jueves, 24 de abril de 2008

humanities

I think i would like to attend the lectures of Sir Justman even after i finish school. If there was a person that could be bald, awkward, proud, boring, and dramatic all at the same time... I think that person has the potential to become the twin of Stewart Justman. a snippet from todays lecture: "Tolstoy and Dostoyevsky were like two bears in one den - the den of literature!"
the metaphorical genius lives to see another day

domingo, 20 de abril de 2008

DPS

How exciting. A student sit-in that resulted in arrests on my very own home campus for the fist time since the Vietnam war. One of three around the country. I wrote a simple letter from a simple girl to the editor that most likely will not be printed since they tend not to like me very much. Although this one is not near as mean as the previous one listing all the countries the U.S had invaded in the past 100 yrs.... quite extensive.

"President George Dennison should sign the letter of intent for DPS, and the charges against the students should be dropped. DPS ensures that workers making university apparel have a livable wage, and are able to form legitimate unions. University officials site ‘legal ramifications’ for their unwavering support of sweatshop labor.

Former Assistant Attorney General, Donald Baker, gave legal advice to ‘Workers Rights Consortium’ stating, “if the Program were carried out as recommended by us, the Program would not be likely to conflict with U.S. anti-trust laws; and hence the University Licensors do not face a significant risk of anti-trust exposure for proceeding with the program” (Baker and Miller PLLC). However, UM students are not even asking that Dennison sign on –but rather he sign a letter of intent. The letter says that if DPS were to be approved by the department of Justice that the University will then comply with it. Yet Dennison and Foley have refused to do this. Provost Royce Engstrom says that he “hoped they [students] would pursue their interests without undertaking illegal activity” (missioulian 4/20). My hope is that the university would pursue its interests in accordance with the wishes of its students, that it would support workers rights, and that Dennison would sign the letter of intent for DPS."

martes, 15 de abril de 2008

new favorite quote ever! "Considering the state of the world I came to the conclusion that either there is no god, or else god is my all powerful enemy"

favorite musician ever! Immortal technique

favorite story from this morning! as i entered campus and on up to my classroom... typical montana style there is a random stuffed deer hanging out in the hallway - with a remote control to be used while hiding behind the corner to scare people. Why? I don't know.

jueves, 10 de abril de 2008

torture?

perhaps i torture others because i write about nothing else.... but self control has never been one of my strong points. Lets set the stage. The book for the week was confessions of state violence. My research project is on the School of americas and how america teaches torture. So i consider myself somewhat 'tortured out' at the moment. after reading so many testimonies the constant theme that keeps coming up is the 'ticking time bomb' theory. it is the rationale of every nation that uses torture, every human that inflicts it (or half beast). But yet the ticking time bomb of saving a million lives and you MUST torture because you will get reliable information - and not only reliable but the information that you actually are seeking... and be able to distinguish it from all the other bullshit that was yelled out during the torture session because apparently you know what information you are looking for - because they know where the bomb is in the first place... well. it just doesn't happen. but it is used in every single case. it is ironic (or not) how similar argentina, chile, brazil, and south africa and now the United States all compare with eachother. ticking time bomb! patriotism! denial untill evidence proves otherwise. a few bad apples. and more importantly, humans in secret torture facilities. or not so secret. Guantanamo lives!
An amnesty international report on the U.S is quite extensive. Not only outside the United States, but within as well "More than 70 people died after being shocked with tasers (dart-firing electroshock weapons), bringing to more than 230 the number
of such deaths since 2001."
on a new and exciting sidenote - anyone interested in creating a digital identity and living it out in a digitalized world? then you can forego reality, cease to exist and waste your money all at the same time! (sim world does actually exist)
Another sidenote because i thought i was up to date on my conspiracy theories. But apparently this one has been around for sometime. a journalist came and presented her documentary in Missoula with overwheleming evidence that Pres. Reagan bargained with Iran before he was elected to not release the hostages. This would create such bad press for Jimmy Carter that people would be sick of him and vote Reagan in. In exchange he agreed to sell them weapons. So, weapons for hostages... not so much. And even worse is that apparently Oliver North is now a special correspondent for FOX. And it is not mentioned that he was convicted for lying to Congress about selling illegal weapons from Iran to fund the contras in Nicaragua. but he ended up six months in jail but was pardoned before he served. and This bastard is a special correspondent? how depressing. torturous... if you will...
and another sidenote... (how many do i get?) Q: what is the biggest taboo of the weightroom? A: dropping the bar on yourself while bench pressing! superwoman lifting powers not available for rent on the odd days of the month...

miércoles, 2 de abril de 2008

giddy up!

OBAMA IS COMING TO MISSOULA!!!!! and i'll be in line for tickets bright and early tomorrow... its free! i'm so excited! they better not trick me and then cancel it. i would be so disappointed.