Bush Represents America
Posted 5:47 PM

My rebuttal to the previous article. This Administration is hardly at fault. Don't blame the President. He's actually doing a good job.

There's a problem. Someone attacked the country. We couldn't catch them. So we'll blow up everyone they ever talked to. And then nobody else will fuck with us.

Americans don't want "diplomacy". They don't want to hear about complex global economics. The people of this country want to see Iraq bombed to hell. They want it gone, and not just Hussein. Why should a country of people who hate us so much even be allowed to exist?

Bush is representing the interests of his constituents.

(Palmer)

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Rally for Peace
Posted 1:48 PM

"This Administration, now in power for a little over two
years, must be judged on its record. I believe that
record is dismal." - Robert Byrd in a speech to the senate about the upcoming war.

So, Americans from around the country rallied for peace because they didn't want to see the U.S. make a mistake. Although some people used the rally as a forum for their own agendas - the crowd was, mostly, full of patriots determined to change the mind of the current administration - to steer America towards a wiser course of action.

But, for some inexplicable reason, the police decided to harrass them.

2 million showed up drunk and disorderly for the St. Patricks Day parade. There was nary a word from New York's finest (probably because they were too busy partying). I showed up at the Halloween parade with an opened bottle of beer, unmolested, and dripping in fake blood. I have been to Time Square on New Years, the Fourth of July, and more. I know they have to be tough to control large crowds. But at this protest, the cops were completely out of line.

When I came to the peace protest with a bottle of Pepsi, I was asked to throw it out - because it could be used as a weapon. I said, "lots of people drink Pepsi in the streets all the time". He said, "not today they don't". So, I threw it out. Big deal.

Then, we walked north on 2nd Ave in the freezing cold. At each block, the police had a barrier blocking people from getting to the rally, which was very crowded. After about 10 blocks, the 1st Ave streets were empty. When we tried to cross over - and a cop stopped us, saying, "You can't go that way, streets full". I said "But, we can see it's empty". He said, "Yeah but I 'm telling you that it's full". They made hundreds of thousands walk 10 extra blocks north, turn around and walk 10 extra blocks south. This caused a lot of traffic problems, and a lot of people just went home.

But that wasn't the worst of it. They drove horses into crowds of people, stole a camera from a reporter in front of my eyes, and arrested people for shouting. Basically they openly antagonized thousands of people, in an attempt to create a disturbance. They incited confrontation. Their goal seemed to arrest as many people as possible. And despite all of our mounting rage (as I write this, my hands are shaking from the memory), we all kept our calm. After all, it was a peace rally. And, by and large, we were loud, strong - yet "peaceful".

I've never had a problem with police before in my life. It seems like this war is bringing out the worst in everyone. I worry for our country. I hope we have the strength to restrain ourselves, bolster alliances without threats, and prosper in the times to come.

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Broken Brain
Posted 3:04 AM

Say you're ready to buy a shiny new car, and forest green is your fave-orite color. On the way to the dealer, you pass by a horrible accident. A young man in a forest green Nissan; smashed by a truck; half of his body; on the road next to the car; blood like spilled paint. You turn away. And despite all your wishes, and all the logical, statistical and meaningful evidence, you cannot and will not buy a green car.

This "wrongful gross association", is the primary reason why we make bad decisions in our lives. It happens when a very distinctive feature (forest green, black skin in a white neighborhood), is in proximity to a horrifying, or fear-inspiring event (car crash, robbery). Our brain automatically associates the "unusual feature" as the *cause* of the event. This is a time-saving measure. It's always best to "blame the odd looking thing" if you have to make a snap judgement.

Under normal circumstances, fear is not involved. Your brain takes the slow, steady route, of weighing the information involved (is it really more likely to get into an accident in a green car?), and making the best choice for you. But, under "fear conditions", we make quicker decisions using this "distinctive association" shortcut. This is probably a very good idea for animals in the wild, where fear is needed to change cognitive behaviors for immediate survival. (There's a dead animal here. That scares me. I've never seen a plant that color before. I'd better stay away)

The result of this "broken process", is that, in cultures where fear is fostered, we have false "distinctive associations" that are made all the time. Fearful groups would thus be more likely to be racist, to make decisions based on "signs".

In other words, fearful people will find more meaning in meaningless things.

And isn't that just so damn true?
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