nihilix

Bright nights in England

2011-08-12T17:02:00.001-07:00

Trying to suss out what's up with England and the riots. I think about a shop window in one of these neighborhoods. The neighborhood bit run down, folks are poor-ish and work a lot, there's a working class and street sensibility. I see the shops with the finest merchandise in the window - 100 pounds, that's a bunch of money. I see the crowds mounting and building in excitement and then a

Religion, politics, S and P, race, London Burning!

2011-08-08T20:45:00.001-07:00

Gave at talk tonight to the Network of Spiritual Progressives; a group of mostly un-churched lefty religious who wanted to hear about organizing or something. Was good, but had problems with my computer and freaked myself out. Also there was a fire alarm to start the evening. Also I have an 8 AM morning meeting. Ugh! A few of the cool things I found around the intertubes today: Great rant

FCKH8 Video rocks, bad article written about video, friend with cancer

2011-08-03T18:55:00.000-07:00

The new video from the folks who did the hilarious FCKH8 campaign against California's Prop 8 is for Minnesota's own straights-only marriage amendment, cruising to a heavy loss in 2012.These always make me cry, it's so beautiful the pride and sillyness and anger and positive energy that comes out of here. It's to the point, powerful, makes people stand up and take note.Unfortunately I found out

New job, checking in.

2011-08-01T18:56:00.000-07:00

If you know me, I'm somewhat more active on Facebook lately. Just now trying out turntable, off a recommendation from Amanda Marcotte at Pandagon lately.Now, I should toss the links into this but that's what makes blogging harder, more like work.Self-indulgent rumination, however, isn't as fun as real interesting commentary.So - new job, about two months ago. Same thing I was doing before for a

Memorial Day 2011

2011-05-30T11:39:00.000-07:00

To all those who are veterans - and to never again creating a new combat vet. Hey, while we're at it, how about the House Republicans start fully funding vet's health (yes, the rich can pay more taxes to take care of a poor kid back from two in Iraq and one in Afghanistan who twitches when he hears fireworks) and how about the Obama Administration start taking on the military-industrial complex

Banishing the demons of the Bush years

2010-12-12T17:19:00.000-08:00

I've been shifted by Obama's stance on the tax cuts. I've lost some faith that I still had in him. There are those who have told me it was irrational, like my sweetie! (hi hon, sorry!) but dang it, I thought hope was something. That we could clean up some of the Bush mess. That we could get things heading in the right direction. More FDR than JFK...With that in mind, a killer essay on Al Jazeera

Which Side Are You On?

2010-12-09T23:28:00.000-08:00

There's an old union song, written in 1931 in the coal strikes. The mine owners had the police and their paramilitaries shooting up the strikers; union politics were being played hard and fast.The question they're asking is simple. Which side of the class war are you on?This is the class war started by the Republicans, the right, and the rich, the one where Ronald Reagan fired the air traffic

Anger

2010-12-03T20:47:00.000-08:00

Must... twitch... anger... rising...Blogging unlike facebooking takes more time and thought. Good posts need more commentary and good links.But I'm just fucking fed up with shit! And not in a mood to stop fighting, but I mean for jeeze?So here's what's pissing me off.1) Craven governmental institutions caving to the Republican takeover of the house. The Smithsonian's not letting people see

Thanks, Google Images!

2010-11-21T07:15:00.000-08:00

Why the hit counts? Because Google Images has decided in it's infinite wisdom that my posts on the cute gay homecoming kids, and my pundit kitchen repost of Walmart is fatal are top results.So if you come here for that and want to leave a 'hey' please comment. This is far better than the last odd thing that linked to this page, which had to do with people who hate on Obama and things I said in

Obama VS Clinton: Obama's military actions.

2010-06-20T14:50:00.000-07:00

Part of the Obama Vs Clinton/From the Left discussion...One of the things I said I'd consider Obama to be a success at was if he had fewer troops in the Middle East - a third was what I was looking for - two years into his administration.He's certainly taken them out of Iraq, but a heck of a lot of them have been heading straight to Afghanistan. According to this one Canadian "Defence Watch"

Left Analysis: Who is worse, Obama or Clinton

2010-06-19T19:06:00.000-07:00

A fellow lefty friend of mine and I had this discussion leading up to the Obama election: which would be the biggest sellout to the corporate right, Obama or Clinton. Actually, we framed it as 'who was worse, Clinton or Obama'. But I realized that just saying it like that would be an invitation for rightwing trolls, wingnuts, and tea-baggers to come boiling out of the woodwork and saying 'BOTH',

Quick recommended link: Juan Cole on BP and Iraq

2010-06-19T18:52:00.000-07:00

Juan Cole is worth reading for a number of reasons - he's a lefty prof who understands the middle east from serious experience (living there many years, extensive reading of sources in their native languages) and every so often he goes off on the right-wing in wonderful, hard-hitting, factual but passionate rants.And so when he draws the correlations between Iraq, an oil-based deadly disaster,

Two gay kids in New York elected prom king and queen

2010-06-14T15:18:00.001-07:00

Aww... this is so sweet. Look at the pictures! (credit to the Albany Times Union)On June 5, what began as a lark turned into a celebration of their courage to attend high school as openly gay young men. Seniors Charlie Ferrusi and Timmy Howard were crowned Hudson High School's prom king and queen in an open vote of their classmates."It was so cool when they called our names. Kids were

Pseudonymity

2010-06-13T20:31:00.000-07:00

Well. I started a statement on pseudonymity that looked as arrogant as heck. Even though I have the ability to be a total dickwad (see photo) I still try not to. At the same time that I think - oh, it is all about me. (Well, who doesn't?)I am choosing to blog under nihilix for a couple reasons - journalistic voice and I can just vent more freely. If you have any feedback about this, let me

Ohhh....

2010-06-11T20:58:00.000-07:00

There's this one vocal track at the beginning of Irresponsible Hate Anthem from Marilyn Manson's Antichrist Superstar... that's the sound of me coming back to the blog...ohhhh.... ohhhh....Feel like a zombie blogger coming back to the windlass that I used to wind when I was alive...(probably partially a result of listening to Marilyn Manson) (as well as not blogging in like FORever...)Anyway,

Healthcare

2009-12-22T20:43:00.001-08:00

My first thought - fuck, TPM has big headlines - Senate Passes Healthcare, House to Adopt Senate Plan - fuck that!The reason you get good language out of the House is so you can fight for a compromise in committee! This is the most progressive House we've had in quite a while, and their public option was good, and the funding was better, and were it the bill, I'd be thrilled.But all this 'roll

My amazing new avatar

2009-09-25T19:05:00.001-07:00

This came from the Mariowiki, where it's someone's user ID.Here's the link.

Robocop's Vocals, Super Pain Ray, Pittsburgh G-20

2009-09-24T20:40:00.000-07:00

This is fascinating - the robocop vocals. And the tweetling - is this going to be the audiotrack of the suppression of people's movements?

About the radicalizing right wing

2009-08-27T20:15:00.000-07:00

Pandagon? Rocks when it's rocking like nothing. Great writing there. This one - Amanda Marcotte gets this shit backwards.Here's a big clip. Go read the whole thingThe widespread unwillingness, particularly in the mainstream media, to accept that anti-choicers are rather mean-spirited right wing nuts has led to a disturbing unwillingness to label anti-choice terrorism as “terrorism”. It seems

The New Mob Order

2009-08-10T19:44:00.001-07:00

After Bill Clinton was re-elected, American conservatives launched the impeachment campaign that tied up government for most of his second term. Now, with the town-hall meeting disruptions and campaigns like the 'birthers', American conservatives are trying to tie up Obama by destabilizing the rule of law.Why is reining in bad practices of the insurance industry and cutting their profit margins

Win the election for Paul Wellstone

2009-07-07T19:13:00.000-07:00

I am happy and sad that Al Franken took the oath of office on Paul and Sheila Wellstone's bible.The moment was the Wellstone memorial. The chapter in Frankens Lies and the Lying Liars about that event is perfect. Because the Coleman forces used their dirty tricks to smear the campaign of Senator Wellstone. And thereby they benefited by Wellstone's death.I think that the planecrash was sketchy as

Icky Bill

2009-06-01T21:07:00.001-07:00

This is an example of hatemongering propaganda.

Star Trek 2009 Part Two

2009-05-15T20:44:00.000-07:00

Once again - this is full of spoilers. Beware!CHARACTERSSpock rocked. I think his character was far more the driver than Kirk's, and he got balls. Literally. I LOVE that he's Uhura's lover. His 'mother' moments were ehh, but overall the character who did the most growth and was generally the most compelling.Kirk was fine. The role was pretty amusingly written, and the kid did fine at it. He was

Star Trek 2009 Part One

2009-05-15T18:59:00.000-07:00

For those of you who get this in RSS - this is full of spoilers. Turn back now!Saw the new Star Trek movie last night, and I wanted to write about it.Dude, that was sooo cool!Also - letter grade bobbing between a B+ and an A-. Definitely in the 'Pay full price for it' category - as a matter of fact, pay an extra buck for the Ultrascreen.So I absolutely loved it, even when it bothered me, and I

The Field Negro

2009-05-13T19:49:00.000-07:00

BitchPhD, where I've guest posted, has got some good race discussions. The reminded me lately of a blogger - the FIELD NEGRO - from who I ripped the following. Amazing.Monday, May 11, 2009 I will take Rush over the black guy. "Well, if I had to choose in terms of being a Republican, I'd go with Rush Limbaugh, I think,"..." I think my take on it was Colin had already left the party. I didn't

First of May

2009-05-01T10:38:00.000-07:00

First of May - Outdoor F'ing Starts Today (NSFW) (but cartoony)OK - and for other light news; this comes from Rogers over at Kung Fu Monkey. It also made me laugh.There are two novels that can change a bookish fourteen-year old's life: The Lord of the Rings and Atlas Shrugged. One is a childish fantasy that often engenders a lifelong obsession with its unbelievable heroes, leading to an

Organizing to get rid of Coleman

2009-04-30T10:22:00.001-07:00

I love the floating out of focus Cornyn.

Protest Coleman - Who and Why

2009-04-29T08:38:00.000-07:00

Off of a comment thread on Bitch PhD - is there any reason to protest against Norm Coleman? Or is it pointless, because it's just a legal case right now?I think there are reasons to protest.First, there's Norm Coleman, who is indeed an actor in the play but by no means the most powerful. He loses with the general public, somewhat, by continuing to twitch. But he gains with his Republican donor

Hold them accountable

2009-04-26T18:08:00.000-07:00

Right wing violence will occur and it will be backed by media like Fox and politicans like Bachmann and Perry from Texas.When some nutbar goes off - like they do and have done - we gotta pump up the volume and challenge folks - what do you think about this? These people claim to be pro-life, but they use violence for their cause. As a pro-lifer, do you condone this action? Call them on it.

Obama: In it to win it

2009-04-26T17:24:00.000-07:00

Good post at the Booman Tribune about poker and politics. Apparently, the Republicans overplay their hands, and in this case they don't have the political chips to back it up.[Obama]... made concessions to the House GOP during the stimulus debate and he got absolutely nothing in return. In essence, he folded a good hand and lost a pot that rightfully belonged to him. The Republicans had been

Labornerd FTW

2009-04-26T17:09:00.000-07:00

Something I caught I don't know where - academic, radical, good sense of history - Labornerd.Something I got there - 1935 newsreel on the split between AFL and CIO.OH - and thanks for the last week's hit counts. I'd been averaging 5 a day (with the lame posting schedule) and this last one was about 10 a day. (I'll ignore the extra hits I generated myself when I plugged in on Mike's router.)

NYT Inanity: Dowd

2009-04-22T23:05:00.001-07:00

LOL

I love being alive right now.

2009-04-22T18:55:00.000-07:00

I've had this infection in my brain. A song I've been listint to over an over. It first came to me when I went to Slumdog Millionaire, finally, and I was like - dam, that's some hot soundtrack. Which I score from a friend.So I'm listening to it, and then this cut comes on - I'd heard it somewhere before - comes to me and I'm like - dam, that's the song.It's M.I.A.'s Paper Planes and I've listened

Fuck Nigger Haters

2009-04-19T09:08:00.000-07:00

I use Sitemeter to see who's clicking into this blog. It tells me lots of things, like how many hits, how many page views, etc. etc. Since almost no-one comments here, the hit count is one of the few things that gives me the egoboost that's part of blogging. (Very like doing pirate radio w/o a call-in number - sending words into the void...)So I'm looking at why people came here - what referrals

Obama Scores in Trinidad!

2009-04-17T18:22:00.000-07:00

People might freak out, and rightly so, about how the American Empire is flexing it's hard brutal muscle in the Middle East. But as Noam Chomsky first pointed out to me, the real game during the long Cold War was two empires putting down revolts inside their spheres - the Warsaw Pact for the Russians, and most of South and Central America for the US.The Monroe Doctrine called it - we're the

Texans to Nigger President - Fuck Off

2009-04-14T21:07:00.000-07:00

I can't believe this. I guess the right wing is in some way going for it - trying to pull the South back out of the country, or something.The Governor of Texas is telling people to rebel against the Federal government."Where’re you gonna’ stand? With an ever-growing Washington bureaucracy, or are you going to stand with the people of this state who understand the importance of state's rights"Just

Double-O Bama's Licenced a Kill

2009-04-13T22:27:00.001-07:00

So the pirates and the captain and Obama and stuff... what a load of bullshit. I'm sorry, but a dude in a boat and a destroyer is a distraction, not an issue of world shaking import. I don't care. Seriously, if you want to fix something in Africa you could do something for Darfur.However, it shows that Obama can give the order to kill. It's a blood barrier that's been crossed. He's made, he's no

OK Norm, you're done.

2009-04-13T16:58:00.000-07:00

The ruling is out - the Minnesota 2008 Senate vote was legitimate, and Al Franken is the elected Senator. You're done, Norm.You're like my bad dream of neoliberalism and neoconservatism. You rose to power on a corporate-fueled shift to the right, and you shifted with it. You grabbed camera time to diss the UN, and you got schooled by George Galloway, and now you've been schooled by the voters in

Snippet of the Browse 2

2009-04-09T21:09:00.000-07:00

Two good postsPandagon and Shakespeare's Sister are two of my long time regular reads. They'rebrilliant, and have lots of brilliance, including the two awesome women who sadly showed that John Edwards wasn't quite ready for prime time. (no! Sheesh, you people.)Anyway - Amanda and Melissa rock. And so do Jesse and Misty (and other folks over there.) Misty put together two things - this video, and

A Letter to Norm Coleman: Concede

2009-04-04T09:45:00.000-07:00

Dear Mr. Coleman,In a short time, the three-judge panel will make some announcements. They will find that the Minnesota Senate election was sound, and that Al Franken won it.It's time to throw in the towel. You lost the election in Minnesota to Al Franken. You should concede, and cease further legal challenge.You can, of course, continue legal action. You have legal avenues available, and you

Twin Cities Catholic Archbishop Jumps the Shark

2009-04-01T19:00:00.000-07:00

From the Minnesota Independent -Archbishop Nienstedt calls Obama ‘anti-Catholic,’ vows to pull support from Notre DameThe Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis has called President Obama an “anti-Catholic politician” and has condemned the University of Notre Dame for inviting Obama to speak at the school’s graduation in May. Archbishop John Nienstedt wrote to protest the invitation because of

Merging my dice bags

2009-03-31T16:30:00.000-07:00

I'm playing tabletop - dice throwing - gaming again. Dungeons and Dragons 4th Ed, is it? Jeez, I'm old. Anyway - there's two big stacks of dice that I had - the one in the old English candies tin, which I think has hella charm, but on the other hand is the velvet dice bag, that was FOR REAL SEWN CUSTOM FOR ME BY MY GIRLFRIEND. Who I met at Renaissance Festival. Where I became a Pagan. Which I was

Police Lookin' to do some Arrestin'

2009-03-30T22:28:00.000-07:00

Twin Cities Indymedia reports Video: RNC 8 Supporters Mobilize as Police Continue Intimidation Submitted by haloka on Mon, 03/30/2009 - 10:57 On March 27, RNC 8 supporters delivered petitions and letters in song to Ramsey County Attorney Susan Gaertner, demanding she drop the charges. Several

Tim Pawlenty - Bush Republican

2009-03-25T15:16:00.000-07:00

Why is it that Tim Pawlenty, who got aced out of the VP slot by Sarah Palin, is still considered credible in this town?He's a tried and true Bush Republican. He's a representative of the failed policies of the last eight years - or more - and he's still able to stand up and say 'no, no new revenue' and people don't laugh him out of the Capital.Of course, our corporate media, who are more

Black folks I first knew

2009-03-23T11:23:00.000-07:00

Over at BitchPhD my compadre Taddyporter has a post up about guitars with some awesome Beatles clips at the end.Anyway - I note he opens with black folks and then links to whitey, so since this post made me think about race, I'll give him some grief about that, and then link you to Berry.Here's a killer performance of Johnny B Goode by Chuck Berry. Sadly, there's commentary in the middle, so to

Keith Ellison

2009-03-22T20:54:00.000-07:00

I met Keith Ellison, who (according to my roomie) is now my new homie.It was for work; there's an anti-Somali Muslim campaign going around. We were both at the storefront mosque in Saint Paul that was the second target (after the Minneapolis one). We were both showing solidarity.I hear tell that there was a Katie Couric thing, and the Star Tribune, which has been pretty creepy and right-wing and

Once a week...

2009-03-16T21:34:00.000-07:00

If you read the back pages of this blog, you'll find a number of goals; some met, some not. So I was thinking... maybe if I blog once a week, that'll feel ok and be do-able.I get all caught in stories, and it's work! To get a seven link story, two or three main ideas mushed around, it's like all night! What about email? What about gaming? What about downloading free audiobooks for your new ipod?

Unitarian Shooter Jim Adkisson's Hate Crime Suicide Note

2009-02-16T21:59:00.000-08:00

This is a rough rush re-transcription of the hate-filled, lie-filled rant of the man who went on a murder spree in a Unitarian church in Knoxville. Faced with a life of poverty - the poverty a Republican government would have given him - he snaps and blames everyone except Fox news.I fully agree that Roger Ailes and Bill O'Reilley and Ann Coulter have a constitutional right to say what they want.

Blog for Choice day

2009-01-22T08:28:00.000-08:00

Thanks to Sybil over at BitchPhD a reminder that today is Blog for Choice day. The 36th anniversary of Roe V Wade.Even when I was growing up Republican, I was pro-choice. This is probably because my Republican dad wasn't a bible-thumper and my Democratic mom was hanging out (not letting it hang out, but hanging out) with hippies. Like being pro-gay-rights, or anti-homophobic bigotry, it seems so

President Obama

2009-01-21T10:19:00.000-08:00

As someone who was to the left of Senator Paul Wellstone (and a former constituent) I'm glad that Bush is gone but don't have illusions that Obama will be the Great Black Hope. But I think he'll be better. Here's some more of what I'm thinking.I think he's pretty exactly one tick left of center for the Democratic party (which makes him center-right in England). But the context is so far-right

Heck yeah.

2009-01-20T08:46:00.000-08:00

I was reading a comment thread on Pandagon and there was a Canadian anarchist who said - you know, Bush was worse than Gore. It's like being up to your neck in shit vs only up to your knees. Much easier when it's up to your knees but the smell still lingers...It's like this - the Western powers maintained economic domination of the South by acting in concert since WW2. Bush broke that and went

Snippet of the Browse

2009-01-15T14:46:00.000-08:00

Dude, Wikipedia rocks. Sitting at the computer, wondering where I wanted to go tonight, and reading a few websites. Bitch is sad but good - the campaign helped goose the community. Nothing really interesting in the news and I'm fried from work. Reading Wikipedia I see that yesterday their main article was on 4chan and that 4chan was a place that the anti-Scientology movement Anonymous was at. The

Vote Bitch PhD in the 2008 Weblog Awards

2009-01-13T10:36:00.000-08:00

The feminist academic website BitchPhD allowed me to post my RNC reports, and some of my followups like the 12 days of protest song.The blog is in the running for Best Very Large Blog in the 2008 Weblog awards, and this is a last minute appeal to you to vote. It's three hours before voting closes.I am very thankful for the blog for getting out the word about the police state and the convention,

Little Hummer Boy

2008-12-23T18:05:00.000-08:00

About the Counter Propaganda Carolers

2008-12-23T17:16:00.000-08:00

The Counter Propaganda Coalition fought media bias and produced alternative media. The longest-running action of the group has been Counter Propaganda Caroling, which has gone on for several years. Thanks to the initiative of folks like Colleen Rowley, who has been a dedicated anti-war activist for some time now, we have gotten some of our songs filmed and up on YouTube.Several of them are online

Counter Propaganda Carol for the RNC #1

2008-12-22T21:08:00.000-08:00

A little ditty for the season, from the survivors of the Republican National Convention.Pepper Spray(Silver bells)with an assist from sueannnote – baton as BAH-ton, not ba-TONPepper spray – pepper spray – it’s protest time in our city…Taser guns… are such fun… Why can’t we keep it this way!Secret Service, Ramsey County, and the Saint Paul P DGung-ho cops with a fondness for violenceChain link

Minnesota Supreme Court Ruling

2008-12-18T15:37:00.000-08:00

The Coleman campaign sues to have some absentee ballots not counted. There are about 1,500 across the state that appear to have been rejected improperly.Here's the PDF ruling, if I can figure out how to upload it... here's the link, in any case.

More Amanda Palmer

2008-12-11T19:51:00.000-08:00

Missed her - she came in and I had a cousin's wedding to go to.But yes, Amanda Palmer is the roxxors, and Who Killed Amanda Palmer is definitely on my Solstice list.(and I'm promising myself I'll write more on Coleman this weekend.)EDIT: Never did write more, but Warner pulled the last upload of that video. Arrogant creeps.

Leeds United ?

2008-12-03T22:29:00.000-08:00

OK - this video's the center of controversy; the story is the record label thought that (Dresden Dolls) Amanda Palmer's tummy needed to be edited or digitally trimmed out of this video. Like whatever! She told them to fuck off and made a big deal of it. And it's the kind of lame male control thing for a singer - as she says, my favorite quote from that meeting:“i’m a guy, amanda. i understand

Black Friday Pundit Kitchen Version

2008-12-03T08:23:00.000-08:00

see Obama pictures

Rolling Stone article on Coleman

2008-12-01T11:34:00.000-08:00

This pretty darn funny Rolling Stone article has this lovely quote about Norm and his scandals. Wouldn't it be something if all that flip-flopping, cross-accusations and idiotic campaign noise had its roots in Norm Coleman taking 75-large and a bunch of Neiman Marcus suits from some Iranian dude with an offshore-drilling supplier? "They didn't pay his wife $75,000 for nothing," says Melanie Sloan

Fuck Black Friday

2008-11-28T12:57:00.000-08:00

Ok, here it is - a Wal-Mart employee killed in a Black Friday shopping stampede. NEW YORK - A Wal-Mart worker was killed Friday after an "out of control" throng of shoppers eager for post-Thanksgiving bargains broke down the doors at a suburban store and knocked him to the ground, police said.At least four other people, including a woman eight months pregnant, were taken to hospitals for

I blame Dr. Bitch

2008-11-19T14:57:00.000-08:00

As she pointed out, the turtle says some not-safe-for-work stuff. This is pretty fucking funny. (We love BitchPhD!

Coleman still trying to steal election MN Senate

2008-11-16T19:03:00.000-08:00

Norm Coleman is trying his level best to fashion the same judicial coup in the Minnesota Senate election that the Bush Administration successfully used to seize the Presidency in 2000. There's some chance he might succeed.Here's the executive summary: Coleman evil, local media compromised (Star Tribune and Minnesota Public Radio), Franken not taking it seriously and needs help. Links at

Lord of the Rings - The Two Towers movie discursion

2008-11-12T17:58:00.000-08:00

I’m a huge Tolkein fan; the trilogy is definitely a sacred text in my life. The Peter Jackson film series was something I had a lot of hopes for – and largely those hopes were realized. The story isn’t Tolkein’s Lord of the Rings, it’s Jackson’s take on it. Since Tolkien’s books are huge (Tolkien was a big fan of one of the longest poems in existence) I didn’t expect 100% following of the text.

Two great things that go great together!

2008-11-11T22:56:00.000-08:00

Link above is courtesy of imageshack. Image courtesy of VelvetElvis in my gaming guild.

Fascism, Palin, and Right-Wing Paramilitaries: a glimpse of the near future

2008-11-11T12:45:00.000-08:00

Power gives up nothing without a demand.Demands come in several forms; lawyers, money, and guns. Lawyers implies that there is equity before a judicial system, where both actors have power and agree to settle that power in court.Money is then used to influence things more.Guns are used if money doesn't work.The Bush cabal used lawyers to reach the presidency, and money and the power of people

Housecleaning

2008-11-11T08:59:00.000-08:00

I see I have to separate my labels with commas. This will require going into the backlog to change them. Oh, boy! Bookkeeping!

Coleman trying to steal the election

2008-11-11T08:56:00.000-08:00

The signs are that Norm Coleman will fight hard and dirty to try to win his re-election in Minnesota.The Republicans are attacking the Secretary of State.They have 'ballot watchers' across the state.There have been preliminary attempts to disenfranchise - a lost lawsuit in Hennepin County that nevertheless may have influenced the County to not count certain votes.If they get away with this I will

Norm Coleman is a dangerous wanker.

2008-11-06T20:50:00.001-08:00

I've been asked what I think of who will win the Coleman - Franken race; and while I'm trying to seduce a certain working class scholar into co-writing a longer more detailed post, I can write this one easy.I think it leans Franken, and by God I hate Norm Coleman. I am very judicious about who I hate. I didn't hate Bush, although he was awful. I didn't hate Cheney, although he came close, but it

Guy Fawkes Night

2008-11-05T23:59:00.000-08:00

Remember remember the 5th of November, The Gunpowder, Treason and Plot, I know of no reason why the gunpowder treason should ever be forgot. Guy Fawkes, Guy Fawkes, 'twas his intent to blow up the King and the Parliament. Three score barrels of powder below, Poor old England to overthrow: By God's providence he was catch'd With a dark lantern and burning match. Holloa boys, holloa boys, make the

Things that worry me...

2008-11-05T00:23:00.000-08:00

Listening to the BBC - I am worried about the phrase 'raising expectations' that the neoliberals on the BBC financial service are mentioning. I worry because they want us to think about 'decreasing expectations.'

Krugman on the Bailout

2008-09-21T17:26:00.000-07:00

Wege over at Norwegianity used to talk about how the NYT would hide things, and made a point of reprinting in full. They go behind a login nowadays, after a bit. Paul Krugman, Sept 20, 2008No deal I hate to say this, but looking at the plan as leaked, I have to say no deal. Not unless Treasury explains, very clearly, why this is supposed to work, other than through

Starhawk on the bridge

2008-09-09T19:29:00.000-07:00

Pagan activist Starhawk's last day report (excerpt, read the whole thing on her site.)The march heads up the street alongside the Capitol lawn, and then tries to turn across one of the bridges leading into downtown. The police move in, and block us. There's a tense crowd of people on the bridge and filling the intersection. Around us are police in full riot gear and gas masks. There's

Welcome to nihilix!

2008-09-08T20:19:00.000-07:00

I've been checking my hit counts, and more people are coming here, so now I have to re-introduce the blog or something. (I know White Trash Academic has fallen under my lurid spell... grin)I've changed comment moderation to just block comments on old posts. I got some marketing spam and so switched to 'all mod' but fuck that. Please comment, though!If I'm doing something that's a group project,

Post RNC Stress Disorder

2008-09-08T20:01:00.000-07:00

I had a bit of a crash day - a kinda tough work discussion, followed by a in-the-office alone day, and big waves of weary came over me.There's a lot of people suffering post RNC stress disorder. I had a friend who was collared, tasered, tackled, tasered some more, and is facing felony charges. I saw him Saturday - four days after all this happened, two days after his release from jail - and he

The Truth about Police State on a Stick; Stage Two

2008-09-08T19:47:00.000-07:00

Hey folks!I'm assuming there are some folks there. The hit counts are up, but unless you leave comments, I don't know if you're a bot or whatever. This is kinda like doing pirate radio - there are no nielsons, unless you get a call you never know... except blogs have hit counts. OK, not so much like pirate radio.This is the list of themes as added to at BitchPhD. Thanks to all four of them for

What needs to be said about the RNC police state?

2008-09-06T20:28:00.001-07:00

Once upon a time, I had a fling with academics, although I did not climb the same august peaks as Dr. B. My seven year postgraduate career did produce a Masters in Linguistics. My big paper was on political metaphor, particularly George Lakoff's Moral Politics.I've been trying to wrap my brain about the story that I think needs telling based on my experience with the protest movement. I'm not

Amnesty International: RNC Force Disproportionate

2008-09-06T01:23:00.000-07:00

PRESS STATEMENTFor immediate release:Friday, September 5, 2008Contact: AIUSA media office202-544-0200 x302Use of Force Against RNC Protesters “Disproportionate,” Charges AmnestyInternational[London]--Amnesty International is concerned by allegations of excessive use of force and mass arrests by police at demonstrations in St. Paul, Minnesota during the Republican National Convention (RNC) from

RNC: From the inside of the Xcel. Practically liveblogging.

2008-09-04T21:02:00.000-07:00

Ohh, this was a night.I made it into the Bowl tonight - the nosebleed row at the top of the Xcel in the press section. I had press credentials through the radio station.About halfway into it, I started writing this post. Here's what I scribbled in my little 'reporters have to have notebooks' notebook.There is a scary vibe in this convention...I've seen Imperial Troopers in their ninja turtle

Sheriff Fletcher's Favorite Toy

2008-09-04T01:50:00.001-07:00

This is too silly to be true. But it is. Lookit what they bought for the RNC! A toy teargas cannon ATV! The GasBuggy!Imagine taking THAT up to an ATV race! Eat hot chemical irritant, leroy!And the level of national guard is supposed to be getting worse, too. The Admiral is coming to town, after all. What, he wasn't an admiral?EDIT: It was a bean bag buggy, not a gas buggy.

Walking downtown in Saint Paul, which is open for business.

2008-09-04T01:41:00.000-07:00

Awesome post on Twin Cities Indymedia, read the whole thing there.The Right To Be HereI'm not an anarchist. At least I wasn't one of the kids running around the Xcel Energy Center in black handkerchiefs during the St Paul RNC. Nor did I store my urine in a bucket for a week to throw on delegates, and I didn't break any windows either. But, I was one of the people detained by police on Monday. One

An Upwelling of Earth Wisdom

2008-09-02T21:37:00.000-07:00

Karl Rove is a black wizard. He manipulates visions of fear, and death, and he sends these visions into your head. He and his ilk, with their information distribution networks, are casting a magical spell, a black magical propaganda spell against us.Starhawk is a permaculture witch. She, along with a lot of other people, has an organic sloppy goofy kind vision of supple strength and languid

Amy Goodman Tells Her Story

2008-09-02T00:24:00.000-07:00

Lies, big lies (and radicalizing moments)

2008-09-01T23:52:00.000-07:00

There's a GREAT picture of some kid dressed in black throwing something into a store window. Clearly the violent protesters are violent and doing violence.And three broken Macy's windows, two broken police car windows, and two popped tires are plenty of reason to deploy batons, pepperspray, pepper balls (like paintballs but with pepperspray), tear gas, flash-grenades, and at least 200 arrests,

Second thoughts, officer?

2008-08-31T21:21:00.000-07:00

At the end of the day, a long day, a hot day, this picture sticks with me. Credit to "intrepid photojournalist Tony Webster"It's off of Twin Cities Indymedia, and the young woman on the left is Megan Wilson. She's seventeen and lives on a big green bus and her house was just arrested.The big green bus is the "Skills for the New Millennium Tour and Earth Activist Training Permaculture

Another day

2008-08-31T18:26:00.001-07:00

Another report from video pirate the Stimulator/v/fB2feFZJoRo&rel=0&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&fs=1">

Twin Cities: Criminalize dissent, privatize public space, militarize police response

2008-08-30T23:11:00.000-07:00

It's gratifying, somewhat, to find people from Glenn Greenwald at Salon to several bloggers at Firedoglake blogging about the creepy police state tactics that are going on here in the Twin Cities on the eve of the Republican National Convention, aka "The Also-Rans."A series of raids has swept across the city (the Uptake has a google map showing the raids) and they all follow the same pattern - a

Police target protesters with preemptive raids in Saint Paul and Minneapolis: media sources

2008-08-30T14:11:00.000-07:00

There are several fundamental constitutional issues that are being played out on the streets of Minneapolis and Saint Paul in these days before the scheduled convening of the Republican National Convention. They include the free speech rights of the delegate as well as the rights of those who wish to "petition their government for redress of grievances."Those last have been undergoing a campaign

Why did the police attack protesters in Denver?

2008-08-27T21:00:00.000-07:00

It looks like this blog is now filtering coverage. Get your finest artesian filtered by Nihilix media here!The first is during the Tuesday police action. It's not clear exactly what's going on.The second is some pretty well spoken radical activists defending their American rights of free speech.

Where's the real power in DC?

2008-08-25T22:12:00.000-07:00

Obama, the Presidency, the Senate, the House; part of the power structure but by no means all of it.This little film clip hypes a book that I haven't read, by Thomas Frank, who wrote "What's the Matter with Kansas," which I hear is good but haven't read. He tells us where the real power is. It's been privatized.Hat tip to Pandagon for posting this.

The UnConvention and these cool signs.

2008-08-25T12:45:00.000-07:00

Signs from the UnConvention here in Saint Paul

2008-08-25T12:31:00.000-07:00

Getting ready for the RNC

2008-08-24T13:09:00.000-07:00

This is AWESOME. Check the race/gender/solidarity moments. The mohawked anarchist kid. The black girl is the one who gets the idea. Cool as all get out. Hat tip The Field.

The first day of the New Year of the Space Age

2008-07-20T20:16:00.000-07:00

After a hundred years, people began to refer to the Space Age, and the day when the first of the clever apes from the planet below set his post-prehensile paw on his planet's satellite was widely regarded to be the beginning of that Age. (Even though that tribe retreated soon after) Wikipedia from the Future: Why July 20th

NCMR2008: Organizing Locally at the Grassroots

2008-06-16T16:46:00.000-07:00

(Audio of the presentation available here)If the Faith Based Organizing panel was up my alley, this panel was in the big broad street that led right to my door. Panel participant Nancy Doyle Brown, representing the Twin Cities Media Alliance was someone I’d worked with on several events, panel facilitator Steve Macek who was working with the Chicago Media Action and I knew each other from

NCMR2008: Faith Based Community Organizing and Media Reform

2008-06-12T19:33:00.000-07:00

A little reporting from the National Conference on Media Reform I got to the first of the panels I attended, Faith-Based Community Organizing and Media Reform, a little late, so missed out on why some of the listed folks weren’t there. Attending were Rev. Ben Guess from the United Church of Christ (a cute gay preacher in jeans, a white shirt, and a top-of-the-ear piercing), Rev. Romal Tune in

Forever and a day

2008-06-05T23:48:00.000-07:00

Since I've posted. But I notice that the hits are coming up which is likely because my comments on The Field and other places list my webpage.This is, sadly, a non-updated blog. It's got some great rants on it, and thanks for reading it, and thanks for clicking through here.I have a dream, that someday I'll start blogging again. My World of Warcraft guild will probably be missing me.Solidarity!

Rev. Wright and Barack Obama

2008-04-29T19:31:00.000-07:00

I've been taking part in a discussion thread at the Field, where Al Giordono's been making some great posts. He's more half time but the discussion follows his viewpoints.This is my comment about Rev. Wright.I think that I’ve not heard a real black radical on the news for a long time. I think it’s great that he’s been able to grab Moyers, National Press and the NAACP to make three speeches on

President 2008 - Romney

2008-02-07T20:07:00.000-08:00

I've been reading the New York Times, since they backed off registration and crap. And the Star Trib online suxxors so bad.Anyway - now I get why people get so pissed off at the NYT.Let's take this frontpage bullet:Challenges and Miscalculations Dogged Romney From the StartBy MICHAEL LUO 9:57 PM ETMitt Romney spent more than $35 million of his own money trying to get himself elected, but his