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Yes, I am under 40 and know what the song is about. It was a tragedy what happened at Kent State, but to associate acts of overt physical action to get attention and practicing civil disobedience are not necessarily one and the same. We, in this Blog, are practicing disobedience.

I must have missed something. Who are we disobeying?

I’m an American citizen. I’m free (at least in theory). I don’t recall ever being told to do something (or told NOT to do something), so who is this *authority* you’re pointing to?

“We the People” are the sole authority of this country.

I don’t seem to recall Thoreau, Emerson or Whitman getting arrested for “the cause.”

Actually, Thoreau DID get arrested for a cause. He refused to pay taxes which went to support the Mexican-American war and he spent time in jail over that.

If you want to do that, great. But to insist that is the only true way to measure your sincerity in disobeying “the Man” is glib.

The problem is that “the Man” isn’t obeying us the way he should.

jared diamond, in Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail Or Survive, describes how dangerous it is when elites aren’t affected by the choices they make on society’s behalf… they can end up making destructive choices.

What it also tells us is we are still a society run by the elite. We’re not yet a real Democracy and we’re dependent upon the Elite, the Rich to have some sense of serving the greater good and not just their own wallets.

What I fear most about our current times is that the Bush mafia have learned how to craft a plan which earns the submission or support of the Elite by finding some rationale for them (as I mentioned with regard to Greenspan). If our schools aren’t producing enough smart people amongst the Elite, then we had better get on with real Democracy, so we’ll have some chance of surviving.

Here’s a student account of what happened (emphases mine):

“I was at the Kerry speech today, sitting 2 rows away from all the action. I’ll let you know how it really went down.

The forum was going to be over at 2 pm, and Kerry spoke for so long that the Q and A portion had to be shortened. He only got through about 7 of the 50 people who were waiting to ask questions. While the final question was being read, some douchebag ran down the aisle, grabbed the mic from the other side of the room, interrupted the kid who was talking, and started yelling at Kerry, demanding that his questions be heard. He started ranting about how Kerry talks in circles or something, and everyone was getting annoyed. The cops are all over him in no time and try to escort him out, but he starts yelling and resisting. Kerry insists that they let him stay and even agrees to answer his question.

After the interrupted guy’s question was answered, Kerry keeps his promise and lets the angry guy talk. This is the point where people started taking their cameras and phones out. All the videos floating around youtube start around here. You can see in the videos that his questioning gets kind of inappropriate, so somebody cut his mic. Instead of shutting up, he starts yelling and making an even bigger scene. He struggled all the way up the aisle, and started violently trying to free himself. They threatened to taze him and he wouldnt stop fighting, so he got tazed. They only had to arrest him because he was causing a disruption and wouldn’t leave peacefully. He wasn’t being silenced for asking tough questions, trust me.

It’s a shame that they had to taze the guy, but he had a chance to calm down and didn’t take it. He probably didn’t pose a physical threat to anybody in the room, but someone can’t just hijack the floor of a forum like that and expect not to get kicked out. This wasn’t some poor guy who was brutalized for trying to ask some tough questions. He’s just an obnoxious guy who had a fit when there wasn’t time for his questions and refused to be calm even when he was given the chance to speak. He was looking for trouble, and everyone applauded when he was forced to leave.

Nothing pisses me off more than hearing stories about power tripping cops abusing their power, unnecessarily tazing or arresting people, etc. It’s a huge problem and I’m glad it’s being discussed. Just don’t mistake this for one of those cases”

“He’s read 87 books this year,” sigh the fawning press releases.

87 matchbooks

“He’s read 87 books this year,” sigh the fawning press releases.

Does that mean he read the dog-eared, post-it-tagged and underlined cliff note version provided by pickles? Or I am just trying to rationalize the impossible?

Get Tough @ 301

And just a note: I am not belittling anyone with that statement…. …Staging sit-ins, going against the Man, and all of that garbage may conjur up fond memories of the 60s…

Yea, better get some sleep.

Here’s a lullaby for ya.

That video, by the way, I have hung out with Chuck D, makes my point–Marching, picketing, civil disobedience. That’s is acceptable, of course. I am a progressive. I don’t like the Bushies. But there is a revival of the 60s in the air right now–the Boomers want it more than anything. The 60s served its purpose. And, as true progressive who values competition, consumer rights, and secular values, I also value one’s right to opinions, and hold those who think there way is the only way, irregardless of political affiliation, as sanctimonious. Nighty night.

DrDick @ 256

I also read at about that level and always have. Not watching much TV helps as well. It is also an important part of my job and I read at work. Most of the people I work with read a comparable amount or more.

Anyone have any suggestions for improving reading speed? I don’t read slowly, but I’m never as fast as I would like, and not as fast as some other people I know. And I still have way too much vocalization echo when I read.

I’ve tried speed-reading guides, and they’ve helped some, but not as much as I would like, though some of that is probably because I don’t practice as much as they tell me to.

When i was in jr hi i would practice speed reading the sports page because i didn’t give a #$@ if i remembered or understood, just let your eyes rush thru it, seeing words in groups, or letting your eyes glance off certain words, like the paragraph is a lake, & your eyes are the stones you’re skipping over the water.

marymccurnin @ 219

There is a difference between fantasy and really hurting someone.

You are correct and, in reality, I would probably object strongly.

In writing?