Letter Never Sent

I used to work at a video store, not a porn video store, but still I think anyone who has had to deal with people in a customer service capacity will enjoy this site, True Porn Clerk Stories. It is filled with hilarious anecdotes and interesting insights into attitudes about porn and sexuality and job dissatisfaction.

I think the reason straight guys like enormous schlongs, apart from the whole bigger = more powerful and more potent thing, is that it’s an easy answer to Freud’s unanswerable question: what do women want? The real answer is too hard. Women want you to be independent but emotionally available. They want you to be attached but not smothering. They want time and attention, and also some time alone. They want you to grow and change with them. They want you to be all kinds of things, and it’s going to be a different list for every woman, and that list is always subject to change without notice. For some men, and many of my regular porn addicts, I think, fall into this category, the answer is that women want you to change that glaring personality flaw and learn to talk to them like a human being. Maybe they want you to take a frigging shower.

The other way is so much easier. What do women want? Enormous, glistening cocks. If you’ve got one, great, your job is done. No need to worry about anything else. If you don’t, well, then if women don’t like you it’s not your fault.

• Welcome to the War on Terrorism, Comrade
  by Harry Browne

• DICTATORSHIP AT YOUR DOORSTEP
• Jordan prince touted to succeed Saddam: US setting up another puppet ruler a la Hamid Karzai? Iraq soon to be pro-west vassal state.
• Crazy animated logo for Homeland Security at the US Patent and Trademark Office website.
• ‘Corporate Socialism’ by Ralph Nader. A must read.

With the end of the Cold-War the US struggled to find new bad guys and bogeymen to justify its status as big kid on the block and the suppression of domestic unrest and dissent. Throughout the 80’s the powers that be, the invisible hand, desperately searched for the new paradigm to manufacture: the fear of crazed arabs, hispanic narcotraffikers, the threat of domestic crime, welfare queens. Of course, foreign enemies are always better for the purpose of fear-mongering. The terror war is exactly what the doctor ordered as far as these people are concerned.

• A New War or a New World? by John Judge

I have been amazed at Zacarias Moussaoui’s behavior in his dealings with what will most likely be the institution which will, in the end, murder him. His bravery, foolishness, or whatever you want to call it, in the face of such overwhelming odds is astonishing. I really want to know what the result of all this will be. From the Washington Post (the least stupid account of events I’ve seen today):

In addition to declaring his allegiance to Osama bin Laden and saying he was a member of the al Qaeda terrorist network, Moussaoui said: “I will be able to prove I have certain knowledge about September 11, and I know exactly who done it. I know which group, who participated, when it was decided. I have many information.”

Moussaoui, 34, a French citizen, said he was pleading guilty to the six charges against him in order to move on to the penalty phase and try to save his life. Four of the counts carry the death penalty.

“For the guilt phase, I’m guilty,” he told the judge. “But for the death penalty, we will see.”

Brinkema told him that if he truly wanted to plead guilty, he should consider negotiating a plea bargain, which could result in the government’s dropping its death penalty demand. “I’ll give you at least a week to think about that,” the judge said.

“I don’t need it,” Moussaoui replied. “I’ve been thinking for months.” …

“I want to enter a plea, I want to enter a plea of guilty,” Moussaoui said. “I want to enter a plea today of guilty because this will ensure to save my life.”

Brinkema urged him to stop and told him his words could be used against him. He continued: “I have knowledge and I participated in al Qaeda. I am a member of al Qaeda. I pledge bayat [allegiance] to Osama bin Laden.”

What can he be trying to do?

Every society has their religious fundamentalists to deal with. I’m glad I live in the US where fundies spend their time buying up Tim LaHaye books, and for the most part keep their insanity to themselves. In Pakistan, people aren’t so lucky.

A Pakistani Christian who claimed he was Jesus Christ and called Islam a fake religion was convicted of blasphemy on Thursday and sentenced to death by hanging, court officials said.

From Ha’aretz:

Opposition leader Yossi Sarid (Meretz) called Thursday for the attorney general to consider bringing charges against Shlomo Aviner, a leading settler rabbi, who recently published an article in which he intimated that a soldier who refuses to serve in the territories can be executed by a commander for treason. Several hundred soldiers have refused to serve in the territories since the start of the intifada in September 2000.

The article, which was brought to light Thursday by the daily Yedioth Ahronoth, was published in the B’Ahava V’Emuna pamphlet that is distributed in synagogues. “We are in a state of war and it is forbidden to speak badly of the army,” Aviner wrote.

“Beware, the internal informer, beware the dissenter. Rabbi Naftali Ben-Zvi, the head of the Wolozin yeshiva, wrote that a person weakening the hands of the commander must die, because he is endangering the entire nation,” the rabbi wrote. He gave examples of Jews who were executed by commanders for treason, and concluded that a commander is allowed to execute a soldier refusing his commands.

fas·cism (fshzm)
n.
1. often Fascism
a. A system of government marked by centralization of authority under a dictator, stringent socioeconomic controls, suppression of the opposition through terror and censorship, and typically a policy of belligerent nationalism and racism.

b. A political philosophy or movement based on or advocating such a system of government.
2. Oppressive, dictatorial control.

theocracy

n 1: a political unit governed by a deity (or by officials thought to be divinely guided) 2: the belief in government by divine guidance

Every generation of tired, cranky middle-aged nay-sayers feels it necessary to wage an unspoken war against their youngers, their future replacements. I can only assume its out of envy and an illogical fear of the vigor of youth. Each generation has its battlegrounds, differing from decade to decade, but the suspicion of youth is relatively constant. Today is no different. The new crimes of youth are techno music, raves, and ectasy. Political wind-testers are passing new big brother legislation to further criminalize ectasy and rave dances. The facts don’t bear out any evidence of perceived dangers. This is simply another attempt to crush any ‘counter-culture’. The Facts: The reported mortality rates were 1.5% to 3% for opiate users, 0.9% for tobacco users, 0.5% for alcohol users, and 0.0002% for ecstasy users.

The Reducing Americans’ Vulnerability to Ecstasy Act of 2002 — or the RAVE Act — has cleared the Senate Judiciary Committee and is on the consent calendar, meaning it could receive final approval without a roll call vote at any time. When he introduced the bill in June, Sen. Joe Biden (D-Del.) said “most raves are havens for illicit drugs,” and congressional findings submitted with the bill label as drug paraphernalia such rave mainstays as bottled water, “chill rooms” and glow sticks.

The bill would expand the existing federal crack house law, which makes it a felony to provide a space for the purpose of illegal drug use, to cover promoters of raves and other events.

Another bill pending in the House — the Clean, Learn, Educate, Abolish, Neutralize and Undermine Production (CLEAN-UP) of Methamphetamines Act, introduced by Rep. Doug Ose (R-Calif.) — goes further. It would hold concert promoters in violation if they “reasonably ought to know” that someone will use an illegal drug during an event.