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Our Present Situation...aka We're all gonna die

 
  

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Goodness Gracious Meme
12:20 / 12.02.03
Yep.

And yeah, remember hearing the Soho bomb go off and that whole waiting game thing of wondering where next...

Has anyone seen any of the BBC2 stuff on Iraq in the last couple of days.... The documentary by a guy travelling round Iraq as part of an archaeological dig was sobering stuff.
 
 
Matthew Fluxington
12:59 / 12.02.03
I can't say that I place much stock in the 'journalists' over at the NY Post, Todd. Or even the folks at the NY Times.

I really doubt anything will happen. I really do think that these terror alerts and war are a propaghanda excercise by the Bush administration to create an environment of fear to distract the American people from the fact that they are deliberately rigging the entire US government in their favor. It's pretty basic Orwell - radical right wing governments thrive in a state of perpetual emergency.
 
 
gridley
13:06 / 12.02.03
I was told that everybody at my hospital will have to wear their ID badges for the duration of the orange alert. Pain in the ass.
 
 
Quantum
13:11 / 12.02.03
Does nobody remember the flagrant corruption of the US election that gave us Dubyah in the first place? I believe the US gov't to be capable of pretty much anything, but especially of engineering the information given to the US public- tape up your windows? what complete bollocks. What concerns me is the UK, well just Blair actually, threatening to flout international law just because america did it first- I feel like Britain has degenerated into a US buttmonkey. Admittedly it matters a lot less internationally what the UK does than the US, but I have to live here! Blair's idiocy might invite terrorist attacks and my friends might die, BAD BLAIR BOO. I feel like slapping B&B (Bush&BlairBitchProject) on the nose with a rolled up newspaper. Twats.
 
 
grant
13:16 / 12.02.03
There was a stomach flu doing the rounds here around January, but it wasn't anything major. A few folks missed New Year's celebrations. That's about it.

I used to do some work for the New York Post - my father still does. Never let the facts get in the way of a good story.
 
 
Bill Posters
13:29 / 12.02.03
The difference is that 'fucking shit up' is a Good Thing, yeah? It's what we Barbeloids should be doing instead of just talking, yeah? Yeah?

'Nesh, you are a genius. Thanx. This place is so full of hippiecrits it's unbefuckingleivable.

Me? Avoiding the rush hour, drinking a Muslim cola, and trying to remain aware of the fact that I deserve to be scared because I do not deserve to be privilaged. I am white, het, male, living in relative opulence, complicit in a million and one ways and in the final analysis, have fuck-all to complain about. If I die, I die. And I'll go knowing that I'll have had a better life than most people who ever have lived or ever will live.

Everything changes,
It all stayes the same,
Everyone's guilty,
No one's to blame.
Every way out,
Takes you back to the start,
Everyone dies,
And breaks somebody's heart.

- Motorhead.

Has anyone seen any of the BBC2 stuff on Iraq in the last couple of days.... The documentary by a guy travelling round Iraq as part of an archaeological dig was sobering stuff.

It wasn't. I was drunk when I watched it and more so by the time it'd finished. It was all bullshit propaganda anyway.
 
 
bitchiekittie
13:32 / 12.02.03
I got the following in an email explaining why doors would be locked after normal business hours (we work for an accounting firm, so there are plenty of late hours to go around).

I particularly enjoyed #5, because we dont have enough excuses to be stereotyping assholes in this country. what a great thing to have a whole list of them hand fed to us by our beloved (and ultra-sensible) government

enjoy (if I disappear, Ive been arrested for being suspicious):

THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION WAS RECEIVED FROM THE FEDERAL BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION:

Approved for Public Dissemination

The tragedy that occurred on 9/11/2001 changed our lives forever. You can help the FBI prevent another tragedy to the American people. Since the
Homeland Security Advisory System (HSAS) raised the Threat Level to High(Orange) from Elevated (Yellow) on 2/7/03, we must increase our
vigilance and be alert for terrorist-related activity. Please take the following items into consideration as you go about your daily routines and
notify the FBI Baltimore Joint Terrorism Task Force, of anything that seems suspicious. Several ways to notify law enforcement of suspicious activity
are listed at the bottom of this e-mail.

1) Surveillance: Be aware of anyone recording or monitoring activities, taking notes, using cameras, maps, binoculars, etc. near key infrastructure
or entities. These include government or military buildings or bases, hotels, subways, airports, or widely attended events or religious
gatherings, including Jewish activities.

2) Elicitation: Be aware of anyone attempting to gain information in person, by phone, mail, etc., regarding any of the above locations or personnel
associate with these locations.

3) Tests of Security: Be aware of any attempts to penetrate or test physical security or procedures at any of the above locations.

4) Acquiring supplies: Be aware of anyone attempting to purchase, obtain, steal or sell explosives, weapons, ammunition, uniforms, badges, flight
manuals, passes or any other controlled items.

5) Suspicious persons out of place: Be aware of anyone who doesn't appear to belong where they are, including in the workplace, neighborhood, a business
establishment, hotel, etc. This could also include stowaways aboard ship, ship jumpers, illegal aliens, etc.

6) Dry Runs: Be aware of any behavior which appears to be a dry run for terrorist or criminal activity such as mapping or pacing routes, practicing
scenarios alone or with others, casing establishments, timing traffic lights/flow, etc.

7) Deploying Assets: Be aware of persons or vehicles deployed in a manner that could indicate a terrorist act at a key location is about to occur.
This could also include an accumulation of materials that could support a nearby terrorist act.

Please remember, in any emergency, contact the local police by dialing 911. Otherwise, contact the Baltimore Office of the FBI at 410-265-8080 and ask
to speak to the Duty Agent about terrorist-related activity. You may also reach the NIPC WATCH AND WARNING UNIT at (202) 323-3205, toll free at
1-888-585-9078, or by email to nipc.watch@fbi.gov. Your identity will be protected.

FBI Baltimore Division
for other locations use this link: http://www.fbi.gov/contact/fo/fo.htm)
 
 
Bear
13:40 / 12.02.03
5) Suspicious persons out of place: Be aware of anyone who doesn't appear to belong where they are

Maybe they're talking about people standing on monitors or maybe they mean the 5th dimension aliens.

Like Bill says no point worrying about it, death has a plan (trust me I've seen Final Destination 2)
 
 
Goodness Gracious Meme
13:44 / 12.02.03
Bill, you want to unpack that a bit?

I'm not saying that there isn't going to be propaganda value in this sort of programming, I'm not an idiot.

buuut (including the fact that every other Iraqi interviewed seemed to be a Man U. fan *groan*) it was a rare glimpse at Iraq from the inside, at *ordinary people* trying to get their heads around what's being done in their name and the lack of options for the Iraqi people.

It was humanising/personalising in a way that I really didn't expect anything on TV right now to be.

And provided actually, IMHO, a bit of counterbalance to all this 'Muslims will be celebrating Eid with acts of terrorism' bollocks we're getting everywhere else.

Mind you, I wasn't drunk when I was watching, so possibly I missed some of the subtleties.
 
 
Goodness Gracious Meme
13:47 / 12.02.03
Oh, and purely selfishly am looking forward to another round of morons telling how happy 'my lot' are with the chaos/war/etc.
 
 
Jack Fear
14:04 / 12.02.03
Bill: ...trying to remain aware of the fact that I deserve to be scared because I do not deserve to be privileged.

You don't "deserve to be scared." Nobody does.

Maybe you don't deserve to be privileged—it's mainly due to accidents of geography and birth—but you have the same right to happiness as does a North Korean child eating grass and whitewash to stay alive another day.

That an accident of birth and a vortex of stiff-backed politics have violated that child's right to happiness is a tragedy. That you're hell-bent on denying your own right to happiness is a farce.
 
 
Shortfatdyke
14:13 / 12.02.03
I think it's more accurate to say that one should be aware of and acknowledge one's priviledge. The complaint here by one poster that staff at hir workplace will have to wear their ID badges for the time being rather underlines this point.
 
 
Tryphena Absent
14:14 / 12.02.03
I spent the first twelve years of my life in London in the middle of a continous IRA bomb threat. Just before we moved away a bomb exploded in Finchley Central opposite my favourite shop and all of the windows were blown out. I recall that it wasn't an Irish thing, palestinians I think, pretty nasty though.

In the '70s my dad received an explosive package at Colletts book shop- probably sent by some right wing group- and had to call in the bomb squad. There weren't any bins in town for years in case a bomb was left in them and even when most were brought back the one's outside the passport office had bright orange covers across them. I think I've been damn lucky to spend my late teenage years in a safer London- one with less explosions.

When looked at in perspective this threat of death seems pretty normal considering the environment that I grew up in but I want to emphasise that I've always felt safe. Tanks at Heathrow make me marvel at what could be happening but everything seems pretty hyped and over the top. You don't spend your waking hours wandering around your home expecting to explode or get invaded by strange chemical weaponry- you just shrug and carry on and forget about it.

Hey, we're British, we love a crisis.
 
 
Jack Fear
14:21 / 12.02.03
I think it's more accurate to say that one should be aware of and acknowledge one's priviledge.

I entirely agree with that. But there's no point in trading one double standard for another: self-love (even self-interest) and empathy for others are not mutually exclusive, either/or propositions.
 
 
Solitaire Rose as Tom Servo
15:16 / 12.02.03
One of the Bush spokesmen messed up on NPR's Talk of the Nation yesterday and said that they expected the Orange alert to last until the start of war in about three weeks until the war was over...he then said that he was just speculating, but it sure sounded like a slip of the tongue to me.

The talk of terrorist attakcs is ramping up pretty hard, with the head of CIA saying he expected an attack this week in Congress yesterday and the odd misinterpratation of the supposed Bin Laden message yesterday. Even though Bin Laden called Iraqi leadership "Bad Moslems" yesterday (the equivelent of being called a a no good bastard who is the enemy anywhere else) the Administration said this was more proof that Bin Laden is working with Saddam.

I would hate to think that terrorism and the threat of terrorism would be used by our government to manipulate us into a war, but when you don't win an election and steal it using the Supreme Court and name your enemies by their business dealings with Halliburton Oil, anything seems possible anymore.
 
 
The Natural Way
16:20 / 12.02.03
Something horrid for you - a chat t'other night, afore I fell asleep on my mates living room floor:

"So....there's all these nukes....and there's only going to be more...and different kinds....etc. I think, maybe, they're going to be used someday..."

"blah, blah, blah...megatonnage...blah.."

And then WE ALL HAD A GOOD OLD LAUGH AND WENT WEYWAH TO THE LAND OF NOD!
 
 
Jack The Bodiless
16:31 / 12.02.03
Well, I don't recall anyone having a 'right to happiness'. Who the fuck legislated that, and would he mind policing it? Load of fucking hippie toss.

It's reductive crap like that that makes people whine like babies when some tiny wee bit of shite floats face up in their lives. No one has a 'right to happiness'. It's something you grab when it's there, and deal with when it's not. Live with it, by all means, but don't spew your sanctimonious rubbish near me, thank you. Some of us live in the real world.
 
 
Jack The Bodiless
16:31 / 12.02.03
Well, I don't recall anyone having a 'right to happiness'. Who the fuck legislated that, and would he mind policing it? Load of fucking hippie toss.

It's reductive crap like that that makes people whine like babies when some tiny wee bit of shite floats face up in their lives. No one has a 'right to happiness'. It's something you grab when it's there, and deal with when it's not. Live with it, by all means, but don't spew your sanctimonious rubbish near me, thank you. Some of us live in the real world.
 
 
Jack The Bodiless
16:34 / 12.02.03
So angry I posted it thrice. Convo moderators, two requests coming your way...
 
 
w1rebaby
16:38 / 12.02.03
I've heard more than one person theorise that the Orange Alert was put in place (at least in part) to fuck up anti-war marches on the 15th and around.

IndyMedia NYC ranting

ANSWER's timeline
 
 
Jack Fear
17:00 / 12.02.03
You're right, JtB: there's no right to happiness as such. Enshrined in the US constitution is the inalienable right to pursue same, which seems to me to be a step in the right direction.

To say that happiness—or a fighting chance at it—is a basic human right is to look at that "real world" of yours and say : It shouldn't be this way. It doesn't have to be this way.

Or is that just sanctimonious hippie bullshit?
 
 
Jack The Bodiless
17:39 / 12.02.03
No. To say that happiness is a basic human right is to wholly misunderstand what 'human rights' actually mean, and to position the lack of an ephemeral and twee blanket notion like 'happiness', as being equivalent to living under torture, apartheid, etc. That is sanctimonious hippie bullshit.

"I have a right to be happy." No, you do not. That presupposes that your happiness is something that you and others can control, and that it's a natural, or base state. I think we'd all agree that it's not my natural state, and it certainly isn't yours, Jack 'I've got a blunt stick up my arse' Fear. Deal with it, or don't, I couldn't care less.
 
 
Jack Fear
17:42 / 12.02.03
Fair enough.

But to return to the orginal proposition, does anyone "deserve" to be miserable?
 
 
Bill Posters
18:35 / 12.02.03
I'm not saying that there isn't going to be propaganda value in this sort of programming, I'm not an idiot.

Bengali, you know I don't think you're an idiot. I'm sorry if that post came across as dismissive. I was in a hurry. What I felt about that programme was that it was a macho journo doing the 'oooh, I'm soooo in danger doing this' routine. He was on a fucking tour bus for god's sake! It hardly makes him Nick Danziger or John Pilger! Like, have you never been in a totalitarian regime? In Syria it was like that all the time, leastways when I was last there. Secret pigs followng me, coming and asking me questions about Disneyland, as we had to refer to Israel all the time, even in private. I fucked up dreadfully when talking to a young guy about national service. '"hey wake you at 4.00 am," he told me. "That's terrible," I said, without thinking. I have never seen anyone look so scared. "No," he said, "It's very, very nice". I could have gone to prison for that stupid, thoughtless comment. However, we weren't exactly in public then. A French woman was arrested for shooting her mouth off in a fucking restaurant, duh, when I was in Damascus, and god only knows if her embassy could do a damn thing for her. That's the score in hundreds of countries and we're only going too war with the one with oil. That's what I was getting at, anyway.

The complaint here by one poster that staff at hir workplace will have to wear their ID badges for the time being rather underlines this point.

Um, I have more than a sneaking suspicion that post was not meant to be taken remotely seriously.

Well, I don't recall anyone having a 'right to happiness'. Who the fuck legislated that, and would he mind policing it? Load of fucking hippie toss. It's reductive crap like that that makes people whine like babies when some tiny wee bit of shite floats face up in their lives. No one has a 'right to happiness'. It's something you grab when it's there, and deal with when it's not. Live with it, by all means, but don't spew your sanctimonious rubbish near me, thank you. Some of us live in the real world.

More genius. Ta Mr Bodiless. Those of us with privilage are hated. We are all privilaged in some way, especially the white males amongst us and especially the Amerikkkans amongst us. Deal with it. Buy a fucking gas mask if you're that worried, go on kids, rearrange those deckchairs and listen to the band play on. Whatever gets you through the day. Honestly, never have I seen such self-indulgence from the bunch of middle-class neurotic moral highlanders that comprise the majority of this board's membership. Just a little bit of war and everyone shits themselves! Wars go on all the time, funny how you only get scared when you're the one who's gonna get gassed, innit? Anyway, even peace is war continued through other means. I've seen the police at demos, I know the score. I also live in the real world... in the immortal words of Jim Morrison, "It looks like shit and feels like hell, but it's a fuck of a lot more real than the trip I see you on."
 
 
Ganesh
19:43 / 12.02.03
Well, of course it's scarier when it's personal: confining one's terror to those occasions when one is in fear of one's own life is what allows us to function at all in the modern world - otherwise, we'd all be permanently foetal. Is that self-indulgence?

(Oh yeah, and I do have a gasmask, an, erm, 'recreational' one. I've never really considered carrying it around, though: I suspect that if I ever actually put the thing on, gas attack or no, those around would lynch me for my smugness.)

Incidentally, are you quite alright, Bill? This realer-than-thou rantiness seems rather unlike you...
 
 
Jack Fear
19:52 / 12.02.03
It's the awful burden of being the point man in the struggle against Amerikkkan hegemony. It wears on one's nerves, after a while.
 
 
Shortfatdyke
20:27 / 12.02.03
Aw come on, Ganesh - he's this patronising most of the time....
 
 
Mourne Kransky
20:45 / 12.02.03
Just been watching news reports of people in the MidWest of the U.S. stocking up on tinned goods, duct tape, polythene sheeting, gas masks... I must be in denial. Perhaps my sloth will kill me.

A lot of guys in hardware stores over there must think it's Christmas, the way that stuff seemed to shifting off their shelves.

I guess we'll just have to eat the cats if we're trapped in the house for a week. Better give them extra rations and get them nice and plump. Here Kitty... Come and sit in this nice big saucepan, on top of the bouquet garni and those comfy carrots.

Is not the purpose of "terrorism" to induce terror in a population? Seems that objective is already being achieved in some degree.
 
 
8===>Q: alyn
22:40 / 12.02.03
Nah, the purpose of terrorism is to kill people, and to goad big armies into ineffective actions. What you're seeing is called "building community."

Haus, I don't think I was setting up any reductive comparison between "jihadis" and "normal" Moslems, just suggesting that there is an element that might think a nuke in Times Square is the perfect way to celebrate the season, and this element isn't any more "normal" than those Christians who'd like to nuke Baghdad for Easter.

Likewise, Bill, while I agree that American "hegemony" -- more properly, I think, America's persuit of hegemony, since so much of it is just notional -- is an enormous part of the problem, I think accusing the Guy on the Street of hegemony is ... what? Paradoxical. It's not the Guy's fault any more than 9/11 was the fault of the Fella in Baghdad... or Kabul or wherever.

Ganesh, I dunno, I haven't been around here that long. Were 'Lithers suggesting suicide bombing as a good way to Fuck Shit Up?
 
 
STOATIE LIEKS CHOCOLATE MILK
22:42 / 12.02.03
Xoc- you have a sloth ?

I notice that (in the UK at least) they're now trying to play down what they said yesterday.
 
 
Ganesh
22:43 / 12.02.03
I don't think any Barbeloid was ever that specific in their exhortation of upward shit-fucking; it always seemed more about what people weren't doing than what they were...
 
 
w1rebaby
23:09 / 12.02.03
Am I gaining an unrepresentative view of the US, with the reaction of everyone I've talked to about said terror alerts being sarcasm? Backed by a sense that the government is trying to bullshit them again?
 
 
Char Aina
23:23 / 12.02.03
A lot of guys in hardware stores over there must think it's Christmas, the way that stuff seemed to shifting off their shelves.


what are they going to do when there is no one left to sell to? i mean, how much duct tape and tarpaulin can one family need?
its the manufacturers of gas masks i worry about. with such an explosion in demand, such a specialist item will surely become so commonplace as to be unprofitable.
 
 
8===>Q: alyn
23:40 / 12.02.03
Now, toksik, that's what they said to Bill Gates about his silly "personal computers."
 
 
ONLY NICE THINGS
07:16 / 13.02.03
The idea of the Barbelith suicide bombers faction is absolute quality. "All right, boys and girls, who's been depressed lately?"

You know, *everyone* seems to be unusually scratchy in this thread - perhaps the first casualty of war is lovely warm huggles.
 
  

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