older entries��| musica��| linx| new words��|�� homepage���|<< ? austinbloggers # >>

NEW: Interviews
Trevor Ngwane

War News
Peter Arnett Apologizes for Thinking for Himself
Protesters Discuss "Shock and Awe" Fast for Peace
Pro-Death Rally

NewThought
Survey: Who's Reading This Site?
On Prisons
Embedded at City Hall: Some Outdated Satire (Recently Rejected by Eyeshot!)
How to Keep It Real: 15 Steps
A COUNTRY SONG About Steak and Jesus
BlogEditor (on Uber.nu)

New Stories

Coffee Shop 2001
Heroin Withdrawal, with Drawl
"Fuck You, Bitch."
Henry Cisneros & Topless Revelers
Men in Bhindis
Corporations, Cursing, & Hairy Legs
Bums Not Bombs


Old Thought
Wavy Gravy, Sheila Jackson Lee, Supergrass, and the Invasion
SxSW Crankiness
Game: Who's This Man?
Fun Birthday Questionaire
For Lonely Cyclists
Even More Little Thoughts
More Little Thoughts Lots of Little Thoughts
I'm Back, Like Arnold
Spanish Pith
Shizzolated Drivizzle
Fun at the Doctor's
Noodelicious
In Sickness
News of the Feared
Mr. Bill & Mr. Bill, etc.
Stuffmas
Suicide or Accident?
The F Word
WTC II: Super-Phallic Nightmares
W. Ho
Vikend
Gallagher, Greyhound, & Bikers LLP
Vice Be Gone
Holiday Gift Guide
No-Fly Zone
Love Those Freedoms
Vibrators = Sin
What the Hell? (11/21/02)
Partnership for a Taco-Free America

Old Stories
The Time I Pissed off the Military
Sewing, in Three Parts
Looking for Uncle John
Johnny Guilty
Johnny Part II
Maintenance
Sad Hallway


Guest Corner
Der Voron
Ralph Aquinas

Curses/Verses
Three Bright Mice
Hey Washing Machine
Spam Poem
Send This to McSweeney's

Elsewhere
My S26 Experience: Prague
My A16 Experience
Alternet: Jim Hightower's Rolling Thunder
The Poem That Paid My Rent for Four Months
From My Philly Protest Days: this and this

2003-02-12 - 12:24 p.m.

Is Big Bro Watching Me?

Shortly after posting the entry below, I checked to see how many people had visited my web site on the previous day and noticed that someone with a ".mil" address had stopped by within the hour. Freaked (and somewhat delirious ... it was 3am) that John Poindexter's Eye in the Pyramid was trained on me, I pulled it. But now I'm re-posting it because a. Opposition to violence and war is NOT a crime yet, and b. It's obvious that I oppose violence against ALL people involved in wars, including American soldiers. Not to state the obvious, but in these times it seems necessary: Though I do not approve of the War for Oil, I harbor zero ill will toward the soldiers who are risking their lives to fight it, and hope they all return home safely. Some of my friends in years' past belonged to the armed forces, and I believe that if they had been called up they would have served strictly for the purpose of protecting innocent people from future harm. Surely a great many people currently enrolled in the U.S. military feel the same way, and serve with valor. But when somebody expresses pro-violent sentiments, my internal organs curdle.

Here goes ...

From the e-Vault

Tonight I spent about three hours reading all the faxes people have sent me/my co-workers recently � about 1,000,004 since Monday morning � as well as a bunch of emails, and came across this letter. The story: Shortly after arriving in Austin, I subscribed to about a dozen different listservs in order to gain insight into the local culture. One of the listservs I joined was meant for locals who belonged to the armed forces and their families. About a month after my move, The Day of September Superbadness happened, followed by the Death of Irony(TM). Some of the folks on the armed forces listserv were going to Afghanistan soon to serve, and while most of them understandably seemed frightened and upset that they would be separated from their families, a couple seemed pretty happy/psyched about blowing up people.

One day, a listserv member posted a picture of the Hiroshima bombing with a "joke" attached: "the weather in Kabul." Most subscribers let it slide, but a few showed their approval, which confused me. If someone dropped a nuke in Afghanistan, and American soldiers where stationed nearby, how would the soldiers escape from without being harmed? Not a scientist or military specialist, I had trouble figuring that one out. Why were these listserv people acting like their comrades were "collateral damage"? Maybe they had watched too many Hollywood movies.

Since I'm not a fan of killing � and a little bit of a smartass � I posted this response to the listserv: "Are those American soldiers I see in the picture, burnt to a crisp?" My intention was never to suggest, "wouldn't it be hilarious if American soldiers died?" but to remind them that regardless of the U.S.'s superior technological capabilities, war can still be dangerous for its soldiers and military officials; just ask the family of Johnny Spann. Nevertheless, some of the fiestier listserv members were furious, and even tried to get me into trouble by emailing my posting to my co-workers and boss. What a cheap trick!

My boss is a level-headed and rational guy, and didn't get upset with me. Rather, he began emailing the irate soldier, and they debated the issues for a while. Apparently the listserv guy continued to reiterate that I had made the others very mad and that I should apologize, or something bad might happen. So I wrote this letter to appease him and to explain myself. I admit stretching the Jesus stuff (I'm not a practicing Christian), but sometimes you've got to sing someone else's tune to get the recording contract.

To: [email protected]
From: [email protected]
Subject: Email wars are wrong.

Dear (angryman),

I didn't respond to your email because you sent it to all of my co-workers before I had a chance to, which I don't understand. How could a total stranger's opinion matter so much? As a Christian, I resent that people would choose to interpret my message as a "hah hah, American soldiers are gonna die!" kind of thing, when that's 100% wrong. And I don't know why folks chose to interpret my message that way, except that we live in a society in which violence � including random violence � is the norm. Many people laugh at others' deaths and misfortunes, which illustrates a very, very sad state of affairs.

Then again, you don't know me from Pamela Anderson, so how were you to know?

I never intended to make light of the dangers American soldiers face when they're at war. In fact, the "weather in Kabul" web site made me worry that some folks on the listserv thought it was acceptable to A. overlook the fears many soldiers surely feel at this time, and B. make jokes about killing Afghans indiscriminately (or otherwise). My comment was intended to remind people on that listserv that, contrary to pop culture mythology, MUSHROOM CLOUDS AND BOMBS DO NOT DISCRIMINATE, and war is not a joke or a Stephen Seagal movie because in real life people don't come back to appear in the sequel. My goal was to suggest that any American soldier who goes to Afghanistan might get caught up in the bombing or attacked by the other side, and that's an inarguable fact. To me, that's nothing to laugh about.

I don't sit at my office making jokes about soldiers American, Afghan or otherwise getting blown up. I don't even watch violent movies because I hate violence. (Gladiator sucked. Fight Club sucked.) My dad served in the army during the Vietnam period, and several family friends did as well. My mother's high school boyfriend died in Vietnam. Never have I said, "hah hah hah" at his death or that of any other American soldier. As for myself, I never get too comfy or arrogant because there's enough evidence showing that if you kick one too many behinds, yours is next in line.

I am very worried for the American soldiers who may be sent to the Middle East, and wish them the best of luck and safety. The end. You can believe that or not -- it doesn't matter to me.

I'd appreciate it if this matter is dropped. I will not respond to future emails because I don't know you and have nothing to explain to you beyond what I've written here. If you would like to forward this message to the listserv (which I've since unsubscribed to), then you're welcome to do so. I am not embarrassed by my original remarks, because I understand my original point, which was intended to promote sensitivity, not callousness. That's all that really matters to me.

Spam of the Day

"Watch hot milfy cum lovers"

I hate spam just as much as anybody, but you've got to admit, "milfy" is kind of funny. Especially when it precedes ... well, you see it up there.

What comes next?

Pepsi's "Gulags of a New Generation"?
Air Scalias by Nike?
TIPS for Kids?
Place your bets now.

Things are going to get a lot worse before they get worse. � Lily Tomlin

previous - next

about me - read my profile! read other Diar
yLand diaries! recommend my diary to a friend! Get
 your own fun + free diary at DiaryLand.com! All original work copyright 2003 by L'Apple Productionz.