The Free Republic community proved the power of action when they freeped the Dixie Chicks after they said a very benign comment about being embarassed. Radio stations pulled their songs thinking that thousands of people were outraged. But those thousands of people were from a very small community who magnifies their voice to sound like they represent everyone. And they make waves.

I was thinking.. the left doesn’t really have an equivalent. I always feel guilty calling some place twice because i want to share my one vote, one voice. It’s weird because i guess we could blast those who are so vigilently pro-war, but it just seems so strange. Thus, things don’t get heard. Like, i was *stunned* today when i found out that most of the east coast media did not even cover Rachel Corrie’s death (or blamed her for being a radical freak). I really want to secede.

To celebrate last night’s stupidity with some humor: Powell Offers Proof of Saddam-Osama Link. In a bold move of social network applications, Powell clearly shows that there are only 6 degrees between Saddam and Osama (and of course, it goes through Kevin Bacon). Of course, like all good connections, it can be simplified from there.

OK… sometimes, humor really is the best medicine – Fun Live Journals:

Saddam Hussein
Yasser Arafat
George W. Bush

In SF, there’s a psy-DJ named KJ who is risking deportation because he’s from Pakistan and doesn’t have the right papers. I don’t know him, although i’ve heard him spin, but i’m so amazed at the way folks in the psy community (and the late night culture in general) are coming together to beg for his asylum, attempting to raise funds and awareness. Another reason that i love SF…

Not surprisingly, i’m pretty anti-war. In fact, i’m utterly horrified by it. All the same, every time i show up to a protest or participate in the mass gatherings of anti-war folks, i find myself so disenchanted by the far left. I realize that we all have different reasons for being against the war, but i despise crowds and really can’t stand having folks in my face about every cause that the left supports simply because people are out to be anti-war. In fact, i can’t cope with showing up to a protest and being yelled at… it doesn’t help me feel like a part of a coalition or otherwise build up the strength to help me fight the system. It turns me off, and i tend to go shopping.

Thankfully, a friend of mine realized that many of her friends were uninformed, avoiding or otherwise disenchanted so she brought together a large group of friends to start talking issues. This is great because it is truly allowing me to start getting involved again, because i feel like i have a purpose and a way to help. As one of the resident geeks, i’ve set up a new blog for all of our random listserv babbles and links…

marchtowar.com is a betting pool that allows folks to bet on the start date of the war (brought to you by none other than the media lab). the winner will receive 20% of the winnings in prepaid gasoline cards. the remainder will go to humanitarian organizations helping iraqi civilians. the site is also full of good sarcastic reminders about why this situation is so aggrevating.

These Weapons of Mass Destruction cannot be displayed (read carefully)

I love when wordplays can be so utterly political and hysterical at the same time:

i SHELL not EXXONerate saddam hussein from blame. i will MOBILise our troops and JETs to Q8 and the persian GULF. i will BPrepared for TOTAL war. the message is AMOCOming to kick your ass, saddam

When i was first heard about Columbia today, my heart was filled with so many emotions. Prior to breaking my neck, my life goal was to be an astronaut… i had even gone so far as to applying and getting the nominations necessary to go to the Naval Academy (since so many astronauts came from there). I was obsessed with space in every way. I remember the Challenger and the confusion that i had sitting in that classroom as my teacher completely lost it (his friend from college was on board). So hearing this brought back all of those memories of loss and sadness. Yet, in spite of all of this tragedy, i received a note revealing a quote from Kalpana Chawla that reminds me of why space is so important to so many of us. When asked about her Indian heritage, she said: “When you look at the stars and the galaxy, you feel that you are not just from any particular piece of land, but from the solar system.”

Battle Raper: HYPER REALACTION is a new Japanese fighting game where the user “fights” by raping women in the game.

Defining Moment: Seeing the first grapple attack with the chest rubbing and the first molestation attack with some topless chest rubbing were both certainly eye-openers. However they both pale in comparison to the face rape the first time I experienced it. Each time I pressed a button Zenon forced poor Chihaya’s head down on his invisible penis and tears ran down her cheeks. It, much like the entire game, produced a mixture of shock, revulsion, and shame.