So I was planning on being on a plane all day today, but I decided to wait a day and rest up a bit before this week’s SXSW Conference in Austin, TX.
I didn’t get into the Music Showcase as I had hoped, but I’ll still be there all week and I’m going to bring my guitar just in case any of you with gigs feel like letting a girl with a guitar sing a quick 3 minute song or two before your set. (Or perhaps in the middle of your party — I only have two songs so I can’t take it over — and I need zero preparation or set-up — just let me sit down somewhere with the guitar.)
Shoot me an email if you’re interested: lisarein@finetuning.com.
Attention: Speakers and bands. I’ve got my camera and a relatively flexible roaming schedule. There’s no reason why I couldn’t roam over you’re way if you’d appreciate some footage of your work. Just drop me a line.
Okay so what’s in the kitty for today: Raving at the Feb 16 march, The Daily Show takes a look at the Shrub’s “Faith-based Aid”, Pelosi finally speaks up (a little), and Colin Powell continues to say close to nothing at all…
Plus some clips of the Senate arguing about the war and addressing the issue of the potential future (or lack thereof) of a Kurdish nation under American rule.
Advisors warn Bush he faces “humiliating” defeat on UN resolution
By the staff at Capital Hill Blue.
“You will lose, Mr. President,” Powell told Bush. “You will lose badly and the United States will be humiliated on the world stage.”
Bill Moyers on Patriotism and the American Flag
I wore my flag tonight. First time. Until now I haven’t thought it necessary to display a little metallic icon of patriotism for everyone to see. It was enough to vote, pay my taxes, perform my civic duties, speak my mind, and do my best to raise our kids to be good Americans…
It no more occurred to me to flaunt the flag on my chest than it did to pin my mother’s picture on my lapel to prove her son’s love. Mother knew where I stood; so does my country. I even tuck a valentine in my tax returns on April 15.
So what’s this doing here? Well, I put it on to take it back. The flag’s been hijacked and turned into a logo
I am writing you to submit my resignation from the Foreign Service of the United States and from my position as Political Counselor in U.S. Embassy Athens, effective March 7. I do so with a heavy heart. The baggage of my upbringing included a felt obligation to give something back to my country…
…until this Administration it had been possible to believe that by upholding the policies of my president I was also upholding the interests of the American people and the world. I believe it no longer.
The policies we are now asked to advance are incompatible not only with American values but also with American interests. Our fervent pursuit of war with Iraq is driving us to squander the international legitimacy that has been America
I’ve got a ton of links to put up about the protests that have been going on all over the world the last two days, and then I’m going early to the protest around 10:30 so I won’t miss anything. (Update at 10am: I’m running late and will have to post all of this stuff this afternoon after the protest — in between video crunching.)
Downtown San Francisco isn’t really equipped to hold more than it had to at the last protest (150,000+), so it will be quite interesting to see how everything pans out.
If you’re into showing your support, but not into walking 15 blocks or so with a huge crowd, you should just show up at Civic Center around 2pm. If it’s anything like last time, the entire area in a six block radius around the Civic Center will be alive with people, music, dance, theatre and song.
If you live within walking distance — even a bit of a long walk — that’s definitely the best form of transportation.
See you there! I’ll have footage up tonight!
Now, citizens all over the country stand up against U.S. tyranical warmonger. On Jan. 18, over a million people cried “No to Attack on IRAQ” in more than 40 countries. In Japan, about 7,000 citizens of various fields and generations participated WORLD PEACE NOW Jan. 18 at Hibiya park in Tokyo. There were also same kind of joint actions in about 30 cities in Japan. TV and news paper reported anti war joint actions in Japan and world scale.
In spite of anti war actions spreading worldwide, U.S. attack on IRAQ is drawing to a crisis day by day. Therefore Stop the War Coalition in London called for world-wide day of demonstrations on 15 February against the prospect of war. We support this appeal and will hold acitons for peace to protest against U.S. war drive and its supporter; Koizumi government in Japan.
“Long War” is doublespeak for “thousands of our soldiers will die and we’ll keep sending more over.”
What happened to killing Saddam within 48 hours and leaving it at that? The story keeps changing and changing…
Even Colin Powell is trying to warn us about this war. As best he can, considering he works for the crazies that are in favor of this war.
Colin Powell. If you’re listening. I have a question for you:
Why don’t you stop this war right now by speaking out against it?
You could stop all the madness right now, by just picking up the telephone, resigning, and telling the world why.
Why not tell the truth you must know better than anyone else? Why show up to the U.N. with smoke and mirrors and a vial of anthrax and a dog and pony show?
(Video of this on the way, of course, courtesy of The Daily Show…of course.)
Powell: Commitment in Iraq Would Be Long
Secretary of State Colin Powell (news – web sites),
on the eve of another faceoff at the United Nations
(news – web sites) over disarming Saddam Hussein
(news – web sites), said Thursday the American
people should be “prepared for a fairly long-term
commitment” in Iraq…
Once those goals are achieved, Powell said, the
U.S. military leader in such a war would take
temporary charge of Iraq. But that person
would give way to a prominent American
or international figure, whose own term
would be limited with an eye toward turning
over the government to the Iraqis themselves,
the secretary of state said.
“We would try to build as much as we can
on the structure that is there,” Powell said.
“The challenge would be to put in place a
representative leadership.”
…His confrontation with officials of those
two countries is set for Friday in New York.
That’s when chief U.N. weapons inspectors
Hans Blix and Mohamed ElBaradei report
on searches that have not turned up what
the Bush administration has characterized
as hundreds of concealed and illicit
biological and chemical weapons…
Meanwhile, a new audio recording by
Osama bin Laden (news – web sites) was
reported Wednesday
Antiwar protesters rally to cause
By By Burhan Wazir for The Observer.
If half a million people pour on to the streets of
London next week to protest about the prospect
of war in Iraq, as many are now predicting, John
Rees will have reason to be pleased with himself.
He is among a tiny handful of people behind one
of the most rapidly growing and widely based protest
movements to emerge in Britain since the war…
Over the past 18 months, the coalition, chaired
by Andrew Murray, a former journalist and trade
union official, has established itself at the forefront
of the anti-war movement in the UK. Each week the
organisation gathers people at small town hall
meetings, churches and mosques throughout Britain.
People have, for the most part, then organised
themselves. A snowball effect has resulted. Nearly
200 coaches have been booked to ferry supporters
into the capital.
As well as emails, organisers have used text
messaging, professionally designed adverts and
computer banking techniques to raise cash. ‘The
volume of emails – 1,000 a day – is particularly
difficult to keep up with,’ said Rees.
So too is the lack of experience of many of the
would-be marchers. ‘Many people have never
attended a march before. They have no idea of
what to do. So they organise themselves slowly.
Whereas before five people were turning
up at these small meetings, these days it’s closer
to 100.’
Here’s another story from my local station KTVU Channel 2 – (Lo-Res – 26 MB) about how local business are fearing that this War will mean the end for them (finish off what’s left of their businesses after 911).
It is my belief that people feel that small business’ across the country will be hurt straight across the board.
Let me know if you need this file in smaller chunks.
