Living @ the speed of life... |
Sunday, July 13, 2003
Party politics and representative democracy are facing a crisis. Politicised webloggers are a reallity, an ever increasing force for change. The question "But can [blogs] be used politically, and if so, how and to what end?" only indicates to me that the power elite have been caught on the hop, and as per usual are out of touch with what is happening at grassroots level...
Blogging is only part of the answer. Just as important, or maybe more so, is what we do when we are not blogging... Friday, July 11, 2003
Question.
When is a Weapon of Mass Destruction not a Weapon of Mass Destruction? Answer. When it is Wanton Mass Deception. Thursday, July 10, 2003
U.S.A. Man Deus
I met a traveller from an oil-rich land Who said: Two vast and trunkless legs of stone Stand in the desert. Near them, on the sand, Half sunk, a shattered visage lies, whose frown, And wrinkled lip, and sneer of cold command, Tell that its sculptor well those passions read Which yet survive, stamped on these lifeless things, The hand that mocked them, and the heart that fed; And on the pedestal these words appear: "My name is George W, president of presidents: Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair!" Nothing beside remains. Round the decay Of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare The lone and level sands stretch far away. Wednesday, July 09, 2003
Tuesday, July 08, 2003
Questions, Questions, Questions.
Where are the WMD? How much does a war cost? When will we see through the lies? Is the Army an equal opportunities employer? Where is Osama Bin Laden? Is Free Trade really free? How many angels fit on the head of a needle? Is Reality TV an oxymoron? What is the difference between an oligopoly and a democracy these days? Do we really live in a civilised society? Is Guantanamo Bay moral? Does violence beget violence? When we hear the truth, how will we know? Sunday, July 06, 2003
Wake-up Call
So you try your best. After all, thats what they tell you, isn't it? If you try your best, work hard, keep your head down, you can make it. Thats right, isn't it? Work hard and play by the rules and you will be happy and successful and prosperous. So you keep swallowing the shit hoping that the next mouthfull will taste better but it never does. And you're gagging on it!!! What will it take to make you angry? To make you stand back and ask yourself "what the fuck is going on here?" It takes a jolt, a shock and yeah its the hardest thing to do, to see yourself, really see yourself for the first time, naked without the shit, without the facade, without the lies and deceptions. You start to question everything...Everything... None of the old assumptions can be taken for granted. About yourself or the world you live in. Its disconcerting. Its exhilerating. You see and hear things differently, like seeing and hearing everything for the very first time...Eventually you realise that every new day is a new beginning and that nothing ever stays the same...Nothing... Tuesday, September 17, 2002
Streams of Bloggishness wrought by Ray Sweatman from blogs by many...(including mine, I'm happy to say)... Saturday, September 14, 2002
The Seduction of Convenience
 Convenience is a great seducer. After all, the path of least resistance will always prevail in a world filled with unthinking, disposable, automatons. It's not our fault, we are encouraged not to think, to strive for Happiness™(as portrayed on any TV commercial between any infomercial on any commercial station in Consumerland™), to accept convenience in our lives and ignore consequences. We are encouraged to feel small, to feel helpless, insignificant. We are encouraged to keep our heads down, don't rock the boat, don't cause trouble, don't draw attention to ourselves.
Products are now built with a minimal life span, the quicker we use it up the quicker we buy another. A razor used to last a lifetime, now you are lucky if it gets you to the other cheek. We used to want quality and endurance from products. We used to touch and smell food before we purchased it. We used to enjoy speaking to each other, face to face. We used to eat less and do more. Soon we will be plugged into our Automasofa™ replete with catheter, intravenous drip and credit card swipe machine, experiencing Life™ in all its 3D, surround sound, Technitouch™ glory. Never moving except to swipe our credit card for the next delivery of Air™. Of course it comes in any flavour you could desire and is piped direct to your Blinkermask™ for your convenience... Friday, September 13, 2002
And Bush wonders why he can't get international support for his war...
This at Sandhill Trek would be reason enough for some... Maybe it has something to do with the fact that economic liberalism is compulsory for developing countries but optional for Bush and the American steel industry... Maybe it has to do with the fact that a lot of people around the world believe Bush is as much a threat to world peace as Saddam Hussein including, former President of South Africa, Nelson Mandela... Perhaps it has to do with the fact that 178 countries signed up to the Kyoto accord. Bush did not... ***I was pleased to find that someone arrived at the site the other day having typed america, greed & insular into Google. I must be doing something right...*** Thursday, September 12, 2002
It's all hocus pocus and sleight of hand to deflect attention from the real issues...
So basically nothing has changed. America is still bullying the rest of the world and has made it quite clear that unless the United Nations play by American rules they will take home their football... Or... Same old script, same old cast of characters; familiar, swarthy, moustachioed bad guy; simple, all American, cowboy, good guy; show down; high noon; staring each other down in the heat of the desert... ineffectual towns people (read "rest of world") look on...ah if only real life were so simple... Or... Check out such real issues as Isolating US Unilateralism in this piece at Znet. Or... Switch on the TV and watch Survivor.... Wednesday, September 11, 2002
Tuesday, September 10, 2002
Saturday, September 07, 2002
What justification is there for war with Iraq?
What support is there, internationally, for war with Iraq? Where is this dossier of evidence so damning as to condemn many thousands of Iraqi civilians to death in a war which is as much about control of oil markets and boosting Bush's popularity as about the so called "war on terrorism"? Tony Blair may back Bush on his call to arms but the British public are far from convinced, as are many of Blair's own cabinet. The leaders of the Western World cannot continue throwing their weight around like bullies in the school yard. This is the very behaviour which leads to extremist attitudes and inevitably to atrocities against the West such as those on 9/11. Bravo George and Tony, just keep leading us down the same old bloody and arrogant path. 9/11 should have been a wake up call, a time to reflect and ask ourselves why any organisation would find it necessary to slam 4 hijacked civilian jets into the very heart of Western Democracy. Certainly any developing power with the means of producing weapons of mass destruction will be monitored closely but any actions to stop such development should be pursued through the UN. That's what they are there for. The UN Security Council must sanction any such attack. It has not. Thursday, September 05, 2002
So you take the pills. And when they start to work their patented magic on you, you take stock. You can't do much else. Theres a lot of that. Just thinking. Thinking about all the things that brought your life to this point. Thinking about all the dreams you once had for your future. And eventually, after a few months of this self analysis, you begin to realise that there is a future for you. That's a surprise, at first. For the longest time it was hard to see as far as tomorrow. And then you start to realise that you can change. That is a revelation. Suddenly you understand it's not too late, you can do things now that will put your life closer to the path you truly wanted. So you start to set goals for yourself. Nothing too big at first, just small things that you could not do only a couple of months ago. Like, making phone calls or going out of the house to buy groceries. Little victories each one. It's a start. It's something you can build on... |
