Responding

My friend aharv responded to a previous post of mine and asked several questions. Here they are:

"...what is your proposal for the Terrorism we have experienced in the world today. What should we do to counter act it. What would the USA or the world be like today if our miliary did not take the actions that they have?..."

There are any number of writers who have offered their answers to her first question. One is an instructor of mine, thast who has written a book called "A Nonviolent Response to Terrorism." I haven't read it (for various reasons) but I flipped through it and he addresses any number of ways including diplomacy, civil resistance, halting the arms trade (US included), and many many others.

As for her second question - that's such a big question for me that I'll keep my response as brief as possible. In short, I think the US and its military are an enormous part of why the world is the way it is. Our $400 billion/yr military budget, our unbelievable (and unnecessary) stockpile of nuclear weapons, our arms dealing, and all the other things that are byproducts of a culture that has come to glorify violence and militarism.

Obviously, the US isn't solely responsible for the state of the world but we have played a key role - especially in bringing the world to the place it is today.

With regard to the current war and aharv's remarks about the incredible courage of the soldiers who are defending our freedom, my response is that they are dying for no reason that has anything to do with our freedom. They believe they are fighting a war worth fighting but I don't. I believe they are dying to further the agenda of people who couldn't care less about them; they die so that the rich and powerful can get more rich and powerful.

It's been demonstrated over and over again that NONE of the reasons given by the administration for going to war in Iraq were valid. Saddam had nothing to do with 9/11 and the flimsy WMD excuses were laughable they were so weak. There is an argument that going into Afghanistan and destroying the terrorist training camps there was a good use of military force but my thought is that we've long since provoked far more terrorist training centers with our invasion of Iraq.

Much of the world resents us, despises us, or outright hates us. Those who claim some sort of relationship with us fear us and relationships based in fear and mistrust have no potential for evolution or growth in a positive direction.

I respect that people desire to serve their country, but I do not respect the military-industrial complex, the institution of militarism, or the culture of violence.

06/01/05 Revision: When I mentioned the evidence for the war as laughable, I forgot to mention the possiblity that it was cooked to provide support for the invasion. There is also some talk of opening an investigation into Bush's knowledge of the (cooked) evidence and whether or not articles of impeachment should be introduced.

My poor, tainted compost

I just realized today that someone else who lives in the apartment complex has tainted my compost barrel with (probably) meat. This is the first composting I've done and it started smelling pretty bad a week or so ago when the weather started warming up. I knew it was going to be a bit smelly but didn't realize there was something wrong. Anyway, I spoke with a few people this week and am now firmly convinced that someone else deserves some severe dirty looks for their evil deed.

As if it weren't enough that my compost attempt was foiled, my Grumpy Neighbor has made it a point to comment, quite loudly, about the smell every time he walks past my apartment. I would go over & let him know that it's not my fault but he'd probably just scream at me and be mean so I'm keeping quiet.

So guess what I did to rectify the situation? Yep, you got it. I bought some heavy duty gloves, a face mask, put on some ratty clothes and then...






keep reading...






just a little further...







I put a heavy duty trashbag in my garbage can, picked up the vomitous & fecal-smelling compost barrel, and emptied into the trashbag.

Yes

I

did.


It was FOUL.


'nuff said.

Fretful and out of my skin

It's hot here today - we jumped from the low 60s early in the week to the 90s today. I don't like it. I hate that grimy, sweaty, gritty feeling that comes from sweating and never really cooling down. I'm also moving so my apartment is trashed and I feel I have no place relaxing to go to.

I feel especially fleshy - heavy and too much in my skin. I like being present in my body but not when it feels like this - bloated and stretched and overheated. My exercise routine has been off the last couple of weeks and that hasn't helped my peace of mind at all. I haven't been able to ride, missed Flow last week, and missed three dance classes in a row (2 were the instructor's fault, 1 was mine). So I feel like a lumpy sack of oatmeal with a sweaty face and unshaved legs.

I'm also stressing a bit about moving. My new place is going to be smaller than this one by more than I originally thought. It's also not finished. My new landlady will be finishing stuff up for probably the first week or so. That means that someone else will be in and out of my space for several days. In addition to that, I'm not sure how much I can even unpack the first couple of days b/c I don't know what she'll still be working on.

If it weren't such a great little place and she wasn't (potentially) such a good housemate, I'd be having some *serious* reservations. Just the thought of not having any private space for the next fews days is wigging me out some. I mean, will she be there when I come home? Will she just pop down while I'm there?

Last but not least, I feel out of rhythm with the city. I was driving home from seeing a movie with smack and I just couldn't get the "feel" for the drive. I was nervous and edgy - like a caffeine high maybe - twitchy. I felt like I didn't belong in this city; felt pulled in all directions by unseen ropes tied around my wrists and ankles. Where am I going and what am I doing? Who am I being?

I don't know but I'm rubbing my temples and muttering "find a happy place, find a happy place, find a happy place..."

Gastineau unbelievableness

It's late, I'm typing up a bunch of annotated bibs and I've surfed over to E! TV. The Gastineau Girls (a fantastically stupid show) is on and I just heard someone on the show refer to himself as a "fashion blah blah strategist." WTF???? Fashion STRATEGIST??? Sometimes this stuff is so over-the-top out of my frame of living that I can't stop myself from watching.

Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that Dr. Strategy was plying his trade in service to a chihuahua. They ended up with a set of $75 dog boots.