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by J. M. Branum

JMBzine.com is a free and independent media outlet protected by the Bill of Rights, First Amendment.

ABOUT ME:
  • 27 yr old male
  • jesus disciple
  • 2d yr. law student
  • peace activist
  • an okie green
  • former austinite
  • writer

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    favorite L-student blogs

    - Sua Sponte -
    - Janeway speaks -
    - Omer Poos -
    - Mellow-drama -
    - Zipsix.com -


    blogs by L students, Pre-law geeks, and recent L school grads

    - AndrewRaff.com -
    - gTexts -
    - Mad Tea Party -
    - disLEXia -
    - Method2Madness -
    - Tarheel Pundit -
    - Waddling Thunder -
    - Ambivalent Imbroglio -
    - damn the muse -
    - Jeremy's weblog -
    - Jewish Buddha -
    - Liable -
    - Math class for poets -
    - Off the fence -
    - Paul's Boutique -
    - thelifeoferin -
    - retrorocket -
    - The Rattler -
    - Santagati.com -
    - beingkate.com -
    - Statonlaw.net -
    - Antioch Road -
    - Volokh -


    Austin blogs

    confessionalism.com
    Bedheaded
    emoomega
    Indieandra
    kaci archer
    goodmorning
    Creamy


    Music I adore

    The Magnetic Fields
    Robert Earl Keen
    The Great Divide
    Madison Greene
    Miranda Stone
    UHQ
    Bill & VOL
    Five Iron Frenzy
    Brave Saint Saturn
    The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band
    Belle & Sebastian
    Cake



    Music I dig

    Steve Earle
    Calibretto 13
    Nickel Creek
    Gillian Welch
    S. Austin Jug Band
    Jim's Big Ego
    The Decemberists
    Echoing Green
    Cross Canadian Ragweed
    Guardian
    Finch
    Natalie Merchant
    Rusted Root
    The Asylum Street Spankers
    Barenaked Ladies
    Blues Traveler
    Jimmy Eat World
    Lenny Smith
    Alison Krauss
    Cherokee Nat. Children's Choir
    Delirious
    Duncan Sheik
    Iron Butterfly
    Austin Lounge Lizards
    Bela Fleck
    Bad Faces Clan
    Bob Marley
    Bruce Hornsby
    Fleming and John
    Element 101
    Ballydowse
    The Crossing
    Havalina Rail Company
    Godspeed you...
    Jeff Buckley
    Nick Drake
    They Might Be Giants
    The Beatles
    Guster
    AZX
    Pedro the Lion
    Ani DiFranco
    Bob Dylan
    Hank Williams III
    Junior Brown
    Lucinda Williams
    Weird Al Yankovitch
    Brooke Axtell
    Cross Movement
    Gin Blossoms
    Creed
    Shaded Red
    Waterdeep
    Acapella/AVB
    Eli
    K.C. Clifford
    Stryper
    Randy Thompson
    The Elms
    Superchic[k]
    Joy Electric
    Juliana Theory
    Pep Squad
    The Insyderz
    Save Ferris
    Walela
    O.C. Supertones
    Danielson Familie
    Third Day
    Echoing Green
    Chicago
    The Gypsy Kings
    Fold Zandura
    PFR
    MxPx
    Jimmy Buffett
    Jennifer Knapp
    Rick Altizer
    Bob Wills...
    Luke Brindley
    Blink 182
    Green Day
    Phish
    The Cranberries
    Peter, Paul & Mary
    Mamas and Papas
    John Denver

    Internet Radio (don't R.I.P.)

    JMBzine.com Radio
    KTSW - College Radio
    Radio New Braunfels
    Texas Rebel Radio
    Radio1Austin.com
    KHYI.com
    KOKF.com




    Blogroll and random




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    • Saturday, December 28, 2002

    Local items of interest



    • Oklahoma Food Retail Cooperative - a discussion list for persons interested in organizing retail cooperatives in Oklahoma that specialize in providing Oklahoma grown and processed foods to consumers.

    • NewsOK: States seek share of Internet sales tax - IF the costs and paperwork of implementing such a tax can be reduced for the business owner, I am leaning toward this kind of proposal. State and local governements are beginning to suffer from this cut in their revenue.


    • NCAA Press release: Oklahoma Panhandle State University placed on five years probation

      I'm not a big sports fan but this press release is interesting and illustrates the unfair setup of college athletics. College athletes generated millions of dollars for their schools and for the NCAA but get peanuts in return. Read this report and you will see that P.S.U. is being punished for very small things for the most part. Playing ineligble players is a more serious offense, but giving players transportation to a Lake in Texas and then letting them use someone's boat? Come on! This is absurd.

      I personally think college athletic should be unionized and professionalized. The atheletes are getting screwed, especially when the risk of injury is so high (and the college's so often do not take care of the long-term medical expenses incurred by these injuries.)

      Considering the incredible committment that is now required out of student atheletes (an acquaintance and former college athelete told me that he received the equivelent of 80 cents per hour in college scholarships, in exchange for the practices and other required time commitments of being a student athlete), it is a rip-off. I think student atheletes should be paid a competive and reasonable salary on top of their college education, or at least be guarrantteed that their potential medical expenses will be covered.

    posted by JMB at 3:31 PM | link |


    War is coming...




    posted by JMB at 3:31 PM | link |


    Sherman was right. War is hell.



      Based on the rumors and leaks that are now surfacing in the media, it looks like war will be coming to Iraq possibly as early as late January. When the shooting starts, you can count on the military propagandists to show pictures of "smart" bombs precisely hitting their targets and hotshot pilots telling how that bombing Iraq from 20,000 feet is like playing a video game back home.

      The real pictures of Iraq should be seen so that Americans will know who their military is killing. If you support this war, then you owe it to yourself to look at Austin Chronicle: Faces of the Enemy --- A photo essay by Alan Pogue. These pictures have been published on Pogue's site before this, but the commentary in the Austin Chronicle photo essay is new. Here is excerpt that is so tragic...

        The Amariya Shelter in Baghdad was bombed by the U.S. in 1991. After more than 400 people were killed, most of them children, the U.S. claimed that the shelter was really used for military purposes. However, Reuters, the British news service, reported that the building was never used for anything other than a civilian bomb shelter. All of the neighborhood children were in the shelter because their parents believed it was the safest place. There were also some teachers, cooks, and a clown or two to entertain the children. Two precision-guided "bunker buster" bombs penetrated the 6-foot thick ceiling, exploded inside, and incinerated the children and adults. Photographs of the children now line the walls.


    • Washington Post: Bush Urged to Limit Weapons in Iraq --- Human Rights Groups Warn of Harm to Civilians From Land Mines, Cluster Bombs

    • I saw the 30th anniversary reunion for the classic TV show M.A.S.H. tonight. I forgot how good that show was and what a powerful anti-war message it delivered. I wish there were more shows like it.

      Talking about M.A.S.H., here is a good fan site from the UK: http://www.mash4077.co.uk

    posted by JMB at 2:02 AM | link |


    Thursday, December 26, 2002

    Ecclesiastical bloggings...



      I found a very cool blog: Real Live Preacher. I love this guy's stuff! Here's one excerpt that is as earthy and real as it gets...

        But I was exposed early to the real stuff - Top Shelf Christianity - Deep and Old Christianity. This kind is practiced by people who work until they stink and take life in great draughts. Their hands are as rough as their hides, and they DO their faith in secret, hiding their good works in obedience to Christ. They know how to love and be loved in return. Their laughter is loud and has its roots in joy.

    posted by JMB at 11:23 PM | link |


    Law bloggists take on Tolkien



      Here are some reviews on The Twin Towers by some of my favorite law blogs...

    • Jennifer @ Mellow-drama rightly dubs Lord of the Rings the "Book of the Century." She also give some good analysis of the departures that The Two Towers made from the book's plot.

    • Janeway mentions seeing the movie but being the true Middle Earth geek that she is spends more time talking about the SILMARILLION, a book I really should tackle this spring.

    posted by JMB at 11:20 PM | link |


    It's never to late for a great X-mas Present!




    posted by JMB at 11:03 PM | link |


    Reality sets in.



      That last post really is sinking in. I am by nature more depressed than I ought to be (and I am resolving to not let the sorry state of the world get me down in this new year --- one of my resololutions for 2003), but it is hard not to be down about that news.

      I think part of it is, that as long as the thoughts and fears that the US was using torture weren't confirmed, then it was quite real yet. I did fear that that kind of thing was happening, but I didn't realize how bad it was.

      It looks now that the so-called good treatment of the enemy POW's at Guantanamo Bay was just a big dog and pony show for the press, and the real prisoners were never brought there but instead likely faced torture in Afghanistan, or in a foreign country after being transfered there by our own forces.

      The reality of this is so horrible. It almost reminds me of how I felt when they discovered the OKC bomber (Timothy McVeigh) was a fellow American. It would have been almost easier if it had been a foreign national, but one of our own?! Now though to hear that Americans are the instruments of such evil is just to horrible to think about.

      Violence is horrible enough when it is deemed neccesary to defend oneself or someone else, but when it is used intentionally to bring pain upon another human being... it seems so wrong. To refer back to Tolkien and LOTR, it seems so Orcish.

      I believe with all of my heart that human beings are made in the image of God and are called to something more noble than this. --- actually this segues into something I heard late last night on ABC's Up Close where Ted Koppel interviewed Arch-Bishop Desmond Tutu of South Africa. The part of the interview I saw was so joyful. It was simply put a downright spiritual experience for myself to watch BUT to get back to point ... what Tutu said that related to this post was when he said human beings are made in the image of God, so that means we are all called to be "God-like."

      That is why I am so upset about this, why I rage against this horrible evil. And the truth is, the real enemy is not Bush, Rumsfeld, or even the CIA. The real enemy is the evil that clouds our humanity and keeps us from being who we all are called to be. We are meant to be better than this.

      Part of what upsets me most, is that if I go down deep enough in my own soul, I know there is some of that same evil inside of me.

      If it were my family members or loved ones held in the balance, would I say torture was ok? Would I even be willing to inflict the pain myself? If I am completely honest with myself, the answer would probably be yes, and that is why I say there is evil in side of me, because the rules change when "my own" would be at stake. I wish I could say no, but that is because I am not the man God has called me to be in so many ways. We all are so ready to bend the rules and to do what is wrong. It is a terrible thing.

    posted by JMB at 10:51 PM | link |


    Torture?!



      I had been feeling better about the state of things (you know the Christmas spirit and all) until I stumbled across this link from Mellow-drama: Washington Post: U.S. Decries Abuse but Defends Interrogations --- 'Stress and Duress' Tactics Used on Terrorism Suspects Held in Secret Overseas Facilities.

      A few things that bother me about this. . .

      1. Mellow-drama (a blog that I normally dig) actually defends this practice. I am shocked that a law student seems to think that due process should go out the window in a time of war. I'm sorry. Call me an absolutist but freedom is tested the most when the defendant is accused of the most heinous of crimes.

      2. Torture is NEVER right. NEVER. NEVER. NEVER.

      We are supposed to be better than this. I know some might say, "hey, Israel does it, so does...(name the country)."

      Well I don't give a rat's *** about what other countries do. America is supposed to be held to a higher standard, and as a defiant believer in the values of freedom, I expect more of my nation than this.

      3. Here's one quote from a war criminal who is involved with this opperation...

        "If you don't violate someone's human rights some of the time, you probably aren't doing your job," said one official who has supervised the capture and transfer of accused terrorists. "I don't think we want to be promoting a view of zero tolerance on this. That was the whole problem for a long time with the CIA."


      Zero tolerance on basic human rights!? What is wrong with these people?! Why is this administration allowing this to go on?

      4. Here's another appalling quote...

        In other cases, usually involving lower-level captives, the CIA hands them to foreign intelligence services -- notably those of Jordan, Egypt and Morocco -- with a list of questions the agency wants answered. These "extraordinary renditions" are done without resort to legal process and usually involve countries with security services known for using brutal means.


      Jumping ahead in the story, we find out why the US sends prisoners to countries like this...

        Jordan is a favored country for renditions, several U.S. officials said. The Jordanians are considered "highly professional" interrogators, which some officials said meant that they do not use torture. But the State Department's 2001 human rights report criticized Jordan and its General Intelligence Directorate for arbitrary and unlawful detentions and abuse.

        "The most frequently alleged methods of torture include sleep deprivation, beatings on the soles of the feet, prolonged suspension with ropes in contorted positions and extended solitary confinement," the 2001 report noted. Jordan also is known to use prisoners' family members to induce suspects to talk.


      (I should add, I was unaware that Jordan engaged in these kinds of action. I thought Jordan was a more progressive nation in that region. I guess I was wrong.)

      5. Here's another blood curdling episode ...

        Abu Zubaida, who is believed to be the most important al Qaeda member in detention, was shot in the groin during his apprehension in Pakistan in March. National security officials suggested that Zubaida's painkillers were used selectively in the beginning of his captivity. He is now said to be cooperating, and his information has led to the apprehension of other al Qaeda members.


      Denying an injured man his pain meds is barbarity plain and simple ANY American soldier, officer, or government official who has approved or has allowed to continue these attroctities should be tried for war crimes.

      And if it can be shown that President Bush knew that this was taking place and did nothing to stop it, he should be impeached. I have cut him some slack before now. While I loathed many things that he and his administration had done, I hoped that he would change his ways. (I didn't call him a "illegitmate president" or say he "stole" the election, etc.) Using torture was the last straw in my book. If he continues to fail to act decisively to stop the actions of the forces under his command, it is tantamount to a betrayal of American values and his oath of office to support and defend the Constitution of the United States.

      I am beginning to think he and most of his underlings should be impeached and removed from office.

    posted by JMB at 10:26 PM | link |


    43.75 %

    My weblog owns 43.75 % of me.
    Does your weblog own you?

    posted by JMB at 10:02 PM | link |


    Post-Christmas Thoughts and links



      Christmas has come and gone and it was good. Good times with family and church, and lots of good time relaxing (more than I anticipated which was nice).

      Now, it is back to real life but thankfully the law office has been pretty quiet. I think most of the clients assume we are closed for the holidays, which I do not mind them thinking ;-) since it is allowing me to tackle some office cleaning/reorganization projects that I've wanted to do for some time.

      As to the rest of this week, I'll be at the office tomorrow and maybe a little bit Saturday. Then preaching on Sunday, and then off to the farm for a week of painting and country living with Tim and whoever else comes out to visit.

      Since it is long distance I probably won't get to post more than once or twice during the week out there from my laptop, but when I get back get ready for a deluge of posts and hopefully some pictures of what I painted during the week.

      Ok, here are some links I found of interest today...

    • Salon.com's compendium of all things middle earth (coverage of both the book and movies of the LOTR) which includes the best review I've read yet of the Two Towers

    • Myway/AP: Ex-Computer Hacker (Kevin Mitnick) Granted Radio License

    • CBSNews/AP: Comic Book First --- Gay Gunslinger --- This bothers me a little. Not so much that it is a gay character (which is not terribly noteworthy by the way... there have been many gay comic characters before this) but rather that they are so radically changing an existing character. It is one thing to make subtle inside jokes playing on the old story line, it is another to have the "Kid" come out of the closet. I really think they should have given more thought to the book's original readership. My take on the classic Rawhide Kid (I think I've read one or two of the older books) was that he was shy around girls, as are many young men. That does not make him gay though. This smacks of comic book historic revisionism to me.

    • MSNBC:Retraining the brain for New Year’s --- How to make sure you keep resolutions once and for all This article raises some interesting questions but gives few answers. The story seems to indicate that changing brain patterns is possible but doesn't give the nitty gritty how you do it.

    • The Sussex Mummers Carol

        When righteous Joseph wedded was, Unto a virgin maid,
        A glorious angel from heaven came,
        Unto that virgin maid, Unto that virgin maid.

        O mortal man remember well, When Christ our lord was born,
        He was crucified betwixt two theives and crown'ed with the thorn,
        And crown'ed with the thorn.

        O mortal man remember well, When Christ died on the rood,
        Twas for our sins and wicked ways, Christ shed his precious blood,
        Christ shed his precious blood.

        O mortal man remember well, When Christ was wrapped in clay,
        He was taken to a sepulcre, where no man ever lay,
        Where no man ever lay.

        God bless the mistress of this house,
        With gold all round her breast,
        Where e'er her body sleeps or wakes,
        Lord send her soul to rest.

        God bless the master of this house,
        With happiness beside,
        Where e'er his body rides or walks,
        Lord Jesus be his guide.

        God bless your house, your children too,
        Your cattle and your store,
        The Lord increase you day by day,
        And give you more and more.


      Thanks to Robert Waldrup for sending me that via email.

    • Rumor has it that Netbank.com will give folks with less than perfect banking records the possibility of opening a checking account. If you in the past have been turned down for banking services, it might be worthwhile to check them out.

    • If you are interested in pursuing theological education but can't afford it, check out Nations University, a non-accredited International University in the Bible sponsored by the Churches of Christ. Their website design is very dated (mid 1990's) but otherwise is worth checking out. Perusing their catalog and course offerings I am very impressed. They offer certificate, Bachelor's, and a M.R.S. (Masters in Religious Studies) degrees to students in many countries. --- I am actually thinking about enrolling a graduate course with them to help me continue my education (and to help me maintain some level of sanity during Law School... I love law school but I think it will help to study something else.). If I do, I'll let you all know if it was worthwhile or not.

    posted by JMB at 8:39 PM | link |


    Wednesday, December 25, 2002

    To my readers. . .



      To each of you who take to time to read this blog... have a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

      You do mean so much to me. Many of you are dear friends, some old, some new, others are folks who wander in, but all are appreciated. We often will not agree, but the fact that you are willing to read a blog like this that discusses issues gives me hope. It tells me that people do care about things of substance.

      My prayer tonight is that each of you will have lots of good times with friends and family over the holidays, that your lives will be full of meaning, and that you will experience fully the peace and joy of the Lord in your life.

    posted by JMB at 12:34 AM | link |


    Peace and Hope



      Today (Christmas eve, or really yesterday as it is shortly after midnight now when I'm typing this) was joyful. Good times with my family here in Newcastle. My niece is of course the world's most beautiful baby, and my youngest little brothers (twins, aged 3) were at times a lot of fun and other times holy terrors. All in all it was a good day.

      On that note, I wanted to share some links I found tonight on the subject of peace in this world. My hope and prayer is the same as that of Pope John Paul's address today, that everyone in everyplace of the world would be able to experience peace and freedom.

    • MSNBC: China releases leading dissident --- Pro-democracy activist Xu Wenli arrives in U.S. --- This is truly thrilling news! I am proud for once that the US has taken a leading role in getting him released. I do hope though that the US will take a more active role in seeking freedom for the oppressed people of China and Tibet.

    • MSNBC: Pope’s message one of peace, hope --- Jesus ‘born for a humanity searching for freedom and peace’

        . . . In a packed Peter’s Basilica decorated with red poinsettias, John Paul presided over the midnight gathering, ushering in the joyous Christian holiday amid mounting tensions between Washington and Baghdad.

        The pope spoke of peace during his homily, recalling the image of the baby Jesus in the manger, saying he was “born for a humanity searching for freedom and peace.”

        “It is a sign of hope for the whole human family; a sign of peace for those suffering from conflicts of every kind; a sign of freedom for the poor and oppressed; a sign of mercy for those caught up in the vicious circle of sin; a sign of love and consolation for those who feel lonely and abandoned,” the pope said. . .


    • MSNBC: Subdued celebration in Bethlehem

    • This last item was received via email in the latest bulletin from SOA Watch (an organization committed to the closing of the US training school of Latin American terrorists such as those behind the recent attempted but failed coup of President Hugo Chavez of Venezuela)

        Subject: Reflections on Trip to Iraq by SOA Watch Founder Fr. Roy Bourgeois

        As my country prepares for war with Iraq, I felt compelled to go to Iraq and meet the people we are preparing to kill. The challenge now, as I experienced in returning from Latin America, is to convey to others what our delegation saw, heard and learned.

        What stands out is the warmth and goodness of the Iraqi people we met with in homes, in hospitals, on the streets, at the university -- and wherever we went. And it saddened and angered me to see the poverty, suffering and death caused to such good people by the many years of sanctions.

        Wherever we went, we were asked a basic question. Why does President Bush want to go to war with Iraq? Most people in Iraq believe a big reason, among others, is the vast oil reserves in Iraq that are needed in the U.S. to keep our way of life going.

        While the culture, religion and history of Iraq and the Middle East are very different from Latin America, I found something they share in common -- the overwhelming presence and power of the United States.

        As in Latin America, the U.S. is deeply entrenched militarily in the Middle East. And, as in Latin America, those needed resources by the U.S. in the Middle East, CANNOT be acquired without the firepower and men with guns.

        My coming to Iraq has only confirmed and clarified how important it is for us to close the SOA/WHISC and change U.S. foreign policy in Latin America.

        Now, as our country prepares to go to war with Iraq, we must do all we can to prevent it. Among the tens of thousands killed in Iraq will be many of the children, women and men we met and learned from on our delegation.

        This morning I read Psalm 33. It reminded me that our enemy in the U.S. is not in Iraq, but ignorance. Psalm 33 says,
        "Rulers are not saved by their armies. Nor can they find hope in their weapons. Despite their power, they cannot bring peace."

        May our weapon be knowledge, love, justice and nonviolence.

        Roy Bourgeois

    posted by JMB at 12:30 AM | link |


    Monday, December 23, 2002

    More links from Middle Earth




    posted by JMB at 8:00 PM | link |


    Thoughts about God




    posted by JMB at 8:00 PM | link |


    Sunday, December 22, 2002

    Two more bulletins from the OK Greens list



      These bulletins are both on social justice issues...

    • Please distribute as far as you can - Support Democracy in Venezuela

        Buy CITGO Gas

        The government in Venezuela is facing U.S. supported coup plotters and saboteurs.

        Every day workers and poor people of Venezuela are defending their elected government from those who want to overthrow the results of four democratic elections and privatize the state owned oil company, PdVSA. Oil revenue from the state owned oil company, PdVSA, is the main source of funds for the Venezuelan government. Without these funds the government will be severely hampered in its ability to carry out much needed social reforms.

        If you drive, you can help democracy in Venezuela by buying CITGO GAS. Citgo Gas of Tulsa, Oklahoma is 100% owned by the Venezuelan State Oil company PdVSA. Profits made here in the USA by CITGO are returned to Venezuela where the government uses these profits for social development projects.

        CITGO operates over 13,000 gas stations in the U.S. as well as three refineries. The three refineries are organized by PACE an AFL-CIO affiliated International Union which also represents other CITGO workers at Pipeline and auxiliary facilities owned by CITGO The new President of CITGO, USA was recently appointed to his position by Hugo Chavez, President of Venezuela.

        Buy CITGO gas. Your dollars will help support the struggle in Venezuela and send a powerful message of solidarity to those struggling for social justice.

        The STARC Alliance - Students Transforming and Resisting Corporations
        http://www.starcalliance.org


    • Subject: Contact White House - NO WAR IN IRAQ

        THE PEACE HOUSE, Okla. City, OK USA

        CONTACT THE WHITE HOUSE WEEKLY ----
        THE WHITE HOUSE
        Tel - 202-456-1111
        Tel - 202-456-1414
        MAIL LETTER
        White House, Washington, D.C. 20500
        FAX LETTER - 202-456-2461
        BULLETIN: NO WAR ON IRAQ

        December 19, 2002

        NATIONAL MARCH - Sat., January 18, 2003

        Washington D.C. -- San Franciscoand everywhere in between. (Actions being planned Okla.City and
        other Oklahoma cities & towns.)

        The Bush administration has announced that Iraq was in material breach of Resolution 1441, and they also leaked to the press the plan to go to war against Iraq sometime around January 27. We believe that we can stop this war. Thousands of innocent people in Iraq and an unknown number of U.S. GIs will die unless we can stop Bush's war plans.

        Anti-war sentiment is growing. Evidence of this is clear in the Los Angeles Times poll released on Tuesday, December 17. 72% of the people surveyed, including 60% of Republicans surveyed, said the President has not provided justification for starting a war against Iraq. The new poll reflects a dramatic reversal from a year ago when Bush first denounced Iraq in his "Axis of Evil" speech at the State of the Union address last January. At that time, the L.A. Times poll found support for military action greater than 70%.

        The work of the anti-war movement that is making the difference. Millions have participated in demonstrations, rallies and teach-ins. Hundreds of thousands of people have voted at VoteNoWar.org or signed petitions in their neighborhoods, worksites and schools.

        Bush is rushing headlong towards war trying to outpace the growing anti-war movement before it becomes an insurmountable obstacle to his plans for war.

        MAKE PLANS NOW for the January 18, 2003 National March on Washington:

        No War on Iraq!

        RALLY/VIGIL/DEMONSTRATE IN YOUR CITY- or - TRAVEL TO D.C. OR SAN FRANCISCO

        Buses are being organized from over 150 cities already for the massive January 18, 2003, National March on Washington that will first rally on the National Mall between the White House and the U.S. Capitol (west side), and then proceed from the U.S. Capitol to the U.S. Navy Yard, a military installation in Southeast Washington DC that will supply and service the war and at which weapons of mass destruction are believed to be maintained. The submissions in the People's Anti-War Referendum will be brought to Washington, D.C. for this historic event, which coincides with the Martin Luther King, Jr. anniversary.

        For buses from around the country, go to:
        http://www.internationalanswer.org/campaigns/j18/j18contacts.html

        For more information about January 18,
        East Coast: http://www.internationalanswer.org
        San Francisco: http://www.actionsf.org
        Los Angeles: http://www.answerla.org

        THE VOICES OF THE PEOPLE WHO OPPOSE THIS WAR

        We are releasing now, in advance of the January 18 mass demonstrations in Washington, D.C. and San Francisco, some of the views and thoughts that voters submit when they Vote No to War in the Peoples' Anti-War Referendum. Visit the VoteNoWar.org web site now at http://www.VoteNoWar.org to see a scrolling view of some of the thousands of comments reflecting the deep and passionate opposition to the war that exists throughout the United States and around the globe.

        These comments are a window into the hearts and minds of people across the United States who oppose this war drive. People from all walks of life, from every state, from rural and urban areas, from conservative areas to traditionally progressive communities, have all voted against the Bush Administration's war against Iraq. Stop
        by the VoteNoWar web site and hear the voices of:

        - A 91 year old woman from Roseville, CA who sends her personal message to George Bush of opposition to another Vietnam War

        - A Gulf War veteran from Havelock, NC with 15 years of U.S. Marine Corps service who opposes another war for oil

        - A 60 year old retired school teacher from Geneva, OH who dedicates her time to resisting the war

        - A soldier from Junction City, KS who wants peace so that his wife and family can stop worrying for his life

        - A fire fighter from Albany, NY who wants the government to fund healthcare, education, and protection of communities and not fund this war

        - A U.S. Naval officer serving in Kanoehe, Hawaii who will not re-enlist rather than participate in a war of aggression

        - A high school freshman from Baltimore, MD who was so moved by the speeches from A.N.S.W.E.R.'s October 26th demonstration that he is contacting friends and family about the Peoples' Anti-War Referendum

        - A 53 year old single mother from Cary, NC who wants jobs, not war to be the focus of the executive branch

        - A doctor from Fountain Valley, CA who objects to imperialist war

        - A single mother from Safety Harbor, FL who worries for her 13 year old son's future


        Too many politicians, corporations and the mass media have worked to convey the false impression that the U.S. speaks with one voice, that of George W. Bush. The VoteNoWar campaign and the massive demonstrations organized by International A.N.S.W.E.R. provide a high-visibility and international platform for the voices of opposition to the war.

        We are hearing countless stories from people who take stacks of blank referendums to collect signatures in their communities and are running out of the referendums in short order. Many of the people reached by the VoteNoWar Campaign are new to activism or have never even engaged in political action or a demonstration before. As the Campaign brings people into contact with others, including friends, neighbors and co-workers who oppose the war, it defeats the media and government hype that there is consensus for Bush's war drive.

        A Voter from Plainfield, IL writes,

        "I don't support Bush's war . . . I wish he would stop using the term 'the American People' because we do NOT support him! We didn't even vote for him!"


        FOR MORE INFORMATION:
        http://www.InternationalANSWER.org
        http://www.VoteNoWar.org
        http://www.actionsf.org
        http://www.answerla.org

    posted by JMB at 5:15 PM | link |


    File swapping meets Civ Pro




    posted by JMB at 5:08 PM | link |


    If you live in NYC...



      My favorite church in NYC, the The Village Church(meets in Greenwich Village) is hosting what looks to be a fun and enlightening event...

        Enjoy an afternoon of Christ-centered Indian devotional music featuring sitar,
        tabla, guitar, and speaker Joe Suozzo. Broaden your cultural paradigms and gain a deeper understanding of the global relevance of Christ.

        It will take place Sunday, January 5th in the sanctuary after the Service.

        Also, experience the bhajan devotional music band, Aradhna, in concert on Monday, January 6th, 8:00 pm. Venue to be announced.

    posted by JMB at 5:07 PM | link |


    Christmas meets Science




    posted by JMB at 5:06 PM | link |


    Saturday, December 21, 2002

    Good news



      On the OK Greens discussion group I found out about a couple of newsworthy items that are cheering for once. Here they are...

    • Township Outlaws Corporate Personhood

        The elected officials of Porter Township, Pennsylvania, have passed a law declaring that corporations operating in that township may not claim civil and constitutional privileges. A unanimous vote cast on December 9, 2002, evolved out of long-time efforts by citizens and public officials to bar corporations from dumping toxic sludge on township lands. The new law declares that corporations allowed to do business within Porter Township possess none of the human rights that corporations have been wielding to overrule democratic processes and rule over communities. For details, contact the Community Environmental Legal Defense Fund (CELDF) in PA at 717.709.0457 or info@celdf.org, or contact the Program on Corporations, Law and Democracy (POCLAD) in MA at 508.398.1145 or people@poclad.org


    • Narconews: América Reborn: 32 Nations Back Venezuela --- Historic OAS debate turns América right-side-up again

        By Al Giordano
        December 17, 2002

        “RESUELVE: Respaldar plenamente la institucionalidad democrática y constitucional de la República Bolivariana de Venezuela, cuyo gobierno preside Hugo Chávez Frías, y rechazar categóricamente cualquier intento de golpe de estado o alteración del orden constitucional venezolano que afecte gravemente el orden democrático.”

        - la Organización de Estados Americanos (OEA)

        “RESOLVED: To fully back the democratic and constitutional legitimacy of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, whose government is led by Hugo Chávez Frías, and to reject, categorically, any coup attempt or alteration of constitutional order that seriously affects democratic rule.”

        - the Organization of American States (OAS)

        12:21 a.m. ET, December 17, 2002:

        One hour and some minutes ago, the Organization of American States (OAS), for the first time in the organization’s history, rejected a major United States initiative.

        The OAS backed, by a vote of 32-0 – with two countries not counted – a resolution to support the continuance of the democratically elected government of Hugo Chávez of Venezuela.

        This unprecedented result of a fierce, tense, and extended, debate marks an historic turning point for our América.

        The nations of the Western Hemisphere rejected, once and for all, any attempt at coup d’etat, in Venezuela or elsewhere. Washington’s spoonful of sugar to make the medicine go down was language backing OAS secretary general Cesar Gaviria to “find a way to channel positive energies” on Venezuela.

        In a veiled message of “no confidence” for its own secretary general’s pro-coup efforts in Caracas over the past 15 days, the Organization of American States equally called upon the Carter Center and the United Nations to promote dialogue in Venezuela, but not to permit any coup attempt nor pretension of interrupting democracy; not even by the OAS’s own representative.

        We repeat: 32 American nations tonight, after an unprecedented Authentic Debate among the members of the Organization of American states, rejected destabilizing proposals by Washington to impose its policies on another American country: Venezuela.

        The foreign ministries of Mexico and Peru – who had, 48 hours ago, been willing patsies for Washington in this historic debate - stuck their fingers in the air, and saw which way the wind was blowing. And by voting with the majority they kept the door open for their membership in the New American Union that will gain traction in 2003.

        December 16, 2002: The day the empire died.

        At press time, we still don’t know which States were the two that did not vote, or perhaps were not present, for the resolution supported by 32 of 34 American countries that have just turned América right-side-up again. We’ll find out and get back to you on that.

        But we can’t help but add: The end of imposition has profound consequences for the pro-narco drug policy imposed by Washington on other nations.

        Narco News wishes all our readers, correspondents, sources, professors, students, and allies, a New Year that sneaks up on the old one.

        Oh my, it already has.


      It is mighty good to see Latin America stand up for itself against the destablizing efforts of American foreign policy for the last 100 years. This is a major historical moment which coupled with the recent Leftist Presidential election victory in Brasil, gives Latin America a great deal of hope for the future!

    posted by JMB at 10:47 PM | link |


    Quotes of Thought Provocation




    • "Fascism should more properly be called corporatism, since it is the merger
      of state and corporate power." - Benito Mussolini

    • "A time has come when silence is betrayal. That time is now."-- Martin
      Luther King Jr.

    posted by JMB at 10:42 PM | link |


    The Grinch that stole the Bill of Rights...



      Here are a few examples of the latest abuses of the Bush administration . . .

    • NY Times: White House to Propose System for Wide Monitoring of Internet

    • "The illegal we do immediately. The unconstitutional takes a little longer." --Henry Kissinger, former chair of the "independent" committee investigating the September 11, 2001 attacks.

    • MSNBC: Federal database spy site fading --- Documents disappear from DOD site after controversy builds That includes the creepy logo for TIA, however the conspiracy nut folks (frankly, the conspiracists annoy me because they are hunting for secret conspiracies, when the things that the administration is doing in the open is objectionable enough. Instead of looking for the demons in the corner at the "Trilateral commission" or whoever else they are blaming for things, why don't they look at Corporate America and the other big-money donors to the Republicrats? Instead of helping Americans to see the problems of big-money government, they are scaring reasonable thinking people from considering things since the conspiracy nuts are proposing such goofy theories on why things are happening) have saved the graphic and have posted it on this site: http://www.conspiracyarchive.com/NWO/Paranoid.htm

      And yes, that is the real logo. I saw it on the DOD's site earlier but as you can now see it is now gone from http://www.darpa.mil/iao/TIASystems.htm. They are now using a "kinder, friendlier" logo for this insidious plot against our Constitutional rights.

      And while talking about potent graphical images, a friend sent me a link to this image. While I do not agree with much of what the host site for that image says (another conspiracist), I do think that image's message is right on target. "Homeland Security" is all about undermining our Constitution and not about security.

    posted by JMB at 10:38 PM | link |


    The Christmas spirit




    posted by JMB at 10:36 PM | link |


    Seen on a poster at my Aunt's house...



      I saw this poem today on the wall at a family get-together, and when I got home this evening I looked it up online. It's counsel seems good to me...


        Desiderata
        (something desired as essential)

        Go placidly amid the noise and the haste, and remember
        what peace there may be in silence.
        As far as possible, without surrender, be on good terms with all persons.
        Speak your truth quietly and clearly; and listen to the dull and ignorant;
        they too have their story.
        Avoid loud and aggressive persons; they are vexatious to the spirit.
        If you compare yourself with others, you may become vain or bitter,
        for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.
        Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans.
        Keep interested in your career, however humble;
        it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.
        Exercise caution in your business affairs, for the world is full of trickery.
        But let this not blind you to what virtue there is;
        many persons strive for high ideals and everywhere life is full of heroism.
        Be yourself. Especially do not feign affection.
        Neither be cynical about love; for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment,
        it is as perennial as the grass.
        Take kindly the counsel of the years, gracefully surrendering the things of youth.
        Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune.
        But do not distress yourself with imaginings.
        Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.
        Beyond a wholesome discipline be gentle to yourself.
        You are a child of the universe,
        no less than the trees and the stars and you have a right to be here.
        And whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.
        Therefore, be at peace with God, whatever you conceive Him to be.
        And whatever your labors and aspirations,
        in the noisy confusion of life, keep peace with your soul.
        With all its sham, drudgery and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world.
        Be cheerful. Strive to be happy.
        --Max Ehrmann, 1927. © Robert L. Bell

        From the Alt.Usage.English FAQ: "Desiderata" was written in 1927 by Max Ehrmann (1872-1945). In 1956, the rector of St. Paul's Church in Baltimore, Maryland, used the poem in a collection of mimeographed inspirational material for his congregation. Someone who subsequently printed it asserted that it was found in Old St. Paul's Church, dated 1692. The year 1692 was the founding date of the church and has nothing to do with the poem. See Fred D. Cavinder, "Desiderata", TWA Ambassador, Aug. 1973, pp. 14-15.

        Background info and poem text compiled from: http://www.geocities.com/lswote/desiderata.html and http://acadia.bu.edu/johnk_html/Philosophy/Desiderata.html

    posted by JMB at 10:29 PM | link |


    New JMBzine.com Feature



      For those of you who want a little spiritual nourishment along the way, check out the "scripture of the day" at the bottom of this page (in the third column below the listing of "Internet Radio" links).

    posted by JMB at 10:23 PM | link |


    Friday, December 20, 2002

    The Greatest Movie of 2002



      I saw The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers last night with my brother Daniel. I had high expectations for this movie, but they were exceeded. I am still too awestruck to write coherently about the experience except to say that it is the greatest movie of the year, possibly of the century. It is that good and exceeded only by the sheer brilliance and creative genius of Tolkien's book itself.

      Here are a few of the reviews of the movie I found today:

      First, MSNBC's review of the movie is authored by a blathering idiot (David Elliott of the San Diego Union-Tribune) who obviously has not read Tolkien. MSNBC should can this guy. He has no business reviewing anything. Here is one quote from his insipid review...

        Given his enduring success, author J.R.R. Tolkien must have been a fantasy master. He is being massively Jacksonized. This epic kitsch is cousin to the paintings of Thomas Kinkade and countless comic books. Imagine Tennyson’s Arthurian saga bloated to a theme park.


    • A better review was by David Ansen of Newsweek/MSNBC. Here are few worthwhile excerpts...

        Amid all the surreal visions, terrifying monsters and overwhelming landscapes, it’s the naked, skinny, schizophrenic Gollum who snakes his way most deeply into your memory. Created digitally with a motion-capture technique that mimicked the movements of actor Andy Serkis (who also supplied his hissing voice), Gollum is a previously hobbitlike creature, grotesquely deformed by having once possessed the Ring. While everyone else in Tolkien’s myth falls neatly into the camps of Good and Evil, the self-lacerating Gollum is at war with himself. In an epic drenched in medievalism, he’s the dangerously ambiguous voice of the modern.


    • But I saved the best review for last. Marc Savlov of the Austin Chronicle says it all...

        If further proof was needed that New Zealand director Peter Jackson is one of the most crushingly talented filmmakers the world has ever seen, then this sequel is surely it, and a pox on those who consider the swords-and-sorcery storyline of the J.R.R. Tolkien mythos to be somehow less than deserving of praise because of a few errant dwarves and dragons. Antonioni it's not, but this sequel to last year's Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring is positively astounding in the depth and breadth of its massive, multitiered story arc, its wholly identifiable characters (human and otherwise), and the sheer magnitude of the vision involved in its creation. To put it (very) bluntly, this one kicks some serious butt, at once a fanboy's wet dream of adaptive near-perfection and an engaging, emotionally supercharged epic adventure that will doubtless take pride of place alongside other genre classics and beyond. Effusive praise, I know, but it's hardly hyperbole. Unlike it's Oscar-laden predecessor, The Two Towers is a far more expansive film, with the characters of the first film now far-flung across Middle-Earth. Hobbit Frodo (Wood) is on his quest to the cursed land of Mordor to destroy the hellish Ring. He travels with friend Sam (Astin), while the other Hobbit pair Merry and Pippin (Dominic Monaghan, Boyd) are captured by Saruman (Lee), and warriors Aragorn (Mortensen), Legolas (Bloom) and dwarf Gimli eventually meet up for the Battle of Helm's Deep, a colossal stone fortress cut into the side of a mountain, while the mighty armies of darkness mass outside. While The Fellowship of the Ring was a much more introspective, thoughtful film punctuated by the occasional skirmish, this one is rife with some of the most impressive battle sequences ever committed to film. The final battle at Helm's Deep is nothing short of awe-inspiring; it's a cinematic achievement on a par with Ben Hur's chariot race, Lawrence of Arabia's equally outsized desert conflicts, and the final raid on Lucas' Death Star. It's that good. Add to this a host of new characters in an already crowded cast, and this second film (in what will ultimately be a trilogy) is more fun than humans ought to be allowed. The hideous Gollum, an entirely CGI creation voiced by Andy Serkis, is a masterful achievement in and of itself, but its integration among the human actors and real-world environments is nearly flawless. A scrawny, whining coveter of the Ring with oversized, pasty eyes and a seriously schizophrenic streak, Gollum is at the dark heart of the trilogy, a seemingly minor character who becomes the dirty pegboard upon which the fate of Middle-Earth will dangle. Wood is again fine as reluctant Frodo, a hero in the classical mode, stuck traversing hell itself when he would really much rather be home gnawing thistle. There's barely a weak performance in the bunch, and did I mention the astonishing CGI work? The Ents -- huge, living trees that act as shepherds of the forests -- are a jaw-dropping creation, as are the colossal armies that evil Sauron has marshaled to his command. The only drawback to this terrific, three-hour film may rest in its gigantic sprawl: At times it's almost too much to take in. God forbid this should ever play on an IMAX screen -- the concussive soundtrack and relentless visuals would likely strike viewers deaf and blind (but what a way to go!). Simply breathtaking.

    posted by JMB at 4:35 PM | link |


    Random links of interest...



      Sorry for the lack of consise narrative. I'll post better stuff after the holidays...

    • Slate: Thou shall not post - The ever continuing saga of the American judiciary's struggle over the tension between the establishment and free exercise clauses of the First Amendment.

    • From the Bankruptcy Attorneys roundtable discussion list:

        Outgoing White House Legislative Affairs Director Nicholas Calio will become chief lobbyist for Citigroup, the company said today. Calio announced Tuesday that he is resigning his White House post. Also departing President Bush's legislative affairs shop is Calio's most senior deputy, Jack Howard. Howard, who submitted his resignation to Bush Tuesday, is reviewing private offers. Meanwhile, the talk among GOP strategists is that either Ziad Ojakli, who heads up White House lobbying in the Senate, or David Hobbs, the president's lead lobbyist in the House, will replace Calio. Calio's move to Citigroup marks his debut heading up a single corporation's lobbying operation. Calio in 1993 founded his own firm, O'Brien-Calio, and has previously served with the Duberstein Group and the National Association of Wholesaler-Distributors. He joins Citigroup as senior vice president, global government affairs at the end of January.


    • CS Monitor: The rise of 'synthespians' --- Will Gollum win an oscar? I hope so.

    • AP: Lott Resigns As Senate Republican Leader effective Jan. 6 --- A good move by Lott, but I wish he had resigned his Senate seat too ;-)

    • Apple.com: Trailer Gods and Generals a Civil War movie by the director of Gettysburg --- I really want to see this. I loved Gettysburg. If this movie is of the same calliber it will be worthwhile.

    posted by JMB at 4:18 PM | link |


    ulihilisdi tenisteyohihe



      That's "Merry Christmas y'all" in Tsalagi (Cherokee)!

    posted by JMB at 4:13 PM | link |


    Thursday, December 19, 2002

    Random:



    • Well since exams have been over I haven't been online that much. (I miss the school's high-speed connection big time.) Mostly I've been chilling out and working at my Dad's office. I didn't plan on working much over the break but he needed the help and I needed the money so it is a nice change of pace.

      So right now the plan is that I will work until around Christmas when the office is closed, and then evening of the 29th take off and head to the farm for a week of painting and relaxation. We'll see if all goes according to plan.

    • MSNBC: FTC creates national ‘do not call’ list --- Fines up to $11,000 for telemarketers who call listed people --- A great idea but I think it should go one step further... $11,000 files for people who send spam!

    posted by JMB at 6:22 PM | link |


    Tuesday, December 17, 2002

    From an email sig line...



      "I will take the Ring, though I do not know the way" --Frodo, at the Council of Elrond


      "Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?" - Thomas, at Jesus' last passover with the disciples


    posted by JMB at 7:39 PM | link |


    Saturday, December 14, 2002

    Feds Label Wi-Fi a Terrorist Tool



      That's what Wired.com says. The reality though is that the idea of an anonymous or private internet is really already dead. Uncle Sam has already done this long ago. No conversation is secure in America today, or the world for that matter. I guess I should just accept and go on but it still makes me sad to know that the freedom to be secure in one's own person and property is as good as dead.

    posted by JMB at 10:15 PM | link |


    Done



      Final exams are done. Contracts went better than expected, but I'll give the full lowdown later.

    posted by JMB at 1:13 AM | link |


    Friday, December 13, 2002

    Last Final today



      This morning I take my last final in 1 hour and 40 minutes. I do not feel as solid in Contracts as I have felt in my other courses, but I do feel like that I have a decent "less-is-more" approached geared to working through a Contracts problem. We'll see if it works or not...

      Also, saw on the news this morning that the Pope has accepted Cardinal Law's resignation. It is been time for that for quite awhile now. Hopefully there will be some justice now, but it is still a sad day to me. So many people were wounded by the church, when the church's mission is of healing. I know the Lord must be weeping over those who have been hurt. I hope and pray that real change happens and the Catholic church is restored to the mission it should be carrying out.

    posted by JMB at 7:22 AM | link |


    Thursday, December 12, 2002

    Contracts Mini Outline



      Ok, I got a condensed 3 page version of the outline that I have linked to below from Pepperdine. My condensed version can be found here in Word .DOC format. (Revised 9:02 pm) Standard disclaimers apply since this outline sucks.

    posted by JMB at 6:39 PM | link |


    Last minute contracts study helps




    posted by JMB at 4:55 PM | link |


    6 days until my journey to Middle Earth begins. . .






    posted by JMB at 4:29 PM | link |


    Unexplainable...



      (Written in the evening, Wednesday Dec. 11, 2002)

      I guess it has been cathartic to spew my guts on the page today, but listening to Miranda Stone helps too.

      You know the one thing I can say right now about this ever-elusive hope, is that there MUST be hope if I am so hungry for it!

      I know this sounds wierd but the existence of this inquetiable hunger for it, and this terror at seeming lack of it tells me that hope is real.

      If that hunger is genuine (and every atom of my atomic body says it is so) then hope must be true. If hopehunger exists, then there must be satisfaction.

      Or maybe not? Just like the song, maybe I'm not meant to get any satisfaction?

      There really is no telling. What I do know that hope might be elusive, it might be as wild as goose, but it is real and I'm not giving up on catching it someday.

      Ok, enough spiritual-metaphysical random talk. I gotta get my mind wrapped around some UCC Article 2 right now...


    posted by JMB at 3:44 PM | link |


    Hopeful?



      (Written late afternoon, Wednesday Dec. 11, 2002 but posted later)

      I'm at Panera Bread here in the Southside of OKC attempting to study Contracts. Things are making more sense today but it is still hard to focus. Part of it is that for me Contracts just doesn't interest me as much as the other subjects. I love Torts, not only for the action involved (reading a tort case is almost as much fun as a criminal case ;-) but also because it is area of law where wrongs are being righted; and I have learned to love Civil Procedure (I found out that Civ Pro is very logical in approach with a heavy emphasis on history. Much more interesting than I once thought)... but Contracts... sheesh, I just don't really care. The cases themselves are hard to get excited about. Unlike Torts causes of actions where little folks are often seeking justice against the bad guys, Contracts is all about big companies. Little guys for the most part can't afford to sue when the taco stand gives you bad tacos or a car deal goes bad, but big companies have tons of money to sue other big companies.

      I just don't care which of the big companies wins. I know, I know, I should care as it has to do with stream of commerce and economic growth and all of that jazz, but I really don't.

      Of course law study is less about the conclusions than the analysis (at least as far as exams go), but it is hard to get excited about the analysis when the conclusions seems so pointless to me.

      Anyway though, that was not what I meant to talk about in this post. Contracts is a mess but I'm sure I'll pull it all together at the end (I might be having an allnighter tomorrow though... which will be ok since it is my last final I guess.)

      What I really wanted to talk about is hope. I have been struggling to maintain my hopefulness lately. Partly it's just tests and school that has me down, but mostly it is that I am not living with faith enough. Instead of seeing the world through the eyes of faith, I'm seeing the world through the eyes of physical reality, and frankly that scares me to death.

      Yet, hope goes beyond physical reality... in the world's history, horrible, horrible things have happened, but yet life (in the big pictures) goes on. Genocide has been so common... such horrors... the holocaust, the decimation of Native America, so many other horrible, horrible things, and yet life goes on.

      I don't know what I'm trying to say here. I meant to convince myself of the hope in this whole mess by writing this but the more I write the more depressed I get... but I know there is hope. The problem for me right now is that hope seems rather abstract. It doesn't seem real, I mean really real; real enough that I can hold it in my hands, that I can smell it's rich aroma, that I can taste its earthyness.

      No, right now hope seems more like an elusive vapor. I want it so bad but I can't get my hands on it. I wish I could breathe it in deeply but the moment I try to inhale, the wind shifts and it is gone.

      Is there hope? I can't stand the thought of a world without it and I believe it is there, but I still wish it were more concrete and more solid. I need it. I yearn for it.
      posted by JMB at 3:44 PM | link |


    The sky is dark...



      (Written early afternoon, Wednesday Dec. 11, 2002 but posted later)

      The sky over Oklahoma City today has been gloomy with thick layers of dark gray clouds. It feels like I'm a million miles away from the blue skies of sunny San Marcos, but it's probably dark there too. The whole world is dark.

      I've been avoiding the media after I read that last report on Bush's plans for war, but the media won't leave me alone. When I was walking in a place for lunch I saw the headline on the USA Today in the machine that said... "US plans to use landmines in Iraq." (Or something to that effect, I don't remember the exact words)

      WHAT IN THE WORLD IS GOING ON HERE?! In one day we announce that we are prepared to use the most evil invention of man (or rather by the devil... Satan had to be the mastermind of it)... the atom bomb, but that's not enough for America....

      No the US can't rest on announcing just one evil plan... now we're talking landmines.

      Thousands of people are killed and maimed every year by the remaining landmines that are in the world. People who are completely inouccent of any involvement in a war that may have ended years ago are the daily victims of these devices of evil. Even little children have arms, legs blown off, eyes lost, and innoucence lost by these things. Bilions of dollars are needed (and not being spent by the rich nations of this world) to clear old landmines.... yet the US plans to use more of them!?

      Don't even bother to argue just war with me, that Saddam is so bad that we have to go to war. The Bush administration has lost every shred of possible credibility in my book with these recent announcements. War is bad enough (My conscience says it is always wrong, but I know most won't agree with me there.) but to wage in some a vile manner against non-combatants is sick and wrong. There is NO moral argument for this.

      As someone who loves my country very much, I am very ashamed of what my government is planning to do. It is because I love my country that I expect more of her than this.

    posted by JMB at 3:44 PM | link |


    Wednesday, December 11, 2002

    A dark day . . .



      When I woke up this morning (I left my TV on when I went to sleep last night) I heard them saying that Bush had released a policy statement saying that the US would use NUCLEAR weapons against any nation that attacks the US with chemical or biological weapons.

      So, I got online to get the whole story and it is much, much worse than the morning show talking heads indicated...

    • MSNBC/WP: U.S. strategy includes ‘all options’ --- Preemptive strikes to counter unconventional arms

      The key word there is PREEMPTIVE.

      What in the living daylights is Bush thinking? Has he completely lost his mind?

      This new policy is SICK, EVIL and WRONG. Using nuclear weapons at all is vile enough (even folks who accept St. Augustine's "Just War" theory will agree with me on this if they apply that theory to the use of weapons that are designed to target non-combatants), but to use them BEFORE the enemy does anything!? How arrogant for the US to say to another country, "Yes we have nuclear, chemical and biological weapons, but you can't. We're a superpower and we say nobody can have these kinds of evil weapons except us and our buddies. If you dare to have any of your own, we'll blow you to kingdom come!"

      I know some of my readers think I am making too much out of nothing, but the reason I feel so strongly about this is because of something I saw when I was in New York City. On that trip I visited the United Nations Headquarters and went on the guided tour.

      While on the tour we came to a big corridor in which there were several giant concrete walls set up in what appeared to be an art exhibit.

      When I looked more closely I discovered that these walls had shadow-images of human beings that were burnt onto them. As it turned out these walls were ones found near ground zero after one of the US atomic bomb drops on Japan, and these images were the last remains of people vaporized by the bomb..

      I can't begin to explain what it is like to see those images. They still haunt me today, to know that in an instant a life was completely snuffed out.

      I know as Sherman said that war is hell, but there has to be limits. Nuclear weapons are NEVER right. NEVER. It is better to die than to commit an evil this great. I hope and pray that Bush and his advisors repent from this policy before it is too late.

    posted by JMB at 11:18 AM | link |


    Tuesday, December 10, 2002

    Music for studying. . .




    posted by JMB at 11:35 PM | link |


    Life update



      One more final to go... Contracts. I am having such a horrible time focusing on this one. Partly it because I am just sick of studying but mostly because I don't know how the heck I should be studying. My prof takes a very different approach to Contracts law than do most, so Emanuels and the other commercial test prep tools are worthless for this one.

      I do know one thing... I am counting down the days until finals is over. After this week is over, I plan to spend some time cleaning my apartment (it is giant mess due to neglect this last month) and then start getting ready for Christmas. Then after Christmas I'm planning on head out to the the farm for a mini-arts retreat. My friend Tim should be back from Italy shortly after that, so I'm hoping that he and maybe another artist friend or two can come out with me for a week or so of painting and just enjoying the country until school starts.

      I'm also looking forward to the break as I need some time to reconnect spiritually. I feel a bit out of touch lately in my walk with God. I got tons of excuses of why things aren't good now, but the main thing is I need to spend some time just being with the Lord.

    posted by JMB at 7:23 PM | link |


    More news of interest...



    posted by JMB at 7:07 PM | link |


    More politics stories:





    posted by JMB at 5:06 PM | link |


    I sometimes wonder if this still a free nation. . .




    • Truthout: Photographer arrested for taking pictures of Vice President's hotel

        Photographer Arrested for Taking Pictures of Vice President's Hotel
        2600.com

        Thursday, 6 December, 2002 06:03:48 UTC

        An amateur photographer named Mike Maginnis was arrested on Tuesday in his home city of Denver - for simply taking pictures of buildings in an area where Vice President Cheney was residing. Maginnis told his story on Wednesday's edition of Off The Hook.

        Maginnis's morning commute took him past the Adams Mark Hotel on Court Place. Maginnis, who says he always carried his camera wherever he went, snapped about 30 pictures of the hotel and the surrounding area - which included Denver police, Army rangers, and rooftop snipers. Maginnis, who works in information technology, frequently photographs such subjects as corporate buildings and communications equipment.

        The following is Maginnis's account of what transpired:

        As he was putting his camera away, Maginnis found himself confronted by a Denver police officer who demanded that he hand over his film and camera. When he refused to give up his Nikon F2, the officer pushed him to the ground and arrested him.

        After being brought to the District 1 police station on Decatur Street, Maginnis was made to wait alone in an interrogation room. Two hours later, a Secret Service agent arrived, who identified himself as Special Agent "Willse."

        The agent told Maginnis that his "suspicious activities" made him a threat to national security, and that he would be charged as a terrorist under the USA-PATRIOT act. The Secret Service agent tried to make Maginnis admit that he was taking the photographs to analyze weaknesses in the Vice President's security entourage and "cause terror and mayhem."

        When Maginnis refused to admit to being any sort of terrorist, the Secret Service agent called him a "raghead collaborator" and a "dirty pinko faggot."

        After approximately an hour of interrogation, Maginnis was allowed to make a telephone call. Rather than contacting a lawyer, he called the Denver Post and asked for the news desk. This was immediately overheard by the desk sergeant, who hung up the phone and placed Maginnis in a holding cell.

        Three hours later, Maginnis was finally released, but with no explanation. He received no copy of an arrest report, and no receipt for his confiscated possessions. He was told that he would probably not get his camera back, as it was being held as evidence.

        Maginnis's lawyer contacted the Denver Police Department for an explanation of the day's events, but the police denied ever having Maginnis - or anyone matching his description - in custody. At press time, the Denver PD's Press Information Office did not return telephone messages left by 2600.

        The new police powers introduced by the USA-PATRIOT act, in the name of fighting terrorism, have been frightening in their apparent potential for abuse. Mike Maginnis's experience on Tuesday is a poignant example of how this abuse is beginning to occur. It suggests that a wide range of activities which might be considered "suspicious" could be suddenly labeled a prelude to terrorism, and be grounds for arrest.

        We will continue to post updates to this story as we learn them.

        (In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, this material is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes.)


    • For another op-ed piece on this incident, check out the following excerpt of a piece from Counterpunch.org

        . . . Maginnis was eventually allowed to make his phone call. Instead of calling a lawyer, he called the Denver Post and asked for the news desk. When the desk sergeant overheard this, he hung up the phone and put the photographer in a holding cell. He was released after three hours -- minus explanation, arrest report, or a receipt for his confiscated photo equipment. He was told he probably wouldn't get his camera back. It was evidence. When Maginnis had a lawyer call the Denver police, they denied ever having him in custody. It simply didn't happen. It was like a scene out of a Kafka novel.

        This is the America we live in now. You can be arrested for taking pictures, or for simply being the wrong place at the wrong time. The police can lie, the Secret Service can call you a faggot or make racist comments about Arabs, accuse you of being a terrorist or a "pinko" without any evidence, and there is nothing you can do about it. If Mike Maginnis had been less cooperative, or had resisted arrest, he might be in the hospital right now -- or sharing a brig with Jose Padilla who, after all, did nothing more than engage in a thought crime and type the wrong words in the search query line at Google or Yahoo.

        So-called "no fly" lists are now being used at airports to trample the civil liberties of antiwar and human rights activists, even innocuous Green Party members. They are on a "watch list" compiled by the CIA, FBI, INS and State Department under the Aviation and Transportation Security Act, passed after 9/11. Federal agents have set-up "surprise" checkpoints to supposedly ferret out all the "strands of al-Qaida and Hezbollah and Hamas" in Michigan, according to the FBI. In other words, anybody who looks vaguely Arab, or has an accent, will be racially profiled, pulled over and searched, maybe end up in the aforementioned cell with Jose Padilla or approximately 1,500 other "disappeared" Arabs in America.

        The people appointed by the rigged and corrupt "democratic" political system to "represent" us have passed laws allowing the same police who threw the photographer Mike Maginnis down on the pavement for the crime of operating a camera within a hundred yards of Cheney and the national security state to enter your house without informing you, to look through your underwear drawer, copy the contents of your computer -- or simply take the whole computer with them -- like a common criminal who sneaks through a window while you're away (Section 213 of the Patriot Act). They can tap your phone or computer without probable cause (Section 216). They have essentially shredded the probable cause provision of the 4th Amendment. Who's to say, if they consider you a "raghead collaborator," they will not plant some drugs or blueprints for a dirty bomb in your house? Can you trust cops who steal cameras and then lie about it? Can you trust SS agents who envision al-Qaeda fifth columnists when they look at amateur photographers? All of this nonsense is encouraged now thanks to Bush's undebated and expeditiously passed USA-Patriot Act.

        Section 802 of the anti-constitutional and fascist Patriot Act creates the crime of "domestic terrorism." In essence, this section criminalizes almost all political activity organized against the government -- with the possible exception of writing letters to your bought and paid for "representative" or to the editor of the corporate newspaper syndicate in your town. Section 802 makes activities that "appear to be intended" to "influence the policy of the government by intimidation or coercion" or to "intimidate or coerce a civilian population" illegal and punishable. So much for the tradition of civil disobedience. If you participate in a sit-down strike or block traffic -- or take pictures of public buildings -- you're a "domestic terrorist," or maybe a "raghead collaborator" or a "dirty pinko faggot." Seventy-three year old Methodist pastors protesting the School of the Americas get more time in federal prison than cops guilty of taking kickbacks from drug dealers. Ken Lay will get less time. If he gets any.

        Put Section 411 together with Section 802 of this tyrannical bill and you get a government able to designate any activist group as a "foreign terrorist organization." Any group or person who endorses so-called "terrorist activity," which under 802 may be otherwise lawful protest activity, can be designated a terrorist organization or person. That means Earth First! co-founder Mike Roselle, who was arrested for failing to leave a building in Portland where Senator Mark Hatfield maintains an office (Roselle has been arrested more than fifty times for such things) could be designated a "domestic terrorist" and share a cell with Yasser Esam Hamdi or the Lackawanna Six.

        America is swiftly morphing into a fascist nation and too may people are simply too complacent or frightened -- that is if they even pay attention -- to do anything about it. If a photographer can be abducted, have his camera stolen, be accused of political crimes by an SS agent who acts like a KGB interrogator, well then any of us can suffer the same. Now's the time for more people -- hundreds of thousands, millions -- to fill the streets and tell the Bush junta they want their Constitution back. Nothing less than millions of concerned citizens marching on Washington demanding the Bushites return the government to the people will suffice. I might add that the Bushites should be run out of town lashed to poles, tarred and feathered -- as our forefathers were inclined to do when gang-robbers attempted to run scams on the people or betrayed their trust in the name of profit and war.

        But then, saying that, there's a good chance I will be designated a "domestic terrorist."

    posted by JMB at 4:52 PM | link |


    Monday, December 09, 2002

    Post-exam Chill session




    posted by JMB at 2:37 PM | link |


    Post-exam report



      The Legal Analysis went very well. Almost fun in a sick kind of way (hehehe, that's what I told my prof when I walked out of the room). It helped that it was a Tort problem since that is probably my strongest subject, but it was also hard as I kept wanting to throw in some Wagon Mound or Palsgraf in.

      The good tests thus far have me a bit scared though about Contracts on Friday. Things have seemed too easy thus far, and it makes me scared that I'm going to bomb Contracts. --- On that cheery note, I had better get busy outlining Contracts.

    posted by JMB at 2:29 PM | link |


    News from Italy



      I got this email from Tim Burger, Oklahoma's best artist in my book from his travels in Italy. I'm posting here for any of his friends/fans who didn't get it...


        Hello all....

        I'll spare you the italian, since I don't know enough anyway, that should prove to be easy.

        Just thought I'd drop a quick note to let everyone know I'm doing just peachy. I've found a new love here.....espresso. Talk about strong coffee.....I'm now growing a nice patch of hair on my gums. It's my new vitamin C....

        Anyrate, got lots to do today.....gonna be cutting my trip short, though. The hostel I'm staying at kinda worked a con job over on me, so I can't really afford to stay much longer. I'm not sure if it was a con, but they jacked the rent up on me. If it wasn't such a nice location, and I knew more Italian, I would have found another place to stay. Anyhow, I'm coming back on the 27th of this month....that gives me over 3 weeks here....I'm happy with that. Sound apethetic? yeah....

        Someone please tell grandma I'm doing fine...

        Tim

    posted by JMB at 12:01 PM | link |


    5 minutes to go...



      About to go take my Legal Analysis exam in a few minutes. After that all i got left i