Tao’s 2 Cents

I don’t actually read USA Today, but I found this just browsing around on ThinkProgress today. It’s a full-page ad that Amnesty International placed in the paper. I think the picture is phenomenal.

The purpose of the ad is to commemorate the one year anniversary of the Military Comissions Act, which essentially removed the right of habeas corpus. The bill was passed under the guise of “protecting us from terrorism”. In reality they’re just eroding the protections that many people have fought and died for…

As you may well be aware, the military regime of Burma(officially called “Union of Myanmar”) is in the process of crushing a popular democratic uprising led by the country’s Buddhist monks which was initially sparked by an increase in fuel prices and subsequent attack on monks protesting the drastic price increase. The military regime is Orwellianly known as the “State Peace and Development Council”.

In 1960, U(Mr.) Nu, was democratically elected for his third, non-consecutive term, as Prime Minister in a landslide victory. Two years later the head of the military, General Ne Win, led a coup d’etat and seized power. U Nu had been elected several times previously in the few elections the country had held since 1948, when Britain released them from colonial rule. U Nu had given up power before and was continually re-elected as a popular leader. His popularity stemmed from being head of the AFPFL which led the movement for independence from England…

I arrived in downtown D.C. in front of the White House about 30 minutes late for the protest. I was a little worried that the march would have already started but the speakers had only just started. The place was packed, it was an ocean of people. If I had to guess I’d say that there were 50-60,000 people (the organizers claimed 100,000) there when the march first started. However I think only about 20,000-30,000 ended up at Congress after the march.

I managed to get within about 50 feet of the stage and got to here Cindy Sheehan, Ramsey Clark, Adam Kokesh, Etan Thomas, and Ralph Nader speak. I think the largest applause was for the Iraq veterans, but calls for impeachment and ending the corporate dominated government also got big cheers…

I recently finished reading a book called “Deep Economy” by Bill McKibben. It discussed how life will inevitably have to change after oil goes away. That’s of course assuming we don’t find any other form of cheap energy, which is unlikely.

The main change is that we’ll all have to start living more locally. Right now it takes 10 times more energy to deliver a pound of peas than the peas actually contain. The main reason for this is processing and especially delivery. Did you know the average piece of food you eat travel 1,500 miles to get to your plate. These are colossal wastes of energy which can be solved simply by growing things locally…

They may be gone but their stench is everywhere and they’re going to have a much harder time avoiding it than they bargained for. I seriously doubt that Rove or Gonzalez will be able to go out in public for many years and not be heckled or even attacked without a bodyguard.

I’m sure they’d argue that we don’t understand the sacrifices they’ve made for us. I imagine them perched in the towers of power looking down on Americans, and the world, as ignorant peasants for them to shepherd. They have to protect us from ourselves, otherwise we’d go around shoving forks in our eyes and putting solar panels on our roofs…

It’s taken awhile to actually get situated and to the point where I’ll get to do some of the political things I’ve been itching to but unable to do over the last few years. I found a job doing web designat a place just outside of Baltimore. That’ll take most of my weekdays but most protests are on the weekend anyway…

I’d like to welcome everyone to my 2 cents. I realize that everyone has an opinion, but not everyone decides to start a blog to share it. That’s a shame, I think they should. Everyone should be involved in the discussion of how are world is being run, how it could and should be different, and what we can do to make that a reality. So I’m here to add my voice to the chorus of those who have come before me and those who will come after. I want change. I want a more egalitarian society. I hate feeling ashamed of my own country.

So stick with me and throw me your own two cents. Then lets take over our government and show the world that we do value the same things as they do. That we do value life and legitimate freedom, not the bastardized bumper sticker versions on which they sell us their lies. Let’s roll.