Battle Of Manhattan - The Fanatic vs. The Lady (redux)

Crossposted from Left Toon Lane, Bilerico Project & My Left Wing click to enlarge Here is a clipping of something I wrote on September 11, 2001 with my initial thoughts of the war machine gearing up. Battle Of Manhattan - The Fanatic vs. The Lady Two warriors faced off in the City of New York on September 11th, 2001. One warrior was the Lady Liberty, the other was the Fanatic. The battle was not about water rights, genetically engineered foods, jobs or even taxes. This battle is about freedom and our very right to exist. By the word "our", I mean those who are free or want to be free. Even though American fixtures such as the Pentagon are seen by some as a source of third world oppression, it is the same organization that saved the world from the last Fanatic. And the World Trade Center may have been seen as the symbol of the slave master for the third world, however it housed the records and managers of the worlds largest retirement funds where workers from all over the planet have placed their retirement savings. When people write checks to the International Red Cross or World Wildlife Fund, chances are that those account transactions were handled by companies that had offices at the World Trade Center. But one of the goals of the Fanatic is to accelerate the loss of freedom. We will have more intrusion into personal privacy, impediments to travel and our rights to protest will be heavily curtailed. These mindless attacks are a bane for those of us who strive to change society by peaceful means - through printed words, expressed ideas and marches in the streets. The Fanatic did make war upon The Lady Liberty and we, you and I, are The Lady. The Fanatic made war upon us, each and every one. So how do we, the physical embodiment of The Lady, fight the Fanatic? By maintaining our resolve to be free. The very act of maintaining freedom is the mightiest weapon that can be used against The Fanatic. We must be diligent in our efforts to preserve freedom and to continue to press our elected officials to support initiatives that fight terrorism, fundamentalism and extremism of any kind. Other than scale, there is no difference between a pro-environmental bombing of a timber mill and an anti-capitalist destruction of a major world financial center. None. Belief, faith and cause are the foundations of terrorism, fundamentalism and extremism - all of which should be avoided by those who truly embrace freedom. The Lady does have a very black eye from her battle with the Fanatic on Manhattan Island, but the victorious Fanatic walked away with a death sentence carved heavy upon his brow.

What we have lost under BushCo.

Crossposted from Left Toon Lane, Bilerico Project & My Left Wing click to enlarge The laundry list of things BushCo has done against us is pretty staggering and can even make real Conservatives (honest-to-God Goldwater folks) cringe. But seldom do we look back at what we have lost under this regime. We have lost more than we have gained as a Nation. If we could just have these four things, Bill of Rights, The Twin Towers, the lives of our soldiers and New Orleans, what would we give up in hindsight? And what are we willing to do about it? From If This Be Treason: Given the continuing unwillingness of our federal representatives to end the war, restore Constitutional protections or address the high crimes and misdemeanors of a lawless leadership, 911truth.org urges all freedom-loving Americans to spend September 11, 2007, rediscovering the compelling democratic history of people’s movements and the general strike. In response to increasing calls for a general strike on this year’s sixth 9/11 anniversary by grassroots coalitions such as www.strike911.org, 911truth.org is encouraging participants to maximize the transformative impact of the day with a few inspiring hours of study. Janice Matthews, executive director of 911truth.org, states, “We face a grave array of dangers caused, exacerbated and/or ignored by a non-responsive government, and we must therefore remind ourselves how victims of other authoritarian regimes rose up to reclaim basic democratic rights and popular sovereignty. Not all succeeded, of course, but we can learn from their mistakes as well as their victories, and considering the rate our Constitutional protections have been evaporating, the nation needs a crash course in peoples power right now.” I know what I WON'T be doing, how about you?