Kenneth Gibson

39 posts
I am Canadian and of questionable mental health. Owing to the fact that I'm in my early 20s my opinions are entirely worthless. Planning on making the jump from amateur student to professional one within the next year.

Koch Sucker: How Greed is Eroding Democracy

The Koch brothers are some extremely wealthy brothers whom inherited all their money from their father, Freddy Koch. They control Koch Industries, America’s second biggest company (it also sounds like the company a super-villain would own). The Kochs’ are some of the most callous, indifferent kinds of capitalists that you can find on the planet earth. They founded a political advocacy group in 2004 to lobby their political causes, American’s for Prosperity. Since its formation AFP was a major supporter of Republican candidates in the 2010 election cycle and is heavily involved in political activities aimed at reducing regulation of the oil and gas industry. During the summer of 2008, AFP funded a radio ad critical of a North Carolina U.S. Senatorial challenger, Democrat Kay Hagan, for her position on taxes and offshore oil drilling. During the 2010 election cycle, Americans for Prosperity claims to have spent $40 million dollars on rallies, phone banks, and canvassing, mostly for Republican candidates.

The Koch family has also donated vast sums of money to various other political think-tanks and institutions including  the Cato Institute, the Federalist Society, the Mercatus Center, the Institute for Humane Studies, the Institute for Justice, the Alexis de Tocqueville Institution, the Institute for Energy Research, the Foundation for Research on Economics and the Environment, Heritage Foundation, the Manhattan Institute, the George C. Marshall Institute, the Reason Foundation and the American Enterprise Institute. The Kochs’ are, of course, extremely “pro-business” and significant supporters of “free-markets.” In June 2010 they held a large seminar entitled “Understanding and Addressing Threats to American Free Enterprise and Prosperity”. The invitation stated that “[our] prosperity is under attack by the current Administration and many of our elected officials” and “we cannot rely on politicians to [defend our free society], so it is up to us to combat what is now the greatest assault on American freedom and prosperity in our lifetimes”.

It becomes clear in the picture painted of the Koch family that they are simply industrial-capitalists with little or no concern for the welfare of, not even the most vulnerable and impoverished people, but all people who aren’t obscenely wealthy. Nothing is more indicative of this than the Kochs’ involvement with Scott Walker and his crusade to disenfranchise labour. Walker’s capitulation to Koch Industries was thrown into embarrassing relief when the satirical website, Buffalo Beast, successively had a prank caller call Walker and convince him that he was David Koch. The phone rings. The line is transferred to Walker’s office.

“Scott! David Koch. How are you?”

“Hey, David! I’m good. And yourself?”

Walker is super excited to hear from David Koch and proceeds to give him a detailed run-down of what’s going on, including some petty scheming to lock Democrats pay checks in their desk drawers. Walker mentions that Democrat Tim Cullens had often voted with him on pieces of legislation and “Koch” replies that he was going to give Cullens a call. However, Walker isn’t too sure this is a good idea because Cullens isn’t “one of us.”

What are we to take from that little turn of phrase, “one of us?” It’s a question of who Scott Walker thinks he is and who he is in office to represent. Enlightenment philosophy will tell us that the State raises humanity out of that horrible state of nature, of perpetual war. That the people of the state invest their personal sovereignty into a representative body and through their representative the people are present at the seat of government. But is it not more accurate to say that States only formalize this so-called “natural” warfare? Is it not more truthful to say that the war of person upon person isn’t natural at all but only comes into being through the Enlightenment ideology of Liberty, an ideology that pits everyone against everyone else in an eternal pursuit of liberty? The only difference is that his state of natural war can now be quantified, measured in precise dollar amounts, in the precise amount of the “have” and the “have-not.” To have is a right but to have is also to war because resources are finite.

This kind of attitude obviously doesn’t Jive with the free-market, corporate outlook on life which advocates the right to unrestrained acquisition of wealth. What is becoming increasingly obvious now is that politicians, by and large, only have their own self-interests at heart as well. When Walker quips that Cullens isn’t “one of us” he really means that Cullens doesn’t subscribe to the notion of perpetual warfare being waged on the have-nots by the haves and this is class warfare, let us make no mistake about it. Why else would it be necessary for corporate interests to spend so much money on politicking? It can only be because the logic of their politics is transparently “anti-person” in its “pro-business” stance.

Koch: You’re the first domino.

Walker: Yep. This is our moment.

What is most disturbing about the recorded conversation between Scott Walker and the fake David Koch is the way in which they know it is war. This is a coordinated effort to erode the ability of a majority to feed themselves, clothe themselves and house themselves and their families. It is a coordinated effort to disenfranchise labor, to steal the voice of people who actually work for a living. The end goal can only be to render the have-nots immobile, to trap them in a power relationship which exploits their needs for the very necessities of life. It is no longer about the working poor, or the lower classes; it is no longer about the “middle class” or the “upper-middle class,” it is about a desire to drive as many people into “have-not” status in order to become the fullest “haves” they can be. Fools like Walker think that he too can become part of the “have” club but the very logic of having implies that wealth will always be directed toward an increasingly smaller and smaller amount of hands at the exclusion of everyone else. Soon even the governorship will only pay minimum wage. The pro-business, neo-liberal agenda is hard at work all over the world so this is a concern to people of all nations, religions or whatever other affiliation you choose. Ultimately, democracy can only be rejuvenated if we demand that our politicians end their rampant collusion with corporate interests.

Buffalo Beast – Buffalo News – Koch Family – Body Politic Image – Hobbes Image

Infinite Mourning: How Personal Grudges Become Congressional Hearings

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As Peter King looked out over the circus he had convened yesterday he only had one thing on his mind: revenge. And this time it was personal.

“It was personal, he says, for everyone in his Long Island district, which was home to dozens of the police, firefighters and financial workers who died at the World Trade Center.” It was time for him to finally have revenge upon those that had so cruelly turned their shoulders on him all those years ago.

You see, King knows that Muslims are more likely to engage in terrorist activities because, well, they’re Muslim and the Islamic faith is inherently violent. Wait. That sounds an awful lot like racism and gross generalization. Nevertheless, King, the chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee has seen it first hand; that’s right King has seen Muslim-Americans being Muslims, right here in America. King has actually spent a lot of time with the Muslim-American community so he should definitely know what they’re all about. King insists that “radicalization” (I think this means they’ve started skateboarding and listening to Suicidal Tendencies) in fucking rampant in Muslim-American communities, so much so that it’s necessary to hold hearings about it. Obviously these hearings are complete bullshit and really serve to either 1) ease the paranoia of King and similarly minded political friends or 2) maintain the discourse of scary Muslim terrorists maybe working at your local deli, plotting to put a stick of dynamite in your corn beef and rye. Actually, it’s probably a bit of both, wouldn’t you say? And to think King accused his detractors of being hysterical.

You see, King’s hearings smack all too much of political pandering. Back in January people gathered at the Long Island Islamic Center to discuss the upcoming hearings and what could be done to stop them. However, for this mosque the issue was particularly upsetting. “He used to come to our weddings. He ate dinner in our homes,” the mosque’s chairman, Habeeb Ahmed, said of King, the man whom is supposed to represent them in congress. No member of the Islamic Center in Long Island has ever been accused of terrorism and King has had long ties with the community; yet King has now turned on people he once considered friends, calling the Long Island Islamic Center a “hotbed” of radical Islam and accusing its leaders of being Islamic extremists.

It’s hard to guess what King’s motivation for conducting these hearings is (one can assume they’re partly political, King sees the way the country is swinging and wants to be able to say he was on the front-lines against radical Islam, in a district that’s 90% white alienating a religious minority might actually improve you electoral standings), although he had this to say yesterday as he opened the hearings: “Al-Qaeda is actively targeting the American Muslim community for recruitment. Today’s hearing will address this dangerous trend.”  King has also maintained time and time again that Muslim communities are not doing enough to stop radicalization within their communities. This is ostensibly the real reason for the hearings being held: King believes that not only must all Muslims be held accountable for the acts of fringe groups that represent an extremely small portion of the actual Muslim population but that they must meet his standards of what constitutes appropriate measures to prevent terrorist acts from happening.

King’s split with his Muslim constituents began immediately after 9/11; when King first became congressman he would deliver speeches at the Islamic Center often and held book signings in the prayer hall. He took in Muslim interns and was one of the few Republicans who supported U.S. intervention in the 1990s to help Muslims in Bosnia and Kosovo. In return King had received generous outpourings of support from the Muslim community in his district, including significant financial contributions. In the days following 9/11 Americans were confused and bewildered; no one knew what to believe or discredit as false and there was vast amounts of conspiracy theories and conjecture being thrown around. It was in the climate of confusion that one of the Islamic Center’s directors, Ghazi Khankan, made this comment:

“Who really benefits from such a horrible tragedy that is blamed on Muslims

and Arabs? Definitely Muslims and Arabs do not benefit. It must be the enemy

of  Muslims and Arabs. An independent investigation must take place.”

This seems like a perfectly reasonable statement to have made at the time and was probably in response to a direct question regarding who could possibly benefit from committing such an atrocity. Personally, if my religion (I don’t have one, but if I did) was being blamed left and right my first reaction would probably also be one of denial; who wants to think their religious brethren could be capable of such a thing? However, the failure to immediately react without thinking whatsoever infuriated King who claimed they were turning their back on America at its time of greatest need, “they were trying to look the other way while friends of mine were being murdered.” So it would seem that these hearings are the culmination of the grudge and resentment that King began to hold deep within his soul when his friends failed to rabidly demand vengeance for the death of 3000 Americans. He was upset that they didn’t mourn as hard as he did, didn’t want to exact vengeance on the perpetrators with every fiber of their being as King did.

“You have to understand the confusion and shock at the time,” continued Khankan, “tapes of Osama bin Laden had just been released in which he praised but was not yet openly taking responsibility for the attacks. Many at the mosque still remembered that Muslims had been immediately and falsely blamed for the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing.” See, the unfortunate truth is that not every American does feel as strongly about 9/11 as others might. America has an enormous and diverse population with a regrettable history of systemic discrimination against racial and religious minorities. I’m sure most Muslims fervently denounce the 9/11 attacks (King actually claimed yesterday during the hearings that 15% of American Muslims believe suicide bombings are justified, which in itself is a completely negligible percentage but a bit of digging reveals that the poll he was referring to states this:  It is 12% with 5% saying it is “rarely justified,” 7% saying “sometimes,” and 1% saying it is “justified.” This adds up to 13 percent) but can we blame them for not all rallying around the flag as America geared up to launch a war into the heart of their religious community? Can we blame Muslims for being wary of rabid, nationalist Islamophobia given the deep history of suspicion that Khankan’s above quotation speaks to?

“My district, I think it is a good barometer. Nobody in my district didn’t know somebody who was killed on Sept. 11. It is still very personal.” Look, Mr. King, I’m sorry your friends died.

I’m sorry that you were upset by your friends too, Mr. King, I really am. I’m sorry that their denouncement of 9/11 (which the Islamic Center did time and again as more information came to light) was not passionate enough or American enough for you. I’m sorry but you should be ashamed of yourself. You are a grown man and because you cannot control your emotions you have brought an invasive and arbitrary interrogation to bear on your own constituents from the very highest level of government. These are people that supported you, they gave you money, they fucking elected you to be their congressional representative and you’ve now sold them down the river for cheap political gain. You’re personal grudges shouldn’t be resolved through the congressional harassment of an entire religious group, Mr. King.

house.gov, MSNBC, WaPo image via Guardian

Let Us Hope the Zombie Outbreak Starts in Boston

Everyone knows that inevitably some day soon the virus that turns humans into zombies will be created through a mishap of evolution, God and modern science’s desire to constantly dick around with shit. When that day comes humanity will be faced with a choice: to act quickly to contain the virus or dither and allow it to tear through the human race like Gore-nado from hell. It will be down to the authorities at hand when patient zero is infected to effectively contain the virus. Popular culture tells us that government secrecy and bureaucratic incompetence  are to be involved in any failure to contain the virus.

So we may hope that the outbreak takes place in Boston as this twitter exchange reveals that the Boston PD remains committed to be being forthcoming with information about any zombie attacks.

Via Neatorama

 

The Case For and Against a Libyan No Fly Zone

By Lady_E

Two weeks in to the Libyan uprising events continue to unfold at breathtaking speed as opposition and Gaddafi forces engage in heated battles for control of the country.  The initial opposition momentum that resulted in close to half of the country falling to opposition hands and threatening Gaddafi’s control of Tripoli has shown signs of receding as Gaddafi has successfully reinforced his control of Tripoli and now begun counter-attacks to reclaim opposition-held territories.   Though opposition forces have claimed success in repulsing Gaddafi’s most recent counter-offensive, opposition forces are now debating requesting foreign intervention under a UN banner, specifically targeted air strikes against weapons compounds and military installations such as radar stations.  Foreign military intervention of this type would be a major escalation of international involvement (to date limited to non-military measures by the UN Security Council, the European Union and the United States) and appears to have little support from Security Council and NATO nation state members.

Gaddafi’s brutal crackdown and the developing humanitarian crisis has led many to ask what, if anything, the international community could do.  Are there other options available? The most often mentioned proposal is the imposition of a No Fly Zone (NFZ) over Libya.  This article is not advocating for or against an NFZ.  An NFZ may sound like a relatively simple solution and most people are probably familiar with the general concept (as it has been used before and during the Gulf Wars and in the Balkan conflicts), but there are serious concerns about a Libyan NFZ, for both the potential enforcing foreign nations and for the opposition movement within Libya.

Many serious international commentators have weighed in on a No Fly Zone, for and against.  Each view deserves careful consideration and the point of this article is to provide readers with links to the varying arguments to spur debate and present a more fleshed out backdrop of the competing concerns and interests.  Before we begin, however, a quick note on the actual mechanics of how an NFZ would come into being.  An NFZ would have to be authorized by the UN Security Council under its Chapter VII Charter Mandate and could be enforced either by UN member states or the NATO military alliance.   An NFZ is a military intervention, not a non-military measure. From a practical standpoint, Russia (a veto-holding Security Council permanent member) is currently ruling out a UN Security Council NFZ and the NATO Alliance members are similarly split on the issue.  For more on this aspect, see here.

Arguments For a No Fly Zone

Britain Prime Minister David Cameron, House of Commons Address:  Prime Minister Cameron has proposed taking the lead on coordinating a military no fly zone, saying “[w]e must not tolerate this regime using military force against its own people. In that context I have asked the Ministry of Defence and the Chief of the Defence Staff to work with our allies on plans for a military no-fly zone.”

Michael Rubin, American Enterprise Institute, USA Today: Mr. Rubin argues that American credibility is on the line and that we cannot stand by in the face of civilian “slaughter.”  He suggests that “Obama should take action: First, he should order U.S. fighter jets based in Sicily and on Mediterranean aircraft carriers to enforce a no-fly zone over northern Libya. Not only would this prevent Libyan planes from again strafing civilians, but it would also enable safer evacuation of non-Libyans.  If Gadhafi’s henchmen continue their slaughter, Obama might impose no-drive zones for military vehicles.”

David Cortright, University of Notre Dame’s Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies, NY Times Room for Debate Forum:  Mr. Cortright argues for a multi-lateral no fly zone authorized by the UN, but endorsed by the Arab League and one that includes Arab governments such as Egypt and Morocco.  He argues “[m]ore than 200 Arab organizations and intellectuals have urged Arab League support for a no-flight zone. Gaining the league’s support in this new era of more responsive politics in the region should be possible and must be a priority. This will make it easier to convince China and other hesitant Security Council members to approve U.N. authorization and will hasten Colonel Qaddafi’s downfall.”

Marc Lynch, Foreign Policy Magazine: Mr. Lynch argues that it is time for concrete actions against Gaddafi’s regime.  “It is time for the United States, NATO, the United Nations and the Arab League to act forcefully to try to prevent the already bloody situation from degenerating into something much worse.  By acting, I mean a response sufficiently forceful and direct to deter or prevent the Libyan regime from using its military resources to butcher its opponents. I have already seen reports that NATO has sternly warned Libya against further violence against its people. Making that credible could mean the declaration and enforcement of a no-fly zone over Libya, presumably by NATO, to prevent the use of military aircraft against the protestors.”

Arguments Against a No Fly Zone

Marc Leon Goldberg, UN Dispatch: Mr. Goldberg responds to Marc Lynch and challenges the effectiveness of an NFZ:

“There has been a sort-of coalescing around the idea that a No Fly Zone is useful way to intervene to stop the killing. I am not so sure. While it is true that some of the slaughter has been perpetrated by Libyan air force, air assets alone are not responsible for the killing. If Qaddafi and his inner circle are intent on violently suppressing this revolt, they will use their superior ground forces as well. A No Fly Zone is a humanitarian half measure. It would let the international community say that it is doing something, but there is very little a No Fly Zone can actually do to stop ongoing slaughter.”

Defense Secretary Gates, Admiral Mullen, General Mathis, Pentagon News Conference:  Gen. Mathis points out that an NFZ would first require disabling Libya’s air defense system, a significant military exercise. Sec. Gates stated “there would be multiple consequences to military action, including to United States forces already at war in the region. “If we move additional assets, what are the consequences of that for Afghanistan, for the Persian Gulf?” and that “we also have to think about, frankly, the use of the U.S. military in another country in the Middle East.”

Edward Rees, Senior adviser to Peace Dividend Trust, The Atlantic: Mr. Rees argues “enforcing a no-fly zone (NFZ) over Libya is unlikely to do as much good as its backers hope, and could in fact backfire.”  Mr. Rees highlights the practical effectiveness of an NFZ because of the size of Libya, the lack of nearby air bases from which to impose the NFZ (meaning it may have to be enforced from aircraft carriers), the risk of downing the wrong aircrafts and being drawn into a ground conflict.

Kori Schake, Hoover Institution, NY Times Room for Debate Forum: Ms. Schake presents four reasons why the US should not use military force, including the fact that “we have not had an ambassador in Libya for months, and we have evacuated our diplomats; we ought not overestimate how much we understand what is occurring in the country or the shape Libya’s rebellion will take.”

To read more views, see the New York Times Room for Debate Forum: http://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2011/03/01/should-the-us-move-against-qaddafi

 

Libya on the Brink of Civil War

By Lady_E with assistance from Kenneth Gibson

Despite his bizarre claims in an interview with ABCNews’ Christiane Amanpour, Gaddafi’s crackdown on opposition forces intensified over the weekend with Special Forces, regular Army forces and fighter jets striking opposition targets. Meanwhile, opposition forces announced the formation of the National Libyan Council and selected former justice minister Mustafa Mohamed Abdel Jalil is to lead the initiative.  The Council will coordinate attempts to liberate Tripoli and other Libyan areas still under Gaddafi’s control. On Sunday, Sens. McCain and Lieberman called on the US government to recognize and arm the provisional opposition government. Over the weekend and through last night, opposition forces fought fierce battles against pro-Gaddafi forces to maintain their hold on ‘liberated’ areas, but neither side appears to have gained a clear military advantage. Opposition forces repelled sustained pro-Gaddafi assaults on the opposition-held towns of Zawiyah and Misrata, but attempts to reach Tripoli did not materialize and it remains under Gaddafi’s control.

Opposition organizers in Benghazi

Beyond the military assaults, Libyan civilians trapped by the fighting are facing food and medical supply shortages.  Over the weekend, The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) entered Eastern Libya, including opposition held Benghazi, and is now providing medical assistance.  The ICRC reports 256 killed and 2,000 people wounded in Benghazi.  On Monday, French Prime Minister, François Fillon, announced that France is also sending two planes carrying doctors, nurses, medications and medical equipment to Benghazi.  The planes are scheduled to leave this morning.  However, due to the security situation, aid is not reaching western parts of Libya.  According to Valerie Amos, the UN humanitarian chief, the security situation around Tripoli remains too dangerous for international aid agencies to assess the need for medicine, food and other supplies in the west.  The ICRC has also not been able to access Western Libya and Al Jazeera reports this morning that Gaddafi’s regime may be purposefully blocking food supplies to Western towns as a means of undermining opposition control.

Benghazi, the de facto capital of the opposition, is where much of anti-Gaddafi actions are co-ordinated and executed.

For Libyans and foreign nationals who have been able to flee the country, refugee support remains limited. Sybella Wilkes, spokeswoman for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, announced that more than 140,000 refugees have fled into neighboring countries, estimating that up to 75,000 refugees had already crossed into Tunisia from Libya and 69,000 others had crossed from eastern Libya into Egypt.   Over the weekend, witnesses and news reports documented Tunisian guards repeatedly opening fire on refugees attempting to enter and refugees being beaten by guards.  Once through the border, the refugee situation remains precarious.  The Tunisian camp can accommodate about 10,000 people. “The resources are being drawn down as quickly as we can pump them in,” Ms. Wilkes said in a telephone interview.  Relief workers have said they are concerned about sanitation in the camp and supplies of drinking water.  In Geneva, Secretary of State Clinton announced the Obama Administration has set aside $10 million for emergency humanitarian relief through the U.S. Agency for International Development and that two teams of USAID experts are being sent to Libya’s borders to assess the refugee crisis and organize the delivery of aid.

Member of opposition forces outside Benghazi military base

More than two weeks after the uprising began the International community continues to increase pressure on the Gaddafi regime though military intervention but the imposition of a no fly zone remains unlikely at this point. Over the weekend, acting on President Obama’s Executive Order, the US Treasury Department froze $30 billion in Libyan government assets.  The European Union imposed new sanctions, including an arms and police equipment sales embargo and a visa ban for Libyan officials.  On Saturday the Security Council met for a second time and adopted Resolution 1970 under its Chapter VII, Article 41 authority which includes 1) an ICC referral, 2) an arms embargo, 3) an asset freeze and 4) a travel ban (Note: the Resolution link provides summaries of the Security Council member statements on the Resolution.  Importantly, Ibrahim Dabbashi, the Deputy Permanent Delegate, represented the Libyan delegation).

Despite repeated pleas from the Libyan UN delegation, human rights groups and some US elected officials, the UN Security Council did not include imposing a no fly zone to prevent Gaddafi from bombing civilians by air.  Today, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov ruled out Russian support for a no fly zone.  Russia is a permanent member of the UN Security Council and has veto authority.  NATO could impose and enforce a no fly zone but has stated that any military interventions would have to be UN authorized.

For additional information and ongoing updates:

ICRC Resource Page: http://www.icrc.org/eng/resources/index.jsp

For up to the minute updates, links to on the ground reporting and a twitter live feed from the Region, visit the The New York Time’s Lede Blog (twitter feed on the right): http://thelede.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/03/01/latest-updates-on-libyas-revolt-and-mideast-protests-4/?hp

Al Jazeera English live stream: http://english.aljazeera.net/watch_now/

For those having problems with the Al Jazeera live stream (maybe it’s just me), sign up for LiveStation (it’s free!) and you can watch any Al Jazeera channel: http://www.livestation.com/

UN News Centre: http://www.un.org/news/

Images via BBC, Guardian, Al Jazeera and Newsday

Have a favorite news source we are missing?  Put a link in the comments!

The Day in Demonstrations: Libyan War Machines

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The dawning of a new week sees Muammar el-Gaddafi double down on his commitment to murdering his own citizens.

Government buildings continued to burn Monday in the Libyan capital, Tripoli, following “major” riots overnight. Libya’s response has been to unleash their war machines as helicopters and warplanes besieged parts of the city and fired on protesters. Other witness reports are claiming bands of Miltiamen, many of whom sound like our African mercenariness we heard about yesterday, are tooling around the city in pickups shooting at groups of protesters. Tripoli seems to be in complete chaos right now; security forces have retreated to defensive positions inside government buildings, there are many fires burning in the street and there are shortages of bread and gas.  Rebels ( I guess you graduate from protester to rebel after you seize control of a city)  in Benghazi, the second-largest city, maintained their control over the area and have issued a list of demands calling for a secular interim government led by the army in cooperation with a council of Libyan tribes [NYT].

Photo apparently taken today in Benghazi

The rioting and clashing with security forces going on in Tripoli sprung up rather suddenly and seems to have been inspired by Gaddafi’s son’s television address last night. Here’s some video of the speech via Al-Jazeera:

He seems to take after his father when it comes to speeches; most people are agreeing that the speech was rambling, incoherent and offered little admission of guilt or compromise.

And where is Gaddafi Sr. amongst all this? Apparently he might be in Venezuela [Guardian].

The death toll may be as high as 400 now, according to statements made by Libyan rights groups. This is being decribed as the bloodiest crack-down in the history Gaddafi’s rule and his regime seems to be genuinely on the brink of collapse now; the demonstrators seem very determined now. However, with Libyan authorities framing the state violence as routing out “terrorist nests” it would seem that Gaddafi is prepared for a long and protracted armed conflict. Many people within the government are resigning with at least seven international ambassadors leaving their posts, including the ambassador to the US [Guardian].

Elsewhere, five people perished in a building that was set alight during riots in Morocco [VOA]; demonstrators continue to occupy Pearl Square, their numbers being bolstered by the thousands since Saturday. Some other Arab kingdoms convened talks with Bahraini rulers to pressure them to get a lid on this thing before it spreads to their own kingdoms [Canadian Press]; tens of thousands of anti-government protesters continue to march in Yemen, demanding the resignation of their president, whom has vowed to resist an ousting:

[MSNBC]

The Day in Demonstrations: Libya Goes DEFCON 1.

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So, the latest news coming out of Libya is that Muammar el-Qaddafi has hired some African mercenaries and they’re now (surprise, surprise) laying waste to protesters indiscriminately resulting in “scores” of deaths across the country today. Today’s activity brings the death toll in Libya to approximately 200 but, of course, no one knows for sure because journalists have been barred from entering the country and communications have been essentially shut down country-wide. Most of this has been happening in Benghazi, where 15 or so people where murdered by security forces yesterday while attending a funeral. There are reports emerging of disturbances in the capital of Tripoli, also:

“We are in Tripoli, there are chants [directed at Gaddafi]: ‘Where are you? Where are you? Come out if you’re a man,” a protester told Al Jazeera on phone. There were also reports of protesters heading to Gaddafi’s compound in the city of Al-Zawia near Tripoli, with the intention of burning the building down [Al-Jazeera].

Yeah, Gaddafi! Where the fuck are you? I’m in the streets everyday, where you at?!!? That’s it! I’m calling Gaddafi a straight-up punk, ya dig?

At least one military unit has defected to the side of the protesters, probably due to them being ordered by an insane, blood-thirsty piece of shit to commit horrible atrocities against innocent people. Protests have also been reported  in other cities, including Bayda, Derna, Tobruk and Misrata and the Al-Zuwayya and Warfala tribes are none too happy with Gaddafi; the Warfala tribe has threatened to stop all oil-exports to the West within 24 hours if the violence doesn’t end. Unfortunately, messing with the oil supply is probably the only way to get Western countries to do anything about it.

The Libyan government has been “defiant” (when are those motherfuckers anything but?) in the face of international criticism. Also, apparently an 18-month-old was shot in the head by a sniper [Gulfnews].

Douchebag Jr. (Gaddafi’s son, Saif) has just given an address on state TV in which he blamed everyone (trade unionists, foreigners, “Islamists”) besides himself and his father. Saif claimed, also, that numbers regarding casualties and deaths have been exaggerated. Sorry, bud, but if even one person was injured slightly you are a huge piece of shit. No need to beat around the bush here, that is what you are. He also promised that reforms would be forthcoming and a popular assembly would be convened on Monday to discuss how to move on from this. Oh these dictators! They’re always so reasonable and reform minded after protesters seize control of “some” military bases and tanks, aren’t they?

Elsewhere, Tunsia seeks Ben Ali’s extradition [Reuters]; the leader of Yemen’s secessionist Southern Movement was arrested today;  shots were fired  in the capital Sanaa as demonstrations move into their ninth day [VOA]; Bahraini opposition parties met Sunday to figure out an official declaration of demands to present to the government although protesters continue to demand Bahrain’s  prime minister and his cabinet step down. Things seemed to remain peaceful throughout Sunday[Toronto Star]; tens of thousands of people demanding political reform have managed to march peacefully in Morroco [ LA Times].

Welp, this has made me thoroughly sick. I got to go lie down now, goodnight!

[Guardian] [ NYT ]

The Day in Demonstrations: Protesters Reoccupy Bahrain’s Central Square

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Protesters certainly do like to gather in squares, don’t they? This is no less true of Bahraini protesters who have marched on and occupied Bahrain’s Pearl Square this morning in a show of resistance against their violent ejection from the square a few days ago.

Bahrain, the latest Middle-Eastern country to be rocked by determined and energetic anti-government demonstrations, has been ruthless in quashing demonstrations; calls by Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad bin Isa Khalifa on Friday for a peaceful resolution were rejected by the the leading opposition party. Protesters had tried to enter the square Friday but were fired upon by security forces and repelled with rubber bullets and birdshot.

Bahrain’s deadly response to protests, leaving at least 6 dead, only steeled Bahrainis’ determination for change all the more and as the sun rose on Saturday people made another attempt on the square. Seemingly, there was some reconsideration of strategy going on within the Bahraini government as this time around police and military have relented and protesters have been able to peacefully occupy the square.

The atmosphere in the square is being described as “euphoric” and as demonstrators hunker down for the night in tents calls for complete overthrow of the regime are becoming increasingly loud.

Elsewhere, things aren’t looking so bright; in what is being called a “day of rage” 15 mourners were reportedly killed in the Libyan city of Benghazi when security forces fired on them while they were attending a fucking funeral.

From Al Jazeera:

A doctor from Benghazi told Al Jazeera that the Al Jalah hospital where he works had received 15 bodies and was treating numerous people following the shootings at the funeral.

He said the hospital had counted 44 deaths in total in three days, adding that it struggling to treat the wounded.

“This is not a well-equipped hospital and these injuries come in waves. All are very serious injuries, involving the head, the chest and the abdomen. They are bullet injuries from high-velocity rifles.

In Algeria, riot police dispersed a pro-democracy demonstration of about 50 people with batons. Such restraint!

VOA News, Al Jazeera, picture via NYT

Dealing with Hangovers

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So I’m hungover today because, well, fuck it, I get wasted on Thursdays. What’s it to you?

Unfortunately, everyone of us here has probably experienced the foul stench and unwelcome presence of a blinding hangover. It’s not pleasant and the longer your career in binge drinking goes on the worst they seem to be.
Gone are the days when we could leap out of bed after a night of reckless drinking with nary a problem an aspirin couldn’t solve.  You may experience extreme nausea, a head ache that feels like its crushing your eyeballs together and bouts of light-headedness that could lead to you falling down a flight of stairs and more lethargy than a college freshmen at 4:25 on a Tuesday afternoon.

That being said, these are perhaps small prices to pay for that rollicking good time you had down at Billy Bob’s Dollar Beer Dance Hall. No one is suggesting you stop drinking but its time to start taking hangover management seriously.

It being Friday and a long weekend I figure a lot of us are going to be hungover sometime within the next 2-3 days. Keeping in mind that there is no quick fix to a hangover, this article is intended to go over some of mine and the internet’s favorite ways to ease the pain of a drunk brain.  However, first let us look at just why you feel like shit:

image via bitsandpieces.us

Basically you feel like shit because you’re dehydrated like a motherfucker. Seriously. Ethanol creates a dehydrating effect by making you have to piss every five minutes or “increased urine production” for all the science nerds. Probably the most disturbing consequence of this process occurs in the brain and is the main reason for the dreadful headache you have. You see, as much as we all like to think that our brains are very special and should be cherished, the body doesn’t share this opinion. When you start becoming dehydrated your body diverts water from fluid rich parts of your body (i.e. your brain) to your vital organs to prevent organ failure and death. This process leads to a brain less saturated in fluids which causes your brain to shrink in size and pull on the ling that attaches it to the inside of your cranial vault. That’s right, your brain is literally ripping itself apart from its internal lining. Think about that the next time your on your fifth double-whiskey.

The rest of your hangover symptoms seem mostly related to the fact that drinking alcohol seriously impairs your organs’ ability to do their job. Your stomach lining becomes inflamed with causes, in part, the nausea, your liver can’t metabolize sugar which leads to low bl0od sugar which makes you lethargic and your pancreas kicks the production of digestive chemicals into overdrive causing stomach pain.

Given the significant role dehydration plays in your hangover its not surprising, then, that my first and absolutely essential treatment is:

1. Drink your ass some water: Do this before going to bed if you can. Just down as much water as possible. It tastes so good! Its so refreshing, mmm yes water, I love you.  If your too fucked up the night before to even consider managing anything other than making it to your bed then begin hydro therapy immediately waking.

2. Have an amazing breakfast: if you have time, whip up some bacon and eggs, with toast if you like or even just a bacon sandwich, nom nom nom .

3. Just get drunk again: also known as Hair of the Dog, a desire to immediately get drunk again may indicate that you’re an alcoholic but you always knew you’d end up like your father anyway, right?

Warning! Going to work completely shit faced will likely result in your immediate termination!

4. Get some exercise: I know you just feel like laying in bed right now but if you can get outside and go for a walk, or a run, you will feel better I promise you. Nothing cuts through a hangover like adrenaline.

5. Smoke Weed.

Attention! Smoking weed is illegal do not do it!

But, if you happen to have some lying around and your hungover, then if you happen to light it on fire and inhale the smoke that arises from it then there is a chance you will feel a lot better. This isn’t the best idea, again, if you have to go to work. It would not be a good thing for your boss to be like, “Hey! I thought I told you to bring those TVs from the warehouse onto the floor!” and your all like

Dude, what TVs?

The sweet, sweet Mary Jane will ease your nausea and headache and make you sleepy so you can go sleep of your hangover. I usually opt for a combination of all these. Upon waking up with a hangover, drink lots of water, have some food, smoke some weed and go back to bed for a while. When you finally properly get out of bed, get out of the house and go for a walk or a bike ride.

WARNING! #CRASSTALK DOES NO ENDORSE SMOKING CHRONIC BUDS.

Have a nice weekend everyone!

 bacon sandwich via here, stoner pic via here.