How to Make a Bomb-No Ferilizer Required!

And the people came around, on Independence Day
And the children let go their balloons and flew away...

So, July 4th is next week. Freedom from tyranny day. Declaration of Independence and all that jazz. I wait, with eagerly bated, sarcastic breath, to hear what words of wisdom the revered Commander-in-Chief has to say. Anyway. Happiness, liberty, and hot dogs all 'round, eh? Let's all sit on the beach with our sparklers, set off a Roman candle or two, and watch the big fireworks display tonight!

Hold it.

Hold on just one fuse-burning minute. Sparklers? Roman candles? Bottle rockets? Cakes, missiles, tubes, wheels, firecrackers, and hundreds of other types of amusing explosives, available for anyone to buy and use? Let's back up a little. This is, supposedly, a time of war when the "enemy" is all around us. Homegrown terror. People who hate. People who kill. People all around, with homemade bombs and backpacks, looking for targets to blow up. There have been numerous sting operations that expose rings of people hoarding fertilizer and nails and chemicals. These operations are supposed to stop attacks before they happen.

Now, this is where it gets confusing. I could easily drive around and stop at the twenty-someodd different places that sell fireworks near my house. I could buy a medium-large amount of explosive material at each store. If I peel off all the bright, colorful paper and stuff the powder into one big sack, I've got myself a fairly powerful bomb. Maybe not enough to actually take down a building, but definitely enough to start a fire and a panic. A friend of mine has a pyrotechnic license---What if I use it to buy higher grade powders, the kinds that are used in big displays?

The point is, with all this security and worry about homemade bombs, it's interesting that explosives are so easily available. I should think that access to fireworks would be more closely controlled. After all, it would really suck if your hamburger cookout ended with a human barbeque.

Flags: Symoblic or Sacred?

Earlier this afternoon the Senate held a vote on whether or not to make the act of burning the American flag unconsititutional. The bill was defeated by a single vote.

First off, they're all steamed up about this as if there's nothing better to be worried about. *points to rest of blog* I rest my case. It's stupid to be fighting about it, especially now. Those who voted against the amendment say that it violates the Rights to Freedom of Speech and Expression. I have to agree with this. They might as well say we can't wear clothing that shows the flags of other countries. Making flag burning a Consitutional offense would send a message of superiority, intolerance, and, in some ways, censorship. But it also reveals fear. Fear that America is losing its standing. Fear that it is growing weak. If there's one thing that those who subscribe to the down-homesy real-man tough-guy image hate, it's even the suggestion of appearing weak. Making it illegal to desecrate the flag is the act of those who feel they have to react to every teensy little threat, because they actually can't handle the big ones.

The ironic thing is, people desecrate the "flag" every day. The motif is on t-shirts, table cloths, bunting, napkins. To quote an article written by Jian Ghomeshi just after the 9-11 attacks, entitled A Dove in the Land of the Eagle, "Our lunch is served on, well, the flag -- in the form of paper placemats. I remember the debate over the legality of burning the flag in the United States. It's not appropriate to burn it, but apparently it's okay to spill gravy on it and throw it out when a customer leaves." I have to say, the irony of this has meaning today as well. It's fine to use the flag to wipe up barbeque sauce or slide into home in a muddy field on, but it's not okay to burn it.

I'm confused.

A Region Broken

The Israeli-Palestinean conflict has been raging for... Well, let's face it---ages. Eventually Israel uprooted its citizens from the Gaza Strip to appease the Palestinean people. But then there was sniping, and retaliation. And now a kidnapping. The terms that the soldier's captors have put forward involve the release of prisoners from Israeli jails. The Israeli government has flatly refused to comply, but threatens an invasion of the Strip if Cpl. Gilad Shalit is not returned alive and in one piece. The 19-year-old Corporal's kidnappers have said that he is in a "secure place" where Israel "cannot find him." The captors have been linked to the Hamas government.

This whole situation disgusts me. I have Jewish blood on my mother's side, true blue from Vienna. Having grown up in a Jewish household (before winding up atheist), I learned about the millennia of rejection and persecution that the Jewish culture has endured. James Joyce puts it very aptly in his novel Ulysses. "Ireland, they say, has the honour of being the only country which never persecuted the Jews. Do you know that? No. And do you know why? . . . . Because she never let them in." If Israel is destroyed, those who follow the religion and the culture of Judaism will have absolutely nowhere to go. The Palestineans say that there is nowhere for them. But looking at a map, the enire area is surrounded by Muslim countries with thousands of kilometers of empty land. Israel holds a special meaning for those with Jewish blood. We know that as long as Israel exists, we have somewhere to run to. If the world goes insane, Israel will be there. Now, that security is threatened by those who are prejudiced. During the pullout, Palestinean settlers insisted that even Israeli graves be dug up and removed, to take the "contamination" away. This kind of hatred makes me sick. Leave Israel alone. Leave everyone alone.

Lament for Australia

(This post is not political, I've got plenty of things to say but I'm trying to make them coherent in TextEdit at the moment.)

I weep for Australia's loss. It's not like I have anything against Italy, but I really really like the Socceroos. Who else wants to stab that ref? I mean, come on!!!! He gave the Italian the foul call first, so right there, play should have stopped and the ball should have switched possession. Then, Neill goes to tackle the ball, right? He was not in the way purely to be in the way, and the replays did not look like he was actually trying to trip the Italian up. The other guy hit him. It's just... NO!!! No, no, no, no, no. *fumes* That ref should retire and hide in some volcanic cave, or something, 'cause I will never forgive him. Say I'm irrational, but are there any other Aussie fans out there who are as pissed as I am?!?

I now fall back onto England, who (which?) made it to the Quarters. Lessgo Beckham. Oh yeah, I finally saw that movie, Bend it Like Beckham? It's an interesting film but there's not much about actual soccer. That was kind of a letdown. Oh well.

And I'm also reading---or trying to read---Ulysses by James Joyce in accordance with the Ulysses Challenge (See jian.ca for more about this---Jian-speak #1). I'm on page 29. Just before chapter 3. I turned in my library copy and bought my own from a used bookstore, 'cause this puppy needs dissecting. I'm talking highlighters. And the nice librarian ladies get annoyed when you turn in a book all yellow. Or blue, or green, or whatever your favorite Hi-Liter color is. I'm sorry, I went and mentioned Jian and now I sound like him. O.o

All's Fair in Love and War

Before I start this entry: Go Socceroos!! Australia advances to the next World Cup round with a draw against Croacia!

Now. There has been quite a bit in the news lately about eight American military personnel who are accused of murdering an Iraqi man named Hashim Abrahim, planting a gun on his body, and pretending that he was an "insurgent." (Let me say first, I strongly disagree with that term. We, as in international troops, haven't been helping much with the "making order" thing.) Abrahim was physically disabled, and those who attended his funeral said that he never joined any militant group in his life. All of the news reports I've seen have censored the photos of the body. Witnesses said that Abrahim had been bound, dragged across the ground, and shot many times. The seven marines and one sailor involved in this mess face counts of premeditated murder and other capital charges. This means that if they are found guilty, they could face the death penalty.

This is what I have heard. I am not sure what to believe. What really makes me sick is that years after this war started, despite the thousands of innocent lives that have been lost and the many atrocities that have been committed, this one gets attention. With the exception of the Guantanamo Bay court-martials, this is the only issue that has gotten significant media coverage. I have to wonder about the reason it didn't go unnoticed like so many other murders have.

I have so many questions, but I can't put them into words. Except this one: Why must people kill? I understand rage, and I've had my fights. One year, my highschool nickname was "The Violent Child." But now that I've gotten older, I see the value of life. Taking another life purely for revenge degrades your own. I agree that the world would be better off without some people. But I can not in good conscience support the death penalty, or the indiscriminate killing that has characterized the last few years. Whether or not the accused are found guilty, I hope that more attention will be drawn to the horrors of war.

Abrahim's brother said that Americans do not respect the people of Iraq, and do not treat them as humans. Let me say that I am trying to stop the superiority complex that runs rampant in this country. You will hear this from me many times: Think globally, act locally. YOU, whoever you are, reading this, can help. Judge people by how they treat others. Learn as much as you can before making a decision. Respect people for who they are. Show the world that a country should NOT be characterized by the behavior of its government.

The World Cup in North America

I'm sitting here watching the Ghana v. USA match. It's 35 minutes into the first half, and Ghana has scored. You may think I'm cheering for the US, even though they're not advancing to the second round. Well, I'm not. Not because they're out of the running for the Cup, or because the coach scores very high on the "creepy" meter, or because I hate all things American---I don't. But if you go out into any random city here, most of the people you can talk to have no interest in the World Cup. Some don't even know what it is. Now, there are exceptions, such as the neighborhoods of immigrants or the sports bars. But most everyone else is more interested in the NBA finals. Of which I know nothing, not even which teams are playing. Or if it's over yet.

The rest of the world, however, considers the World Cup a bigger deal than even the Olympics. In a recent issue of National Geographic Magazine, only twenty-four countries in the WORLD are shown as having a sport other than soccer as the national favorite. Canada and the US were among them. Of course, hockey and American football take priority, but why? It seems to me that for the US, the need to be totally, completely unique and independent has shoved such petty things as comraderie and common interests aside. It appears that being disconnected is "patriotic" and "bold" and "real" and all the other stuff that is popular these days. It doesn't help that plenty of other countries hate our guts right now. The lack of interest is reflected on the TV screen. On English language channels, the World Cup gets about as much hype as, say, curling. Sure they play some games, but it's not reliable. Just now, on ABC, they're running some court show. On Univision, one of my local Spanish-language channels, 90% of commercials have something to do with soccer and they play three games a day, every day. I suppose I just feel that if the US won the Cup, it would send a message something like, "Hey, we're so cool we can beat you all even though we really don't care."

I would be cheering for Canada, but their team didn't make the cut. In fact, they haven't played in a Cup for the last two decades, even though they hosted the FIFA youth cup in 2002. I can't speak with any authority about it, but here's a link you should follow if you want more. It may take a while to load. It's a bit from a Canadian news show, called "The Hour," on how people feel about soccer north of the border. Jian Ghomeshi, the guy whose site I link to under my profile box, reports on soccer sentiment across Canada before the last World Cup. It's very interesting, so check it out.

The score is now 2-1 Ghana at halftime.

"Support Our Troops"

Support Our Troops. A deceptively simple phrase. For some it is a patriotic statement and little more. For others, it means standing by the cause and staying the course, come hell or high water. For me, it's neither. When I see those little yellow-ribbon magnets stuck to the bumpers of Hummers, it really ticks me off. This person in front of me in the traffic line, claiming to support those in uniform, is driving the type of vehicle that the troops should be. While the army doesn't have adequate armor for its far-too-few trasnsports, Joe Blow in Kansas can buy a Hum-V with his tax cut. Bullshit. The Iraq war budget is nearly half a trillion dollars. That's right, trillion with a T. Where is all this money going, if not to the troops or reconstruction?

Support Our Troops. Send them into battle with inadequate equipment, send them to die and be kidnapped and tortured, send them to become one more number on a headline. Send them to die, because the government doesn't bother to craft a functional strategy. Send them to kill innocents, because you never know who's a terrorist. Send them to die at the hands of the families whose brothers, sisters, mothers, fathers, and children were killed in crossfire or by shrapnel. Send them away, never to come back.

If I could, I'd restart all of this. If Iraq's government was in connection with the Taliban and Al'Quaida, why couldn't we have sent in the troops as friends, to learn about the people, gather information, make connections, and root out those who would kill innocents, using tips forged with trust? Why did His Fraudulency, the Commander in Chief, send them in with guns blazing, sowing hatred and fear and death? I don't understand it. I support the withdrawl of troops to regroup. Although our international image is that of a bully, we should try to earn some trust back, try to save any last vestiges of honor we have. I wish I could make something happen, but I can't. I'm not old enough, prominent enough, or rich enough to get any attention today. The best I can do is try to learn, and speak out.

The first of (hopefully) many

Greetings, all ye who enter here. Welcome to this little blog of mine, which will primarily discuss politics and such but currently will also be used to comment on the World Cup. At the moment, I am supporting Australia and England. Costa Rica and Iran are out of the running... *tear*

Anyway. I shall begin soon. When I can get my thoughts together. Hah! Thoughts... That's funny... But first, in this welcome post, I hereby lay down my own little laws.

1) Any comments left must be coherent, relevant, and spelled properly. Anything reading remotely like "hey i like j00 wanna go too de mal or sumpin" will promptly be deleted and the user placed on my ignore list. The occasional typo will be forgiven.

2) Feel free to leave me comments containing your own opinions, whether you agree with me or not. I always enjoy hearing somebody else's point of view. However, do not swear more than is prudent, use degrading language against any religious, ethnic, sexual, or political group, or take the opportunity to threaten anybody.

3) You may include insults in your comments, as long as they follow rule #2 and have sound reasoning behind them. For example, you may not write "I hate Americans because they're stupid," but feel free to say "My view of America has been damaged because of the government's incompetence as evidenced by the war in Iraq and high gas prices."

4) Remember to vote.

If I come up with anything else later, I'll add it. Thanks for visiting, and come back when I have something provocative to say!