:: groupthink ::

:: Monday, February 17, 2003 ::

given, this is a much more slanted analysis of patriot act II- from an individual with proclivities toward grand conspiracies, HOWEVER the bullet points he outlines for section headings - are handy little pointers for when u go cruising through the source text of the undisclosed draft from the center for public integrity blogged a few days ago. it also makes one want to take a gander at the existing patriot act on the books. some of the existing laws that i was unaware of make me a bit queasy, some of the proposed changes, read like actions government agents take in thrilling episodes of the X files or Alias, and make me wonder why i'm not defending the right to bear arms or forming a militia of my own.

i was covering the march in sf yesterday for channel 2, and while thousands marched peacefully, i noticed more people seemed to get on the same page. meaning, not until the rally did i see and hear much free-mumia/ end- globalization literature or rhetoric. i was definitely pleased by that because in the previous protest i had covered- (back in october) thats what was so bloody annoying about the whole event- the cross marketing of all things Left. there was such a diversity of voices - it diluted the purpose of the entire message. don't get me wrong i think the peripheral issues of freeing mumia or examining globalization's delitrious effects are important but i certainly don't think it helps send a punctuated message to any sort of decision maker that the anti-war movement is organized/ serious/ powerful/ strong or unified. this buckshot approach of all things liberal under the big tent got so bad that two wknds ago i even saw it turned into a sketch on Saturday Night Live when matthew mconnahey (sp) hosted.

the larger issue behind this is of course that the left is sorely lacking in any charismatic or unifying leadership. there was an individual who was a conscientious objector to the vietnam war, who spoke eloquently yesterday but i failed to hear as eloquent a speaker from this generation. i stood in the crowd and heard so many people bitching about why this person or that person was on stage, that the speaker was for so- and so and against such and such. it made me want to lash out and say- this is why you are not taken seriously because all u can do is nitpick, bitch and moan. i'd say i'm probably slightly left of center but the side which represents me more is so bloody disorganized, that it never has a chance of moving me closer to their viewpoint. there was an interesting movie called the last supper (with cameron diaz) i'd recommend a viewing of- essentially the premise is that there are very few things that liberals are willing to KILL for. ideologically the notion of being tolerant or liberal necessitates the allowance of a large range of opinions in the colloquy - but i fear that most often these days it leads to a structural inability to execute. in my opinion a strong independent third party pres. ticket such as mccain/ powell (lets be viable while we're dreaming why not) would drive a wedge into the ideological spectrum, forcing the sides to differentiate from one another as well as the middle. but i digress.

the downside of yesterday- was of course the nearly thousand or so DUMBASSES that broke off at the end- and went wilding through the streets. ironically the anarchists "group" gets credit for it. first of all - how is it that anarchists "organize" into a group. i saw soundbites from both sides on last night's story by dianne guerrazi (sp) of ktvu along with some video of things getting out of hand. again i don't think that the young anarchists had any idea what the purpose of yesterday's protests were. the police said on camera- that the backpacks on many of these individuals contained smoke bombs and paint gun pellets etc. doesn't sound like something i'd be carrying to a PEACE march. the notion that setting bonfires on public streets, or overturning newspaper racks, and throwing rocks through windows of cars etc., somehow sends the message to the administration that it is encroaching on civil liberties or is unjustified in military action just boggles my mind. the lack of understanding that their destructive behavior in many cases - due to its violent/ selacious/ and dangerous- nature will overshadow (media coverage-wise) what hundreds of thousands of people gathered around the world for is simply selfish. how can people who do this be so stupid- at times i wish them untimely deaths simply to rid the gene pool of their intellectual shortcomings.
the more violent protesters felt that the police had an excessively violent response to their behavior. i wasn't there, my camera guys who were- didn't mention anything brutal. though there were several dozen self- styled journalists with home video cameras who were there- who are probably at home on their macs now cutting together versions of a victimized and bloody reality. all in all about 40 people were arrested, there was a female police officer injured because she had a rock thrown in her face, and the news report mentioned that police horses were spooked and headed into crowds a few times...

not simply in the interest of having my piece air first, i do commend the station i freelance for- in leading the 10 pm newscast last night with the story of the peaceful march- instead of leading with the much smaller out-of-hand protest- even though the second story had much more compelling video and audio.

:: h 11:24 AM [+] ::
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Here's an interesting quote for you. Remind you of anything?

"Of course the people don't want war... Naturally, the common people don't want war; neither in Russia nor in England nor in America, nor for that matter in Germany... that is understood... But voice or no voice, the people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. That is easy. All you have to do is tell them they are being attacked, and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism and exposing the country to danger. It works the same in any country." -- Hermann Goering to Gustave Gilbert, author of "Nuremberg Diary"(Farrar, Straus and Company, 1947, pp. 278-279.)

Also, check out this guy Kucinich and if you like what you read, click on the link to Working Assets and send him an email urging him to run for president. You may also want to send him an email encouraging him as he probably can use all the encouragement he can get.

http://www.draftkucinich.com/
http://www.workingforchange.com/action_center.cfm?itemid=14157

And finally, make sure you go to this page and sign on to any actions with which you may agree:

http://www.workingforchange.com/activism/current_actions.cfm

Have fun!

Seema
:: Seema 11:29 AM [+] ::
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i'm sure this is the reason experts think osama is dead. make your own bush speech. happy speechwriting.
:: h 5:43 PM [+] ::
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check out this note posted by the center for public integrity- it reveals an undisclosed draft of what could be legislation being proposed by the DOJ. i'm a sceptic to most of the crap on the net, but the cpi is no joke, if u click around their site- cruise their previous accomplishments, check out their board of advisors/ director, you'll see that they are no joke. back to the legislation. whats smarmy- besides the fact that it is in line to become patriot act II is that the DOJ has denied its existence. the center knows this because there is a legislative control sheet that shows where the legislation has gone. i understand the need to keep certain secrets, but isn't a necessary characteristic of legislation that it be out in the open for people to comment/ criticize and build? why shuttle around secret drafts and deny its existence- when we aren't talking about military capabilities, we're talking about civil rights. makes one wonder what is more threatening to the administration.

this morning i was forwarded a link to an enlightening story in the NYT- . member of the groupthink blog- who shall remain nameless- is a huge fan of this technology and was regaling me about its benefits weeks ago when i was at his house. he was on a quest to go buy some sort of motherboard that he could attach an array of these suckers to for a trophy case. curious yet? well read the printer friendly version i've linked to and lighten up.
:: h 11:41 AM [+] ::
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