
3	5	NORTHROP GRUMMAN CORPORATION	8.7	5.2
4	4	RAYTHEON COMPANY	7.0	5.6
5	6	GENERAL DYNAMICS CORPORATION	7.0	4.9
6	7	UNITED TECHNOLOGIES CORPORATION	3.6	3.8
7	9	SCIENCE APPLICATIONS INTERNATIONAL CORP.	2.1	1.7
8	8	TRW INCORPORATED	2.0	1.9
9	12	HEALTH NET, INC.	1.7	0.9
10	26	L-3 COMMUNICATIONS HOLDINGS, INC	1.7	0.5

 

 

posted at 1:10 PM by Trish Wilson | Link

March 23, 2003

March Isn't The Only Thing In Like A Lion, Out Like A Lamb

Spring has finally sprung. I haven't felt much like blogging lately, initially because the war depressed me. I got over that. Now, it's too nice outside to stay indoors. I've been too busy relieving a scorching case of cabin fever to post much.

Idlewords has been posting a fabulous series called "French Week." I've been trying to get to France, especially Aix en Provence, since I was in the eleventh grade. I will get there someday -- and I might like it so much I will never return to the States. I feel the same way about New Zealand. Here are all of Idleword's "French Week" links, for your enjoyment:

Day One: Ten Reasons To Love France. [Only ten???]

Day Two: French History

Day Three: The Day of the Crepe. [The crepes des chartreux recipe sounds to die for.]

Day Four: French v. American Grade School Menus and other things.

Day Five: France and the American Revolution.

Day Six is in the works.

I just saw a fun French movie called "Wasabi," starring Jean Reno. Written and produced by Luc Besson. It reminded me of another Reno film, "The Professional. Similar set-up: Reno is a loner with a penchant for violence who softens up after taking a child under his wing. In this case, the "child" is a 19 year old daughter he didn't know he had. Her mother, a Japanese former lover of his, had recently died. She named him in her will. This one was a nice, fun little piece of fluff.

posted at 9:24 AM by Trish Wilson | Link

Another "FIshtar?"

Within the first five minutes of The Sci-Fi Channel's "Riverworld," I learned three things about the afterlife:

Everyone is young.
Everyone is white (or looks close to white).
Everyone is thin.

This was easy to figure out because a crowd of people washed ashore buck nekkid. On prime time television. Cushy.

There are more outer space aliens in this afterlife than blacks, Hispanics, Asians, or anyone else non-white.

Another thing I learned about the afterlife: it has really sucky piped-in Muzak.

After about twenty minutes I lost interest, but I left it on as background noise while I did other things.

"Riverworld" played immediately after "Waterworld." How fitting.

If you want to watch a better trashy movie set underwater, watch "Below." It's about the crew of an American WWII submarine that picked up three survivors of a British hospital ship that was downed by a torpedo. The sub crew has a big secret ... and one really pissed-off bogey. I recognized many of the actors from other films, such as "Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels," "Double Jeopardy," and "The Sixth Sense."

posted at 9:24 AM by Trish Wilson | Link

March Isn't The Only Thing In Like A Lion, Out Like A Lamb

Spring has finally sprung. I haven't felt much like blogging lately, initially because the war depressed me. I got over that. Now, it's too nice outside to stay indoors. I've been too busy relieving a scorching case of cabin fever to post much.

---

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