What to Do When Peace Breaks Out

Well, It Could Happen One of These Days!

I'd like to take a moment and pose the question that never gets asked, the one that seems counterintuitive but is actually empirically valid. We keep hearing about people essentially making preparations for a war of aggression -- incidentally, something defined as a "war crime" under the Nuremberg Principles -- yet rarely are given a chance to reflect upon the more likely scenario that far more people are preparing for. Simply put, what are we going to do when peace finally breaks out? Here are some suggestions...

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Tomorrow’s Info Today

Staying Ahead of the News Cycle

With the proliferation of infotainment sources, 24/7 outlets, do-it-yourself journalism, incessant crawls and tweets, and the ever-expanding blogosphere, one might argue that we have democratized the media in a meaningful way -- something doubly important in light of recently revealed Bush Administration plans to suspend the First Amendment and eviscerate noncompliant shops right after 9/11. Yet at times it seems to me as if we have simply democratized “information anxiety” instead, since, in the prescient words of Francis Bacon, “he that increaseth knowledge increaseth anxiety.”

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Lines in the Sand

The Subtle Significance of a Presidential Visit

While it remains to be seen whether the President’s plan has the effect of stemming the tide of foreclosures, it certainly represents a sharp break from the inaction of the previous Administration, and could serve as a wake-up call about the shortsighted “slash and burn” policies being implemented here at the state level. President Obama came to Arizona to announce a relief plan, but he also announced simply by his presence that he’s aware of our plight, and that perhaps he won’t sit idly by as we struggle to prevent the legislature from foreclosing on our future.

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Brave New World Order

A Googlement Above the People, Around the People, and Ahead of the People

Conspiracy theorists long have mused about a “shadow government” working its machinations from a secret locale with a cloak-and-dagger ethos. But that’s not the post-postmodern way of doing things anymore; in the age of hyper-spectacle, one puts it right out there in a manner reminiscent of what’s known as “hiding in plain sight.” This is the genius logic that could very well lead Google to conquer the earth and all of humanity -- and with governments everywhere seemingly on the verge of financial collapse anyway, who else would you want keeping track of stuff, watching your back (and front), fighting our undeclared cyber-wars, and making the trains run on time? Next stop, Googletopia!

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A War to End All Warring?

Iraq's Shocking Human Toll

"We are now able to estimate the number of Iraqis who have died in the war instigated by the Bush administration. The overall figures are stunning: 4.5 million displaced, 1-2 million widows, 5 million orphans, about 1 million dead -- in one way or another, affecting nearly one in two Iraqis. By any sensible measure, it would be difficult to describe this as a victory of any kind. It speaks volumes about the repair work we must do for Iraqis, and it should caution us against the savage wars we are prone to. Now that Bush is gone, perhaps the U.S. can honestly face the damage we have wrought and the responsibilities we must accept from it."

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Exit Stage Right!

Cheney Wheels Off to Undisclosed Location to Thunderous Applause

A hypocritical right-winger undergoing a character assassination who plays for sympathy in the final act? Ol’ Dick is pretty smart at that, leaving an indelible image of helplessness and enfeeblement in the minds of viewers, preemptively casting a pall on attempts to lay the blame for Bush’s failures (and crimes) at his feet. Hats off to you, sir, for creating an unforgettable character, for inspiring our ire and steeling our resolve, and for reminding us that even someone in a wheelchair can be an equally cynical SOB just like the rest of us. Yes folks, that was Dick Cheney, born-again ADA activist and differently-abled former dictator, heading off to an undisclosed location for the final time.

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Barack to the Future?

Electric Car Rides Again!

A blast from the past: "The Electric Runabout, made by Columbia, was the first electric car ridden in by a U.S. President [are you listening, Prez-O? what was that gas-guzzling inauguration vehicle anyway?]. That historical event happened over 105 years ago, in case you were wondering. The 1903 Columbia Electric Runabout had a 40-mile range and, like most electric cars of the era, was very popular with female drivers. While that 40-mile range sound wicked good compared to today's electric cars (and concept cars), the Runabout was really more like a Walkabout since its top speed was a solid 14 miles per hour -- downhill. The car was powered by a 40-volt, 30 amp motor from General Electric and cost $850 back at the beginning of the last century." Let's roll!

100-year-old model works *** Seriously! *** Like, for real :)

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Viva O! Now Let's Get to Work

Are You Too Radical to Care?

You'd have to be immensely hardhearted not to be moved by Obama’s election and inauguration. One would have to be some sort of disaster junkie or post-apocalyptic cheerleader to truly hope that the new President fails (this means you, Rush Limbaugh!). Hey, we can still be critical -- and we absolutely must be -- even as we appreciate the magnitude of the moment. To root for Obama’s success does not render us compliant and pacified, but instead simply acknowledges the sense of lifting clouds and the appearance of room to roam. So let's get busy -- power to the people!

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Move Bush, Get Out the Way!

Reign of Terror Ends! Long Nightmare Over! Global Sigh of Relief Heard! Adios 43!

From Bush's long-awaited farewell speech -- doesn't it seem as if whenever he talked about the terrorists he was really talking about himself? -- like right here:

"The battles waged by our troops are part of a broader struggle between two dramatically different systems. Under one, a small band of fanatics demands total obedience to an oppressive ideology, condemns women to subservience, and marks unbelievers for murder. The other system is based on the conviction that [the Koran rewards those who serve in jihad against capitalist colonizers]. When people live in freedom, they do not willingly choose leaders who pursue campaigns of terror -- [those leaders use the democratic process to steal elections fair and square instead]."

Okay, so we added a couple of [minor items] here for clarity's sake. But you get the drift, yes? Check out KO's Krazy Kountdown video below that lays it all bare. Eight years in eight minutes -- if only it had been the other way around....

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Blogging the Bush Legacy

Video: "Eight Years in Eight Minutes"

The Appalachian Katrina

We Need Your Help Here in Eastern Tennessee

"So here in east Tennessee, we need your help. We need you to get the word out that there is no such thing as clean coal. We need the rest of the nation to hear that a spill -- 40 times larger than the Valdez wreck -- has destroyed the waters and communities around Kingston, TN, and that it could happen again. We need your help to support the workers on the ground whose blood, sweat and tears are keeping these communities together."

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Peace Is The New War

War, What Is It Good For?

Absolutely nothin'. That's all we've got to say right now. It's all been said anyway. How many different ways are there to condemn aggression, militarism, devastation, genocide? Yes, we need to call it out. But we also need to move the underlying paradigm that makes it possible in the first place. Dig a little deeper, you dig? It also wouldn't hurt to start imagining and living the next wave right here and now -- walkin' the talk, ya know? The revolution might be televised, it may even be blogged, but it must be lived! No more top-downers, agreed? Bottom-uppers are where it's at. Hey kids: PEACE IS RAD!

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... then wax sardonically and nod off!

Gimme Gimme Shock Doctrine

Sometimes Reality is a Bummer Stock Theater of the Absurd

Ever wonder whether you were living in someone's idea of a surrealist dystopia? C'mon, you know you have, existing in a world where we civilly debate whether torture is acceptable; where superior powers invade and decimate at will; where informants infiltrate grassroots groups who are helping disaster survivors secure food and health care; where the "shock doctrine" has already become passe as "business as usual;" where the Treasury is thoroughly looted but a homeless person goes to jail for stealing food; where people who wage war are re-elected while those who would challenge them are branded as traitors; and where the media lead with celebrity fluff pieces as the whole thing hits the fan. Is Nero fiddling right now? Funny thing is, we're actually not that bad off in some ways -- hey, you get it, so that's a pretty good start! Reckon we gotta go through all this to get to where we're going. There's more to say about that but for now the Spectacle is making a spectacle of itself...

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