bush roundup

deficit: bush buried a report by the treasury which "predicted a budget deficit of over $44,000bn and called for tax rises." he then signed a bill which increased the public debt limit from $6.4 trillion to $7.384 trillion and issued a one sentence press release on the subject. canada's prime minister, jean chrétien, chimed in, saying "the americans will have a deficit of $500-billion this year [...] if we were to equal that, it would be a $75-billion deficit because we're 10 times smaller. imagine!" bush then signed the third-biggest tax cut in u.s. history into law, which shafts the nation's poor and helps not just the rich, but specifically, most of congress.

wmd: lies, lies & more lies. yeah, they found wmd... in maryland! and how 'bout these trucks? is the cia for real? how can we believe them, of all people? like, how do we know the truck wasn't driven into iraq from one of its neighboring countries which might happen to be one of our allies? allies like uzbekistan, whose president recently said that he'd rip the head of his own child in order to keep order in his republic, and who has reportedly boiled imprisoned political dissidents to death. didn't we go after saddam for killing his own people? oh, right... we helped him do it.

r.u. sirius still needs to know

here's what r.u. still needs from our last round of research...

• African American slaves at start of 20th Century. Anybody find an approximation?
• Deborah Davis etc. — I'm still looking for the first appearance in the mainstream press about Mary Pinchot Meyer smoking pot with JFK, probably in the Washington Post or an Associated Press item. This is an important one.
• Woodstock praise in a mainstream media source:
  Time 8/29/69 (p. 32 The Message of History's Biggest Gathering)
  The Big Woodstock Rock Trip; Time Magazine Aug 29, 1969 pp.14B-22
  Age of Aquarius; Newsweek Aug 25, 1969 p.88
  I'm looking for a copy of one of the articles or a juicy quote praising the event.
• Can anybody find when "My Generation" by the Who hit the charts?

much respect to those who have assisted in this endeavor.

randomotica

• worst. cannes. ever. just ask vinny g.
• NBC-owned Bravo will court viewers this summer with American television’s first primetime gay-themed reality dating series. Similar in format to ABC’s “The Bachelor,” “Boy Meets Boy” features an eligible man looking for love in a pool of 15 potential mates. But in a twist worthy of the bogus baron on Fox’s “Joe Millionaire,” some of the suitors are actually heterosexual men who were paid by the program to pretend to be gay — unbeknownst to the eligible bachelor.
• Dressed as a McDonald’s employee, an undercover officer worked the drive-through window March 21 and April 25 and spotted enough wrongdoing inside customers’ cars to warrant six arrests and 29 citations.
• oink oink fucking skree!
• think you know what went down in iraq? take the post-war quiz.
• the nun who got some.
• no wonder i'm going bald!

sam the butcher

"THE US has floated plans to turn Guantanamo Bay into a death camp, with its own death row and execution chamber."

kinda makes you think twice about rex 84 don't it?

canada moves to decriminalize the ganj, u.s. squeals injustice

ottawa has just introduced legislation to decriminalize marijuana in canada.

and just as the u.s. threatened jamaica when it announced its plans to decriminalize personal possession, "The Bush administration has been vocal in cautioning Canada that Washington would be forced to increase time-consuming border searches if decriminalization of marijuana is enacted. American officials say decriminalization would increase supplies and trafficking."

increase supplies? lemme get this straight... the u.s. grows $25 billion worth of pot annually and has no handle on it at all, but canada's the bigger problem?

how 'bout this: just this morning, two canadians went to court in waltham, mass., for smuggling 800 lbs. of marijuana across the u.s. in a tractor-trailer. which way were they smuggling it? from north carolina to ontario. so—who needs to step up their searches on what side of the border now?

u.s. drug policy is insidious. oooo canada...how i long for thee.

vietnam-era cia counterinsurgency ops documents surface

"Created by the CIA in Saigon in 1967, Phoenix was a program aimed at 'neutralizing'--through assassination, kidnapping, and systematic torture--the civilian infrastructure that supported the Viet Cong insurgency in South Vietnam. It was a terrifying 'final solution' that violated the Geneva Conventions and traditional American ideas of human morality.

"The CIA destroyed its copies of the documents related to this program, but the creator of Phoenix gave his personal copies to author Douglas Valentine. He, in turn, has given them to The Memory Hole. They have never previously been published, online or in print."

(c/o politech)

changing of the guard

Mayor Nyquist called the upset "a student takeover" and predicted that elderly residents would leave New Paltz in droves.

But Mr. West, who takes office on June 1, shrugged off the attacks.

"I've heard their fears of a student takeover, but I'm never quite sure what that means — if students need money for more shots at the bar, they'll call the village clerk to cut them a check?"

article on new mayor of new paltz in the sunday times.

Tell Your Congressman to Co-Sponsor and Support the States' Rights to Medical Marijuana Act

OK, I will:

"I am an RN at Fletcher Allen Health Care in Burlington, VT and frequently give legally-prescribed Dronabinol (THC) to patients who suffer loss of appetite. In my opinion Dronabinol works, and with none of the over-played "expected" goofy side effects. I have never had a patient so much as blink an eye when told what Dronabinol is. They know what it is, they know it works, they know it can't hurt as much as the alternative: hormones like Oxandrin (testosterone, with high potential for abuse and higher chance of liver damage) and Magestrol (progesterone, dangerous in patients with histories of diabetes or blood clots and potentially cancer-forming).

I am from Oregon, where Marijuana "joints" (they come in prescription bottles with prescription labels on them) are legally prescribed for terminal AIDS and cancer patients. I do not believe that this law has done anything but comfort people who feel helpless in the face of tremendous pain. I have experience working in Portland, Oregon-area detox and rehab centers and have only encountered ONE patient in rehab for marijuana addiction. It is not the epidemic it is thought to be. Please turn your attention to the new crack cocaine: METHAMPHETAMINES. Also, another hint: heroin has not gone away post-war on Taliban. Finally: alcohol. Alcohol is still legal to citizens of all ages (don't fool yourselves), and drinkers/alcoholics will always comprise the largest group of addicts, destructive and dangerous. Just ask MADD! And my aunt!

Where is the logic in the war on THC?

I personally do not believe Marijuana to be physically addictive as are many other elicit drugs, nor as destructive or dangerous. It is perhaps psychologically addictive; however, in today's hectic, ugly times, perhaps people need this *natural* god-given escape. Give people the rights to smoke what grows in their own backyards. Give me the right to comfort my patients with drugs that are available and that work - naturally."

Where's Iraq's oil money going? Let's consult the cards...

You guys are all familiar with these, the decks of cards with the most wanted Iraqis in which Saddam is the Ace of Spades (shouldn't it be Lemmy?). In response, the Ruckus Society has released a deck of War Profiteer Playing Cards. Good stuff.

more propaganda for your postering funtimes

  

click the image to download a pdf
which you can print out for all your postering needs

(first image c/o starre, second c/o chris nine)

activist passion ii

following up on starre's post earlier this week on actforlove.org, the personals site for radical types, i just discovered (after receiving a reply to a bug report i'd lodged) that the site is operated by john hlinko, the man behind justsayblow.com and students for a drug free white house. john and i had been in touch shortly after bush's inauguration, trying to arrange for him to come and speak at a thursday night bush bash, tho unsuccessfully.

john has recently launched a subcampaign to promote actforlove, rumsfeld.org, which pledges to donate money to peace-oriented causes in donland rumsfeld's name, for every person who signs up for actforlove via that url. "it's our way of showing this septuagenarian sex symbol that his appeal can be used to foster peace as well as war."

in the meantime, rush limbaugh has already taken a pot shot at the new site, saying "apparently liberals are having trouble meeting each other, even though that's probably not really the point. i'm sure liberals are meeting each other all over the place, they just don't like what they see and they're willing to take a chance on what they can't see." ooh, snap. what a cock.

crazy abe the barber: redefining 'sick fuck' for the new millenium

crazy abe, aka max raw of the 44's stile-style maxxxraw.com, is featured in a photoshoot now available on nerve.com. login: nerve_photo password: artview. more (and duplicated) photos are available here.


mobiustrip 44: an alcoholic?
Da MiddleFINGAHZ: lol
mobiustrip 44: wtf are you doing with a piece
Da MiddleFINGAHZ: that was in my Klonopin days
mobiustrip 44: jesus

abe used to date princess superstar. i introduced 'em. big mistake. ;P

that's a first

palestinians protest islamic militancy

scavenger hunt

r.u. sirius is writing a book about counterculture and needs a little research assistance. if you can help with any of the following, please forward your responses to me. help get yourself & the jakeneck crew a research credit!

Dan and Friends,

I need the following details, with sources when possible, and links or copies to sources when possible. I'll probably have another bunch in a couple of weeks when I do the final pass over the entire book.

thanks
RU

1. How many times was Lenny Bruce arrested?
2. I need a popular advertising slogan or copy from the 1950s that conveys a sense of instant gratification.
3. I'm looking for the date of this Charlie Parker quote. "They teach you there's a boundary line in music, but man, there's no boundary line in art." It was quoted from something called "In Music" but I'm not sure if that's a book or an article.
4. Appx. how many former black slaves were living in the US at the start of the 20th Century?
5. When was a Lord Buckley song containing the lines "Hipsters, flipsters and finger poppin'daddies knock me your lobes" released?
6. When was Dianne DiPrima's poetry book "This Kind of Bird Flies Backwards" first published?
7. When did Plymouth (the auto company) use the ad slogan: "Plymouth is tripping out this year." (probably somewhere from 1967-1969)
8. When did Deborah Davis' claim that her friend Mary Pinchot Meyer smoked marijuana in the White House with JFK first appear in the Washington Post or on the Associated Press wire? (It should be some time in the 80s, I'm pretty sure.). A copy ? or a link to a copy of the article would be particularly helpful here.
9. Did the Merry Pranksters start their famous trip around America in the bus called Further in 1964 or 1963?
10. Can anyone find a Daniel Ellsberg quote that shows that he was moved by, or was moved to acknowledge ambiguous feelings about the war, when he witnessed the demonstration at the Pentagon in 1967?
11. When was the song "Smiling Faces" by Traffic released?
12. Who wrote the lyrics for the Jefferson Airplane song "Volunteers"? For "We Can Be Together?"
13. When did the following songs enter the American Top 40? Like a Rolling Stone - Bob Dylan; Eve of Destruction - Barry McGuire; We Gotta (or Got To) Get Out of this Place - The Animals; Have You Seen Your Mother Baby Standing in the Shadows - Rolling Stones; 19th Nervous Breakdown - Rolling Stones
14. When were the following albums released? (Month and year, rather than just year) Revolver - The Beatles; Blonde on Blonde - Dylan
15. After a bomb exploded in a Manhattan townhouse, killing three of its members, did anybody ever get seriously injured or killed by a Weather Underground action? And if the answer is yes -- if it happened after 1974, please get as much context as you can.
16. When was the Weather Underground communique "New Morning/Changing Weather" issued?
17. Can anybody find a full copy of Robin Morgan's 1969 or 1970 piece "Goodbye To All That" (either a link or send along as an attachment. WARNING: The first link you come across is probably dead.)
18. Can anybody find the exact Keith Richards quote from a Rolling Stone interview, probably between 1968-1970 to the effect that the Rolling Stones would be on the barricades if it looked like their was actually going to be a revolution?
19. I need a quote from Newsweek or Time issues immediately after (or during) Woodstock praising the people at the event.
20. Bob Dylan and Huey Newton once had a meeting, probably in 1971 when Dylan's song "George Jackson" was popular or very soon after that, but not necessarily. When was that and, if possible, where? Did Dylan donate any of his profits from the song "George Jackson" to the Black Panthers?
21. Did Allen Ginsberg appear in any official capacity at the 1972 Democratic National Convention?

sex in the shitty

on my way to work this morning i saw this guy putting up this horrendous advertisement for absolut vodka, which pictured a man buck nekkid with a bottle of absolut in front of his jimmy john reading "absolut hunk." puzzled as hell as to the motivation behind putting this up next to a community center where there is a children's nursery school, i inquired of one of our security guards who informed me that they'd be taping sex in the city in front of our building today. and sure enough...


check it out, you can see down kim cattrall's dress in this shot.
not like you haven't 1,000 times before.


here's a better shot of the absolut ad,
now with the words "absolut asshole" scrawled across it
blah, celebrity sightings. blah, sex in the city. man, i hate that show. can you believe what shes wearing? ugh, check out the neon green shoes. barf.

FBI runs over scientist who photographs Fed SUV

According to Clawson, Hatfill and his girlfriend were driving to the Georgetown section of Washington while being followed by several vehicles. A green sport utility vehicle was following especially closely, Clawson said.

Shortly before 4:30 p.m., Hatfill's car pulled into a parking spot on the street and Hatfill got out with a camera to take photos of those trailing him. Hatfill told officers the driver of the green SUV "had been recording his movements all day when he decided to take a picture back," according to the police report.

The driver of the green SUV then drove off, striking Hatfill, the reports said.

"Anyone want to bet that if a civilian had been driving an SUV that struck a pedestrian in Georgetown and then took off, the driver would have been arrested and charged with a hit and run crime? But federal police apparently live by different rules, or, put another way, are above the law. Or take a case a few days ago when police screwed up and raided the wrong apartment in a no-knock-flash-bang-grenade drug raid, causing its lawful occupant to die of a heart attack. If a civilian had committed a similar mistake, wouldn't you expect to see a manslaughter or some type of murder charge filed? Again, different rules." —Declan

goodnight, sleep tight

don't let the bedbugs bite

speaking of accounting fraud...

worldcom steals $11 billion ... how much do the courts make 'em give back? $500 million. that's 4.5%! so much for corporate accountability!

they get caught cookin' the books, declare bankruptcy, have to pay back practically none of the money they stole, change their name back to MCI to protect their image, and they get to stay in business?!?! huh?!?!

fuckin' a, i hope danny glover does get shitcanned! he has no business standing up for global justice and then taking money from these scumbags.

oh, dan, troy... remember when all those marxists were giving me shit @ the m22 march for having fidel on my terrorist poster? yeah well, fuck them.

"you'll pay to know what you really think!"

LEGISLATION GIVES BUREAUCRATS POWER TO USE YOUR MONEY TO DEFEAT PRO-REFORM BALLOT MEASURES AND CANDIDATES

Congress wants to use your money to tell you how to think and vote. Your help is needed TODAY to stop them. The House Government Reform Committee will consider legislation this Thursday, May 22nd that would allow Drug Czar John Walters to spend taxpayer money to influence voters to reject drug policy reforms. The section is so broad it could allow the White House to use almost $1 billion in taxpayer money to run government-sponsored television ads against state and local ballot measures that enact drug policy reforms. It could even allow taxpayer money for partisan political purposes, such as government-sponsored attack ads against candidates the White House doesn't like.

The provision is part of legislation reauthorizing the drug czar's office. It would renew the National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign, a controversial ad campaign that cost taxpayers over a billion dollars in the last six years, despite numerous government studies showing it has failed to meet its intended goals of reducing drug use. If approved by the full Congress, the drug czar's office would have almost a billion dollars over the next five years to spend on the failed media campaign, including ads telling voters to oppose drug policy reform.

ACTIONS TO TAKE

1. If you're from a state with Representatives on the House Government Reform Committee, CALL THEM ALL TODAY. See list of Committee Members here.
   • Tell them to remove the section of HR 2086, the "Office of National Drug Control Policy Reauthorization Act of 2003", that allows the Drug Czar to use the media campaign for partisan political purposes.
   • Tell them you strongly oppose using taxpayer money to run government ads telling us how to vote and what to think.
   • Urge them to also reduce the reauthorization of the National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign to one year instead of five, consistent with recommendations by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB).
2. If you're from a state without a Representative on the House Government Reform Committee, call your Representative and urge him or her to pressure Members on the Government Reform Committee to take out the propaganda provision. To Find out who your Representative is, click here.
   • Tell your Representative to do everything in his or her power to convince the Government Reform Committee to remove the section from HR2086 that allows federal bureaucrats to use taxpayer money to influence elections. Tell your Representative to vote against any bill that contains such a provision.
3. Please forward this action alert to your friends and family. Unless Congress hears from thousands of voters this bill and its dangerous provision could easily become law.

For more info, including the background of this legislation, click here.

we's been robbed

the department of defense has "lost" over $1 trillion dollars in the last few years, according to the u.s. general account office. being notorious for its horrendous accounting practices ($640 toilet seats anyone?), resident bush has proposed new legislation to remedy the manner in which the DOD conducts business.

of course, if this is anything like last year's accounting fraud bill, you can be sure the culprits will walk away scott free.

it's so much easier to create the appearance of doing the right thing than to actually do it, isn't it?

guns don't kill people...

...idiots do.

no justice, just us

when a 16 year-old brownsville boy was arrested for marijuana possession tuesday night, a crowd of fed-up new yorkers came to his aid, and released the boy from police custody, allowing him to escape as they fended-off the cops. is the battle for justice in the streets taking on a new dimension?

saudi suicide target had carlyle-CIA connection

here's an interesting piece of news, courtesy of alex jones' infowars: the location of tuesday's suicide attacks in saudi arabia was the residence of several dozen employees of the vinnel corporation, a former carlyle group subsidiary, that was, in fact, a front for the CIA!

truth in trials

a trend is surfacing in which medical marijuana growers being prosecuted under federal laws are prohibited from telling their jurors that they were legally growing medical pot according to their state laws. the ommission of this fact has led to several convictions, most notably that of grow-guru ed rosenthal, whose jurors went ballistic when they found out he was legally growing pot after they'd already convicted him.

click here to fax your representatives and tell them to support h.r. 1717, a bill which would prohibit federal judges from withholding such pertinent information from juries. truth in trials now!

Open Sound @ Open Ground

Thursday, June 12, 8 PM
Open Sound @ Open Ground
252 Grand St., Brooklyn
http://www.open-ground.org/

Open Sound is an attempt to infuse the elements of improvisational instrumentation with freestyle MCing and poetry reading. The entire event is aimed at being spontaneous, so it very much depends on willing participants to make the evening a success.

Here's how it works--musicians, bring your gear (you must bring your own amps, etc.) MCs & poets, bring your rhymes. We'll pretty much just take it from there. Our goal is to eventually turn this into a bi-weekly or monthly series and to record the perfomances in order to release the best material on compliation CDs.

If you're coming, kindly RSVP to mobiustrip@the44.net and let me know what, if any gear, you intend to bring. If you've got any audio gear you can contribute for the evening (PA, mixer, speakers, etc.) or, if you know where we might be able to borrow a couple dozen folding chairs, please e-mail me and lemme know whassup.

A note to MCs: we respect all forms of rhyme, but we're aiming for higher art here. Therefore, if you're just rhyming about biscuits and bling, this is not the venue for you. Sorry.

---

Open Ground is an artists space run by a collective in Williamsburg. It is located nextdoor to Luxx.

Directions: http://www.open-ground.org/wiki/HoursAndDirections

The 44 is a collective of independent artists and specialists from an array of backgrounds looking to collaborate with and assist other artists in their creative pursuits. Visit our website at http://www.the44.net.

Feel free to invite friends.

if that just don't beat it all...

the ondcp's new anti-drug campaign doesn't go after drugs or drug users, oh no. rather, it goes after people who argue in favor of decriminalization.

whither victory

check this outstanding piece of commentary from the cato institute on the failure of bush's war on terror

also a great piece from krugman yesterday, on the apparent paradox of state-run media agencies being less biased than independently owned corporate media.

of snitches and bitches

when two oakland high school students made derogatory comments about duh-duh-dubya in class, they likely weren't expecting a visit from the secret service—especially one courtesy of their own teacher!

The Propaganda Remix Project

If you're fed-up w/ Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld, fascism, unjustified warmongering, oil politics, etc., then check out these great, clever anti-propaganda posters. Ideal for plastering in a federal plaza near you.

the fat lady sings

well, i guess it's official: iraq has no weapons of mass destruction. can george bush be tried as a war criminal now?

give us every zig

history of the internet

my goddamn rock solid ghetto shiznit name is Ass Machine Shizzlemah. what's yours?

Busy Sunday?

NY Rainbow's
21st Annual Central Park Picnic
Sunday May 18th
Noon to Dark

Bring Food and Drink (nonalcoholic Please),
Musical Instruments and Smiles.

Directions: Take the C Train to 103rd Street Station.
Enter Central Park at 103rd Street and Central Park West and
take the path to the left and up the steps. Follow chalk marks to
until you reach and open meadow.

singin' in the baftub... la la la la la

this one's for you ray

hippocratic oaf

got sumfin' funky you ain't bein' all too honest wif da doctor about? how you like bein' suspect?

fascism for dummies

Free Inquiry magazine recently printed an article by political scientist Dr. Lawrence Britt, who studied the fascist regimes of Germany, Italy, Spain, Indonesia and Chile. In this article he points out Fourteen "identifying characteristics" of fascism. They are:

1. Powerful and Continuing Nationalism — Fascist regimes tend to make constant use of patriotic mottos, slogans, symbols, songs, and other paraphernalia. Flags are seen everywhere, as are flag symbols on clothing and in public displays.
2. Disdain for the Recognition of Human Rights — Because of fear of enemies and the need for security, the people in fascist regimes are persuaded that human rights can be ignored in certain cases because of "need." The people tend to look the other way or even approve of torture, summary executions, assassinations, long incarcerations of prisoners, etc.
3. Identification of Enemies/Scapegoats as a Unifying Cause — The people are rallied into a unifying patriotic frenzy over the need to eliminate a perceived common threat or foe: racial , ethnic or religious minorities; liberals; communists; socialists, terrorists, etc.
4. Supremacy of the Military — Even when there are widespread domestic problems, the military is given a disproportionate amount of government funding, and the domestic agenda is neglected. Soldiers and military service are
   glamorized.
5. Rampant Sexism — The governments of fascist nations tend to be almost exclusively male-dominated. Under fascist regimes, traditional gender roles are made more rigid. Opposition to abortion is high, as is homophobia and anti-gay legislation and national policy.
6. Controlled Mass Media — Sometimes massmedia is directly controlled by the government, but in other cases, the media is indirectly controlled by government regulation, or sympathetic media spokespeople and executives. Censorship, especially in war time, is very common.
7. Obsession with National Security — Fear is used as a motivational tool by the government over the masses.
8. Religion and Government are Intertwined — Governments in fascist nations tend to use the most common religion in the nation as a tool to manipulate public opinion. Religious rhetoric and terminology is common from government leaders, even when
   the major tenets of the religion are diametrically opposed to the government's policies or actions.
9. Corporate Power is Protected — The industrial and business aristocracy of a fascist nation often are the ones who put the government leaders into power, creating a mutually beneficial business/government relationship and power elite.
10. Labor Power is Suppressed — Because the organizing power of labor is the only real threat to a fascist government, labor unions are either eliminated entirely, or are severely suppressed.
11. Disdain for Intellectuals and the Arts — Fascist nations tend to promote and tolerate open hostility to higher education, and academia. It is not uncommon for professors and other academics to be censored or even arrested. Free expression in the arts is openly attacked, and governments often refuse to fund the arts.
12. Obsession with Crime and Punishment — Under fascist regimes, the police are given almost limitless power to enforce laws. The people are often willing to overlook police abuses and even forego civil liberties in the name of patriotism. There is often a national police force with virtually unlimited power in fascist nations.
13. Rampant Cronyism and Corruption — Fascist regimes almost always are governed by groups of friends and associates who appoint each other to government positions and use governmental power and authority to protect their friends from accountability. It is not uncommon in fascist regimes for national resources and even treasures to be appropriated or even outright stolen by government leaders.
14. Fraudulent Elections — Sometimes elections in fascist nations are a complete sham. Other times elections are manipulated by smear campaigns against or even assassination of opposition candidates, use of legislation to control voting numbers or political district boundaries, and manipulation of the media. Fascist nations also typically use their judiciaries to manipulate or control elections.

boy this all sounds familiar... (c/o hellpopehuey)

like you couldn't see it coming

israel raids west bank ism offices

just so you don't think this is a one-sided scenario, the fbi did the same thing to hatikvah a couple of years ago. hativkah is a zionist organization where my sister worked, and in fact her workstation computer was seized.

interestingly, in that case, even some palestinians found the fbi's actions unnerving

vroom vroom

tearin' ish up in the christmobile ... speaking of which ... and lest we forget this

"I rarely have an egg for my breakfast though my work requires infinite eggs to come to birth in eternity"

For those of you who didn't feel like shelling out $50 for the 4-disc Allen Ginsberg box set Holy Soul Jelly Roll, I've just stumbled across this amazing archive of Ginsberg audio on the net. Inspiring stuff for real, especially "Death to Van Gogh's Ear."

HOLY FUCKING SHIT

my sister and her friends, representing the green party in new paltz, ny, just won the town mayorship and seats on the board of trustees!

from aliza:

To all my dear friends who I have not been in touch with for a while...I have some great news to share...

I have been working with some old friends who are activists in the New Paltz area where I live and went to college...Recently, I became the treasurer of a campaign in which my peops, Jason West, Julia Walsh and Rebecca Rotzler ran for Mayor and Trustees of the Village of New Paltz.....on Tuesday, all three GREEN PARTY candidates were elected, and they begin their four year term on July 1...WE WON!!!

New Paltz has long had a reputation for having a progressive, liberal minded community...In its heyday, Janis Joplin and Hendrix raged in SUNY's Tripping Fields, and young people are constantly found playing music and drums on the streets of the downtown area. Yoga studios, helath food stores and colorful vibes are in abundance. Over the past decade, the Spirit of New Paltz has begun to shift, with the political focus turning primarily to development and tourism...however, the creative and healing spirit of the community has remained strong. Seeking a government that represents the PEOPLE of the village, rather than those with private interests and MONEY, West, Walsh and Rotzler decided to run only 5 weeks before the election. They perceived that if significant changes were not made quickly, we could look forward to New Paltz turning into another overdeveloped suburb, instead of the unique, spiritual mountain town it has always been...

And so, with plans to make New Paltz an environmentally sustainable community, the group will utilize alternative energy sources in the Village, including solar power, windmills, artificial wetlands for sewage control, and bio-diesel fuel. They also plan to keep small businesses from being threatened by large corporations such as Starbucks and The Gap. The Village government will become more accessible, and will support the healing arts community. Along with the 333 Artist Collective, there are many people who see this inspirational moment as a great step towards the common good.

I am very proud to have been part of their success, and I see this as only the beginning...I hope you will come visit soon.......MUCH LOVE!!!!!!

more here, here, here, & here.

the face of tripping

science weighs in: psychedelics are good for you (c/o moses aaron)

indierockshock

check out my friend meg's new band the uniform tragedy...they're pretty darn good

unamerican activities

"I detest American imperialism, American infantilism, and American triumphalism about victories it didn't even win."

also—is it possible to hate bush to a fault?

he just keeps proving it time and time again...

i really don't know what came over me...

maybe it's because there was an american flag in almost every image posted in april. that and the fact that the site is just resonating with this vibe at the moment. the tiki was giving me weird vibes too, creepin' me out. anyway, whaddaya think?

lefty radicals usurp jakeneck

houston, we have a problem.

we began jakeneck with the intention of it being a community oriented site, completely maleable and responsive to the whims of the collective—a site steered by the interest and behaviors of its participants, and that in itself was a lofty and noble pursuit. but what made the site unique and miraculous was the array of opinions and beliefs our contributors comprised, from the left to the right. it was a chance for dialogue and learning, above all else—an opportunity for growth, and at the very least, the strengthening of our arguments.

but truth be told, niggas be actin' nasty. several of our more right-leaning contributors and even readers have been complaining to me as of late that the environment on jakeneck has become increasingly hostile and that they feel as though they can't even express their opinions without being branded fascists. this level of intolerance makes me, for one, very sad and disappointed. is this the best culmination of our collective whims? righty-bashing?

jakeneck is about inclusivity and freedom of expression. it is not about badmouthing, harassing and disrespecting people, but about open dialogue and communication. i have expressed concern towards this issue previously and the crew did agree for the most part with my views. so how 'bout trying a little implementation now?

i don't want people dropping off the blogteam because they feel they can't speak their minds. if you take issue with their stance, be compassionate and considerate in your reproaches. use it as an opportunity to master the art of politely winning an argument, instead of leaping down a person's throat and shoving their ideas back up their asses. n'ah mean? because the worse it gets, the worse i feel, and i'm not making myself crazy keeping this site running to perpetuate hateful vibrations... we're here to spread the love.

now—next brief issue: because jakeneck has become so increasingly political—even though we, in our last crew meeting, decided we wanted to back off the politics and get a little more cultural—it seems like the other material on the site is getting lost. so here's the group question:

do we deem jakeneck a 100% politically-oriented site and perhaps relaunch shtv as a more culturally oriented site, thus keeping our subject matter consistent? or will you bastids tone done on the player hating and discuss some less-depressing topics for god's sake?

me-aaauuugh

ever wonder about those sweet-yet-creepy old ladies with lots of cats?

oh the fucking fnords

the betchtel-bin laden connection (c/o fonadi)

ganjistan liberation

my friends leo & rob were the center of attention
great photos from saturday's pot parade can be found here and here. check dwight's recap in the comments of the related post below.

shots from yesterday's truth march here and here, including some mobius drum action.

hilary rosen is lonny zone's biznatcha

does this remind anyone else of the ice in neuromancer?

stomach. turning.

most fucked up wrong porn spam ever in the history of the "free" world ... most fucked up porn site

a beautiful day in the neighborhood

an interesting day after work... iz picked me up at the j and we shot down to the east vil to chill for a bit. after picking up some krylon we dipped into toy tokyo (7th st. & 2nd ave.) for a moment where, lo and behold, i ran into my favorite agitprop artist, ron english!

"hey ron—you don't know me but uh, i bought a piece of yours and don goede at softskull had you sign it for me... charlie brown with the yin yang head—44 bottles of beer."

"oh yeah," he said, "that was a while ago."

so he and i got to chatting for a bit, primarily about our toy obsessions (he told me a friend of his has two storage spaces stocked with unopened packages of his favorite toys—in triplicate), and i introduced him to my latest fixation, domokun. "it looks like a turd," he said.

i told him how much i appreciated his work and about some of my a.g.'s planned forays into billboard liberation and stenciling. he liked our ideas a lot and gave us his blessings.

after 15 minutes or so of standing on the street shooting the shit with ron (he was very kind and gracious—at least, i didn't feel i was riding his jock and apparently neither did he), iz and i headed over to soma, nyc's finest underground botique, which hosts a grafitti art gallery, gear for the tag artist, and a fine array of glass pieces for the herbal enthusiast. on my way in i could not help but hear a familiar voice blaring overhead from the soundsystem.

"is this rocker t?" i asked the dude at the counter. "good call," he said, and handed me the case for rocker t's all new cd, more luv, which is due in stores later this month, and which, frankly, i wasn't even aware of. he then passed me up a flier for the may 9th launch party of the new nyc culture 'zine animal new york, at which rocker t will be performing with the i.r.t. band! w00t! i ain't seen t perform since cannabis cup band's last show at the wetlands. i'm supadupa excited.

then bucky, the owner, walked in and i asked him if it was plausable to go bombing in the rain, as i've never really been on such an outing before, and he's sort of the resident expert. he assured me it would not be a wise idea and that spraypaint and wet concrete do not mix well together. thus, this evening's stenciling activities have been curtailed. sigh. i'm sure i'll find something else fun to do.

weekend plans (nyc)?

tomorrow is the million marijuana march, an annual protest against the drug prohibition state and in favor of the legalization of marijuana. meet at broadway & houston @ 12 PM and march to city hall, then to battery park, where the cannabis cup band will be playing a free concert.

sunday is the not in our name youth rally for truth and justice. meet at 97th & 5th ave. (east meadow) @ 12 PM and march through central park. this is an unpermitted march (the city denied a permit without just cause) so don't expect—but be prepared for—a ruckus.

ISM a terrorist group?

two british suicide bombers posed as peace activists (potentially as members of ISM) in order to gain access to israel and carry out an attack.

disinfo? not disinfo? tougher question: considering the recent report about another british ISM activist allegedly opening fire on israeli troops—is ISM actually a front for an armed resistance group? and if so, are these just wingnut lefty kids taking their politics to "the next level?" or have they been indoctrinated and manipulated like palestinian children? ...a small army of jonny talibans...

considering the money and power within islamic jihad movements, i would not be surprised if some group like hamas or hizbollah was conducting such an operation. i could see it happening... some agent provocateur—a splinter cell—gets a hold of ya, maybe joins your a.g., convinces you of his politics... romanticizes the intifada. some passionate and naiive kid heads over to the occupied territories, stands in front of a bulldozer. if you're that hardcore, how 'bout a kalishnakov?

the lustre of participating in an armed conflict under the impression of fighting oppression and saving lives is likely palatable to the more radical elements on the left. but i mean... that's just what they think they're doing: helping an oppressed people. but, in doing so, this is what they're supporting. and that is just fucked.

[update 1:57 pm] the british terrorists were involved with ISM in rafah. ISM london responds, refutes association.

high fidelity

history of the mixtape (c/o relicious)