So, I think today is the one year anniversary of this blog.
To recall the name, and Michael Albert’s image:
On its first birthday, the killing train would measure over 2,000 miles long. Traveling at 20 miles an hour it would take about five days to pass any intersection.
So, I think today is the one year anniversary of this blog.
To recall the name, and Michael Albert’s image:
On its first birthday, the killing train would measure over 2,000 miles long. Traveling at 20 miles an hour it would take about five days to pass any intersection.
I have been very intermittent these past weeks. Basically nothing on Terry Schiavo. Nothing on the Pope. Nothing on a lot else, massacres in Colombia, for example. So much, in a few weeks, that there’s no way to catch up. Instead, I’ll just try to pick up threads as I can.
Haiti’s one.
Here’s something off of Voice of America, which I got from Kole:
“U.N. peacekeepers backed by tanks entered the seaside slum of Cite Soleil, in an effort Thursday to disperse armed gunmen. More than 1,000 U.N. peacekeepers are said to have taken part in the raid, which is expected to continue for a few days.”
Also, an article that appeared a little earlier in the day mentioned that the UN has set up checkpoints around Citee du Soleil:
“U.N. troops in armored vehicles manned checkpoints and made sweeps on the edge of a lawless seaside slum in Haiti’s capital Friday ahead of a planned crackdown on warring street gangs some fear could disrupt fall elections.”
Isn’t the constancy of the story, regardless of how weak, amazing? We invade their countries, massacre their people, and then – when we’re massacring more of their people, we are trying to stop the disruption of elections.
It was ugly and false enough for Iraq, which at least can be said to have had a vicious dictatorship before the invasion. Haiti, before the invasion, had – elections. Elections whose results were annulled by – the invasion. Elections whose winners are being physically liquidated and massacred by – the invasion.
The invasion, whose justification is now – to stop the possible disruption of – elections.
Now would be an appropriate moment for a rhetorical question like: “How stupid do they think we are?”
But that’s hardly one-year anniversary material. The train is now 2,000 miles long. Welcome aboard. To your left, you will see some Haitians, whose tickets were written by the United Nations. Make some room for them, please.
happy one year anniversary!
happy one year anniversary! good to have the killing train running again.
happy anniversary! hope
happy anniversary! hope there comes a time when you can justifiably rename the blog to something more cheery…
Hey Justin,
found the
Hey Justin,
found the following quote from a recent David Orchard article on Iraq (http://www.davidorchard.com/online/2do-index.html) that I thought was relevant to the content of today’s blog. It kindof underscores how stupid they really think we are, given how far back this ‘election’ business goes:
“It’s interesting to read the New York Times story of Sept. 4, 1967 (U.S. encouraged by Vietnam vote: officials cite 83 per cent turnout despite Vietcong terror) with a remarkably similar tone to the one recently trumpeted around the world as a success for President George Bush’s Iraqi policy.
‘According to reports from Saigon, 83 per cent of the 5.85 million registered voters cast their ballots yesterday,” it says. “Many of them risked reprisals threatened by the Vietcong… A successful election has long been seen as the keystone in President Johnson’s policy … The purpose of the voting was to give legitimacy to the Saigon Government.’
Eight years later, the toll of dead in Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia was six million and the U.S. had dropped 10-million tonnes of bombs on the three countries — four times the total dropped in the Second World War.”
Anyway, congrats on keeping this blog up running for a year, but as zeynap points out, we all hope that one day soon you’ll have good enough reasons to rename it.
i really do not see why the
i really do not see why the blog needs to be renamed.if the present name reflects or aims to reflect reality, then I say stick with the name.reality is not nice nor cheery;or is that only here in the third world?
it’s definitely easier to
it’s definitely easier to pretend reality is cheery when you’re not in the third world. but let me leap to the defense of zeynep and kole – they don’t want the blog renamed, they want the world changed so that the blog’s name doesn’t make sense any more…
thanks for putting that into
thanks for putting that into a perspective justin.
Congrats on your first
Congrats on your first anniversary. Can’t say I think there’s much chance of us reaching a situation whereby you’ll be in a position to rename it anytime soon, but we live in hope.