Saturday, April 14, 2007
Spring Cleaning
I just reviewed some items on the desktop. Depressing.
An article from the Globe and Mail, about a Canadian training counter-terrorism training manual, that links American Indian and Canadian First Nations groups along with outfits like Hezbollah. I think the power-holders in both Canada and the U.S. are pretty paranoid these days—at least more paranoid than usual. Maybe as badly frightened as they were during the Nixon administration. What bothers me about all this is that the governments have so many more tools to use when it comes down to oppressing dissent—vast databases, electronic surveillance, CCTV cameras all over the place, metastizing no-fly lists, more militarized police, and the one and only Patriot Act.
Time to dump that article. I can scare myself without a lot of help, thank you.
A little lighter material in another piece sent to the trash. An article about the police in Pullman, WA, raiding an apartment, guns drawn of course, because the landlord had seen a grow-light in a closet. The tenants were growing tomatos. Luckily, no one was shot. I don't know if the cops seized the tomato plants or not.
A third piece about the growing racism toward people of color—any color, other than white. No shit. Growing racism. Hard to imagine, isn't it?
Oh hell, I think I'll just listen to some Albert Collins blues, courtesy of KLCC over in Eugene.
An article from the Globe and Mail, about a Canadian training counter-terrorism training manual, that links American Indian and Canadian First Nations groups along with outfits like Hezbollah. I think the power-holders in both Canada and the U.S. are pretty paranoid these days—at least more paranoid than usual. Maybe as badly frightened as they were during the Nixon administration. What bothers me about all this is that the governments have so many more tools to use when it comes down to oppressing dissent—vast databases, electronic surveillance, CCTV cameras all over the place, metastizing no-fly lists, more militarized police, and the one and only Patriot Act.
Time to dump that article. I can scare myself without a lot of help, thank you.
A little lighter material in another piece sent to the trash. An article about the police in Pullman, WA, raiding an apartment, guns drawn of course, because the landlord had seen a grow-light in a closet. The tenants were growing tomatos. Luckily, no one was shot. I don't know if the cops seized the tomato plants or not.
A third piece about the growing racism toward people of color—any color, other than white. No shit. Growing racism. Hard to imagine, isn't it?
Oh hell, I think I'll just listen to some Albert Collins blues, courtesy of KLCC over in Eugene.
