but now that i am back on, i don't really have time to write much

my connection was down and so i have been computer deprived for the whole weekend, and then some. i actually did things and saw people. maybe i ll keep up with being offline. but then again, i see all you people on (e:strip) right?

ok, off.. take care yall

did anyone hear the shout out amy goodman gave buffalo this morning? rock..

oh and matt youre famous all over elmwood strip, it seems like everyone wants to meet you and talk to you.

rock on

carissa's wierd

the thing that comes to mind at 430 am are parties. all sorts of themes pop up. is it a signal that its what i should be doing with my time? thinking of parties, planning parties. event planning. would it lose its fun if it became a full-time thing? what qualifies as a good job nowadays anyways..

quick poll:

is anyone planning on going to the amy goodman event thursday? (who is she? shes on the cover of artvoice this week)

would you go see michael moore's new film if it was showing?

you see some things, you completely miss others

one interesting thing about this morning was that bush's motorcade was to move up pennsylvania into kleinhans, on the opposite side of where everyone was gathered. a line of sharp-shooters were poised along the building on that side of the street. there were 7 or 8 buses (presumably empty, and waiting for any 'troublemakers') lined up along pennsylvania ave.

a not-as-bad article

a link to the Buff News article, Bush visits Buffalo (http://www.buffalonews.com/editorial/20040420/1018200.asp). this article does mention protests, and even ends on the note of mentioned a banner that says "Bush Lies, People Die"

two interesting quotes from the article..

"
And state Democratic Chairman Herman D. Farrell, another Manhattan assemblyman, said since all of Bush's new troubles stem from his war on terrorism, the president is now attempting to return to his "glory days of October 2001."

Still, the president is expected to find plenty of friendly heads nodding in agreement when he makes his pitch in Kleinhans' Mary Seaton Room. Not only will his audience comprise mainly "first responders," but Republican allies as well.
"
of course, what'd you expect

from what mike n. said, the crowd inside was mostly policemen and attorneys and the like. of course they would nod in agreement, every single person who would've said something different was standing outside the arena..

and that was quite a showing from the WNY community. the crowd was filled with such a breadth of ppl- folks from the labor community and local community organizations, the activists, students, a fair share of lawyers, the arts community, and then some. in addition to the folks and signs that paul and terry mentioned, i also saw the 'sabres fans against bush,' the 'billionaires for bush' (holding a sign which read 'free the enron 7!') and sponge bob square pants.

my own thirty second ad

under the banner of 'WNY United Against Bush' were a breadth of people speaking out against the policies of this administration. i didn't get to hear him speak but i bet he was there talking- a gentleman named Herb F., who to me, and many others, is the voice of Buffalo and Western New York.

Herb worked at Tri-Co, the local company that made car parts such as windshield wipers--at least, Herb worked there, until recently. Tri-Co was one of the many companies who have left WNY to open a factory along the border in Mexico. Herb also comes from a line of people who had served this country during the wars. His father and grandfather had served, and he himself had served in (I believe) the Vietnam War. His son is currently in Iraq. And if you didn't hear Herb speak today or any other day, then I wish you get a chance, because I certainly don't do any justice in telling his story. He talks about how the American Dream was very different and how far off our reality today is, and how as a supporter of our country and of our troops, he can not support the current administration, can not support Bush, and the lies upon which Bush waged a war where the sons and daughters of people such as Herb are in Iraq fighting. This is one real reason why Bush should be ashamed, and this is how I also know there is real change in the air-- the voices that are speaking up are not just along the sides, they are coming from the mainstream of America.

take the estrip challenge

and for all this talking, for myself and for the talking that each and everyone of you do, i want to challenge all of us to directly put some thing into defeating Bush this November-- whether it's volunteering hours to phone bank the swing states (which many community groups and unions are doing), or to get people signed up to vote (which east side pride and rock the vote are working on), or putting $
i
nto campaigns. or if you don't believe in the electoral process, i challenge you to do something that will effect change. this is just too damn important to sit back and watch, and too important to just complain about without acting on your thoughts. and barring any october surprises (listen to the democracy now show from earlier today, bob woodward is alleging that bush is working with the Saudi ambassador to fix oil prices in an attempt to have a strong economy in the months/ days prior to the election), change is definitely attainable, and the time is now.

war ensemble

sport the war, war support
the sport is war, total war
when victory's a massacre
the final swing is not a drill
it's how many people I can kill

what do you think?

The Dept. of Defense is not allowing media to show images of incoming caskets at Dover Airforce Base from Iraq, casualites of war, images of the caskets draped in an American flag.

I heard this on Democracy Now! this morning, about how the NYTimes and several other papers nationwide have published a photo of the caskets (http://www.nytimes.com/2004/04/23/national/23PHOT.html), but it turns out that they have published it because of the following website...I actually just came across the site myself, done by someone who claims he filed an FOIA (Freedom of Info Act) request after hearing about the DoD ruling.

Either of these two links will take you to the blogger site containing those photos, The Memory Hole. There are a ton of photos, so be warned if you've got a slow connection. (http://warblogging.com/mirrors/www.thememoryhole.org/war/coffin_photos/dover/) (http://www.thememoryhole.org/war/coffin_photos/dover/)

Old Washington Post article about the DoD policy, it's dated October 2003..(http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn?pagename=article&contentId=A55816-2003Oct20&notFound=true)

I've heard again and again that one thing that ended the Vietnam War was all of the visual footage of the dead, all of the horror of what was happening overseas. These images really changed public opinion. In this time of 'collateral damages' where even that term is adopted by the media and further distances us from the scenario, it is just such a shame that the only lessons our administration has learned from history and from the Vietnam war is to NOT show those visual images.

all i wanted was the ketchup chips, mrawh haha!



ok, not really. but sorry about the mishaps and confusions of nights past (yesterday). call it diffusion of responsibility. but for real, we're finishing the keg from the 1940s next friday (hey, it's already held 60 years, whats another week) after critical mass. call it an evening warm-up. for real this time..

(and i really do look like the little girl from the exorcist when im sick, so this drawin is realistic in that respect.)

come one, come all



watch me sleep through this one..

another year, another day

..traded my daylight for a career..selling my time to the man who sells style.. that time should be mine to waste on you..

another day, another dollar

1/7 of the way= 6.340 of 40.000. don't place your bets just yet.

and now for something political

i've been perturbed by the seymour hersh article in the new yorker on the torture at abu ghraib that holly was referring to.
(http://www.newyorker.com/fact/content/?040510fa_fact)

there are groups organizing swing state phone parties, voter registration, and organizing locally. there's a meeting tonight out at the united auto workers' hall to figure out logistics. email me for info. otherwise, see if you can make this:

What -- Voter Registration Trip to Erie, PA
When -- Saturday, May 8 9AM-6PM
Where -- Bus leaves from 742 Washington Street
Join Citizen Action on a free bus trip to do some nonpartisan voter registration! Pennsylvania is a swing state -- help empower people to make a difference! Call 855-1522 for info.

and lastly..

amy goodman will be back in buffalo for her book tour ("the exception to the rulers"). she'll be at allen hall, ub south campus on thursday, may 13 at 4:30 pm.

i love saturday

we're having a 'if you bring ketchup chips, you get free beer' gathering, in honor of finishing the keg that is left over from the 1940's (don't worry, its been commercial fridgerated). stop by if you get a chance.