A story I'm not finding in many American new sources: Mass arrests of Muslims in LA at BBC, Hundreds of Muslim Immigrants Rounded Up in Calif. at Yahoo News.

"Coffee, Tea, or Should We Feel Your Pregnant Wife’s Breasts Before Throwing You in a Cell at the Airport and Then Lying About Why We Put You There?"

Sadly, infuriatingly, but not surprisingly, the horrible experience Nicholas Monahan went through in Portland, OR at the airport is just plain typical these days. And the real victims are his wife and child.

My favorite Lott stepping down story is at Amelie est Bonne - "The best part of this was that I caught it on a CBS Special Report and the reporter? Couldn't stop smiling."

"Yet here is the fascinating thing: Writers on America is, without question, 'propaganda' -- and so it is banned in America. It is selected information; literature collected with the deliberate end of propagating a clear political argument -- that life in America is best and most free. But what prevents Writers on America from amounting to little more than a worthless pamphlet, easy to dismiss, is that unsettling, subversive quality that writers have."

Writers on America is available online, and includes optimistic meditations from Richard Ford, Michael Chabon, and Billy Collins, among others.

To follow Jana's blog - the strongest arguments against citizen input I have seen are the designs people have submitted themselves.

Everyone's applauding -- a bit too eagerly, I think -- the new designs for the World Trade Center. I like the idea of citizens' input, although it seems like a strange concession even under these circumstances. How many city structures are shaped by design advice from Joe Blog in Minnesota? (Check out these helpful hints from America's armchair architects.) But I guess that's the trouble here. The WTC is no longer just an office block or a civic space. It has to serve as a memorial, too -- in the words of one of the development officials, "The architects have responded with great depth to the question, 'What does Sept. 11 represent?'"

It's architecture as national healing. It's also architecture in a rush -- the owner is still coughing up annual rent of $124 million, even with two gaping holes in the ground -- which pretty much kills any hope of a memorial park being developed, rather than twin tower knock-offs. Only one of the proposed plans features a substantial swath of undeveloped land, but what are the chances Richard Meier's open spaces will get a go from them that pay the bills?

Man Trouble: What does male-on-male sexual harassment mean for discrimination law? ...an article I found on Reason that raises some interesting questions on the nature of sexual harassment law, citing such cases as managers found not guilty of discrimination because they equally offended and harassed men and women who worked for them. I think the article points out some of the trouble in the legal structure of harassment protection, coming from the libertarian perspective. Anyway, it gave me some thoughts to chew over. Responses? Sign the guestbook!

USA's largest police force wants more power. The power to keep secret tabs on such nefarious organizations such as church groups. Some nice history, too, via the Village Voice.

The remote controlled rat, and other nifty things of the last year, in the Year in Ideas from the New York Times.
login:opensewer; password:iswatching

And on a follow up, the NY Times has an article today on some of the "difficult" history the Republican Party has had with race over the last 40 or so years. Or, the trouble they have had hiding their racism. The article conspicuously leaves out Florida in the 2000 election...

And Paul Krugman shares his excellent thoughts. NYTimes login for you freeloaders; login: opensewer; password: iswatching.

On the subject of our Senate Majority Leader, Trent Lott- Is there any other way to see his recent remarks about the '48 election besides him having affection for a segregation based campaign? Is follow-up news that Lott fought against integrating his national frat surprising?

So tuned and controlled by speechwriters, so careful of offense are today's politicians that their at ease remarks are more revealing in regards to their personal feelings.

We've got some real good students over there in Ohio. I am glad to know the T-shirt police have volunteers in our high schools keeping political speech off our kids' bodies.

And what about that last paragraph - there are no quotes. Whose words are those supposed to be? The assistant principal's? The writer's? The bodiless voice of authority?

Obviously, we're having a few technical problems.

Black People Love Us! is a hilarious satirical site that draws attention to the patronizing and condescending ways some whites attempt to relate to blacks:

"Johnny calls me "da man!" That puts me at ease. It makes me feel comfortable, because I am Black and that's how Black folks talk to one another."

"Sally and Johnny give me ample opportunities to translate rap lyrics, reggae songs, and/or street slang! Like I'm a mouthpiece for many, many cultures of dark-skinned people."

Via Alternet.

In the 2002 elections, some parts of the U.S. government were spending taxpayer dollars to tell some of those taxpayers how to vote. Not too surprisingly, it may have been illegal. Personally, I'd be more surprised if the coming legal action against those government officials bears punishment as its fruit.
via Alternet

I make some regular weekend drives from Ithaca, NY, up to Toronto, as my friends could tell you. One delight I have discovered along the way is the radio program This American Life, which I catch on the local NPR out of Buffalo, NY, on Fridays as I am passing around the city and over the border. It's a real gem - stories, histories, and all the good things you'd expect from NPR. It's so good that I plan to stop my cd rotation during my time in the broadcast range. (What's also nice is they have an audio archive on their website for your convienence.)

Beacuse it's that time of year, and because we haven't ragged on Wal-Mart for a while... here they go, re-selling toys donated to Toys for Tots.

From Business This Week in the Economist: "Creditors of Enron will be disappointed to note that the 'crooked E' adorning the failed energy group's Houston headquarters sold for only $10,500. A similar sign sold for $45,000 in September, but prices have since collapsed." Wow, no one even cares enough to be stylishly ironic about this anymore.

Friday Fear: ever since watching Bowling for Columbine, I'm astounded at the amount of fear mongering that goes on every night on nearly every evening news broadcast. Next time you watch the news, keep track of how many stories are reported on terrorism, crime and threats to your everyday living. All too often, I see these topics reported out of the nation's context and especially out my personal context. It truly is a culture of fear.

Friday Fun: David Sedaris's Santaland Diaries.

Awards cermonies have really lost it. It's that simple. The Oscars, the Grammies, the whatevers, they have always been (at least in my lifetime) a massive display of self-congratulation, usually containing a high number of truly disgustingly self-centered moments. Industry honoring itself. Whooppee. I mean, I really enjoyed Steve Martin's job on the Oscars a few years ago (and he reutrns this year), but the show is really just so much crap. This VH-1 crapfest, however, just blew my mind. I didn't watch it, since I don't have that channel, but just the name - Big In 2002 awards - is amazing. What the hell? We now salute trends? Fads? Shouldn't the most popular email forwards of the year have gotten some awards, too? How about "Big in 2002" - Riots in Nigeria! Bombing in Iraq! Taking down the Old Glory sticker you put on your car last year because it's dirty and now you think it' stacky! Big in 2002 - crap. As always. I want to call this the dumbest award show ever, but if there is one thing people can out-do, it's stupidity.
Yeah, I only linked to an article about the show and not an official link to VH-1, because the idiots who put this one on don't deserve any links at all.

The name of the case is: State of New Jersey v. One 1990 Ford Thunderbird. Does this mean the car could get fined for contempt if it backfired during the trial? Does the car have the same fair trial rights that I do? Justice in America, kids.
exploratory links inside

Last night, during our Thanksgiving reverie (which consisted mostly of sitting), I saw a commercial for Wal-Mart advertising their day-after-Thanksgiving (or “black Friday”) sale. It showed two women (who looked like middle-aged housewives), up at 5:00 AM, wide-eyed, going through the sales circular for that big day. Just a bit later that morning, as these characters put it, they were “in the store by 7:00 AM” when it opened, their shopping carts already overflowing with bargains by, say, 7:25. “This is our time, time for the girls…we love it.” So that’s what girls do, huh? Wait for Wal-Mart to open at 7 to catch all the bargains? Now that’s living.

Just let me make a request…If that commercial resonated with you in any sort of positive way, if you actually would derive some joy from such activity, please do the following: 1) Take note of my photo (and Rosie’s) on the “Persona” page of this website; 2) Make any and all efforts to avoid coming into contact with us—we don’t want to talk to you.

Okay, that was a little harsh. But I guess it’s just my way of saying that Opensewer fervently, enthusiastically, without reservation, proudly, eagerly, passionately, earnestly, excitedly, industriously, avidly, ardently, zealously, fanatically and feverishly supports Buy Nothing Day, which is today.

Today, I’m thankful that a culture or religious sect with an inflated desire to colonize new territory and/or impose their beliefs on the world didn’t invade my land and subsequently, for all intents and purposes, eliminate my people. Happy Thanksgiving!

The current controversies in the Catholic church seem to me weirdly fascinating. Here's a voice from Voice of the Faithful, an underdog group that yesterday was graced with its first audience with Boston's Cardinal Law: "There were some moments of tension. They arose concerning issues regarding our view versus the cardinal's view of the legitimacy of the existence of our organization, the discussions regarding the bannings of our group from church property, and the desire to see a more open process of governing within the church."

It's a curious paradox that the faith of this group compels it to seek approval from a religious body that treats it with such contempt. I wonder if they've ever heard that old Groucho Marx joke -- clearly they ain't interested in belonging to a club that would accept them. NY Times login: opensewer; password: iswatching.

Have you ever been to an NYC nightspot and seen the odd sight of employees telling patrons to stop dancing? The stop dancing order is for the owner's protection, not from a desire to stifle fun. You see, clubs in New York City need licenses to allow their patrons to dance. It's the archaic cabaret law that's the reason, a leftover from trying to keep whites and blacks from mixing at jazz clubs.

To pull a quote from the article, "The cabaret law itself is absurd. It's totalitarian. Two years ago the only places it was illegal to dance were Manhattan and Afghanistan. And now you can dance in Afghanistan..."

Personally, I think the right to gather and dance is pretty fundamental, up there with free speech and assembly - it's a communal experience that, at its best, is transcendent and spiritual. But the dancing community has come under attack a lot from government lately.

And as Emma Goldman famously said, "If I can't dance, I don't want to be a part of your revolution."

I think we're missing it here. It's not women's rights, poverty, the death of the Industrial Age (which never really touched villlage-life Africa), but yes, religion. Religion in that old time, all powerful world-view sense, the kind we in America tend not to like so much, especially us progressive opensewer types. Why would one care about something as abstract and foreign as "women's rights" when the fate of one's eternal soul is on the line?

So how surprised should we be that there is anger when an insult is perceived to have been made to a powerfully religious group's god or prophet? Similarly, is it so unbelievable that there is violent hostility to religious missionaries (in Lebanon)? Is it any crazier than the belief that drives the missionary work?

We European-Americans, us enlightened, rational folk, should remember our own history of fighting for souls, of the Crusades, the 30 Years War, and the Christian lead genocide of our land's first inhabitants. It's not that long ago. Free enterprise may be our gospel and might bring the internet to Lagos, but what does it do for their souls?

We have our own jihad instigators on this land of the free, too. And sometimes you can't tell them from our enemies.

The Bush administration on Friday eased clean air rules to allow utilities, refineries and manufacturers to avoid having to install expensive new anti-pollution equipment when they modernize their plants.

100 Killed in Nigeria Riots Triggered by Miss World Pageant. What's going on here? On the surface: a clash of (religious) value systems. Deeper: The Third and First Worlds at war, reflecting the growing chasm between the richest and the poorest global citizens. Deeper: The death of the Industrial Age, and the continued violent transition into a new, as yet non-delineated one.

I've got one for ya: A priest and a rabbi walk into a bar at Stanford university. They tell Margaret Cho that it's okay to create a new life form using 200 of the 517 genes in the Mycoplasma genitalium. Alright, it's not funny, but it's not really a joke. And neither is this: "How a microscopic organism in your genital tract could solve the world's energy crisis." (From the Truth Is Stranger Than Fiction department.)