by David Burn | Sep 2, 2004 | Politics
“It has been said truthfully that it is the soldier, not the reporter, who has given us the freedom of the press. It is the soldier, not the poet who has given us the freedom of speech. It is the soldier, not the agitator, who has given us the freedom to protest. It is the soldier who salutes the flag, serves beneath the flag, whose coffin is draped by the flag, who gives that protester the freedom he abuses to burn that flag.” –Zell Miller, Democratic Senator from GA, and keynote speaker at the GOP’s nominating convention in NYC last night
I know this what they preach in the military. I’ve heard it from family members who served. The exact words, the precise justifications. It may serve to ease the conscience of our trained killers, but to see the world through this lens is distorted, at best. The soldier does what he is told. Period. The soldier never stops to ask the critical question, “Whose interests am I serving here?” The assumption is “our” interests, the US, the West, democracy. The truth is our military has been sent in harm’s way for big business, time and again for 150 plus years. Our soldiers would do well to learn the nation’s history before they blindly accept a mission to defend what’s not their’s to defend. Of course, if we had better schools, it would make it that much more difficult to recruit new soldiers.
by David Burn | Sep 1, 2004 | Literature
The rubber-producing area of Kottayam, in the Indian state of Kerala, truly comes alive in the detailed depictions and sensuous poetics of Arundhati Roy’s Booker Award-winning first novel, The God Of Small Things. So much so, I’ve been encouraged to learn more about the area. In southwest India facing the Arabian Sea, the state has over 18 million residents, and one of the world’s only democratically elected Communist governments.
“I just do what I do you know. I don’t believe that just because I’ve written a book I have to write another ten books, or just because I’ve written a screenplay I have to carry on doing that. Sometimes something is a book; and sometimes a screenplay or…something else. I think that sometimes we are just sort of put into these categories, and we don’t think about it, we just keep running on those tracks.” -Arundhati Roy, when asked if she was working on her next book
One of the things she “just does” (and quite well, I might add) is anti-Imperial journalism.
by David Burn | Sep 1, 2004 | The Environment
When examining world population figures, I was surprised to see the US at third, behind only China and India. China and India both have over a billion people. The US has but 290 million by comparison. Indonesia and Brazil round out the top five, with Pakistan, Russia, Bangladesh, Nigeria and Japan making up the remainder of top ten most populous nations.
fyi…Afghanistan is 38th. Iraq is 43rd. Vietnam, again somewhat surprisingly, is 14th most populous.
by David Burn | Aug 28, 2004 | Place
Thanks to Kevin Kelly’s Cool Tools blog, I learned of real estate site Bulgarian Properties about six months ago. It’s a site I continue to revisit. Bulgaria is scheduled to join the EU in 2007. This means the time to invest is now. And one can find a home near the Black Sea for the price of a parking space in Chicago.
This traditional Bulgarian home is going for 11K in US currency
by David Burn | Aug 25, 2004 | Media
Once upon a time, I doled out story assignments to budding journalists. Doing so was part of my weekly routine as Asst. News Editor and later as News Editor of The College Reporter at Franklin & Marshall. The most enterprising reporter I had on staff was an aggressive young man by the name of Ken Mehlman. I tended to give Ken the best assignments and eventually appointed him my Asst. News Editor.
Now, when I see Ken on TV promoting his boss–the President of The United States–mostly what I feel is a strong sense of detachment, and at times a tinge of regret. After college, Ken went to Harvard Law School. I opted for the environmental movement and Grateful Dead tour. Today, Ken shapes the news and plays a role with absolutely huge consequences. I, on the other hand, make ads for disinterested audiences. What’s my point? Merely, that it’s nice to be in a position to make a difference.
by David Burn | Aug 23, 2004 | Politics
According to Adbusters, one in four New York City residents is a Democrat. Therefore, it is not surprising that the Republican Party has never in its 150 year history chose to conduct its nominating convention in New York City. So what makes this year different? Two numbers: 9/11.
Given the mass mobilization of left-leaning activists and the very real anger they are about to uncork, I fully expect next week’s events in NYC to make Chicago in 1968 seem tame by comparison, even though it is clear the vast majority of protestors intend to be non-violent.
by David Burn | Aug 19, 2004 | Politics
For reasons unknown, fighter jets have been buzzing the air space over Chicago for the past few hours. Their first pass was directly overhead and the sound made me think that a plane was coming down in our neighborhood, for we are on a landing path to O’Hare. But this sound was coming from the other direction, making me that much more disoriented. Considering what these mechanical fighter birds are doing in Najaf today, once can begin to grasp just how terrifying it all really is. Maybe that’s why they’re up there today, to remind a city of 10,000,000 that we are, in fact, at war.
Najaf, Iraq today
by David Burn | Aug 19, 2004 | Music
Rolling Stone reported yesterday that “The Dead” are breaking form by becoming political in their old age, something they’ve heretofore consciously avoided. What interested me though, was Bobby’s proclamation regarding the composition of the band:
“Going into this, I was thinking maybe we were gonna need a traffic cop,” says Weir. “But everybody’s listening to everyone else, and Warren has made us a little more muscular.”
Way to give credit where credit is due Bob.
Bobby trying to look like Jerry
by David Burn | Aug 17, 2004 | Chicago
In what may only be described as a culinary setback for the city, Hot Doug’s is temporarily out of business, due to a fire in the apartment above them. Doug is presently looking for a new location. The good citizens of Lincoln Square ought to lure him away from Roscoe Village. That would be another major score for the Square.
by David Burn | Aug 17, 2004 | Politics
“I don’t believe in the dogmatic postulates of Marxist revolution. I don’t accept that we are living in a period of proletarian revolutions. All that must be revised. Reality is telling us that every day. Are we aiming in Venezuela today for the abolition of private property or a classless society? I don’t think so. But if I’m told that because of that reality you can’t do anything to help the poor, the people who have made this country rich through their labour and never forget that some of it was slave labour, then I say ‘We part company’. I will never accept that there can be no redistribution of wealth in society. Our upper classes don’t even like paying taxes. That’s one reason they hate me. We said ‘You must pay your taxes’. I believe it’s better to die in battle, rather than hold aloft a very revolutionary and very pure banner, and do nothing … That position often strikes me as very convenient, a good excuse … Try and make your revolution, go into combat, advance a little, even if it’s only a millimetre, in the right direction, instead of dreaming about utopias.” -Hugo Chavez speaking to Tariq Ali for CounterPunch.org
Hugo Chavez, the embattled President of Venezuela, yesterday defeated a recall in an election that brought out 94% of this oil-rich nation’s eligible citizens, many who stood in lines over a mile long to vote for democracy, not oligarchy. All this despite fierce and blantant opposition from the oligarchy-owned press, and a full course of dirty trickery care of Bush/Cheney, Inc.
The people celebrate their victory.
