After a lone Nigerian would-be terrorist tried to detonate explosives in his underclothes Christmas Day on a flight from Amsterdam to Detroit, TSA immediately grabbed for even more invasive power over American citizens.
Most disturbingly, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) wants to implement full-body scans at the nation’s airports—allowing unelected bureaucrats to virtually strip-search and gawk at kids, moms, grandmothers, grandfathers — you and all other American passengers — through your clothes.
Predictably, misinformation on the graphic nature of the images and ability of TSA personnel to copy, photo, and save the images poured forth from TSA flaks.
Whenever I discuss my sociopolitcaleconmic blah blah blah views with anyone I get two reactions. 1) Quizzical looks and 2) Accusation that I am being far too cynical. Well, perhaps I can explain both here. To start with the latter, I am cynical for a reason: history. If the history of civilization after civilization has taught us anything is that all governments are comprised of lying cocksuckers, as Bill Hicks would say, some worse than others, of course. So, I do not think mine or anyone else’s cynicism is off base or uncalled for by any standards. Cynicism should never be confused with pessimism. In fact, quite the contrary. We, cynical basterds see through the hallow walls of government indoctrination and try to push forward to new and better ways of thinking and living. I would say that’s an optimistic way to think. In brief, cynicism is not a bad thing if you have reason and hope on your side. When discussing such topics I’m reminded of the classic Noam Chomsky/Mr. Lang quote, “If you’re not cynical, you’re not paying attention.”
Nonpartisan budget and security monitors report in Government Executive that the “administration’s request for $538 billion for the Defense Department in fiscal 2010 and its stated intention to maintain a high level of funding in the coming years put the president on track to spend more on defense, in real dollars, than any other president has in one term of office since World War II. And that’s not counting the additional $130 billion the administration is requesting to fund the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan next year, with even more war spending slated for future years.”
– Noam Chomsky on Barack Obama, “War, Peace, and Obama’s Nobel”
” I knew that I could never again raise my voice against the violence of the oppressed in the ghettos without having first spoken clearly to the greatest purveyor of violence in the world today — my own government. For the sake of those boys, for the sake of this government, for the sake of hundreds of thousands trembling under our violence, I cannot be silent,” Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
This was and still is the harsh truth. At this site, there are other thought provoking quotes from King, mostly in his final years, when he turned radical; unfortunately( but purposely) much of this of this wisdom is anonymous in the mainstream media. http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/m/martin_luther_king_jr.html
Jerry on the left and Abbie on the right. Both men were Revolutionary Yippies! in the 1960s, but who is cooler?
Hoffman was funnier
Rubin was zanier
Hoffman wrote more books including the incendiary Steal This Book
Rubin’s Do iT! is the best Yippie! book and far more colorful (plenty of pics, many displaying nude babes), wacky, and radical than any of Abbie’s, though his contain similar elements.
Hoffman staged more pranks: Throwing money over the New York Stock Exchange, levitating the Pentagon
Rubin was arguably more militant or “freakier.” He considered Charles Manson an inspiration and even chatted with him for hours in prison.
Hoffman was a member of SNCC in his early days
Rubin was active in the Free Speech Movement in his early days, though he made some Civil Rights protests as well
Hoffman wore an inverted Amerikan flag on his shirt
Rubin wore the Viet Cong (he spelled it Kong) flag on his shirt
Hoffman heard Castro speak
Rubin personally met him (if I’m not mistaken)
Hoffman has several biographies of him and including his own as well as an entertaining biopic called Steal This Movie
Rubin once stormed the halls of Congress half nude, dressed up in American Revolutionary attire, complete with war paint and ammunition, albeit a toy gun!
Hoffman along with Jefferson Airplane singer, Grace Slick once attempted to slip a hit of LSD into president Nixon’s coffee, but they never made it inside the White House
Rubin became a yuppie when the war ended: stockbroker, businessman,etc.
Hoffman was forced underground and became an environmentalist, when he rose above ground he continued his activism with the War On Drugs, and the CIAs sadistic, murderous involvement in Latin America as major targets
Well, I could go on and on here. Basically, both men were heroic and should be revered for their tactics, ideals, and for making revolution fun. So, who wins?……………
Abbie! because he never sold out and more importantly because of his unique form of media manipulation, which ultimately led to social change and gave people some laughs (or the jitters!).
Here’s some history in motion; this is Abbie right before the Chicago Democratic National Convention protests which culminated in him and seven others (including Rubin) being tried and convicted (though the decision was eventually reversed) for conspiracy to incite riots at the Convention:
…..TO WRITE WITH THE KLYAM IN OUR GLORIOUS, REVOLUTIONARY DUTY TO PRESENT BIASED, SUBJECTIVE, UNDERGROUND PROPAGANDA TO THE ROBOTIC MASSES! JOIN THE UNDERGROUND, INDEPENDENT MEDIA AND HELP DISMANTLE THE VILE, CORPORATE, MAINSTREAM MEDIA. IT’S US AGAINST THEM: OUR PROPANDA VS THEIR PROPAGANDA.WE NEED GIRLS BECAUSE IT’S A FUCKING SAUSAGE FEST HAHA, BUT SERIOUSLY GIRLS, GUYS, HERMAPHRODITES, IT’S ALL GOOD. JUST JOIN TODAY!
WERS News The United Nations global climate summit has spurred confrontation both inside and outside of the conference center in Copenhagen, Denmark.
Outside, hundreds of protesters have been arrested by Danish police since the beginning of the summit. Thousands of activists convened in Denmark to march to the Bella Centre, the location of the climate summit, but on the way the group encountered the heavily armed Danish police.
There have been reports of the use of pepper spray and police dogs in controlling the crowds.
Both protesters and the police have been accused of being out of control. Danish authorities have said that the activists were breaking windows and setting cars on fire, while activists have accused the police of being unnecessarily heavy handed. A police spokesman said that protesters who were arrested are being held in a temporary holding location and that they will be released in a few hours.
Kids Like You & Me (KLYAM) 