The Comforter?
The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is actively involved in buying AIDS vaccines for Africa. But the laws that govern patents and intellectual property that keep African nations from buying cheaper, generic versions of these vaccines are also the same laws that protect Microsoft's international patents on things like Windows & Office.

Alterior motives, anyone?

Greg Palast seems to think so. If you skip over all the stuff about Tony Blair on Palast's blog, you can see what he's getting at.

Shock & Awe, Incorporated
So, when the Cold War ended, nations around the world began to reduce the size of their military, which meant there was a glut of guys skilled in things that they couldn't talk about in polite conversations that suddenly found themselves without jobs. But, as we all know, military budgets are inflated, and there are things that the government does for a dollar that the private sector can do for 10 cents.

Enter the next generation of mercenaries: Corporations that offer military services for hire, everything from operations and security to special ops and intelligence. Very profitable.

The problem is, since these guys aren't actually soldiers representing a given government, they're not subject to the Geneva convention or any of the presumed rules of engagement. Moreover, most of the places they're sent aren't exactly governed by the rule of law. Imagine the temptations available when you enter a ravaged nation with the physical prowess of the United States Military, with the burden of the law to check your behavior.

See what writer P.W. Singer had to say about all this on NPR as he plugged his new book: "Corporate Warriors".

The King's English
So, please, indulge my stream of consciousness rif for a moment.....

I'm a writer. I love words.

I make it a habit of immediately looking up any and all unfamiliar words that I encounter. I dream about, one day, being able to afford to buy my very own, hardbound copies of the Oxford English Dictionary. When I hear Liev Schreiber say that Shakespeare had around a 20,000-word vocabulary, while the average speaker of modern English uses only about 8,000 words, I get jealous.

So, you may begin to grasp one of the many reasons why I loathe George W. Bush.

His "Clear Skies" initiative actually pollutes the air more. The "No Child Left Behind" Act creates an enormous unfunded mandate for state governments that are already suffering through budget crises that will, inevitably, lead to cuts in education programs for children. The "USA Patriot Act" presupposes the treachery of all American citizens by giving the Justice Department dramatically invasive powers that far exceed habeas corpus. "Operation Iraqi Freedom" has, thus far, plunged that country into widescale looting, lawlessness, and chaos. Claiming to be "a uniter, not a divider", Bush has not only escalated the partisan conflicts in the Federal government, but he's also driven away millions of people around the world who had nothing but grace for us after September 11, 2001. And he spouts out words like "freedom", "liberty", and "evil" so liberally and robotically, does anyone in this country still know what they mean?

I think about the lyrics to Lee Greenwood's popular soft rock anthem, "God Bless The USA":
If tomorrow all the things were gone I’d worked for all my life,
And I had to start again with just my children and my wife.
I’d thank my lucky stars to be living here today,
‘Cause the flag still stands for freedom and they can’t take that away.

And I’m proud to be an American where as least I know I’m free.
And I won’t forget the men who died, who gave that right to me.
And I’d gladly stand up next to you and defend her still today.
‘Cause there ain’t no doubt I love this land God bless the U.S.A.


People love this song. But are they actually paying attention to what he's saying? Let me paraphrase:

If I lost my entire nest egg, and my entire family were destitute and homeless, I'd still gladly enlist in the military to go shoot our enemies, because, if nothing else, I've still got my freedom.

But what is "freedom"?

Wasn't "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness" intended to have an economic root at it's core? "Taxation without representation" and all that jazz. Are you really free when the Green Berets can beat the crap out of any other military on earth, but you can't, as the President has said, "put food on your family"? Or when you get mercury poisioning from the local power plant, or your children can't read because there aren't enough textbooks or qualified teachers because the states are out of money?

Freedom is not just a pretty flag we wave under expensive pyrotechnics in the middle of summer. Freedom is not the glory of the United States Marine Corps Marching Band. And freedom is certainly not being branded a traitor when you question the actions of a public servant with a dubious electoral mandate.

I love words, and I fear that, among his many transgressions, our President has accelerated the pace by which the language loses it's meaning. When words are meaningless, the keys that allow ideas to unlock the doors to our brains are lost.

Think of all the young black men, filled with anger & frustration over the hand dealt to them, who struggle to say what's on their mind, but who's vocabulary is limited to "bitch", "motherfucker", and "nigga". They writhe and flex and screech on stage because they know something in their hearts, and it's literally pounding on the walls of their bodies, desperately looking for a way out.

Knowledge isn't just power. People suffer in silence. Words can save your life.

This is just the simplest, most basic reason why our nation suffers when the people are uneducated. Let alone being able to understand what your government is doing in your name, or what laws are passed that tell you what you can or cannot do.

This is the price of having a culture that scorns knowledge.

Yesterday, I realized that I could never live long enough to read all the books I want to read, and it made me sad. But it also made me want to squeeze as many as possible into the time that I have.

I just wish there was a way I could infect more people with my bibliophilism. I think they'd be less tolerant of the madness.

OK. Enough rambling....

Spacious Skies
So, I have good news and I have bad news.

Bad News
President Bush introduced legislation called the "Clear Skies Inititiative" to congress back in February, and it's now going through hearings in the House & Senate. It's billed as a revision to the Clean Air Act of 1970 that intended to reduce air pollution, but, the reality is that it actually increases the amount of toxins that power plants are allowed to introduce into the atmosphere. And it doesn't even get into the fact that the President has altered EPA regulations so that old polluting power plants that receive upgrades no longer need to be reviewed for environmental safety after receiving new equipment.

Good News
Not content to just run a campaign to help him become the next President of the United States, Howard Dean is now seeking to use his new-found political supporters as a grass-roots lobby group. His campaign is encouraging everyone on their ever-growing network to sign a petition to the White House demanding them to stop the Clear Skies Initiative.

Now, I don't know about the rest of you, but this sounds unprecedented to me. I've NEVER heard of a candidate pushing his supporters to get directly involved in the legislative process.

Granted, for a president who says he thinks making policy decisions based on public opinion is as distasteful as listening to a focus group, a doubt a petition alone will sway our commander-in-chief. But, somehow, I doubt that this is the end of it. Brilliant.

Ministry of Information
Maybe Jayson Blair was just following the example of his peers, huh?

I must admit that the world that Greg Palast is conjuring in his writing is profoundly frightening. If he's right, the national media is colluding with the Bush administration to intentionally lie to the public about world events to justify a grossly imperialist policy.

Now, I know some of you are laughing. After all, isn't this what I've been saying about Iraq all along?

True. True. But it's one thing to fudge, hint, & misdirect about Iraq being in a WMD-ladden bed with Al Qaeda. It's another thing entirely to say that a democratically elected head of state, in this case Hugo Chavez of Venezuela, has "resigned", when, in reality, he'd been bound, gagged, and kidnapped at gunpoint by a radical militia seeking to overthrow his government.

Did I mention that Venezuela is one of America's biggest oil suppliers? Is there a pattern forming here?

The Elephant In The Room
While Nine Democrats via for attention and Presidential credibility in the public eye, General Wesley Clark waits. And watches.

Here's what he has to say about Bush. And his comments regarding Condolezza Rice are chilling.

"A" for Effort
Well, I think MSNBC has hit it on the head. You can probably split the American electorate in half.

There are those who are political junkies, on both side of the aisle, who devour every tidbit of news out of the nation's capital and make their voting decisions based on their own interpretation of the President's performance.

And then there are those who've long since conceded that the daily workings of our democracy isn't something they either can or should follow in much depth. They make their voting decisions based on how the President makes them feel. Policy complexities be damned.

Now, arguments can be made that both are equally valid ways to pick a President.

But, of course, one of those arguments would be utterly false.

After all, there are plenty of con men who can make you feel like the Queen of Sheba while their sending you to an unmarked plot in the Potter's Field. Ignorance is only bliss while you still have a roof over your heads.

The problem with representative government is that it only works if the electorate is actually paying attention to what their representatives are doing in their name. Otherwise, how is it different from a monarchy? In the three-branch system of government established in the Constitution, the people themselves are the ultimate check on government power. Isn't it time we used it?

Watching The Watchmen
So, if the government is going to keep a close eye on you to see if you're the next John Walker Lindh, then these jolly fellas at MIT think it's all good and dandy for you to keep an eye on them to see if they're going to become the next Nixon Administration.

Total Information Awareness?

Meet GOVERNMENT Information Awareness.

Here's a website where, not only can you get information about public officials, you can actually POST whatever it is that you know about these government officials as well. So, if you're Trent Lott's secret octaroon love-child, you don't have to wait for the Washington Post to find you.

Of course, the creators of GIA say they have no intention of editing or censoring anything that anyone has to post, so lots of madcap antics will ensue.

Venom
So, remember a few days ago, when I said Alan Moore is one of the most prolific and influential comic book writers in the world?

He also happens to be a complete madman.

How can I make such a harsh judgement, you may ask? Well, for starters, rather than have a run-of-the-mill midlife crisis when he turned 40, the man decided to declare himself the sorcery-wielding servant of his own, personal Serpent-God.

I think that reaches the threshold of madness in my book.

But, consequentially, as a madman, his writing is always entertaining. Here, he turns his rapier wit to the history of Iraq and the West on page 14 of "Arthur" magazine.

Scathing.

Where No Man Has Gone Before
Well, they're one year off the mark that Arthur C. Clarke set in his Space Odyssey sequel, but NASA is pressing ahead with their plan to develop a nuclear-powered space vehicle to search for the possibilities of life on Jupiter's icy moons. If the unmanned craft leaves on schedule in the year 2011, given projected technology, it will still take 7 years to get there, but the scientific benefits of simply building the thing are off the charts.

Submitted for your nerd-gasmic pleasure.

Graffiti Quote of the Day

"Repent - The End Is Extremely Fucking Nigh"


- scrawled in blood on the walls of a church in an ominously deserted London, in "28 Days Later", the latest film from Danny Boyle (director of "Trainspotting") and screenwriter Alex Garland (who wrote the far-superior novel version of "The Beach").

This is the scariest English-language horror film I've seen in YEARS.

And I see alot of horror films.

The Japanese film "Ringu" is still, far and away, the scariest movie I've ever seen, but "28 Days Later" is definitely in the ballpark. Moreover, unlike "Ringu" (which was just remade for American audiences as "The Ring"), this film wants to do a little more than just scare you.

Can I also say, it also features Naomi Harris as the most ruthless, ass-kicking sista I think I've ever seen on film. I mean, there is a scene with her and a machete that has to be seen to be believed.

Go see it.

Right now.

"You've Got The Power!"
Howard Dean's presidential candidacy announcement speech from this past Monday. Good stuff.

I find myself reminded of a line from JFK: "This is not the America I was born in, and it's certainly not the America I want to die in." Now, to be perfectly honest, I grew up during Reaganomics, so, sadly, this really is the America I was born in, but for eight years, I had a glimpse of a better one. Dean seems to at least have the conviction to bring that one back.

In Darkest Night
Many of you may not know who Alan Moore is. But, if you've seen either the movie "From Hell" or plan to seeSean Connery's "League of Extraordinary Gentlemen", you've seen the remnants of his handiwork. Starting with "Swamp Thing" back in the mid 80's, Moore is one of the most prolific and influential comic book writers in the world, including books like "V for Vendetta", "Promethea", the vastly superior original graphic novels for the two movies listed above, and, of course, his definitive work, "Watchmen".

At the height of his Watchmen-spawne popularity, Moore pitched the attached story idea to DC Comics as a sort of Ragnarok for the Justice League of America, and it was promptly rejected, contributing, in part, to his long estrangement from the publisher. While it probably would have been a little too intense 17 years ago, it makes for a great read today. If you don't know much about comic book continuity, just remember one thing as you read it: Martians are shape shifters and they're afraid of fire.

Enjoy.

The Capitalist versus The Aristocrat
Slate magazine caught this really interesting speech that Senator John Edwards gave last week. In it, Edwards says that, by seeking to eliminate virtually all taxes on so-called "unearned" income, like capital gains, dividends, and inheritance, President Bush has demonstrated that he feels the burden of running the country (demonstrated by paying taxes) should only be shouldered by those who actually work. In other words, there is a threshold of wealth that, once you surpass it, you are no longer responsible or accountable for providing for the nation, you only need reap the benefits. To Edwards, this is not conservativism, or even capitalism, but a cleverly disguised form of radicalism that has the potential to create an economic caste system in this country.

Edwards is, in essence, calling Bush a feudalist.

Incindiary stuff.

Deals With The Devil
According to the Asian Times, as the anti-American guerilla war has escalated in Afghanistan, coalition forces have quietly begun a dialogue with The Taliban-

Excuse me. Let me say that again.

The United States of of America
is negotiating
with
The Taliban.

-to give them a hand in maintaining and restoring order. And, not surprisingly, Mullah Omar and the boys are playing hard to get.

See, this is what happens when you're willing to do anything to achieve your ends: You end up in bed with anybody.

Revisionist History
Remember former Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney? The official story is that she accused President Bush on the floor of the House of Representatives of having prior knowledge of the 9/11 attacks and doing nothing to stop them so he could enrich his corporate masters. Rep. McKinney was lambasted in the press for being a conspiracy nut and she was promptly defeated for re-election in 2002.

The problem with this story, according to Greg Palast, is that there is no evidence of any such statement by Rep. McKinney in the Congressional Record. Anywhere.

What she DID ask, however, was why had the White House discouraged the FBI from investigating links between the Saudi royal family and an Islamic youth group that was suspected of being a front for Al Qaeda in the months BEFORE September 11, 2001? Rep. McKinney had also been poking around into the particulars of race-based election fraud during the 2000 Presidential Race. She'd also been asking questions regarding George H.W. Bush's business dealings.

Check the article. It just gets better and better.

Fading Light
So, The American Film Institute is my most recent alma mater ("Old Nassau" and the Gilman School notwithstanding). And, as much affection that I have and as much gratitude as I feel towards that institution, I must agree with this commentary from Patrick Goldstein in the L.A. Times that AFI does seem to have lost it's way in recent years. By losing it's tether to the National Endowment for the Arts, AFI seems really to be in danger of losing itself in the blinding light of celebrity worship instead of fulfilling its stated mission of promoting and celebrating the art of moviemaking in America.

Storytelling matters.

Not just who tells those stories, but HOW those stories are told, and WHY they are told. This is why we need places like AFI. Someone needs to make a point of remembering "how" and "why" for civilization to move forward. Otherwise, we simply undergo the same lessons over and over and over again.

The Hate That Hate Made
Hamas is a terrorist organization.

And, regardless of what you may think of the policies of the Israeli government, it doesn't change the fact that Hamas is directly responsible for the murder of hundreds if innocent Israeli civilians and has done more than their share to propagate a culture of death in the Middle East by recruiting, arming, supporting, and celebrating suicide bombers.

However, comparisons between Hamas and Al Qaeda are extremely limited. for one thing, Al Qaeda doesn't run any schools. They don't feed the hungry or give shelter to the homeless. In many ways, Hamas is a twisted, nightmare version of what the Black Panther Party could have become if things had gone down only slightly differently here in the United States. Which makes them a particularly nasty obstacle to peace in the region. After all they've done for the people, they probably have more legitimacy than Abbas and the Palestinian Authority in many circles. And Hamas has stated repeatedly that their mission isn't complete until they've pushed the Israelis completely off their land and into the Mediterranean, if necessary.

Originally, I was for the idea of sending in US troops or UN peacekeepers or somebody with a little more muscle than the Palestinian Authority to deal with Hamas, but, in retrospect, that could turn into the Tet Offensive overnight. Now, I'm not sure. Which, I suppose, puts me in good company.

Here's something from the International Herald Tribune that expounds upon the schizoid history of Hamas.

Next In Line?
Grant did it. Ike did it. Can Wesley Clark, former Supreme Allied Commander of NATO & Rhodes Scholar, follow in their footsteps to the White House? Frankly, if this guy runs, he's instantly a threat to the President because NO ONE can trump his foreign policy credentials. He's someone who can speak with authority about what Bush is not doing to keep this country safe.

So, for those of you keeping score, the candidates to watch, IMHO, are Dean, Edwards, and, if he gets into it, Clark.

And these people keep talking about the junior senator from New York. They need to let it go. If you think Bush/Gore was divisive, Clinton/Bush II would be a bloodbath. It would literally rip the country in half. She's not that stupid. There are better ways for her to undermine the Bush agenda.

Ghosts of Impeachments Past
A guy who's no stranger to Presidential malfeasance, former Nixon staffer John Dean suggests that, if Clinton can get impeached for lying about some illicit fellatio, and Tricky Dick can nearly get impeached for lying about election tampering, then maybe, just maybe, lying to justify invading and conquering a sovereign nation might be worth a look.

The problem with this, of course, is that none of Bush's statements were made under oath. And lying to the American people, while bad, probably isn't illegal, strictly speaking. If, on the other hand, someone could demonstrate that there was some sort of illicit link between the corporations that got free contracts in Iraq and Bush's drive to war, then we might be on to something.