wNaked News In which my articles, poems and random thoughts will appear. See also my website at stewalbert.com wArchives: -- HOME --

wSaturday, April 05, 2003 Break A Leg War can be theater, by violent means moods and motivations are manipulated. Saddam decides to take stroll round Baghdad, go to the old neighborhood, press the flesh, smile and wave at the cameras. Grabs big Baghdad ratings at least where the electricity still flows. Responding, the US sends a convoy of tanks into the heart of the city taking no territory it turns about and departs. It’s a front pager in Cedar Rapids Gestures replacing missiles and snipers. Like it’s a Yippie contest, a pose down for power staged in a grave yard. Humming the Anthem Hummer owners swelling up with patriotic pride seeing military brother hummers at war, liberating Iraq feeling in charge of the road now get out of freedom’s way you Volkswagen Buggers. Yes, blood for oil we are thirsty. Just For Laughs Satire has signed up for the duration. Late night comics make jokes about Saddam speaking at his own funeral and France breaking a leg jumping on the American victory wagon, But not about war and empire and racism and dead civilians and psychopathic Christians ruling the world. Leno and Letterman crack embedded jokes and Dennis Miller is doing Nazi standup. Jon Stewart & The Daily Show standing alone, in this cowardly crowd, covertly brilliant, not fully free not wearing a uniform either. posted by stew at 10:12 AM wFriday, April 04, 2003 Just Another Name Fighting massive battles outside Baghdad conquering an airport not suffering a single casualty in whose fevered computer did this conflagration take place? The “elite Republican Guard” didn’t scratch our arm but a pregnant Iraqi woman in a car with a bomb just blew away three Americans. Is this a war or an absurd play? Last night, Pearl Jam’s Eddie Vedder impaled a Bush mask on a microphone, dozens of Denver fans walked out, lots of booing. He’s on the wrong side of a video game. Tell Rush L. to start burning Eddie’s records. Oh, freedom’s just another name for an American tour to lose. Headlines hail a glorious triumph Americans surround Baghdad, Rumsfield of Arabia rules the desert, but few Iraqis. The biggest Baghdaddy of all battles is about to begin. And so is a moment called truth. posted by stew at 9:22 AM wThursday, April 03, 2003 The News Today, Oh Boy American headlines blare great victories over a “degraded” Republican Guard. We assault them near Baghdad and they disappear. Our brave soldiers can now see the ancient city’s skyline. Lost some where in the article is the grudging admission that maybe “a few” Iraqis pulled back to Baghdad to strengthen its defenses. Somewhere in the gray print you find an American helicopter and a fighter plane biting the desert dust under Iraqi assault. What is true when the last man standing is a liar? Al Jazeera has closed its shop on Baghdad’s main street because of Iraqi bullies. Arnett is fired by NBC Right wing media thugs war against anyone with a conscience. Get with our program or get out! Radiated sands of the Iraqi desert storm into our living room, we can’t see a thing, blinded by official information. What the hell is going on? Civilians keep dying. Hospitals are bombed. Market places massacred. The dead go uncounted. The murderers unnamed. Who is doing what? Where are we headed? Why? We see it all through a TV screen darkly shadows of truth and very illuminated lies repeated so often signifying nothing. We get bored, lose interest and watch cable. The killing continues. posted by stew at 9:27 AM wWednesday, April 02, 2003 Oh Freedom A couple of High School teachers were just suspended for not censoring art. In New Mexico students were assigned the task of painting commentary on the war. Pro-war, antiwar, competed freely in the market place of aesthetics, till the teachers were told to take down all antiwar art. They didn’t want to be bounced but how could they tell a kid from Afghanistan, whose house was crushed, by American bombs, that his painting was banned because it was against bombing houses. The war for Iraqi Liberation grinds on. There are teachers to suspend. Journalists to fire Dixie Chicks to spank Immigrants to terrify Prisoners to torture. The price of freedom is high like gas prices, it keeps going up. posted by stew at 9:15 AM wTuesday, April 01, 2003 Total War Viruses are permanently at war with technology, they take hits and major casualties and mourn their millions dead and plot revenge. The soldiers of disease grow tough from combat they devise new tactics and find willing revenging recruits. Technology grows over confident over reaching assuming victory is forever, that their opponents are stupid and unlearning It happens one night in a distant land, someone dies no one know why or what to do. It happens one night in Hong Kong and again in Toronto lots of people just die and the unbeatable god like weapons of master science rust in the waiting rooms of guerilla war and death. posted by stew at 9:03 AM wMonday, March 31, 2003 We Deliver NBC fired Peter Arnett who got out of the Bush embed to say that it was rape. He told the unvarnished truth about the most stupid war plan since Hitler invaded Russia. If Peter is lucky his next job will be in Ninevah or Moose Jaw. Arnett forgot that journalism is a military resource. Facts are needed. Facts are created. The US promised that Iraqis would support us. Instead they hate and kill us. Like Bush phoning in for a pizza, the media delivers Iraqis who smile and help us. The US promised a lightening assault on Baghdad. It got stuck in the mud with low fuel and food. Like Cheney ordering Chinese, a continuing advance is invented. The headlines blare a road to glory with only the small print modestly describing mere inches of pain and gain. In the mean time the US has yet to conquer a city or explain how it plans to rule in Baghdad or why the guerilla war will ever go away. Arnett described reality. He didn’t invent it. He’ll never work in this war again. posted by stew at 9:46 AM wSunday, March 30, 2003 Shakers She came into the parking lot elevator declaring that the Iraqis are coming. After she left the rest of us agreed that Portland wasn’t a very likely target. In the street Judy and I were accosted by a well dressed drunk who told us that he was proud of our boys over there. We said bring them home. He said, No! We said, another wino for war. At the Hilton the usual anti-choice pickets with their finally boring fetus poster. National Planned Parenthood is meeting within. Spying the fetus I ask the kid whose doing the carrying, Is that Saddam? He says “I wish.” Pro-choice! I reply. In the hotel, we say hello to Jane Fonda. Last grasped her hand in another era. She’s getting an award for supporting women’s rights. We chat superficially but friendly. Upon leaving I extend my hand which she grasps in the old power shake, our now remembered Masonic magic grip of private message. We’re still together. Worlds collapsing with decent mythology in retreat, Friendship remains and sustains. posted by stew at 9:46 AM