Happy New Fear

President Obama Signs Indefinite Detention Bill Into Law
December 31, 2011 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

WASHINGTON – President Obama signed the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) into law today. The statute contains a sweeping worldwide indefinite detention provision. While President Obama issued a signing statement saying he had “serious reservations” about the provisions, the statement only applies to how his administration would use the authorities granted by the NDAA, and would not affect how the law is interpreted by subsequent administrations. The White House had threatened to veto an earlier version of the NDAA, but reversed course shortly before Congress voted on the final bill. 

“President Obama's action today is a blight on his legacy because he will forever be known as the president who signed indefinite detention without charge or trial into law,” said Anthony D. Romero, ACLU executive director.

THE NEW PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE:

"I give my submission to the war banner of the United Battlefield of America; unto the Controlling Congress and Officials bought out by representatives of global corporations, for which it's own personal intentions stand, one Police State, under God, divided by class, race, religion, sexual orientation, social status and wealth; with liberty and justice for those that can steal or afford it."

-- Brett Kelley

"I think Americans need to realize how easily they can be led and lied to..."

I know that it's easier for people to just love their country and to never, ever question the judgment of their elected leaders.

I know it's easier to just pretend that everything's okay, that the government always knows what's best for its citizens; it's easier to simply not think too hard, to deny that anything bad could be going on behind the scenes; to trust that the people on TV are telling the truth all of the time. I realize that people don't WANT to think about uncomfortable, disturbing issues. They just want to live their lives and pursue their own version of the American Dream, or whatever.

"Let’s say this slowly: the Bush administration wanted to use 9/11 as a pretext to invade Iraq, even though Iraq had nothing to do with 9/11. So it tortured people to make them confess to the nonexistent link."
-- Paul Krugman (link)

I browse the stories on Reddit frequently, and came across this discussion about the Bush administration's use of torture to interrogate. The article it referenced was very brief, but the resulting comment thread on the Reddit page is worth reading and pondering.

This comment in particular:

It's a bit hard to say, "We're better than those guys," when we do similar shit.

It may not be the worst of the worst, but seriously, it's still disgraceful. It taints everything else. Just because we aren't skinning them alive or burning them half to death doesn't mean it's OK.

I think Americans need to realize how easily they can be led and lied to. Wave a little war flag over their heads, shout "USA USA" a few times, wear a nice suit on a flight deck, and they eat it up and shut up. They shout down anyone who says, "Hey guys, we might want to look at this a little closer..." as being "unpatriotic" or "unAmerican". Later on, when they wake up from the patriotic masturbation fantasy, they wonder, "Wow, that was kinda stupid. Someone should have been doing something about that..."

Well yes, people were. But they were being ignored, or called names, or lambasted for being "pinheads" or whatnot.

The sad thing is that it'll happen again. And again. And again. It's human nature. :(
(link)

Well-said.

And I think we need to keep an eye on EVERYBODY who gets elected to public office, whether we personally voted for them or not.

And we need to wake the fuck up and realize that certain acts against human beings are wrong, even if they ARE the enemy.

The dangers of "adult" classification.

Amazon.com has recently adopted a baffling, backwards new policy:

In consideration of our entire customer base, we exclude "adult" material from appearing in some searches and best seller lists. Since these lists are generated using sales ranks, adult materials must also be excluded from that feature.
[Source: http://markprobst.livejournal.com]

Just how the hell does that work?

...Basically, any title that Amazon consider "adult" will no longer be included in the "Best Sellers" lists – or ranked at all. These titles will not show up on all searches, even when the exact title of the book is entered. Who decides what books are "adult"? That’s not at all clear. But whoever’s making the choices is casting the net far and wide, and hauling in an awful lot of GLBT books...
[Source: http://www.dailykos.com]

A comment to the article about this issue on the SeattlePi site says:

It's not that the books are no longer listed. If you search for a book by title or author, you will still be able to find it.

Rather, it's that those of us with books that have been deranked no longer have our books in the bestselling book ranks, where they appeared before (and would still appear, as that is based on our sales) nor listing under the subject headings in lists for our subjects/genres.

So, unless someone is coming unto Amazon and looking for our book by title or author, they are unlikely to find it. That's a huge issue for authors -- especially those of us who are marginal in some way to begin with -- as often consumers browse those lists to find our books.

Here is a disturbing example of the results for searching homosexuality on Amazon:

(view full-size)

Who the hell gets to be in charge of defining exactly what is considered to be "Adult," anyway?

It seems that a lot of books with homosexual themes, or authors, are falling into the "Adult" category, even ones that don't contain any explicit sexual content. However, many books featuring graphic heterosexual content still get to keep their sales rank. But that pattern is not consistent; it doesn't follow any apparent logic. Maybe it IS a bias, or maybe it's a faulty automated system.

The L.A. Times blog compares title lists:

Our research shows that these books have lost their ranking: "Running with Scissors" by Augusten Burroughs; "Rubyfruit Jungle" by Rita Mae Brown, "Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic" by Alison Bechdel, "The History of Sexuality, Vol. 1" by Michel Foucault, "Bastard Out of Carolina" by Dorothy Allison (2005 Plume edition), "Little Birds: Erotica" by Anais Nin, "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly" by Jean-Dominque Bauby (1997 Knopf edition), "Maurice" by E.M. Forster (2005 W.W. Norton edition) and "Becoming a Man" by Paul Monette, which won the 1992 National Book Award.

Books that remain ranked include: "Naked" by David Sedaris; "Tropic of Cancer" by Henry Miller; "American Psycho" by Bret Easton Ellis; "Wifey" by Judy Blume; "The Kiss" by Kathryn Harrison; the photobooks "Playboy: Helmut Newton" and "Playboy: Six Decades of Centerfolds"; "Naked Lunch" by William Burroughs; "Incest: From 'A Journal of Love'" by Anais Nin; "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly" by Jean-Dominque Bauby (2007 Vintage International edition), "Maurice" by E.M. Forster (2005 Penguin Classics edition).

Certianly many of the books that are no longer ranked are no more "adult" than many of those that are...
[source: http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/jacketcopy/]

Here's another reason why this new policy doesn't make any sense:

This sounds like a big old bowl of BS, does it not? Especially when you consider the fact that Amazon has vibrators, clitoral stimulators and anal plugs available in their search system with sales ranks attached. One wonders why these items are allowed to remain in the system with sales ranks while books including gay and lesbian content, themes, and even, as a commenter points out, autobiographies of gay and lesbian authors such as Stephen Fry, are deemed too "adult" for such things.
[Source: http://jezebel.com/]

Regardless of WHAT Amazon is marking as "Adult" -- why the hell does it feel the need to implement a system to "protect" its customers in the first place? It's a thinly-veiled way of censoring certain content or products, and censorship is one of THE worst assaults to human freedom, ever. I'm against the exclusion of ANY book from search or availability, even titles I don't agree with, like Mein Kampf, or BIRTH CONTROL IS SINFUL IN THE CHRISTIAN MARRIAGES and also ROBBING GOD OF PRIESTHOOD CHILDREN!!

One thing's certain; Amazon will definitely be "protecting" itself from lots of its customers' money (including mine).

Are online petitions worth it? Maybe, maybe not. If you are so inclined, there is one you can sign here: http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/in-protest-at-amazons-new-adult-policy

Ultimately, the best way to show your dissatisfaction is to boycott. I won't be spending a fucking dime there unless they fully eliminate their policy of censoring content.

Suck a fat one, Amazon.com!

Sources:
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/jacketcopy/
http://blog.seattlepi.com/amazon/archives/166259.asp
http://markprobst.livejournal.com/15293.html
http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2009/4/12/719278/-Amazons-New-Moralityfor-your-protection
http://jezebel.com/5209088/why-is-amazon-removing-the-sales-rankings-from-gay-lesbian-books
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/in-protest-at-amazons-new-adult-policy

Important reading

Came across this last night --

The Line - Virus Comix

"...This is the story of a Line - a line that separates the place where everyone begins from the place where too many bring themselves, no matter their age, nation, or circumstances.

A line that separates the reasonably just from the mere functionary.

That separates empathy from sympathy.

Difficult from easy.

That separates being true to yourself from seeing social acceptance as an excuse not to have to think, from being content to do the wrong thing because everyone else is doing it too, because if everyone is guilty than no-one is guilty..."

Might be a lot for some people to read, but hang in there -- it's definitely worth your time and effort.

Captivating, haunting images

Caption: A statue of Rigas Feraios, a Greek writer and revolutionary who died in 1798, stands vandalized with an anarchy symbol outside the Athens University on December 12, 2008. (ARIS MESSINIS/AFP/Getty Images) #

Was surfing the web tonight and came across a series of photographs about the recent riots in Greece that just blew my mind:

On the night of Saturday, December 6th, two Special Guards of the Greek police clashed with a small group of young men. The exact details of what took place are still unclear, but it is known that one of the Guards fired three shots, and one of those bullets caused the death of 15-year-old Alexander Grigoropoulos - whether the injury was made by an accidental ricochet or deliberate shot remains to be determined. The two Guards are now in jail awaiting trial, the shooter charged with homicide. This incident sparked an immediate and widespread response in the form of angry demonstrations and riots in many Greek cities that have continued at varying levels to this day - though dimming in intensity recently. Alexander's death appears to have been a catalyst, unleashing widespread Greek anger towards many issues - police mistreatment of protesters, unwelcome education reforms, economic stagnation, government corruption and more.

To see the rest of the images, follow this link:
http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2008/12/2008_greek_riots.html

IT'S ABOUT FUCKING TIME.

FUCK YEAH!!!