I have given up cable lately, and my life is the richer for it. But I'm still stuck to the Internet.

Poepl had a skinny awkward geeky appearance that got him beat up and picked on alot. He did have light blond hair. You would know him if you saw him.

I did not take a position on the WCOTC speaking event. I just showed up and listened to Mr. Hale speak. It did make me uncomfortable when people got emotional (understandably so) and made rude anti-anti-racist outbursts. It almost was a civilized discussion, albeit on the absurdity of racism; except for those damn tree-huggers yelling "Why don't we all just love one another?" really angrily. The hypocrisy of that bothers me a little.

Hating the hater keeps the cycle repeating. The moment you fight your enemy, you become him. Love that person in which you disagree with. I love Matt Hale and George Bush. Pure light and love from the depths of my being. I embrace them both, as difficult as it sometimes is.

They are both people.

I don't remember chris peopl, and I don't think I'm going to remember matt hale either until the next time someone mentions his name. Racism is a drag. (peopl (e) was really white with blond hair - right?)

I remember in Ms. (Mrs.) Webbs sociology class we spilt the class in two sections. Those who would be killed by the Nazis, and those who survive the genocide. Of the 30 or so people in the class, I was one of the blond-haired blue-eyed survivors (I didn't tell them I was Catholic.)

Once again I think I might be spilt on the issue with Mr. K. on how to deal with a person like Matt Hale. I think it would be intersting to see a Matt Hale speech where everyone that disagreed with hale didn't attend the event, and the remaining 15 or so in attendance just stood around waiting for the oppisition to show up.

As far as Bill Bennet goes, most 17-year-old students couldn't differntiate between a quote made from Shakespeare, Jefferson, or Jesus. Of those three, I think it's most important that students find and appreciate a muse of their own that pertains to their own life. Richard Brautigan helped me make it through high school, and as I get older I've turned to other writers to help me make sense of, and appreciate life.

Currently I've stopped reading, and have turned to Cable. The Gilmore Girls on the WB is my "muse" of late. I think I can call it a muse becaue it is amost 100% dialogue driven.

I'm also picking up Gogol again. Gogol does more for me then Shakespeare. And he's easier to read. The Russians are like the Boston Red Sox of the baseball world. They always lose to the Yanks. Bill Buckner is your classic Ruskie. What a loser.

Also, our fomer U.S. Secretary of Education, Bill "I would rather have this generation of 17-year-olds know it's wrong to lie, cheat or judge [others by their skin color than to] know details of the Constitution." Bennett, not only was a right wing Bible thumber, but also a reptile!

A bunch of people from the space went to the Lincoln Library today at 2:00 to 4:00 to participate (in opposition) of Matt Hale's World Church of the Creator (read: white power, all other races are inferior, skinheads, etc.) speaking event.

Lots of police, and I certainly appreciate his right to free speech. I was encouraged by that, even though he was preaching intolerance. Many people there spent the time arguing with Matt Hale for about 20 minutes at the end. Pretty awesome.

I love America.

Too bad the guy holding the WCOTC flag in front of the podium the whole time - wearing a crisp white shirt, red tie, black pants and black combat boots with a WCOTC patch - was a guy Mike, Monica, and I all went to high school with, Chris Peopl.

I do love a blasted quote from Percy Shelley.

"News is what someone, somewhere is trying to suppress,
the rest is just advertising"
- Lord Northcliffe, British Press Baron

I dare you to use the adjetive "blasted" in your next collumn.

These are adjetives that I like:

blasted - "Those blasted turks are at it again."
roasted - "These roasted peanuts are delicious."
fucking - "I'm fucking bored." or, "These fucking Turkish delights are delicious."
apricot - "This apricot body scrub is overated."

To say that you never saw an adjetive you never liked is similar to saying everyone that works for World Bank is horse manure.

That's horseshit.

I apologize in advance, but I'm am so into this global New World Order shit. The discussion on the sucking that the Champaign Bears do will continue after this message.

The World Bank's Scams Laid Bare

Excerpt from the Alex Jones Show Appearance Transcript interviewing Greg Palast on Monday, March 4, 2002 :

AJ: So they tax the people. They create big government and big government hands it off to the private IMF/World Bank. And when we get back, I want to get to the four-parts that you elegantly lay out here where they actually pay off the politicians billions to their Swiss bank accounts to do this transfer.

GP: That's right.

AJ: This is like one of the biggest stories ever, Sir. I'm sorry, please continue.

GP: So what's happening is - this is just one of them. And by the way, it's not just anyone who gets a piece of the action. The water system of Buenos Aires was sold off for a song to a company called Enron. A pipeline was sold off, that runs between Argentina and Chile, was sold off to a company called Enron.

AJ: And then the globalists blow out the Enron after transferring the assets to another dummy corporation and then they just roll the theft items off.

GP: You've got it. And by the way, you know why they moved the pipeline to Enron is that they got a call from somebody named George W. Bush in 1988.

AJ: Unbelievable, Sir. Stay right there. We are talking to Greg Palast.

The World Bank's Scams Laid Bare

Art is an interpretation. So is journalism.

I did put that in my pipe, and I did smoke it. And like Rod Blagovich or Bill Clinton, I am not hesitant to proclaim it.

My main argument -- and this is where global banking institutions, journalism, and bumper stickers all tie in -- is that we live on a planet that is governed from the top down. Public opinion is controlled through the corporate media and fake polls, and those who determine the course of destiny for the world do so through politicians (which in the year 2002's case is the Bush administration, though the Dem's are in on it too), banks, and multinational corporations. All in their quest to build one giant global Empire.

In conclusion, You are not part of the problem, You are not part of the solution. Your actions and opinions are irrelevant.

"I've got a dick for a brain, and my brain's gonna give my heart to you." - great lyric of the Afghan Whigs by Greg Dulli.

Alt. take on that lyric: "I've got a dick for a brain, and my brain revovles around you."

I've read somewhere that if you're into politics and want to incorporate a quote, you shouldn't you those of rock stars. Whoever said that never listened to the Afgan Whigs (or maybe they did.)

"the public wants what the public gets" - written by The Jam, circa late seventies.

"the public gets what the public wants," - written by myself, early 21st century.

Journalists do not write for any "boss' paper", (or boss' media organization) unless your boss' first name is Ruport.

That's a rediculous claim to make, and it's an insult to every journalist that strives to remain objective, even after seeing one of their collegues getting his head sawed off my a chainsaw.

As far as bumper stickers go: There is always room on the sidelines on any issue. That's where the decision are made.

You are probably a better journalist than you give yourself credit for. Hell, I posed as a journalist during the march, and I got some well documented footage. And I was a protestor.

There can be no sitting on the sidelines watching the world, and then reporting it "fairly." Journalist get shot at. Reporters see people's heads explode. The problem is that most journalists write soley to get in print, rather than to tell their "observations". Journalists write for their boss's paper, and they put the slant toward their boss's favor. Bias in journalism? Always. Even journalists who don't have a permanent boss.

I would like to respond to your post point by point, but it is more conveniant right now to push my own agenda.

I really hate getting caught up in the "us against them" mentality. I admit, It has been influencing my thoughts and behaviors. But when one takes a position on an issue, defending it requires punching holes in the other sides arguements.

And we do not have to begin every blog post with an argument over a slogan on a bumper sticker.

I'm thinking I want to dress up as Napolean for Halloween. I'm short, and I could pretend I have a God complex. But I really want to see Mike Mann as Abraham Lincoln. Think about it. Mike is honest and affable, and gives off an aura of benevolence and wisdom. He is tall, skinny, and has a high pitched squeaky voice like Lincoln is said to have had. The only thing missing is the warts.

Happy Halloween everyone!

Yes, I disagree. When you refer to me, and my lack of oppisition, I assume that your talking about the collective conciousness of America that excercises lack of oppisition on this subject.

Though I am not a real journalist and don't see myself entering that field, I've still been taught to approach problems the same way that a journalist would. Journalists do not engage in protests, they observe them and report on them. That's how America gets its objective information. (I think that is one of the most important points that I'll be bringing up during this discussion.)

That is also how I get information. Once I've gathered a substanstive amount of information, I pinpoint what I think the problem is and ask why people who are responsible for the problem what they plan to do about it. I then I look at the people who are in charge of keeping these institutions in check and see what they're doing about the problem.

It's a simple process. Just because I'm not protesting anything, does not mean I'm part of the problem. If you were watching the news of a protest, and the loudest most spirted protester broke out of the pack with a news mic in his hand and started reporting the news, would you trust what he or she had to say? You shouldn't.


Your "us versus them" soap opera scenerio reminds me of sixties activism. I wasn't around for that crap the first time around, and I don't want to see it surfacing on this issue. I visited the sites that you recommended for some "education" and I couldn't help but notice how they demonized everything the IMF and World bank did, and failed to tackle the issue at a more worldly level. You cannot view the world only in terms of "Global North and Global South." It's an interesting paradigm to consider, but it's too biased to rely on as your sole source of information.

The whole point of this diatribe is to further agrue against the statement, "If you're not part of the solution, you're part of the problem." I still think that's horseshit. I'm arguing that point and nothing else at this time.

The entire IMF, World Bank situation hinges on you, Mike Mann. This is your world. These institutions could not survive without your support, or in this case, lack of opposition.

I have maintained, and always will, that the entire Universe revolves around the thoughts and decisions of a boy from Illinois named Mike Mann.

This whole IMF, World Bank situation - I'm not part of the problem, period. This has nothing to do with me or my lifestyle, nor anyone that I know. Take that to the streets and smoke it.